Rhythm and Blooze

I received another fine mix from Dr. Geek this week and it’s been getting regular airplay here in the Spy household. Unless I’m wrong, this mix comes out of a musical conversation that Dr. Geek and I have been having in a series of CD exchanges, that have been coming back to the blues. The mix, which he’s titled “Rhythm and Blooze,” is exactly what it sounds with. Dr. Geek pointed out that the mix spans 80 years of music, but the common threads are strong. Although not strictly a chronological progression, the disk starts with more traditional (and acoustic) takes on the blues and moves towards blues influenced rock music.

Alvin Youngblood Hart : Big Mama’s Door. Alvin Youngblood Hart is a contemporary artist performing here in a traditional style. I believe that Dr. Geek introduced me to Hart in a previous mix, but I can’t seem to locate the disk. The track later in the disk demonstrates his rock sensibility. But here, he’s playing straight up Delta Blues, with all its jagged-edged rhythms. In fact, if it weren’t for the excellent sound quality of the recording, I’d have thought it was a Lomax recording. I still wonder if he’s replicating an older recording. His voice is amazing.

Mississippi John Hurt: Avalon Blues. This is an actual vintage recording – 1928. Mississippi John Hurt is singing about the town in which he was born and raised, Avalon, Mississippi. You can hear this song here. It looks like it’s going to be a video, but it is, in fact, just a recording played against a completely irrelevant picture at a site that appears to be the Chinese equivalent of youtube. This is classic delta blues. Listen in particular for the way the guitar plays both strummed chords and picked out melody and counterpoint, all in highly repetitive rhythms.

Rev Robert Wilkins : O Lord I Want You To Help Me. Wilkins hailed from Memphis where he began recording in the late 1920s/early 30s. He left music for the pulpit in the 1930s, but resurrected his music career during the blues revival of the 1960s. I’m not sure when this recording was made. The disk it comes from, Takoma Blues, came out in the late ‘80s, but it’s a multi-artist disk, most likely made with earlier recordings. This song has a more expansive sound than the earlier two. There’s an interesting sound that results from the lower strings of the guitar being flat and also from the way Wilkins occasionally snaps the strings to make them buzz. The sound actually reminds me of some styles of West African music.

Son House : Death Letter. I can’t remember when I first heard Son House, but I’ve always loved his particular version of the Delta sound. He has a really strong sense of rhythm and a focused vocal tone that I like. Cranky, based on listening alone, I’d say Son House was the single biggest influence on Bonnie Raitt’s early music. Bonnie’s guitar in her version of “Walkin’ Blues” seems to be influenced by this particular recording. The guitar part she uses is apparent in the Son House track from the beginning. And the first verse of “Walkin’ Blues” actually appears toward the tail end of this song. I think I may have included Raitt’s Walkin’ Blues on a mix I sent to Dr. Geek, which may be why it’s here. If I didn’t, then this is just further evidence that we are on the same page. It’s one of my favorite songs.

The Asylum Street Spankers : If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day. I am so happy that Dr. Geek has introduced me to the Asylum Street Spankers. Previous tracks he has sent me get heavy play around here. This is a departure, though from songs preceding it on this mix. The Asylum Street Spankers are a contemporary, Austin-based band, not a vintage band, for one. But the other notable difference is in the accompaniment. While the vocals are still in a Delta style, the accompaniment is sort of a Delta style (vocals, parts of the guitar) fused with New Orleans (clarinet, drums) with a little Parisian jazz thrown in. The miking is interesting – the fuzzy sound of the cymbals and snare is front and center and the voice sounds like it’s coming from the back of a smoky bar at the end of a long night. It’s a great and evocative sound, the kind of thing that conjures up an invisible narrative that I like.

Martin Simpson : Broke Down Engine. Great virtuosic acoustic guitar-playing on this track. “I asked the woman for water and she gave me gasoline.” Now this guy needs to be singing the blues. He’s a middle aged white Brit, but he sings it like he means it. For me, though, it’s the guitar that really shines here.

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells : I’m In The Mood. Buddy Guy and Junior Wells are local boys for me. This is a great tune performed by two legends (guy on acoustic guitar, Wells on vocals). A classic.

Muddy Waters : I Can’t Be Satisfied. I’m a huge Muddy Waters fan and this is a great tune. The Delta-style guitar playing is terrific. What is the percussion? I can’t quite figure it out, at least on my wimpy computer speakers. I’ll have to put this one on my iPod and see if I can figure it out. But it has a work song-like rhythm, which really drives the piece.

John Lee Hooker : Boom Boom. This is one of those songs I’ve heard a million times, but have never really listened to. Hooker performs it in the Blues Brothers, for one. And it shows up in commercials or tv soundtracks every now and again. It never gets old and it’s nice to hear it stand on its own.

Little Hatch : Rock Me Baby. Little Hatch is another legend of the blues, but I don’t think I’ve actually ever heard him before. I’m a sucker for harmonica (this makes me about as popular in this house as my accordion fetish). I’m going to be playing this one a lot.

Here is where the mix turns a corner. Up until now, we’ve heard from historic blues artists or contemporary artists performing in an historic style. The rest of the mix is more about where the blues has taken us.

The Rolling Stones : Sweet Virginia. Yes, the Stones, of the Exile on Main Street Album and sounding quite Dylanesque (at least until you hit the sax solo). This is one of those albums that I’m supposed to know but I don’t. This is a nice reminder that I need to listen to it one of these days.

The Black Crowes : Whoa Mule. This song opens with another Dylan-inspired harmonica solo. I’ve heard of The Black Crowes for years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever really heard them before. I like this song and the arrangement (the percussion’s interesting and unusual, the flutes are unexpected and reminiscent of the early ‘70s), although I’m not a huge fan of the lead vocalist’s voice. But the song fits the mix perfectly and it’s a nice shift between the Stones and the next track.

John Hammond : 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six. This has a mood similar to Tom Waits’ “Jockey Full of Bourbon, “ which I put on a mix for Dr. Geek. It’s the prominent percussion (all drums, no cymbal) that does it and also the distant sound of the voice. This is a great tune. I’ve been playing it a lot.

Alvin Youngblood Hart : Will I Ever Get Back Home? Hart is back, this time electrified. His vocals rock my world. The almost yodelling quality to the way he declaims the title lyrics sends shivers down my spine. He somehow manages to get the gravelly blues voice and the flip between chest and head voice with exquisitely accurate pitch. I can’t exactly why that is exciting, but it is. I think I need Hart by the albumful.

Tarbox Ramblers : Country Blues. This is another band that is new to me. I love the rhythmic drive of this song and the rough, scratchy sound – a buzz on the electric guitar and also in the vocals. It sounds like it’s about to come apart at the seems. This would be another great song for the car.

North Mississippi Allstars : Po Black Maddie. I am so happy to have a recording by the North Mississippi Allstars. I heard them a while back on NPR, but couldn’t remember the name. This song is what happens when Delta blues meets a jam band. The blues is in the guitar. The jam band aesthetic seeps in around the vocals and the lengthy guitar solo (while still maintaining that twangy blues sound). But this is a pretty spare orchestrations. Nice vocal harmony.

Eric Clapton : Reconsider Baby. It would be hard to have a mix about blues revival without including Mr. Slow Hand. Mr. Spy and I have regular arguments about Clapton (I’m for, he’s against). In the context of some of the other greats on this mix, I think this tune comes off as a pale imitation, but I’m not sure if I can exactly tell you why. It sounds disingenuous. But still, a rocking song and a solid conclusion to this fantastic group of tunes.

Thanks again, Dr. Geek!

[This is my second post of the day; check out the previous post for some pretty pictures.]