MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: 50 BEST OF BLUE NOTE

50 BEST OF BLUE NOTE

This is a big boxed set of tracks from the venerable jazz label Bluenote, and as advertised, it features 50 of them, stretched over five discs.  Mammoth you say?  Well, it ain't as big as the other one the label has just issued, 100 Best, which features, you guessed it, a hundred tracks on ten CD's.  It actually doesn't come from the label's U.S. home, but rather has arrived in Canada as a Dutch import, put together there as a handy sampler set for those needing an introduction to some of Blue Note's most famous cuts and artists over the years.  It's available at an introductory price, between $30 and $35 at various on-line sites I checked, a great value.  However, it includes absolutely no liner notes or information other than the tracks and composers, so what you gain in savings you lose in information, and I'm someone who wants that in packaging.

If you do know your jazz history, you'll know Blue Note is best known for its bebop, and more importantly, hard bop roster of artists.  They are all featured here with one track, including Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Freddie Hubbard.  But the long-term signings could be overshadowed by the Blue Note policy of signing the biggest names in jazz to one-album deals, which means on first glance you can be starstruck by this set.  It includes Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charles Mingus, and on and on.  While it's all high-quality, it's also not usually the best-loved material by these stars.  The compilers are luring you in, at the expense of leaving lesser names off the set, with more important performances.

Could you make a better Blue Note box?  For sure, and the company has done it a few times before, but at the same time, this is a highly enjoyable listen, stretched over a couple of nights.  Many key tracks are here, including Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man, Monk's Nice Work If You Can Get It, Lou Donaldson's Blues Walk, an alternate take of Coltrane's Blue Train, and from the modern era, cuts from Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, and Norah Jones.  Jones' arrival has brought the old label into fame again, at the expense of its legacy, as it now focuses on moneymaking songwriters such as Amos Lee, but this does give you the picture since 1939.  As for the ten-disc set, it's all different tracks, which shows you the depth of the catalogue.  You'll have to give me a few more days to get through all of those 100 songs.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: A.G. OLMSTEAD - II

A.G. OLMSTEAD - II

Now here's a great description of my home province of New Brunswick: "The hardest placeon earth to leave".  I wish I'd said that.  It was actually a musician who said but he probably stole it, knowing musicians.  That's okay, it's a good one.  It's from the mouth of A.G. Olmstead, a guy who knows a lot about leaving New Brunswick, as he's had to do it several times in his life and career, but he keeps coming back to his St. Stephen home.  He first left in high school for a New England boarding school, and spent a lot of his early career in music in the States, in places such as Austin and Nashville.  A.G. is one of the country's finest old-time and bluegrass musicians, but he's better-known and even better-appreciated down in the Nashville bluegrass scene.  That's okay, he goes there when he needs to, and he still calls his childhood home the right place for him.

I first discovered A.G. back in 2006 when he popped out his first album of bluegrass, and I thought, wow, this sounds like the real thing.  Of course, that's because it WAS the real thing.  A.G. is the real thing.  He's a hugely talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, and has bowled them over in Nashville.  He makes his music with some of the genre's best players and producers.  I hear a lot of bluegrass discs over the course of a year, and I get to recognize the names of the preferred players, so to me, Olmstead's credits read like an all-star team roster.  His new disc, called A.G. Olmstead II, has just arrived, and it's a killer, packed with ace playing and wonderful writing. 

If it's true you can judge the measure of a man by the company he keeps, A.G. has pedigree.  The Grascals are one of the very top bluegrass groups going, and singer Terry Eldredge is here just to lend harmonies to A.G.'s lead.  Rob Ickes is generally considered the best dobro player in the genre, he is almost always voted player of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.  Stuart Duncan has been called America's favourite fiddle player, thanks to his years of work as the top session man in Nashville, gracing hits by Patti Loveless, Alan Jackson, George Strait, and that Alison Krauss/Robert Plant hit album.  He's been the IBMA fiddler of the year 8 times.  Alan O'Bryant is Stuart Duncan's partner in the Nashville Bluegrass Band, plays banjo on this disc, and is the producer.  He's the main guy for A..G. Olmstead, the respected Nashville man who believes in him, and his songwriting, and rallies this great group of performers around him.

Okay, I'm not going to belabour the point anymore, the playing on this disc is the absolute epitome of bluegrass ensemble music.  So, the only question mark is A.G. himself.  Can his singing, writing and playing match up?  You betcha.  I love his voice, it is real old-school, he sounds like he's straight out of Bill Monroe's band, and sounds that old too!  He has a fun, granddaddy way about him, but in fact he's 37 this year.  As for songwriting, again it is the fun old-time, 40's and 50's era stuff, not Newgrass, or slicker ballad material, no jazz or pop influences (not that there's anything wrong with that of course).  It's also not hokey or cornpone.  Even though A.G. wasn't born in Kentucky, he has respect and he knows that old time music was hugely important in these parts too.  We forget it sometimes, thanks to all the attention the U.S. gets, but New Brunswick's music scene was just as active as any southern state back in the 40's and 50's.  Think Don Messer and Hank Snow, and so many others.

Anyway, A.G. is here, lives here, and bless him, he has some shows coming up where he's showing off some of his slick--playing pals.  They are coming from Nashville to the Maritimes to launch the new disc, as A.G. Olmstead and the Nashville String Band, with Gammy-award winning banjo player Alan O'Bryant, mandolin master Chris Henry and more.

Launch dates: 
Mar 26:  Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs, Halifax
Mar 27: Plan B Lounge, Moncton
Mar 29: Arena Complex Theatre, St. Andrews, N.B.
Mar 30: Eastport Arts Center, Eastport, Maine

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: CARLOS DEL JUNCO - MONGREL MASH

CARLOS DEL JUNCO & the BLUES MONGRELS - MONGREL MASH

Del Junco is a freaking amazing harmonica player, and I don't mean in the sense of the lead singer in the local blues band who blows really loud and bobs his head up and down.  Those guys are a dime a dozen in blues, and I'm pretty much sick of them all.  Look, let's face it, it's a dull, limited instrument in most people's hands (and mouths).  Del Junco is an actual ace who composes intricate parts and solos, and knows several techniques that allow him to play all the notes in whatever key, instead of the few usually available on the tiny instrument.  Umm, it's complicated, but he does it, and it works, and not many can.  His material is far more instrumental than vocal, and the fact it's always exciting and interesting says it all.

The plans were to make a live album of his energetic stage show, but the technical limitations were bugging him, so instead he took the Mongrels into the studio, and simply played the live show there.  But if he hadn't said so in the liner notes, I wouldn't have had a clue, since it's so perfect.  That's a tribute to him and the band, all fine players.  Now normally, I'd get a little sick of a disc that featured so much solo work, especially on the harp, but that's not the case at all.  Plus, of the country's best guitar players is here as well, Kevin Breit, our own Ry Cooder, so there's the excitement of hearing him leap in.

I should state that this isn't wall-to-wall soloing, but rather ensemble playing, with subtleties and clever arrangements.  The interplay between del Junco and Breit is lots of fun to single out in your listening, as the two harmonize their parts.  There's also a cool mix of song styles, with the usual 12-bar blues nowhere to be found.  Err, well, there is one, the classic Got My Mojo Workin', simply called Mojo here, where the group shows you and every blasted blues band in the world how to make it new again.  But it's the perky, fun, jazzy Hedden Tadpolly Spook instrumental, with its Merry Melodies harmonica line that goes pretty much the entire song that makes me the happiest, and makes me respect the harmonica again.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE WAILIN' JENNYS - BRIGHT MORNING STARS

THE WAILIN' JENNYS - BRIGHT MORNING STARS

We know they can sing.  That's the whole point.  It's the vocal blend, the harmonies, the mood.  But sometimes I think they should be called the Whisperin' Jennys because they never do really wail.  The group's first studio disc since 2006 sees the trio fail to rise above a slow boil.  This can't really be considered a criticism, it's more a suggestion that they mix it up a bit, since what they do is top notch and perfect.  It's just I'd like to hear them take it out of second gear and show us what's under the hood.

This is the first studio album with Heather Masse as a member, and she does add a mellow, lower voice to the proceedings, and the closest numbers to actual bluegrass.  But again, it's so pure and earnest, it's hard to get worked up and excited.  Even Ruth Moody's Storm Comin', which should be a big, raunchy gospel number, just saunters along.  The number is subservient to the harmonies, and although there's a nasty guitar back there, and the chance to wake us all up, the storm is just a breeze.

Having now griped about the same point five different ways, I will again admit the Jennys have the best voices and harmonies around, and if you like your folk-slash-bluegrass slow and steady and pure, this is the stuff.  Some people display passion in different ways.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: BEADY EYE - DIFFERENT GEAR, STILL SPEEDING

BEADY EYE - DIFFERENT GEAR, STILL SPEEDING

Or, Oasis without Noel.  And which one was he?  The one with the eyebrows?  The one who fought all the time?  The one with the Beatles fixation?  Okay, that isn't helping.  He was the one with the guitar and supposedly, the talent.  I guess he must have been the most difficult one as well, since the rest of the band sided with Liam and has hung around to quickly stick out this new disc. 

Noel was the writer, so now that task falls to Liam along with Gem Archer and Andy Bell.  The trio's task was to come up with songs as good as the ones on the last few Oasis albums.  AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Well, that wasn't too difficult.  Actually, one hopes they could do a better job, and in fact, they seem to have, or at least this is a lot more interesting than... ah, what was the name of any of the last few Oasis albums?

While there's no Wonderwall, this is a pretty good rock band album, with it's influences obvious, as they always have been with Oasis, Noel-led or not.  There are Beatle moments galore, mostly middle-period psychedelic ones.  The cut Wigwam is Rain-soaked, for instance.  There's just as many moments that suggest Wings though, and the more poppy Stones, and basically the heyday of British studio rock.  What's new here is some fresh ideas from the new writing trio, and perhaps they are now a group more willing to dabble in fun.  There's no overriding attempt at heaviness here. 

It's a decent disc from a group most North Americans never really cared about, and certainly didn't expect much else from.  We didn't live through the great Britpop wars of the mid-90's, and have little residual respect for the bloodied veterans.  For us, the Fighting Gallaghers were simply Charlie Sheen with accents.  For me, the thing that has stood out about the group has always been Liam's voice.  Noel's been unable to lead the group into anything but nostalgia for a decade, so with the relative quality of this album, his departure must be considered positive.  Beady Eye - the name sucks, but the band surprisingly does not.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JAY AYMAR - PASSING THROUGH

JAY AYMAR - PASSING THROUGH

I don't know if Jay Aymar knows where he's from anymore.  While Toronto may be a home base, most of his work and time is on the road, and he's getting to know the country really well.  He's part of a solid new folk scene that's crisscrossing the country, trading in a little blues or roots, whatever will get them on the bill of whatever club, festival or house concert is happening.  As much as these genres are interchangeable now, what's remained true is the idea of the songwriter picking up bits and pieces of people's lives, and passing them on like seeds, wherever they land next.

I think I'll repeat that, because I like the sound of it:  Jay Aymar writes people's lives.  You get the actress who wanted to play the big-time roles, but had to settle for bit parts.  There's the guy who just wants to find a normal girl.  Or the white guy who's learned a lot more than most about First Nations people in the country by hanging out and being a friend.  There are big stories, but it's the little details he puts in that paint the real picture for us, like the bus passenger who tells us, "As the weight of my wallet goes, I'm a Greyhound kind of guy."  Then there's "the beautiful girl in vintage clothes".  These people pop right into your head with one listen.

Aymar's folk is the kind with country leanings, and features strong fiddle, mandolin and ensemble playing.  Aymer's part of a larger scene of like-minded folk folk, such as David Gavin Baxter, Tim Des Islets (who handles rhythm guitar on all tracks here) and young Jadea Kelly, an exceptional singer who shows up for an excellent old-timey duet on "Worthless String Of Pearls".  There's honesty and raw talent flowing through all these people, so go out and see them next time they're in town.  Especially Jay Aymar, since he's probably driving into yours right now.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: HAYES CARLL - KMAG YOYO

HAYES CARLL - KMAG YOYO (& OTHER AMERICAN STORIES)

What a wonderful set of contradictions we find in Carll's work.  With his Hank Williams Jr. twang and semi-spoken vocals, he comes across all redneck, and while he's certainly comfortable in that club, there's an awful lot of thinking going on.  Holy crap, this guy's coming up with some actual art here, both poetic and political, and presenting it wrapped in outlaw country.  Even his party tunes have some sneaky smarts in the words:  "I'm out here in the filth and squalor/All I wanna do is stomp and holler."

He's not the first thinking country guy, but usually they come out as singer-songwriters, hanging out with Lyle Lovett and Jimmie Dale Gilmore in the Austin City Limits audience.  Carll is more of a band guy, his stuff can really rock, or it can have a big sad sound too.  He does share Lovett's irony and Gilmore's word skills, but he's equal parts Kid Rock.  Its when Carll smashes the cliche of the country-listening good old boy that he does his best work, if only because it's so different that the safe hat music still being manufactured.  The title track borrows the military abbreviation for Kiss My Ass Guys, You're On Your Own, and sees the hero in a crazy tale going from fighting the Taliban to getting involved in some Pentagon drug scheme that may or may not include space travel.  That tall tale is a laugher, but Grateful For Christmas sees a spin on the typical childhood mom and pop-and cousins and aunts and old dogs small town family holiday song, where as everybody grows older, there's actual sadness and death and change and melancholy, but still love between the singer and his now older and widowed mother.

Hayes Carll pretty much is the real deal, the singer you want all the country guys to be, the one telling truths, writing great lyrics and playing the music co-opted by Nashville 40 years ago.  If that's not enough, it's quite possible he's (gasp) a democrat.