CHUCK BERRY - SAN FRANCISCO BLUES
One of
the weirdest Chuck Berry albums ever – and one of the greatest, too! The sound
here is very different than the hard rockin Berry of the early days – and the
record's got kind of a laidback, trippy, and slightly bluesy approach – one
that has Chuck singing in these homey vocals we really love, and playing guitar
with this kind of watery tone that's really unique – almost airy, but still
with a bit of bite – and really quite hard to peg! Backing is relatively spare
– electric and acoustic piano, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums – and the whole
thing is very rootsy, with tracks that include "Your Lick",
"Festival", "Bordeux In My Pirough", "My Dream",
"Viva Rock & Roll", "Lonely School Days", and
"Let's Do Our Thing Together".
Dusty Groove
DUKE ELLINGTON - ELLINGTON 65
Hey, we
like this album – and if you don't, we're willing to fight about it! Sure, you
might call it a sellout – as The Duke's playing arrangements of mid 60s pop
tunes like "Fly Me to The Moon", "More", "The Second
Time Around", "Blowin In The Wind", and "Never On
Sunday" – but the sound is actually pretty darn hip, with a strong swing
to the whole album, and a good groove that brings life into the songs on the
set. The overall feel is like some of the hipper Basie backings at the time –
very in the pocket playing, and short jazzy renditions of songs that we like in
any form – but which come off here even more nicely with some real jazz touches
from the Ellington group! ~ Dusty Groove
CHRIS CONNOR - WITCHCRAFT
A lovely
side by Chris Connor for Atlantic, recorded not too long after her stint at
Bethlehem – where she'd perfected an icy cool style of singing that's still to
be matched to this day! The album features larger arrangements by Richard Wess
– but still has a light jazzy feel, intimate in approach, despite the larger
musical backings. Chris' voice is at once personal and removed – a razor's edge
of emotion, repressing some impulses, and opening up surprisingly at other
moments. Titles include "Skyscraper Blues", "The Lady Sings The
Blues", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "When Sunny Gets
Blue", "Just In Time", "Baltimore Oriole", and
"How Little We Know". ~ Dusty
Groove
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