Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Mitch Woods – Jammin on the High Cs

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This CD review was originally published in the January 16, 2016 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Mitch Woods – Jammin’ on the High Cs

Club 88 Records / VizzTone Label Group

www.mitchwoods.com

www.vizztone.com

17 tracks / 68:45

Not every blues fan has the resources or time to be able to attend the annual Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, which is a seven-day floating musical festival that tours the Caribbean. This event is a fabulous opportunity to meet your favorite blues artists and hear more live music in a week than many people experience in a lifetime. If you cannot make the cruise, the next best thing would be listening to a copy of Mitch Woods’ Jammin’ on the High Cs.

Mitch Woods is an amazing showman and an American treasure. He is a classically trained pianist who joined the blues fold after relocating from New York to the San Francisco in the early 1970s. Mitch and his band, the Rocket 88s, have released nine albums over the years and their unique blend of Chicago blues, boogie-woogie, and West Coast jump blues is infectious. Woods’ Club 88 Piano Bar has become a fixture on the Blues Cruise, and you never know who might end up sitting in for a song or two. Jammin’ on the High Cs was recorded over two days on the January 2015 voyage and does a nice job of capturing the overall mood of the experience.

“Piano Bar” might not be the best description for what was going on here, though. This is not Billy Joel tinkling the ivories for a miserable crowd that is “sharing a drink they call loneliness.” While Woods does lead the upbeat show from his bench behind the piano, during this hour-plus long set he is joined by a band that includes guest singers, horns, guitars, and even an accordion.

It might seem that a crowded piano bar on a cruise ship might not be the optimal location to record a live album, but this disc is very well produced. Credit for this goes out to the engineering work of Mark Brasel and Scott Burnett, and the mastering of Davis Farrell. Is everything about the recording perfect? Not particularly, but it is enjoyable to listen to and the lively and fun atmosphere carries over very well.

Things certainly get out to a rousing start, with members of A Roomful of Blues joining in with Woods on “Big Mamou,” and their horns are simply wonderful. They appear on a few more tracks, including “Rip it Up” featuring the guitar of Tommy Castro, “Bright Lights, Big City” with Lucky Peterson on vocals, and “Eyesight to the Blind” led by Billy Branch on vocals and harp. As you will hear throughout the disc, Woods has the ability to attract talented folks!

Branch also appears along with Coco Montoya on a stripped-down version of “Boom Boom.” And Club 88’s take on the classic “Rock Me Baby” also has a healthy dose of Montoya’s guitar over Mitch’s hearty voice and hammering keys. And the guest artists just keep on coming: Victor Wainwright and Julia Magness trade verses with Mitch on “Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness,” and it sounds like Victor sat in on the keys as well (this song was the highlight of the disc for me). Popa Chubby sat in for a few tracks, and Dwayne Dopsie brought his Zydeco squeezebox in for “Jambalaya” and a saucy take on “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” which closed out the set.

Interspersed with these songs are asides and anecdotes from Mitch, and his sense of humor and storytelling ability are as good as his skills behind the keyboard. These breaks include the history of how Club 88 came to be, musing about the advantages of cruising in international waters, and a funny story about some folks trying to hold their Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at Club 88.

If you like piano-driven blues or if you have always wanted to go on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Mitch Woods’ Jammin’ on the High Cs is a must buy. There is not a bad song on it, and many of them are probably already your favorites. If you want to see the show in person, this year’s cruise is sold out but there is still time to save up a few bucks for next year!

Mick Kolassa – Taylor Made Blues | Album Review

Mick Kolassa – Taylor Made Blues

Swing Suit Records

www.mimsmick.com

12 tracks / 48:09

Mick Kolassa has been a bluesman for decades, and over the years he has become an accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist. But his waters go a lot deeper than that, as he is also on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation and all of the proceeds from his latest album, Taylor Made Blues, will be going to the HART Fund and Generation Blues charities that are administered by the Blues Foundation. If you are not familiar with these organizations, please look them up as they help artists in need and kids that are getting into the blues.

Kolassa’s latest CD is a solid set that includes eight Kolassa originals and four really neat cover tunes. This project was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis and it was produced by Jeff Jensen -- this was the successful formula for his last release, Ghosts of the Riverside Hotel). This disc features a host of Mick’s friends, including Jensen, Victor Wainwright, Bill Ruffino, Reba Russell, Chris Stephenson, “Long Tall Deb” Landolt, and more. Of course Kolassa plays his acoustic guitar and handles most of the vocals too. The album title is a play on Mick’s hometown of Taylor, Mississippi, which is just an hour and a half south of Memphis.

Kolassa shares his love for all kinds of blues in his original songs, and one of my favorites is the title track, a slick piece of laid back swampy blues that extolls the joys of sticking a little closer to home and living in a small town. Likewise, “My Hurry Done Broke” is a humorous country blues song that bemoans the impatience of others, especially when they are younger than you. And “I’m Getting Late” is a clever play on words that describes getting a little too close to the tornado that the gig scene can be. By the way, Bill Ruffino and James Cunningham hold down the backline throughout, and one could not hope for a better rhythm section.

But not every track is loaded up with chuckles and grins, as Mick uses song to express all kinds of emotions. For example, “Left Too Soon” is a sweet piece of jazzy blues that is used to convey regret for things that were left undone. And the closer, “Raul Was My Friend,” is a poignant tribute to a cherished friend, and this ballad is simply gorgeous.

The cover tunes are an interesting lot too, as they have been re-imagined a bit from their original versions. Graham Nash’s quirky pop tune “Prison Song” has been converted to slow-grinding blues with updated lyrics and gorgeous guitar work, including some baritone guitar from Colin James. The late Townes Van Zandt’s 1969 folk tune, “Lungs” is now suitable for a cocktail lounge, and Chris Stephenson’s piano really helps to set the mood. The Temptations’ funk masterpiece “Can't Get Next to You” is now a smooth blues rocker with backing vocals from Russell and Landolt, B3 from Stephenson, and guitar from special guest Castro “Mr. Sipp” Coleman. But the most fascinating of these is not even really a cover song, as Mick set Frank Lebby Stanton’s poem “Keep a Goin’” to a country blues / gospel soundtrack, complete with a vocal solo from Long Tall Deb.

If you just listen to the content and the musicianship, you will find that Mick Kolassa’s Taylor Made Blues is a really neat album that would make any blues fan happy. But, when you throw in the fact that the proceeds will further blues music education and help out musicians in need, this CD should be at the top of your purchase list. Why don’t you start your holiday shopping early, and pick up a copy today!

Mick Kolassa – Ghosts of the Riverside Hotel | Album Review

Mick Kolassa – Ghosts of the Riverside Hotel

Swing Suit Records

www.mimsmick.com 12 tracks / 50:29

Mick Kolassa has lived and breathed the blues for the past 50 years and he is not only an accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist, but he is also on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation. Taking this a step further, the proceeds from his new CD, Ghosts of the Riverside Hotel, are going to the HART Fund and Generation Blues charities that are administered by the Blues Foundation. If you are not familiar with these organizations, please look them up as they help artists in need and kids that are getting into the blues.

This new disc is 50 minutes of solid entertainment, with eight Kolassa originals and four really cool covers. This project was recorded in Memphis and was produced by Jeff Jensen; it features a retinue of Mick’s friends, including Jensen, Brandon Santini, Victor Wainwright, Annika Chambers (yay!), Watermelon Slim, Reba Russell, and a whole bunch more. The album title honors the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale Mississippi, which has hosted a passel of fine musicians over the years, including Ike Turner, Duke Ellington, Howlin’ Wolfe and Sam Cooke. Bessie Smith passed away there back when it was a hospital, and even John F. Kennedy stayed there. Those are some pretty amazing ghosts!

The cover tunes were chosen well, and prove that Mick loves the blues – all kinds of blues. There is a spooky blues-rock take on Hank Williams’ “Ramblin Man” that could re-define what the song means to you. The band took the depression-era “One Meatball” and turned it into a lounge act with Mick channeling his inner Cab Calloway and Reba doing the Andrews Sisters part while Wainwright plays the ivories. But the standout of the covers has to be “Mama Told Me Not to Come.” This is nothing like the Three Dog Night version, but instead it is straight-up blues with the amazing Santini howling on his harp and Chris Stephenson holding things together with his organ. By the way, Randy Newman originally wrote this song for Eric Burdon, which might help you win a trivia challenge some time.

The covers are awesome but the originals are special too, as Kolassa shares his love for all kinds of blues. One of my favorites is the closer, “Delta Town,” which has a crazy beat and some gnarly style changes. Mick growls out the lyrics as Watermelon Slim does his job with the harp and dobro and Walter Hughes plays his mean slide guitar. Before I forget to mention it, Bill Ruffino and Robinson Bridgeforth hold down the backline throughout, and one could not hope for a better rhythm section.

The most poignant track on his album is “Nothin’ Left to Lose (Robin’s Blues), a tribute to the late comedian and actor, Robin Williams. This slow blues song features wonderful sax work from Kirk Smothers, which almost approaches the realm of jazz. But the lyrics are what really make the song, as they recount the feelings of a man who is putting on a happy face for the world while he is falling apart inside.

Mick Kolassa’s Ghosts of the Riverside Hotel is a fantastic album that is chock full of first call musicians and good production values, which are reasons enough to buy a copy. But, when you throw in the fact that the proceeds will further blues music education and help out musicians in need, this CD should be at the top of your list. Maybe it is a good idea to start your holiday shopping early!