BLUES REVIEWS Than Robert Pete Williams

BLUES REVIEWS than Robert Pete Williams. The CONTINUED alumnus of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola was a poor soul with an acoustic guitar and miles upon miles of loneliness. He’s brilliantly crippling on the bottlenecked elegy “Goodbye Slim Harpo.” Certainly the region’s principal stylistic architect was J.D. Miller, whose Excello label became the gold standard of “swamp blues,” cornering the TIM GARTLAND THE JEWELL GOSPEL TRIO market on stark, dank, echoey Satisfied Many Little Angels in the Band VARIOUS churnings. But pursuant with TASTE GOOD GOSPEL FRIEND Blues Kings of Baton Rouge a policy of leave-no-stone- an he play harp? Let’s put it rnie’s Record Mart was BEAR FAMILY (2 CDS) unturned, Bear Family also Cthis way, Tim Gartland wrote Ewhere it went down that hen nothing less than raided the coffers of such labels the book, literally: The Talking winter of 1956. To be precise: in W gutbucket will do, the as Folk Lyric, Ahura Mazda, Harmonica: Harmonica As a Second a small studio perched above the foremost Blues Kings of Baton Zynn, Flyright, Montel, and Language, which is already on its Nashville storefront on 179 Third Rouge deliver a mudslide of Peacock for the full Baton fourth edition. As for references, Avenue North. As the February lowdown melancholy majesty. Rouge experience. Jerry Portnoy served as mentor, winds did their best outside, Their reign over Louisiana— Jackpot! By searching with additional big name brands so did the hometown Jewell the land behind the sun outside of the swamp, patriarchs (Bo Diddley, Carey Bell, Pinetop Gospel Trio, inside. “Somebody’s (Muddy’s words)—peaked from Tabby Thomas (father of Chris Perkins) providing on-the-job Knocking at Your Door” heated the mid-1950s through the Thomas King) and Raful Neal training. up the room with a beehive of budding-1970s. It’s from here (Kenny’s dad) are heard. Off in Surprisingly though, the voices and a modest yet cooking this limited-edition two-CD the backcountry, rural guitar arsenal of harps that Gartland rhythm section. But when “I set (and 52-page booklet) does grinders (Clarence Edwards) blows—chromatic, 10- and Looked Down the Line and I its dredging. and pumpers (Smoky Babe) get 12-hole diatonic, bass—is not Wondered” received the “go” Unlike nearby New Orleans, rustled up, along with fiddler what first turns heads; it’s that signal, those little singing angels Baton Rouge wasn’t throwing Butch Cage and guitarist Willie bottom-of-the-basement voice held nothing back, hitting with funky, syncopated parties with B. Thomas shaking the shed for of his. Nor is Satisfied a blowfest all their fervent might. The first their blues. This was muck-and- a slice of “Jelly Roll.” intended to showcase harp chops minute and a half boiled before mire habitat—rhythmically as Don’t worry, though, the stressed to the max. But rather his giving way to holy hollering, much as emotionally—through Kings ’ crowned jewels are fourth solo album is an evenly stoked by Sederia Boles’ which the preferred mode of housed here: “I’m a King Bee,” balanced, complete portrait of shattering lead. Their raw power transport is slogging at a pace “Rooster Blues,” “Dark Clouds Gartland’s capacities in the art of overwhelmed the microphones. of either slow or sludge. Rollin’,” “Rainin’ In My Heart,” the song. Songwriting, singing, The Jewells returned to that So, the bad news is that Lazy Lester’s rockabillyish “I’m and instrumental skills all figure second story in 1957. And then life has gone to pot. Having a Lover Not a Fighter.” But the into the big picture. again in 1958, as well. During someone named Lonesome surprises are just as valuable. With a likable, cool command, those sessions, Canzietta Staton Sundown deliver “My Home Like Moses Smith slurping out his baritone seeps through “Blues (future soul/disco diva, Candi Is a Prison” certainly doesn’t “Baton Rouge Breakdown,” a For Free,” before lightheartedly Staton) grabbed the reins over bode well for having a nice day. two-and-a-half-minute harp shrugging off bungees and “Sin Is to Blame,” an arresting The good news is that this solo, or the throbbing “Blues parachutes in favor of a more piece of dramatic smoldering. On kingly gathering could make Hang-Over” had by Slim laidback “Satisfied” lifestyle. Even the other hand, Boles, electrified calamity sound like a million Harpo. Although none of the when “Drinking for Two” hustles by the Holy Ghost and Deacon bucks. Lightning Slim’s voice 53 tracks approach anywhere the pace as well as the hurt, Gartland Jones’ similarly hyper guitar licks, alone is the sound of the close to a level resembling is never in a hurry himself, slinging incited spiritual liftoff with “Ease swamp hitting the fan. Then lushness, Herman Johnson, his chocolate croon around curves My Troublin’ Mind.” pile on the sparse but heavily Isaiah Chattman and then like a Nashvillian Elvis. His ties Those three years upstairs mentholated backing of guitar, Arthur Kelley each scale back to Music City indeed rub off on at Ernie’s weren’t the only bass, drums and harmonica, operations all the more to the these 10 originals, with assist from recording dates, however. In and the bummer anthems utmost basics: electrified-guitar Kevin McKendree’s rich, smooth 1953, a gospel caravan lit out “Winter Time Blues” and “Bad soliloquies. The Nitehawks’ production. So much so that for Los Angeles, where Aladdin Luck” were born. Slim Harpo, “Boogie Chillun” is an even Gartland’s majestically heartbroken Records—home to spiritualists the other kingpin, likewise rarer, raucous find. crawl through “Artifacts,” set (Soul Stirrers) as well as hypnotizes by grinding in first Blues Kings of Baton Rouge off by glassy slide-guitar sweeps secularists (Wynonie Harris)— gear. With rats and roaches sinks so deep into the gutbucket and pillowy organ swells, would commissioned “At the Cross” as roommates, Silas Hogan’s that a snorkel comes in handy no doubt guzzle quarters by the with sacred-steel ace Lorenzo “Trouble at Home Blues” for the 2.5-hour dive to the handful if living inside a honky- Harrison lending a woozy oozed right along, too. Still, bottom. tonk jukebox. hand. In ’55 came “Many Little nobody does misery better DENNIS ROZANSKI DENNIS ROZANSKI Angels in the Band,” their 24 | BLUESRAG | WINTER 2019 | MOJOWORKIN.COM.

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