Bentley’s Bandstand: January 2025
JD Allen, THE DARK, THE LIGHT, THE GREY AND THE COLORFUL. One of the very finest jazz saxophone kings, it’s interesting that JD Allen also works under the pseudonyms Bigger Thomas and Cross Damon. To each his own, and any musician who can play with such soulful depth and evolving originality can call themselves whatever they want. One thing is for sure, JD Allen is an all-time player. Born in 1972, he is considered to be somewhat of a youngblood on the circuit, and that’s fine with all who listen because this is a true artist of the golden horn. Allen’s tone comes from another sphere, one that knows the ins and outs of reverie and depth. The notes he is able to form feel like something from another world, one that has a distinct worship of the true shape of the human heart. Over all the recordings Allen has made there isn’t really a false sound on any. He knows how to choose fellow musicians, and never misses with the songs and situations they go for. With all the history that jazz has, it sometimes seems that someday the playing field will run out of space. But one listen to Allen’s latest release and it’s evident this man has a clear vision of where he is taking his songs. When asking about these originals, Allen recently said he was “working on music about flowers…” Of course, there was a lot more to it than just that, but the way the musician explains it in the liner notes makes complete sense. Working with just bass and drums, that puts most of the forward movement on JD Allen’s tenor saxophone, but it’s obvious from the first few notes that this man can handle the assignment. He takes the rhythm section into unknown territory, and they never let Allen down. These recordings are the kind that will last forever, and no matter where jazz goes in the future this man’s work will be welcomed into the world. The song “Happiness (Shared is a Flower)” says it all. Bloom or doom.
Bill Charlap Trio, AND THEN AGAIN. When it comes to modern jazz trios, there really aren’t that many who can 100% get the job done with adding only a standup bass and small drum kit and then go after the classics mixed with a few originals. That skill really comes from playing live for years and years at a time, never changing the group line-up and studying the past fritzed up with a touch of the present and then start playing. Charlap’s talents on finding the best catalog of songs goes without saying. He’s always been someone who zeros in on what the trio and can do best, and then stays there. Live jazz is a study in subdued excitement. Hearing songs from America’s past doesn’t have to be staid. In fact, sometimes the surprise of a undeniable treasure makes the world come alive with the knowledge that everything depends on the delivery of great songs, not in which year they were written. And Charlap can take just about anything and turn it into a heart-saving charmer. His history of playing jazz clubs around America and sometimes abroad is something to admire, and he is a proud trooper of the late-night sets. With onstage cohorts Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums (not related) the trio is an example of the true meaning of improvisation, and by the very fact of their years together it comes shinging through in every song thery perform. Jazz is based on improvisation and inspiration, that this is the go-to outfit for that anytime they take the bandstand. Always stay late.
Eric Clapton, MEANWHILE. Considering it’s been eight years since rock and blues jefe Eric Clapton has released a new album–excluding 2018’s HAPPY XMAS Christmas set–there’s a lot of attention on MEANWHILE from his followers. So it’s exciting how strong MEANWHILE is. There is such a wide range of songs, impassioned performances and even surprises, which include two tracks with Van Morrison, even if they were previously released as singles. It truly feels like a collection of songs that mean a lot to one who was once nicknamed Slowhand. All-time classics like “Moon River” and “Smile” along with more contemporary standards like “Always on My Mind” and reggae hit “One Woman,” are given deep performances that convey this is an artist who is ready to enter the ring again. Clapton’s vocals are filled with feeling and depth, noting just how fine a singer he has been for decades. With this Englishman’s history, it has often been the quality of the song that lets him really bring the soulfulness home. There is something that is truly touching to hear someone who has always been such a bedrock star, from his early days in the Yardbirds in 1964 (60 years! ago) to today. And while some of the news treatment Eric Clapton has received for his political stances the past decade seem to interfere in his profile, at this stage they seem somewhat beside the point. Listening to how warm and strong his voice is now, along with guitaristics that always ring true, Eric Clapton is a musician as a veteran of the changes. He may be aging into the senior world, a good thing for those who are able to live through the modern world, but he is obviously still moving with the changes. Grow and show.
The Doohickeys, ALL HAT NO CATTLE. Country music, in all its stems and stones, has a way of regenerating, often beyond logic. Former trends can return to favor and brand new spinoffs can take new control. The Doohockeys, Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett at the forefront in front of a big ol’ potpourri of players, have done their best to use the roots of their favroite scenes and turn the whole schmeer into grandness. There are fifteen different backing musicians spread all over these glorious tracks and what evolves is a near-spiritual amalgamation of just how super-strong the country genre can sound. There is an element of humor in many the songs, which is obvious in the titles: “Can’t Beat My Ol’ Beater,” “All Hat No Cattle,” “Too Ugly to Hitchhike” and more. But there is also a barnful of sincerity in the way Brown and Hackett front the group and sing their hearts out. This isn’t a Hee Haw moment going on. Instead, it’s looking at life with a hard stare and figure out the most bodacious way to get in front of the hardships and have some fun in the run. Luckily the Doohickeys are playing it for real or the songs wouldn’t be around for eternity. This is a musical style that is so wide open for personal interpretation that there is no wonder the band didn’t build fences around their feelings. Instead, every single song is open for business in any way that wants to be heard. Open 24 hours.
Mariachi Mestizo, XXV ANIVERSARIO. Cultural pride can never be beat. When musicians find the essence of their long-living backgrounds and build ways to extend it into the future, all is achieved. MARIACHI MESTIZO originates from California’s Central Valley, and they are a proud group of players and singers from the Mexican-American community. Their origins from Delano, California comes from the background of the farm labor movement that gave the workers and their families a history of pride and lives to this day. It also gave the area’s people a reason to perform music and study where it came from. Once those connections are learned, it’s like there is a whole new reason to thrive. Which is exactly what Mariachii Mestizo does. The sound of eleven players raising their instruments and souls in celebration of the past and the future is untoppable. The strength of family and cultural memories seems to take the sounds and put them on wings. The mix of violins, trumpets, guitarron, viheula and guitarra is something that is rare heard on new recordings, and lifts the sound of the mixture of the musicians into a soaring layer of joy. With the prideful background of these cultural songs, it all blends in a way that ultimately offers happiness for what the group has accomplished. There is no doubt that each player is giving the experience their strongest. This is not something that exists solely for entertainment. It survives because it is part of each member’s life history, and sounds and feels like they are playing for the memories of their ancestors and the culture they represent. In so many ways, there is nothing like it. Lift every voice.
Gary Nicholson, COMMON SENSE. If there is a MVP in Nashville for the past handful of decades, it has to be Gary Nicholson. The Texan ended up in Music City after a stint in Los Angeles, but once he headed to Tennessee he knew he’d found home. Nicholson is a man of many talents, including singing, guitar-playing and maybe above all else songwriting. He has made such a high-flying reputation in all these areas that it’s almost like an abundance of riches. For Nicholson himself, though, it’s all about the present. He is someone who looks ahead at what is happening right now, and gives it the gas. The man’s new album, aptly called COMMON SENSE, is so strong and compelling that it feels like an all-time accomplishment, even with the knowledge that the next release could best even this latest one. That’s because this is a musician who really does live in the now. Nicholson has a way of addressing what is standing before him at this time, and can zero in on musical styles, philosophical hierarchies and and even current events in a way that very few other songwriters can. In fact, on this new release it feels like everything that is going on in America right now flashes before our craniums in ways that spreads warmth and hope in ways that few other musicians can equal today. And the music that wraps itself around the songs themselves creates a feeling that no matter what, there will be ways to expand how the final result of COMMON SENSE will provide an elevation to how humans can expand their consciousness no matter what side of the striped line they stand on. That’s because songs like “What a Little Love Can Do,” “Make Good Trouble,” “All That Makes Me Happy is the Blues and “Woody’s Dream” feed the soul with understanding. Which is not an easy thing to do in today’s unlimited confusion that seems to have grabbed the wheel. Giving an open heart to what Gary Nicholson has accomplished here seems like the smartest thing an audience can do right now to find the bridge over the raging river rushing through America. Music is the mightiest healer, and the proof is on these dozen tracks. In fact, COMMON SENSE’s final selection, “There’s No Them,” is a clear musical offering of belief. To take the song into the deepest levels of the soul is to hopefully discover what is possible in the hands of a healer. Nicholson’s best yet.
Mitch Ryder, THE ROOF IS ON FIRE.There can be no quiveling that Mitch Ryder is one of the most devastating singers of rock & roll history. Even after he left the Detroit Wheels spinning in the dirt, Ryder went on continued combustion with first the band just called Detroit, andd then into solo-albumland. This recent double disc (whose sides are labeled Tuff and Soft just to be straight-up) that proves the man named William Levise at birth is still all the way out on a limb and mind-blowing creation. Ryder’s voice can shred from 10 yards away, and his original songs are full of blow-mind originality that no one else on the planet is really in competition with. This is a man who first sold his soul to rock & roll, and now sounds like that he’s reached nirvana is actually giving it away. The Tuff side includes mighty covers of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “From a Buick 6,” the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ “Tuff Enuff,” and, yes, the Rolling Stones’ “Heart of Stone.” That’s leaving the Tuff side’s covers to Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross” and the Doors’ “Soul Kitchen” and five Ryder originals. In reality, naturally, everything is Tuff and Soft smashed together with Mitch Ryder’s voice an undiminished mind-blower and something that few can equal no matter who they are. This is truly a man on a mission to show that there is no end to rock & roll, and once that road is set upon it’s best not to turn back. There is only the end there, so why stop now? And even if the world’s listening population probably isn’t jumping over each to find Mitch Ryder’s albums, that is clearly their loss. This man is someone who isn’t backing down from what he’s always been, and that’s a 100% true believer in the ability of his music to blow minds and leave the heart beating at a speed beyond belief. Do not miss something that doesn’t appear much anymore, and that is someone who took a stand at the start of his career and is still a total acolyte of it still. Have no fear.
The Third Mind, LIVE MIND. When it’s time to tune into The Third Mind, it’s best to take off the sonic blinders and let it rip. This is a band going for the next sphere. Their new live album says it all. Full of the kind of jams that jams were invented for, and when your lead guitarist is Dave Alvin there are no worries. All kinds of areas will be explored and satisfaction is guaranteed. But it doesn’t stop there. Not by a long shot. The rhythm section of drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Victor Krummancher is both power and passion in equal elements, and always makes The Third Mind swing into the stratosphere. One of the tips that greatness will be delivered is the songs chosen, ranging from Fred Neil’s “A Little Bit of Rain” to the Butterfield Blues Band’s opus “East West.” And once the group has gone that far, they saw no harm in throwing in the Grateful Dead’s signature lysergic classic “Dark Star” just to be sure no mind has been left unblown. It’s been over 55 years that the Dead’s theme song to higher consciousness has been ringing around their followers’ brain pans, and the planet is still spinning. By the end of the collection it’s proven this is a rock band for the ages, and capable of just about any style. For a mainly instrumental group, Jesse Sykes’ outstanding vocals and Mark Karan’s guitar, along with guests Willie Aron (keyboards) and Jack Rudy (harmonica), bring everything home whenever they’re called on. That’s class. At the top of everything, though, is The Third Mind’s adventurous spirit. It’s the key to this golden road to unlimited devotion, as the Dead once said, and a continuous spin-off into musical greatness. LIVE MIND feels like a box of surprises, and as long as musicians keep exploring new terrains of where rock music can visit, there will be no worries. Turn it up.
Jimmy Vivino, GONNA BE 2 OF THOSE DAYS. When you become a major part of the home team, as guitarist supreme Jimmy Vivino was the band man on the Conan O’Brien show for so long, sometimes it’s hard to step out of that mainstay into new shoes. Don’t worry about this master though, because on his brand new album there is such fire and fun that it feels like a new legend has taken over the stage. His guitar playing is right at the top of the blues crew, but also has a way of performing a sound of his own. Perhaps that’s because Jimmy Vivino has written all the songs himself. And while they all sound deep in the blues groove, they also have a savvy way of hitting in new territory enough to be all their own. That is no easy task when it comes to music that’s been alive for over 100 years. But on selections like “Ruby is Back,” “Fool’s Gold” and “Back Up the Country,” such a vibrant and no-nonsense presence is established that it feels like Christmas and the 4th of July have hit on the same day. There’s some mischief going on, and the man at the controls knows exactly what they’re up to. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Joe Bonamassa is on the job too, but make no mistake: this is Jimmy Vivino’s get-down and he ain’t takin’ no mess. Every single track feels like the main man is playing for his life here, and knows all eyes and ears will be on him for the 11 scintillating songs. And one of the real gifts of this set is just how close to the bone both the leader and the band keep it. This is absolutely blues you can use, and it’s modern enough to hit the monkey nerve square on, it also fits in the modern world just fine. A perfect example is the barnburner “Beware the Wolf.” It gives a fine tip of the beard to Howlin’ Wolf himself, but it also slips and slides into original territory on how the message gets shared. And that is one of the saving graces of real blues: it can go both old and new in one sweep, and regenerate the world at will. This is an album that’s meant to be played right this second, and reap the rewards forever. Jimmy Vivino rules.
Wilco, HOT SUN COOL SHROUD. One of the true originals of the rock world, Wilco’s early days felt like they were slipping quietly onto the playing field. When Jeff Tweedy’s previous aggregation Uncle Tupelo splintered into two groups: Son Volt led by Jay Farrar and Tweedy’s outfit. It wasn’t long before Wilco stole the stage and proved themselves for all-timers. It’s been a wild ride ever since Tweedy and his troop appeared. HOT SUN COOL SHROUD is a perfect example of just how innovative the band has grown. At only six songs–and two of them instrumentals–what at first might feel like a short ride turns into a world journey. There is so much innovation and enjoyment within the set that nothing is missing. That’s the way the great bands roll: It’s like the true artistic dictum says: it’s often in knowing what to leave out rather than jam in when the real pros show their stuff. And that’s what Wilco has always achieved, and that’s because Tweedy is tuned into his own cosmos. The band never sounds like others, and while it has several personas it always feels like, well, Wilco. The bell bones ring.
Song of the Month
Bobby Rush, Blindboys of Alabama, Dustbowl Revival and Dom Flemons, “99 AND 1/2 WON’T DO.” Talk about a super group with a massive resume. For starters, Bobby Rush is a blues singer in the 90s. The Blindboys of Alabama, ages added together, are in the hundreds, and the Dustbowl Revival and Dom Flemons, though the babies of the bunch, have all been singing for decades. Compounded, this crowd could open their own museum. Instead they’ve taken on a song that has been on playlists for many years and turned its hallelujah vibes into a joyous anthem for all to share. There aren’t many other selections that outdo this track’s winning evidence of how spiritual yearning must never be set aside, and each vocalist shares their own personal contribution to how the world can be trying at the same time it offers the ultimate reward: life. Say hallelujah daily.
Reissue of the Month
Steely Dan, KATY LIED. Sometimes with super-popular bands, it can become possible to become fixated on just on their albums and that’s the only one needed for the future. There is no doubt that Steely Dan made handful of incredible releases. It seemed like they had their own conveyor belt of super successful sets that just rolled through the 1970s into the ’80s. For some reason, and who knows why, 1975’s KATY LIED always felt like it had won the lotto ticket for its ten songs to seem absolutely necessary. Now that Geffen Records, through UMG Recordings, is reissuing the Steely Dan catalog with super-duper stereo rehab, KATY LIED sounds like the one that wins the prize. The songs are perfect, the playing is perfect, the vocals are perfect and even the jacket is perfect, and, of course, the remastering is beyond belief. When the album opens with “Black Friday” it feels like 50 years ago is right back in front of us and the world is tingling from Richard Nixon getting kicked to the curb and life will be brimming with sunshine once again. Starting with the songs, just in case a refresher course is need, there’s besides the opening is “Bad Friday,” “Rose Darling,” “Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City More (yow!) and “Doctor Wu,” all in a tingling roll of unforgettable greatness. And that’s just Side One. How on Earth did one band (which of course is really just two men: Walter Becker (RIP) and Donald Fagen at the core along with some of the top-shelf sutdio musicians of all-time) come up with total greatness like they did? Unreal. So get ready for impeccable new Steely Dan discs coming forth with what always has sounded perfection with a huge dose of soul at its center. Served up with bad sneakers and pina coladas KATY LIED will never be forgotten. Cheers to all.
Book of the Month
Robert Hilburn, A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY: THE BIOGRAPHY OF RANDY NEWMAN. Talk about a biography that nothing has ever been accomplished quite like it before. Robert Hilburn’s mind-reeling tome about popular music’s lone wolf, Randy Newman, is a jaw-dropping study of a major artist who broke every rule that ever existed, and looked for awhile like he’d never be heard again. Then rose to the top of the class to become a singer-songwriter that changed everything. From Newman’s fascinating childhood all the way through to today is a jaw-dropping scenario where all rules got continually broken with little fanfare, and then in Newman’s second act as a musical wizard became a soundtrack composer with little equal. And it all happens right in front of the reader’s eyes with interviews with everyone who had anything to significantly tell Hilburn. And then the writer fits pieces of the puzzle together in a way that is almost a mystery thriller in how it all works. From compositions like “Short People” to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is a list of songs that not only defy logic, they nearly defy reality. But that’s always been Randy Newman’s magic. Nothing is supposed to really succeed, until it does. The way it works is beyond belief. A song like his hit “Rednecks” is on paper a career killer. On the radio and in music stores it’s a game-changer. And the scope and information of all the information and interviews Robert Hilburn captures from Newman friends like Warner Bros. Records legend Lenny Waronker to Newman’s family members is full of endless interest in just how a career like this one happened at all, and then became history. There might never be a biography like this, and there surely won’t be another artist like Randy Newman. Read and believe.
Bentley’s Bandstand: January 2025