Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds - Buzz With The Fuzz 1987

Chris Farlowe always seemed destined for great things as a singer -- and based on the company he kept on-stage and the people he worked with in the mid-'60s, he did succeed, at least on that level. Born John Henry Deighton in Islington, North London, in 1940, he reached his early teens just as the skiffle boom was breaking in England, and was inspired by Lonnie Donegan to enter music. His first band was his own John Henry Skiffle Group, where he played guitar as well as sang, but he gave up playing to concentrate on his voice, as he made the switch to rock & roll. He eventually took the nameChris Farlowe, the surname appropriated from American jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, and was fronting a group called the Thunderbirds, as Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds. They built their reputation as a live act in England and Germany, and slowly switched from rock & roll to R&B during the early years of the '60s. Their debut single, "Air Travel," released in 1962, failed to chart, but the following year, Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds (whose ranks included future star guitarist Albert Lee) were signed to EMI's Columbia imprint, through which they issued a series of five singles thru 1966, all of which got enthusiastic critical receptions while generating poor sales.
In 1966, with his EMI contract up, Farlowe was snatched up by Andrew Oldham, who knew a thing or two about white Britons who could sing R&B, having signed the Rolling Stones three years earlier, and put him under contract to his new Immediate Records label. Immediate's history with unestablished artists is mostly a story of talent cultivated for future success, but with Farlowe it was different -- he actually became a star on the label, through the label. His luck began to change early on, as he saw a Top 40 chart placement with his introduction of the Jagger/Richards song "Think," which the Rolling Stones later released as an album track onAftermath. That summer, he had the biggest hit of his career with his rendition of the Stones' "Out of Time," in a moody and dramatic version orchestrated by Arthur Greenslade, which reached number one on the British charts. Farlowe had enough credibility as a soul singer by then to be asked to appear on the Ready, Steady, Go broadcast of September 16, 1966, a special program featuring visiting American soul legend Otis Redding -- he'd covered Redding's "Mr. Pitiful" on an Immediate EP, and now Farlowe was on stage with Otis (and Eric Burdon), and got featured in two numbers.
That was to be his peak year, however. The subsequent single releases on Immediate, including his version of the Stones' "Ride on Baby," failed to match the success of the first two singles, and he last charted for Immediate with "Handbags and Gladrags," written for him by Manfred Mann's Mike d'Abo.
The label, always in dire financial straits, tried repackaging his songs several different ways on LP, but after 1967 his recording career was more or less frozen until the label's demise in 1970. After that, Farlowe's story became one of awkward match-ups with certain groups, including the original Colosseum on three albums, andAtomic Rooster (post-Carl Palmer). Following a car accident that left him inactive for two years, he made an attempt at re-forming the Thunderbirds in the mid-'70s, and "Out of Time" kept turning up in various reissues, but he saw little new success. Farlowe was rescued from oblivion by his better-known contemporary (and fellow Immediate Records alumnus) Jimmy Page, appearing on the latter'sOutrider album in the '80s, which heralded a BBC appearance that brought him back to center stage in the public consciousness for the first time in two decades. Farlowe followed this up with new albums and touring with various reconstituted '60s and '70s groups, and although he never saw another hit single, his reputation as a live performer was enough to sustain a career -- nor did the release of his Ready, Steady, Go appearance with Otis Redding on videotape and laser disc exactly hurt his reputation; indeed, that was the first time many Americans appreciated just how serious a following he'd had in England. His recent albums, including The Voice, have gotten respectable reviews, and his Immediate Records legacy was finally getting treated properly in the 21st century, as well. Along with Manfred Mann's Mike d'Abo and Paul Jones, Farlowe remains one of those voices from 1960s England that -- with good reason -- hasn't faded and simply won't disappear.  AMG. 

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Joni Bishop - Threads 1997

Another B.'s selection. A wonderfully sweet collection of songs performed in a relaxed manner by Joni Bishop, who sometimes comes across in the manner of a female James Taylor -- her vocals moving from pure singing to an almost singsong speech. The songs are uniformly bright and melodic, touching on aspects of the human condition, and definitely easy to listen to. AMG.

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Dale Hawkins - Wildcat Tamer 1999

Hawkins' first record in over 30 years shows that he had plenty of gas left in the tank as the new century approached. From the opening title track (complete with chaotic false start) to the closing recut of "Susie Q" (done more in a Creedence style than Hawkins' original), it's very obvious that Hawkins is absolutely delighted to be making records again. His bluesy style is put to great use on funky remakes of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" and "Going' Down the Road (Feelin' Bad)" while his country side comes up for air on the whimsical summer hit in the making, "Summertime Down South," which features Vassar Clements on fiddle. Some great rockin' that recalls his Chess salad years without Xeroxing it. AMG.

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The Famous Jug Band - O for Summer 2001

Thirty years on from their debut this quintessential incredible stringband related English folk outfit have been in the studio and produced a new album of traditional UK folk topped off by Clive Palmer's distinctive West country voice and banjo. The songs have a lilting simplicity casting images of summer festivals and ancient countryside.

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Karen Almquist - Tracking of time 1996

The debut from northern California-based singer/songwriter Karen Almquist was produced by guitarist Nina Berber, but all comparisons to the late Kate Wolf, Gerber's former musical partner, stop right there. Almquist is mining a completely different musical tradition; with her earthy voice and cutting bottleneck slide work, Almquist is strictly of the country blues school of folk, like Memphis Minnie by way of Bonnie Raitt. (Almquist bears a startling vocal resemblance to Raitt in spots, especially on a plaintive cover of Bobby Charles' "Why Are People Like That.") Although up to nine singers and backing musicians might appear on any given track, Gerber wisely keeps the arrangements light, with the focus remaining on Almquist's powerful voice and passionate playing throughout. Unfortunately, Almquist isn't the most distinctive lyricist, and the covers, particularly a respectful version of Bob Dylan's classic "Buckets of Rain," tend to overshadow her unfailingly pleasant but rather slight originals. Thanks to B. AMG.

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Centenaire - Centenaire 2007

Centenaire is an indie pop band formed in Paris in January 2006.
The group was founded by Damien Mingus (my jazzy child), Aurelien Potier and Orval Carlos Sibelius. They were joined by Stéphane Laporte (domotics) at the end of 2006 since they all play music that ranges from baroque pop, folk and progressive rock fairytale. Orval Carlos Sibelius left the group late 2009 They are close to the world of Robert Wyatt and the School of Canterbury.

Their debut had a minimal configurtion (cello, guitar, charango and vocals), the musical world of Centenaire has expanded with many other instruments like the clarinet, melodica, keyboards, xylophone and percussion. This mixture is deliberately accoustic sound oriented. The artistic process is deliberately based on a live possible recording with less post-production to make the atmosphere of the concerts of apartments that the group often organized.
Centenaire's influences can be found in the Delta blues, Mark Hollis, The Sea and Cake, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Pinback, Portishead, Slint, This Heat and many others.

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Dada - Puzzle 1992

Guitar riffs permeate dada's pleasing debut Puzzle, wedded to thick slices of an equally important influence -- '60s psychedelia. The L.A. trio offers plenty to keep the ears busy: the orchestral sadness of "Timothy," and insidious melody of "Dog, " strung-out ravings of "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, " and over-the-edge teen-angst of "Dizz Knee Land." Avoiding tedious jams, keeping the songs tight and memorable, combined with a taste in cover art worthy of L.A.'s best psychologists, helps make this disc an intriguing puzzle. AMG.

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Tom Hall - California 2010

Here an interesting blues album with a smooth blend of instruments with perfect vocals, give it a listen. Thanks to B.

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Cassandra Wilson - Thunderbird 2006

Cassandra Wilson's swinging for her own creative fences this time. The sultry, gentle, acoustic guitars on her last five recordings have been largely jettisoned for a more keyboard-and percussion -friendly approach -- which includes lots of programming and loops. To that end, she's enlisted flavor-of-the-year producer T-Bone Burnett and keyboardist Keith Ciancia. This pair hired a stellar group of players that include drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Reginald Veal (a near-constant here), guitarists Colin Linden and Marc Ribot, and programming whiz Mike Elizondo. Mike Piersante plays "keypercussion" (read: drum loops), Jay Bellerose and Bill Maxwell also contribute kit work. Keb Mo' guests on a track. Ever since signing to Blue Note, Wilson's walked a razor-wire between blues, pop, and jazz, but her recordings have always been intimate affairs whether she was singing songs by Robert Johnson orVan Morrison. While she does preserve a degree of that intimacy here, some of it has fallen by the wayside in favor of the near-constant presence of drum loops, with subtle samples dropped in giving the entire proceeding a slightly more urban feel. A startling example is "Go to Mexico," where a percussion loop and the vocal chant from the Wild Tchapitoulas "Hey Pocky A-Way," are directly sampled with new words and instrumentation layered over the top -- including Veal copying the bassline. In addition, Wilson sings in a voice not really heard from her before. Intertwined with her trademark, smoky contralto (Wilson has been deeply influenced by Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carterbut has become a true song stylist of her own), is a falsetto in the verse that feels like a deliberate attempt at singing "straight" modern pop. The thin, compressed production with her vocal mixed so high above the largely keyboard-driven instrumentation feels forced, at odds with the tune, and nearly sterile. Thankfully, it's the exception rather than the rule on Thunderbird. 
The atmospheric keyboard line that introduces her read of Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers' "Closer to You," gives way toKeltner's softly insistent trip-hop shuffle, Veal's minimal bassline, and Ciancia's piano, keyboards, and loops are the working elements here. Wilson's guitar drifts in under her aching, seductive vocal on the refrain as Veal subtly anchors her. Wilson's read of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Easy Rider" starts out that way -- with Linden and Ribot playing snaky and skeletal for the first two verses. It roars to life about two-and-half-minutes in, fully electric, dirty, nasty, and drenched in slow, deep swamp blues.Keltner's playing is utterly transfixing here. At a touch over seven minutes, its entrancing dynamics provide a virtual journey though the blues both past and future. The slippery drum loops re-enter on the band-written original "It Would Be So Easy," and here, club music touches pop touches the roots of the blues -- the former two happen because of the instrumentation, the latter is due to Wilson's instrument, which embodies them all and creates a new and ghostly meld. "Red River Valley" is the album's centerpiece. Accompanied only by Linden' electric slide guitar, it is full of the desolation of the tune's intent, but framed in the context of the Delta. It's one of two guitar/vocal duets here; the other one, the ballad "Lost," is more late-night Julie London than Billie Holiday. Willie Dixon's "I Want to Be Loved" is wonderful update of the blues, and "Poet" may not hit the Urban Top Ten chart, but it should; it's wondrously soulful, sexy, and glossy. While Wilson has certainly not lost any of her singular talent for interpreting the Chicago blues through the lens of jazz and pop , she has expanded her palette once more by creating an entirely new bag from which we might hear pop, through the age-old hypnotic, sensual, incantory veil of the blues.

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Chris Wood - Vulcan 2008

Traffic’s late multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood worked on a solo album in the 1970s that eventually got shelved. After his death in ’83, the original recordings gathered dust in his sister’s house until this 2008 release. Fans of Traffic will not be surprised by the light, jazzy vibe of Wood’s solo work, replete with his trademark flute and other woodwinds. AMG.

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Black, Estrada & Pini - Hamburger Midnight 2002

Hamburger Midnight represents the recording and performing reunion of Jimmy Carl Black and Roy Estrada, in other words a grafting of roots from the original Mothers of Invention. While Black has been actively playing music ever since he started in the '50s, Estrada apparently laid off the bass for quite a few years, some of which he spent incarcerated. The third member of the triumvirate that created this recording is Mike Pini, a British bluesman who has been active since the mid-'60s. Unfortunately, the cover of the record doesn't mention any of their names above and beyond the B.E.P. acronym; those in-the-know will figure out the deal from the cartoon drawing on the front, but that won't help the many unfamiliar listeners who would find this CD appealing. The first bite of this Hamburger Midnight is tasty: a cover version of the neglected Cream tune "Politician" that is incorrectly listed as "Political Man" in the credits. Pini shows he is able to provide electric guitar with the kind of strong psychedelic edge associated with Eric Clapton's Cream and Blind Faith days. Elsewhere, many of the same guitarists who appealed to Clapton also seem to be providing inspiration for Pini, includingFreddie King and Hubert Sumlin. Some of these references come off as a bit arbitrary, however, such as a cover of the King instrumental "Hideaway." Musicians as good as the ones involved here can play this type of material all night, but not every track here is as sublime as a medley of two Howlin' Wolfsongs in which a superb mix, Pini's tasty licks, and Black's awesome vocal stand up alongside the original recording. "On the Road Again," a hit for Canned Heat that was based on the Skip Jamessong style, is a great choice, sped up slightly and again mixed with natty style. The title tune is presented as some kind of a trippy medley in which conversation, crowd and street noises, and a stoned singalong of "Don't Bogart That Joint" turn up. More of this kind of silliness might have livened up the proceedings, particularly in moments when such a heavy dose of blues-rock gets boring. "Enron Blues" closes the album so perfectly it leaves regret in its wake, regret that Black and Estradadidn't get into more sarcastic political material, as it suits the jamming and is altogether more lively than the classic covers. Pini's original numbers also expand the harmonies and mood in a positive way, but wind up being a bit too different, standing out like something stranded that doesn't quite fit in. AMG.

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Kate Wolf - Poet's Heart 1985

Although she was a significant presence on the folk scene between the late '70s and mid-'80s, it's difficult to categorize Kate Wolf as a folk performer (though that is ultimately the broad category that suits her best). Although she largely employed acoustic instrumentation, she really owed more to the contemporary singer/songwriter movement than folk-based traditions. While it's easy to imagine her music appealing to fans of, say, Joni Mitchell, she never made the slightest impact on the rock audience, and barely drew from rock elements at all in her own work. Her music also had a strong country flavor, though not of the Nashville variety. Her fusion of country, folk, and singer/songwriter influences helped point the way for later country-folk-pop performers such as Nanci Griffith and Mary-Chapin Carpenter.

The appeal of Wolf's music is broad -- folk, pop, and rootsy country fans can all find something to like -- yet elusive. Her songs are not necessarily immediately striking upon first listen, and her body of work, if taken more than an album at a time, can justifiably be described as rather heterogenous. Her style is one that tends to grow on listeners over time, as Wolf is not about flash. Her songs, characterized by a strong narrative thread, are about the ebbs and flow of adult life, in terms that are neither overly sentimental nor mundane. She describes family, romance, and the rural life of her native Northern California with fine (though not studious) detail, projecting a sort of reserved sensitivity with her lower-than-average vocals. Hers is a voice of wisdom, comfort, and independence. If those aren't the most exciting things around, there are few other performers who convey such consistent warmth and dignity, making listeners she never met personally feel as if they were hearing letters from a friend.

Wolf didn't get her recording career going until the mid-'70s, by which time she was well into her thirties. Prior to emerging as a solo artist, she had headed the band Wildwood Flower (who backed her on her first two albums), and organized folk concerts and festivals in Northern California. Very much a self-starter, her first two albums were released on her own Owl label; thereafter, her catalog was handled by Kaleidoscope.

Over the next few years, Wolf built a strong following on the folk circuit with a series of fairly similar but remarkably consistent albums. Her recordings always benefited from first-rate instrumental support from various small bands; guitarist Nina Gerber was her most important associate in this regard. She was still at her peak when her life was tragically cut short by leukemia in 1986.
Rhino Records has reissued all of Wolf's albums on CD; in addition to the five studio discs, there are several collections of live and previously unreleased material. It's a bit much all in one gulp for most listeners, though there is an undisputed audience for her more marginal work. Neophytes are advised to start with the two-CD Gold in California set, a career-spanning retrospective of some of her best songs.

Wolf's final studio album found her continuing to capably explore pretty much the same musical territory she always had, perhaps with a slightly heavier heart and somewhat more acute lyricism. She was still looking for new ways to modify her core approach, making imaginative use of dobro and steel guitar player Mike Auldridge, and Celtic harpist Kim Robertson. Thanks to B. AMG.

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Baba Zula - Kökler (Roots) 2006

A decade and an inch has passed since BaBa Zula set out on their journey to make modern music influenced by ?vintage? traditions, instruments and recording techniques. Over the years BaBa Zula have been so focused on experimenting with new sounds and influences that their albums often featured many guest performers, but on ?Roots? only the core members of the BaBa Zula family, such as vocalist Brenna MacCrimmon, can be heard.

BaBa Zula have a new perspective on their trademark sound ?oriental dub? courtesy of the group?s first trip to Japan. Together with a Japanese sound engineer that they befriended on that trip, BaBa Zula work Far Eastern techniques into their music which also references early African-American bluesman, psychedelia, Jamaican Nyabinghi and Dub. ?Roots? also possesses the analog, authentic rock?n roll sound BaBa Zula grew up listening to in the late-60s, courtesy of cult-favorite Turkish producer Mehmet Ate?. By using the most symbolic instruments of Turkish culture, the wooden spoons and the saz - an instrument that stands out as the first and only Turkish instrument that has been electrified - BaBa Zula?s roots serve as the foundation for their experimentation.
Roots is full of fun, excitement, vigor, eccentricities, oddities and tradition?just like Istanbul, BaBa Zula's hometown.

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