Monthly Archives: August 2011

Tommy Keene: Behind the Parade

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A power-pop true-believer keeps plugging away

Tommy Keene might have more aptly titled his latest release “One Man’s Parade,” as he’s not so much following in anyone’s footsteps as he’s resolutely sticking to his own path. Those who first latched onto Keene through college radio play of his superb 1984 EP Places That Are Gone may be wondering where he’d gone, but long after the EP’s incandescent closing cover of Alex Chilton’s “Hey! Little Child” faded, Keene was still making records. Good records. Good records filled with sweet melodies, chiming guitars and punchy rock ‘n’ roll rhythms. In earlier years Keene worked with Richard X. Heyman, a fellow traveler in the under-appreciated-multi-instrumentalist-rock-singer-songwriter camp, and they’ve each released a new album this year.

Keene’s indie efforts, first for his own label, and then for Dolphin, sparked a contract with Geffen that produced a pair of albums and another EP. There’s great material on each, but without a commercial breakthrough, he returned to the indie world and became a sought-after guitar sideman. His albums – this is the fifth since 2000 – have drawn critical notice, but mostly remained the province of pop fanatics. Keene handles the guitars, keyboards and half the bass playing, with Rob Brill (drums) and Brad Quinn (bass) filling out the band. His sound is largely unchanged from earlier years – thick electric guitars and a rhythm section that surrounds the vocals with sound.

Without a lyric sheet, the setting of the vocals into the instrumentals leaves many of the verses difficult to decipher. The hook lines come through clearly, and Keene’s melodies communicate a lot of emotion, but listeners may be left with the feeling there’s more there than easily meets the ear. There are threads of fatalism and hints of ennui throughout, both in the titles (“Nowhere Drag”) and tone. Keene’s guitar playing is superb, offering beefy rhythm lines and atmospheric solos that drift along with the songs’ often deliberate tempos. This is recommended if you like Velvet Crush, Matthew Sweet, Sloan, Teenage Fanclub and all those who live on the power-side of power-pop. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Deep Six Saturday
Tommy Keene’s Home Page

Alberta Hunter: Downhearted Blues

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An 85-year-old blues legend burns up the stage

Born in 1895, and having been an early blues innovator in the 1920s, Alberta Hunter became a living link to the jazz-age, and stars like Bessie Smith, Paul Robeson and Ma Rainey. In the late ‘50s she started a second career as a nurse, and mostly retired from music, but by the mid-70s she’d been lured back to live performance. In 1981 she recorded this live set at a New York cabaret called The Cookery. At 85, Hunter was still sharp-as-a-tack; not sharp for an 85-year-old, just sharp. Her sassy stage patter, interactions with the band and audience, and vocalizing are filled with percussive energy, knowing phrasings and deep experience and wisdom. Singing with accompaniment from Gerald Cook (piano, arrangements) and Jimmy Lewis (bass), Hunter covers standards that she wrote (and as she noted, was still collecting royalties on) as well as a selection of standards from other authors of the great American songbook. This same set was issued by Varese Sarabande in 2001, and is now returned to domestic print by the Rockbeat label. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Thelonious Monk: Alone in San Francisco

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Jazz genius entertains listeners as he entertains himself

Having finely gained fame as a pianist with his recordings on Riverside, Monk took this 1959 timeout from leading group dates to lay down an album of solo sides. Recorded in San Francisco’s resonant Fugazi Hall (a spot popular with the Beats, and more recently home to the long-running Beach Blanket Babylon), Monk revisited several of his own classics, as well as several standards. The pianist seems relaxed and playful, entertaining himself as much as playing for the record’s eventual audience. Coming off sessions with Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Griffin, and others, Monk takes time to explore the tunes, running through varied interpretations of key phrases and indulging his idiosyncratic approach to tempo.

“Ruby My Dear” sounds as if it’s played on a music box cranked by a listener whose love of certain passages causes the intensity and tempo to increase. Monk stretches the piano’s dynamics from tender to nearly showy romanticism, exercising both the fluidity with which its notes can be strung together and the percussive ability of its hammers. He lets chords hang in the recording hall’s reverberant air, listening as his own playing surrounded him. This rendition of “Blue Monk” may be the best of the many versions he recorded, while several other titles were one-offs, including the original “Round Lights” and the 1929 standard “There’s Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie.” An earlier take of the latter is included as a bonus track. Concord’s latest reissue of this Riverside title was newly remastered in 24-bits by Joe Tarnatino. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Cannonball Adderley: Know What I Mean?

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Joyful 1961 sessions of jazz legends Adderley and Evans

This 1961 session, pairing saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and pianist Bill Evans has several interesting dimensions. Adderley and Evans, having played together as part of the 1958 Miles Davis Sextet, were familiar with one another, but initially only as sidemen. Evans had supported Adderley in a quintet setting, on 1958’s Portrait of Cannonball, and here they play in a quartet setting with the Modern Jazz Quartet’s Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums. Without a second horn in the combo, there’s more space for Adderley, but rather than trying to fill it, he lets the songs breathe. Evans draws Adderley into a leisurely, joyous groove, and in turn, Adderley draws a harder element of swing from Evans.

The iconic “Waltz for Debby” opens the album with Evans’ lovely, florid piano setting the stage for Adderley’s brilliantly swinging sax. Adderley keeps his tone warm, adding only a few harder-blown notes for color, and Evans returns the favor by playing a fluid solo whose swing is made in perfectly selected accents. Adderley plays a languid, late-night solo on Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye,” which Evans compliments with lyrical runs, and the leisurely “Elsa” includes some thoughtful, nearly meditative piano lines. The mid-tempo take on the Gershwins’ title track finds the rhythm section starting to drive, and by the time they hit Clifford Jordan’s “Toy,” all four players are cooking.

Evans’ legendary trio with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian would cut their seminal live sides at the Village Vanguard a few months after these sessions, and then disappear with the death of bassist LaFaro. Evans retreated and eventually retrenched, but those live sides and this session with Adderley capture him at a peak of musical freedom and joy to which he never seemed to fully return. Concord’s latest reissue of this Riverside title was newly remastered in 24-bits by Joe Tarantino and adds alternate takes of “Who Cares?” “Know What I Mean?” and “Toy,” from the original sessions. The first two have appeared on previous reissues, while the third is previously unissued. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Lynda Kay: Dream My Darling

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Texas-to-Los Angeles transplant carries a torch for classic country

When we last heard from Lynda Kay, she was paired with Danny Harvey as the Lonesome Spurs, a minimalist duo whose self-titled release favored the sassy sounds of Wanda Jackson, Laurie Collins and Brenda Lee, and the melancholy country of Patsy Cline. Kay’s solo debut doubles-down on the countrypolitan heartbreak, torching its way through a dozen originals that combine the soaring ache of Cline and Roy Orbison with the deliberate tempos, hard twang and sad instrumental flourishes of ‘50s and ‘60s country. Kay’s producer (and husband) Jonny Edwards has built the arrangements into lavish sets filled with strummed guitars, pedal steel (courtesy of the immensely talented Marty Rifkin), blue piano, theatrical tom-toms, emotionally bowed strings, and chorused backing vocals. None of this distracts from the passion of Kay’s vocals as she powers through songs of broken hearts, tearful realizations, lonely hours, spiteful recriminations, emotional dead ends and, for just a moment, dreams of happiness. Don’t be misled by the campy clothes and wigs – Kay’s not wallowing in nostalgia, she’s just tipping her ten gallon hat (or her bouffant ‘do, really) in an honest homage to country music’s dressier days. Put this in the changer with Sara Evans’ Three Chords and the Truth, Mandy Barnett’s I’ve Got a Right to Cry, k.d. lang’s Shadowland and Patsy Cline’s Sweet Dreams; just make sure you have a big box of tissues near by. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

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Pistol Annies: Hell on Heels

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Miranda Lambert shacks up with two girlfriends

With Miranda Lambert having developed a reputation as “a bit of a rocker chick,” her new trio with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley provides an opportunity to indulge more of her East Texas country roots. The trio harmonizes in tight, veering lines that recall the Andrews Sisters, and trade opportunities to write and sing lead. Signed to Columbia, the production has Nashville production quality, but the backings include steel and acoustic guitar, and only occasionally venture into the contemporary country mold. The trio sings gritty songs of outlaw women leading rough lives of marital discord, family dysfunction, economic drought and bad habits. The latter hits a peak with the excess libations of the superbly not-ready-for-modern-country-radio “Takin’ Pills.” Lambert can’t help but shine, but she’s clearly settled into the group vibe, sharing the spotlight with her friends and making this a balanced showcase of all three Annies’ pistol-sharp singing and songwriting talent. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

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Shirley Scott Trio” For Members Only / Great Scott!!

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Jazz organist lights up Impulse in ’63 and ‘64

After a six-year stay at Prestige, jazz organist Shirley Scott began a lengthy run of albums on Impulse! This two-fer brings together her first two albums for the label, 1963’s For Members Only and 1964’s Great Scott!!  Each album splits its tracks between Scott’s regular trio setting (variously featuring rhythms by Earl May/Jimmy Cobb and Bob Cranshaw/Otis Finch) and arrangements written and conducted by Oliver Nelson. Scott’s Hammond fits well into each setting, leading the trio with terrific energy and verve, and finding space for lower-wattage performances amid Nelson’s charts. Scott’s original tunes, including the superb “Blues for Members,” are given to the trios, with the orchestral numbers drawn largely from jazz and show tunes. The small combo is likely to be more satisfying to those who favor hard-swinging, bluesy shots of Hammond, though Scott’s long musical relationship with Nelson yields some nice results, including a swanky take on Henry Mancini’s “A Shot in the Dark.” [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Gabor Szabo: The Sorcerer / More Sorcery

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Hypnotic and forceful 1967 two-fer from legendary jazz guitarist

After emigrating from Budapest in the mid-50s, Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo found his way into the U.S. jazz scene, first with Chico Hamilton, and starting in 1966 as a group leader. These two 1967 live albums come from the middle of a productive two-year stay on Impulse!, and collect performances from an April run at Boston’s Jazz Workshop and a September date at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Szabo plays in a quintet of guitar, bass, drums and percussion. The song list mixes originals from Szabo and guitarist Jimmy Stewart, with standards, pop hits and several Brazilian tunes. This quintet was one of Szabo’s best showcases, as the interplay and conversations between the two guitars are buoyed by a solid rhythm section. Hal Gordon, who’d only joined the group the month before the Boston dates, quickly established his congas as an integral part of the combo’s sound. The use of only strings and drums (as well as the combination of acoustic and electric guitars) set the group apart from horn-driven jazz acts, creating a sound that suggested the ballroom jams of San Francisco, but without indulging either the volume of rock or the avant garde changes of fusion. This two-fer is an excellent showcase of what Szabo’s mid-60s quintet could do. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Paul McCartney: McCartney II

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McCartney’s first post-Wings solo album

A year before Wings officially disbanded in 1981, Paul McCartney followed the same path he’d trod as the Beatles fell apart in 1969: he retreated to the studio to record an album all by himself. Much like 1970’s McCartney, McCartney II was an outlet for ideas that might not have fit his band, and an opportunity for the artist to explore more contemporary sounds. The results weren’t as organic as the earlier solo album, often leaping ahead from Wings to contemporary synthesizer-influenced arrangements that, like many records from the 1980s, have aged poorly. Still, McCartney’s catchy hooks and memorable melodies were delivered with a crowd-pleasing smile. The album’s hit, “Coming Up,” scored on the UK charts and was in regular rotation on MTV, but it was a live version recorded by Wings that scored stateside. A second single, “Waterfall,” scored in the UK, but only grazed the bottom of the U.S. chart.

The experimental sides feel as if McCartney needed to prove he was more than a Top 40 hit-maker, but they aren’t particularly convincing. The repetitive, droning chorus of “Temporary Secretary” sounds like a cut-rate mash-up of Kraftwerk and Devo, the instrumentals “Front Parlour” and “Frozen Jap” sound like something scratched out on a toy Casio keyboard, and “Summer’s Day Song” is thin and unfinished. Better are the spare blues of “On the Way” and back-to-roots finish of “Nobody Knows,” trading production value for a peek behind the curtain of McCartney’s stage polish. The acoustic closer, “One of These Days,” though not one of McCartney’s greatest lyrics, does provide a moment of reconciliation with the life changes swirling about him.

Hear/Concord’s 2011 reissue offers a sharp remaster of the original album, along with an eight-track bonus disc. The new tracks include the 1979 live version of “Coming Up” which appeared as a B-side U.S. hit for the studio version. Oddly, the single’s other B-side, Wings’ “Lunchbox/Odd Sox,” is not included. Two more B-sides, “Check My Machine” and “Secret Friend,” are also included. McCartney’s non-album single “Wonderful Christmastime,” and four previously unreleased session tracks, including the orchestrated instrumental “Blue Sway,” fill out the bonuses. The all-cardboard four-panel slipcase and booklet include photos, lyrics and credits. This album has a few candid moments, but it’s not the burst of creativity found on McCartney, and represents something of a lull between Wings and McCartney’s forthcoming hit single collaborations. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Connie Smith: Long Line of Heartaches

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60s/70s country hit maker takes a well-turned bow

Country hit maker Connie Smith first broke through in the mid-60s, scoring a chart-topper with her debut “Once a Day,” winning numerous awards and scoring on the charts through the end of the ‘70s. She mostly retired from recording in 1979, continuing to perform live, dropping a few non-LP singles in the mid-80s and a self-titled album in 1998. It’s been thirteen years since that last full-length solo release, and as before, with no mainstream commercial aspirations to sway her artistry, she digs into a rich set of songs, many co-written with her husband and producer, Marty Stuart. The remaining titles are drawn from the country pens of Harlan Howard, Kostas, Patty Loveless, Emory Gordy Jr. and others.

At 70, Smith hasn’t the tight vocal control of her younger years, but she still delivers the heart and soul of a country song. Stuart, who produced her last album, knows a thing or two (or three) about framing his wife’s singing in twang and blues. Backed by a small combo of guitar (by the stellar Nashville player, Rick Wright), steel, bass and drums, Smith and Stuart checked into RCA’s legendary studio B for four days – enough time to lay down a dozen tracks the old-fashioned way – seamlessly weaving together new and old songs into a collage of busted hearts, half-hearted protestations, dried tears, resignation and forgiveness.

Highlights include powerful covers of Johnny Russell’s “Ain’t You Even Gonna Cry” and Johnny Paycheck’s “My Part of Forever,” the bouncy acceptance of “You and Me,” and Dallas Frazier’s newly-minted “A Heart Like You.” The set closes with the original “Blue Heartaches” and the spiritual “Take My Hand.” The latter, sung with her three daughters, renews the faithful chapter of Smith’s career that grew in the late ‘70s. There’s a world of experience in Smith’s singing – both personal and professional – and together with Stuart she’s revived the experience of ‘60s and ‘70s country without treading in nostalgia. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Long Line of Heartaches
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