Sampling Three Samplers: Some Mighty Fine Blues
I'd like to shout about three diverse blues samplers from three very different labels that are working hard to enrich the music marketplace. The Black and Tan, Northern Blues, and Yellow Dog record labels have consistently released high quality blues, roots, and Americana music, and each of their samplers have introduced me to artists I would not otherwise find.
Before I get to the music, I'd like to set the stage with a little background information on each label, and let you know why I think that each sampler is worth a listen. For me, samplers introduce artists I would otherwise not discover, and each of these CDs do what samplers do best: each disc has led me back to the record store to delve a little deeper and explore a specific artist's back catalogue.
Black and Tan Records, based in the Netherlands, is home to artists ranging from Chicago bluesman Byther Smith, St. Louis' Boo Boo Davis, premiere Los Angeles acoustic player Doug MacLeod to the genre-stretching blues/funk of the Mike Andersen Band. Producer/guitarist Jan Mittendorp's got an ear for the right balance of blues and soul and has helped Black and Tan artists frequently tour European blues hot spots.
Toronto's Northern Blues has signed many US-based bluesmen and blueswomen, most recently a leading practitioner of New Orleans funk, Mem Shannon and the Membership, and psychedelic bluesman extraordinaire, Eddie Turner. CEO Fred Litwin has also nurtured the careers of Canadian musicians like Kevin Breit, the Glamour Puss band, and Carlos Del Junco. You'll find many Northern Blues artists recognized by the Toronto Blues Society's Maple Blues Awards.
I'm pretty new to Yellow Dog Records, but strictly speaking, this Memphis-based label is not a blues label. Yellow Dog features jazz and Americana as well as gut-bucket blues, and they are one of my newest discoveries. Yellow Dog artists include jazz guitarist Calvin Newborn, Delta blues man Chris Cotton, and the Bluff City Backsliders, an outfit that plays blues, Americana, old-timey country twang, and music that I can't quite pidgeonhole (but it's a lot of fun).
With that background in mind, let's look at each sampler in a little more detail.
Black and Tan's CD, Keeping Living Music Alive, features 19 songs and approximately 69 minutes of music recorded over the past seven years on 20 Black and Tan CDs. There's a preponderance of post-war urban blues on the sampler CD, thanks to the Chicago blues of Byther Smith and Big George Jackson and to East St. Louis' Boo Boo Davis. Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps, Doug MacLeod, and Ernie Payne balance the guitar-fueled blues of the urban veterans with some nice acoustic work; and the funk of the Mike Andersen Band and the rap-flavored blues of Billy Jones show how producer Jan Mittendorp is taking the blues in new directions. After listening to Keeping Living Music Alive, I was particularly drawn to learn more about Percy Strother, Erskine Oglesby, and Roscoe Chenier. Percy Strother recently passed away, but his version of "Blow Wind Blow" has inspired me to discover his Black and Tan release, Home at Last. I hear a lot of jump blues in Erskine Oglesby's "Two Franc Blues" -- I'll pick up this sax man's "Honkin' and Shoutin'" next. Finally, with a name (a legacy, really) like Chenier and a home town of Opelousas, Louisiana, I have high expectations of Roscoe Chenier. His "Rainin' in My Heart" is ripe for a traditional two-step at the dance hall, and I'd like to hear more from Roscoe, particularly his interpretation of Lazy Lester's blues.
The Northern Blues sampler, The Future of the Blues Volume 2, features 15 songs and over 70 minutes of music. Toronto's Taxi Chain has blended a unique mix of Delta roadhouse blues with Celtic influences and bagpipes (yes, you read that right, bagpipes) and this adds up to blues tinged with a world beat sound. Taxi Chain's "Memphis" leads off the sampler, and it is one of my favorite cuts off of their 2004 release Smarten Up! Paul Reddick has been recognized by the Maple Blues Awards of the Toronto Blues Society and nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. While this recognition is certainly well-deserved, I'd like to think the importance is that this sampler introduces listeners to his latest Northern Blues release Villanelle, and its predecessor, Rattlebag. "Five Silver Dollars" from Villanelle has landed on the sampler, and it's a good introduction to Paul's work. I've shouted about harp player Carlos del Junco before, and I'll do it again: Carlos updates Little Walter's "Blues With A Feeling" and his Blues Mongrel CD is one I return to now and again for some forward-looking music played on one of the blues' most traditional instruments.
Last, but certainly not least, is the Yellow Dog Records 2003-2004 Promotional Sampler, which is available from the label in limited quantities. There's something from each artist on the Yellow Dog roster here, including Cincinnati's Big Joe Duskin who's on the cover of the June 2005 issue of Living Blues and subject of a well-deserved profile by Larry Nager. Big Joe has also received accolades like an Ohio Heritage Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council and the Ohio Folk Arts Network "to honor the finest and most influential Ohio folk artists." Labelmates Terry Robb and Chris Cotton also have been included in the sampler. Chris' I Watched the Devil Die has landed on the Roots Music Report and the Living Blues Radio Chart, and Terry's Resting Place is inching its way on my list of favorite blues releases for 2005. Terry Robb has won the prestigious Muddy Award a record 16 times from Portland, Oregon's Cascade Blues Association.
One of the nice things about samplers is that they are often released at reduced prices. Black and Tan Records is offering Keeping Living Music Alive for eight Euros (other CDs sell for 15 Euros), and Northern Blues has priced The Future of the Blues Volume 2 at $10 (including shipping). Yellow Dog will include a copy of the 2003-2004 Promotional Sampler with each purchase online or mail order.
Next issue, I'm going to continue our blues education by highlighting some of my latest online blues resources. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of Cosmik Debris - it's really kind of a musical sampler. Each issue, I learn something new and broaden my musical horizons.
