The Oregon Blues Trail
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HIT LIST REVIEWS Janne Haavisto and The Shubie with occasional Django Brothers Terry flashes. An instrumental You Are Here Robb arrangement of The Byrds’ “You Showed Me” Guitarist/drum- even sounds at home. mer Haavisto is the Robb taught himself surf auteur from to play after receiv- Finland and co-founder of the defunct ing a guitar from his Laika and the Cosmonauts. He’s still making uncle, who was a swing “instro” rock, but don’t expect delirious old- player associated with school surf; rather, the Finn is taking instro Lawrence Welk. As a to the moody Hollywood soundtracks of the kid, he followed lo- ’60s. Think of a sultry mix between twangy cal jazz legend Buddy guitars and the classic scores of Quincy Fite around, but was Jones, Henry Mancini (Touch of Evil), and mainly attracted to blues Ennio Morricone. Big influences from the guitar – “so my technique Wrecking Crew, too. comes from there.” One of the best cuts, “Searching For Mr. His list of influences M,” has silky strings and an Afro-jazz groove includes Fahey, B.B., under Jussi Jaakonaho’s reverby baritone axe T-Bone, Charley Patton, – Haavisto has a knack for writing memorable Blind Blake, Canned guitar hooks, and nails it here. Heat’s Henry Vestine, “The Grey Eminence” is another dreamy, Hubert Sumlin, Tommy cinematic gem, featuring walls of guitar, Johnson, Son House, and baritone, and even pedal steel. “Kuusamon John Hurt, as well as Kotra” assimilates a 1963 track written by jazz saxophonists John his father, himself a noted Finnish musi- THE OREGON Coltrane, Stan Getz, and cian, while “Hazy Hollow” was co-written Eric Dolphy. “But one by Teisco Del Rey and the Ventures’ Bob guy I really liked,” he Spalding, the latter adding guitar to the BLUES TRAIL adds, “was Mel Brown.” alluring melody. With a ’47 Martin Whether you love surf/instro, fat Fender- ortland-based Terry finds Robb in solo and 0-18 on all the solo reverb tones, or vintage Hollywood, grab Robb has managed ensemble settings, with songs, a ’57 00-18 on this disc with confidence. It’s one of those P to keep a fairly low only a couple of vocals. the band songs, and a endlessly hip CDs you’ll leave in the car, and profile despite being one The opening 12-bar “Soc ’60s Harmony Sovereign play over and over, hearing fresh guitar licks of the best players, on Hop” curls fleet phrases when he switches to with each spin. – Pete Prown acoustic and electric, em- bottleneck, the tones are bracing a range of blues magnificent throughout. Jake Andrews styles and then some. He The two vocal numbers In The Shadows is, rightly, an inductee in come as a surprise, not the Oregon Music Hall of only because they’re Tw e nt y-t h r e e Fame. tucked into basically an years ago, a gui- The 60-year-old has re- instrumental set, but tarist who shall leased eight solo albums because Robb is a more remain nameless and a duo CD with singer/ than capable singer, as on was booked to play harpist Curtis Salgado. Rube Lacy’s “Ham Hound SXSW only to discover his slot was right after He’s appeared on albums Terry Robb Crave,” reminiscent Jake Andrews, better known as 13-year-old by Salgado, The New Cool On The Bloom of “Big Road Blues.” “Guitar Jake” at the time. The W.C. Fields Iberians, and Alice Stuart, Single-note soloing quote, “Never work with animals or children” and as one-fourth of the around a lively dead- over a slow blues is was never more apropos. eclectic Acoustic Guitar thumb beat alternating perhaps the litmus test By that time, the Austin phenom had Summit. He learned to with walking bass. Robb’s for any blues guitarist, already played with Gatemouth Brown on TV make records by produc- lightly swinging title track but it’s especially hard at age 11 – having jammed with Albert King ing John Fahey, and sounds like a standard to pull off on acoustic. at Antone’s three years prior! Not someone a produced and played on you’ve never heard, and Robb dives in headfirst 40-something wants to follow. most albums of the guitar “Christmas In Istanbul,” on “Late Night Kahl,” and In the mid ’90s, there was a glut of teenage icon’s last 25 years. also an original, is both proves more than up to blues hotshots, but Andrews wisely waited This acoustic outing melodic and angular, the challenge. – Dan Forte until he was 19 to release his solo debut – Terry Robb: Autumn Northcraft. VINTAGE GUITAR 118 November 2017 HIT LIST REVIEWS though he recorded with Austin’s legendary to the public, and made Grey Ghost when he was 13 and the pianist Prince a household name was 89. He could have cut a killer album of The two-CD Deluxe Freddie and Albert King covers then or now, Expanded Edition is a 3D but he waited to find his own voice. epic vision of that iconic Now 37, he’s segued from blues-rock heav- album as Prince intended ily influenced by Stevie Ray to harder-edged it. It includes a re-master rock with mature vocals and a varied guitar of the original tapes from palette. There’s still plenty of bluesy licks, as the soundtrack overseen on “Roll With You,” recalling Doyle Bram- by Prince, including hall, Sr., but the herky-jerky instrumental unreleased tracks. These “Breakaway” defies categorization.– Dan tracks include “Our Forte Destiny,” “Roadhouse Garden,” “Possessed,” Roger Waters “Electric Intercourse,” Is This the Life We “Father’s Song,” “We Really Want? Can F**k,” and “Ka- trina’s Paper Dolls.” Roger Waters is a Also included is a prisoner of his own disc of single edits and fame since, with B-sides, and a DVD of rare exception, he Prince and The Revolution has to make new music that sounds like Pink Live At The Carrier Dome Floyd. On his first solo album in 25 years, Syracuse, NY March 30, he freely mines grooves, vocals, and effects REVOLUTIONS 1985. Restored from the that are Floyd trademarks and, frankly, that’s original master tapes, it’s what his fans want. Still, this is a strong here was Prince be- ballads, and created a a white-hot performance album that focuses on Waters’ vocals and fore Purple Rain and distinct style of funk. that presents Prince’s famously dark lyrics. T Prince after Purple He was rewarded with crystalized dream of a On guitar we hear Waters’ acoustic Rain. When Prince Rogers platinum albums, but 1999 super-interracial rock band strumming paired with electric work Nelson got signed to was his breakthrough to employing members of from Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Warner Brothers Records the “late to the party” both genders and sexual Dawes), who can emulate David Gilmour at the age of 18 in 1977, record-buying public. His identities. Bassist Brown with admirable restraint – a good example he released a string of Mark, guitarist Wendy of both players can be heard on “Broken albums that showed him Melvoin, and Prince put on Bones.” The single “Smell The Roses” draws to be a freakishly talented an incredible show with its groove from 1975’s “Have A Cigar,” but multi-instrumentalist and ample fretboard antics no matter – it still cooks along with Wilson’s composer. He was an while performing astonish- funky seventh-chord and tritone vamp, and auteur with a personal ing dance choreography. he introduces a haunting minor-key slide vision and a hands-on These vault recordings theme and tasty lead licks later on. approach to recording that reveal Prince in the mid “Picture This” would have been right at resulted in playing all the ’80s as a musical conduit home on Animals, but that stark, edgy style instruments. The albums for electro-pop, gospel, is still powerful today. It also encapsulates For You, Prince, Dirty Prince rock and roll, and musical everything that was missing from the fluffier, Mind, and Controversy Purple Rain Deluxe theatre. Many of these Gilmour-led Floyd for 30 years – none other built upon the success of Expanded Edition recordings are collabora- than Roger Waters himself. – PP each preceding album, tions with the Revolution. garnering a loyal fol- devilish sexuality and the Individual band members The lowing. His live shows addictive funk-pop that are given the spotlight Hellenbacks were legendary (the Rick permeated “Little Red throughout on lead vocals, Vampires In The James tour in particular), Corvette” and “1999” songwriting, or ensemble Desert as he broke new ground seductively eased the playing. It’s an excellent humanizing the era’s new uninitiated into the package for Prince fans. The Hellenbacks wave movement with whirlwind that would Songs like “When Doves are defined by gritty old-fashioned African follow. You loved him or Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U,” guitars, huge sing- American showmanship you hated him, but you “Baby I’m A Star,” and along choruses, and rock-and-roll swagger. and sexuality. He fused couldn’t deny him. Then “Purple Rain” will still give Based in Las Vegas, their latest percolates pop, rock, falsetto soul Purple Rain exploded on you chills. – Oscar Jordan with good ol’ American ’70s rock with a contemporary twist. Bassist Sean Koos, VINTAGE GUITAR 120 November 2017.