Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: The DogTown Blues Band – DogTown Blues

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This CD review was originally published in the March 26, 2015 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

The DogTown Blues Band – DogTown Blues | Album Review

Self Release

www.thedogtownbluesband.bandcamp.com

12 tracks / 52:22

DogTown is the West Los Angeles neighborhood that separates the communities of Venice Beach and Santa Monica. In the 1970s it was the rougher part of town and it was the nexus of the skateboarding revolution that brought the sport into the mainstream. This neighborhood captures the essence of the LA surf and skate culture, and the guys from the southland-based DogTown Blues Band have adopted it as their moniker. The band recently self-released their debut album, DogTown Blues, which brings a cool mixture of blues and jazz for your listening pleasure.

Though they met up in Southern California, the band members bring diverse musical influences from all parts of the US to the studio. Producer, songwriter and guitarist Richard Lubovitch hails from Chicago, and in his career he has been a sideman for Rufus Thomas and Gatemouth Brown and run his own recording studio. He wrote eight of the twelve tracks for this disk, with help from singer Q. Williams and harpmaster Bill Barrett. They were joined in the studio by Wayne Peet on keys, Tad Weed on piano, Trevor Ware and Tom Lilly on bass, and Lance Lee on the skins. There is not enough room here to run down all of their CVs but they have a wealth of experience, having played with big-time acts that include Kenny G, Diana Ross, Edgar Winters, Kenny Burrell, and Lindsey Buckingham.

DogTown Blues kicks off with “She Was Not a Girl at All,” and right away the PG-13 rating is guaranteed for this album – do not put this in the mix for you kid’s next birthday party. Though these guys are top-flight musicians, they are still having a ton of fun. Q. Williams’ voice is throaty and full of wry humor as he leads the band through this hearty blues romp. Their sound is huge with piano, Hammond organ and a super-tight backline. You will find a similar humorous theme to the slightly misogynistic “Ugly Girl Blues” which brings things right into R-rated territory.

But these guys are no joke, as they can tear off some serious blues too. “Slow Jam Blues” is a guitar-driving instrumental with a killer harmonica lead. This is followed-up by the “Sexy Man Blues” which features Weed cutting loose on his boogie woogie piano for a couple of top-shelf breaks. “Drunkard Blues” slows things down a bit, and lets Q. Williams’ fabulous voice take the front of the stage with a rich foundation of organ setting the mood.

These tunes are interspersed with four covers, including a smooth instrumental version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Wang Dang Doodle,” a 1960 tune that was written by Willie Dixon. Then there are three other songs that you would never expect to find from a group with “Blues Band” in its name. The first of these is an instrumental of the Young Rascals’ 1967 chart topper, “Groovin’.” The vocals are switched out for Barrett’s harmonica and Lubovitch’s guitar in this laid back jazz-influenced R&B tune, and it all comes together very nicely. It is interesting that the DogTown Blues band only did instrumental versions of these tunes, as it makes it seem like they have great respect for the originals, but want to make them their own by providing a different type of voice. It is a good strategy, as it makes the album much more interesting.

There is also a sweet re-do of the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s “Take 5” with Lubovitch taking on Paul Desmond’s sax part. Richard does a great job of capturing the sax feel with his axe in what is probably the most recognizable jazz hit of all time. The final cover finishes up the album and it is way outside the box: Frank Zappa’s epic song from 1969, “Son of Mr. Green Genes.” This one was an instrumental to start with, and Richard cut this fusion/prog-rock classic down to five minutes to make it more accessible. They also took a more laid back approach to bring it more into the conventional jazz realm, and it works out just fine.

DogTown Blues is well recorded, and the songs are sequenced seamlessly so that nothing is out of place and the album can stand a singular whole, not just a collection of diverse songs. This project is a terrific debut from the DogTown Blues Band, and they are going to have to aim high to top this one. If you like jazz and blues, it is worth your time to give it a listen!

Little Charlie and Organ Grinder Swing – Skronky Tonk | Album Review

Little Charlie and Organ Grinder Swing – Skronky Tonk

EllerSoul Records

www.ellersoulrecords.com

13 tracks / 59:35

Little Charlie Baty made his name as a bluesman, playing his guitar with Alligator Records’ Little Charlie and the Nightcats, and later on with the Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue. But this Californian has been waiting to release an album that would allow him to express his love of swing jazz, and twice before he had albums ready to go and things just did not work out. Well, the third time the stars aligned for him, and Little Charlie and Organ Grinder Swing has released Skronky Tonk on EllerSoul Records; it is thirteen tracks of originals, standards, and a few things that are just a little bit different.

Organ Grinder Swing is an organ jazz trio, with Baty on the guitar, J. Hansen on drums, and Lorenzo Farrell on the Hammond organ. The legendary Kid Anderson recorded this album in January of last year at San Jose’s Greaseland Studios, though it was not released until this spring. Anderson came through once again (like he always does), and Skronky Tonk is a very well recorded disc with a clean sound and fabulous mixing.

The set kicks off with the original title track, and this upbeat jazzy blues tune is simple yet satisfying. Farrell does a fine job of filling in the bass parts with the organ, and Little Charlie is in fine form on guitar – he has a naturally flowing jazz style that is very listenable. Baty also wrote “Cobalt Blues” and “Gerontology,” and the latter gives Hansen the opportunity to shine on the drums.

Organ Grinder Swing also takes on a nice collection of classics and standards, including “How High the Moon” and Little Charlie does a very respectable job with this Les Paul classic. His tone on “Pennies from Heaven” is slightly dirty, giving the song a new feel. And “Misty” is tight with a cool Hammond lead that gives it a kitschy vintage feel, in a good way.

From the “stuff that is just a little bit different” department, there is “Receita de Samba” which features a cool Latin beat on the snare and a catchy melody from Baty’s guitar. This theme carries over to “Nuages” which was written by Django Reinhardt, and it's the first of a pair of tributes to the legendary guitarist. The other is “Django,” which was written by jazzman John Lewis and it is surprising that the organ carries the melody for the introduction, but things are put right fairly quickly as the guitar takes the lead, with some cymbal heavy jazz drumming from J. Hansen.

Skronky Tonk is a labor of love and it is awesome that Little Charlie and Organ Grinder Swing were finally able to make it available to the masses. Big thanks should go out to Watkins Ellerson of EllerSoul, who helped make this project come to fruition. Jazz is not always the most accessible form of music, but this trio’s take on it is really cool and you should give it a listen to see if it is your cup of tea. Chances are good that it will be!

Blue Lunch – Above the Fold |Album Review

Blue Lunch – Above the Fold |Album Review

Rip Cat Records

www.bluelunch.com

www.ripcatrecords.com

15 tracks / 60:42

I am always happy to see a new album from Rip Cat Records, the purveyors of fine blues, swing, and rockabilly who are based in my hometown of Long Beach, California. They only represent solid artists and put out great music, and it is no surprise that their latest release from Blue Lunch, Above the Fold, is no exception!

Now, these guys are not from the Southland but come straight out of Cleveland, a truly rocking city. This band has been kicking around in various forms since I was in college (30 years ago) and Above the Fold is their eighth release. The gang includes Peter London on vocals and harmonica (the only original member), Bob Frank on vocals and guitars, Mike Sands on piano, Ray Deforest on bass, and Scott Flowers on drums. Completing the octet is also a killer horn section of Chris Burge on sax, Mike Rubin on trumpet, and Bob Michael on trombone.

This album is chock full of originals written by Burge, Frank, and London, along with a couple of other tunes that may be familiar to you, making for an hour-long set. Though they are often referred to as a jump blues band, these fifteen songs draw from many genres so the show never gets into a rut. And it really is a show, as most of the material was laid down live in the studio (with the usual vocal overdubs), which results in a vibrant sound throughout.

Above the Fold kicks off with “Ain’t Trying to Kill Nobody,” and it is apparent that this will be a fun album! The clever lyrics, slick guitars, and smoking sax ensure that the listener is drawn in right away. From there they continue their tour through different styles, with a bit of jazz in “One Fine Day,” a righteous boogie with “The Long Game,” and some Rip Cat swing on “Everybody’s on the Phone.” They also touch on blues, Afro-Cuban rhythms, pop, rhythm and blues, big band, and jump blues. There is a little something for everybody here, and they even threw in a few instrumentals!

The standout track of this effort is “Where Do You Think It’s Going,” which checks all of the boxes. It has a glorious gospel/soul/rock feel with strong lyrics, perfectly arranged horns, a smoking harp solo, a roaring bass line, and killer guest vocals from Evelyn Wright and Hammond organ from Tim Longfellow. This song comes in under three minutes, and I wish it were a bit longer!

There are also a couple of lost hits of the 1950s included on the album: Andre Williams’ “Tossin’ & Turnin’ & Burnin’ All Up Inside” and Dave Bartholomew’s “Love No More,” both of which play to the strengths of the horn section. And finally, the set draws to a close with a traditional a capella gospel tune, "Good News," which was the perfect way to finish this project.

One last thing: the liner notes are really neat. The band had their friend (and distant relative), Harlan Ellison, write a few words and it is great to see two artists that I enjoy get together when I least expected it. By the way, his quote of a quote is spot on in so many ways: “To define is to kill. Too suggest is to create.”

Above the Fold is a really cool album full of songs that are all a little different, and the guys from Blue Lunch really delivered the goods. Don’t try to put them in a box, just buy the CD and enjoy their music, or better yet check out one of the 120 shows they perform every year. Trust me!