Blues, brass and marching strings

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 14

Blues, brass and marching strings

DAVID PARSONS. Sounds of Mothership. SUN ENERGY CASSETTE. This generous cassette is aimed directly at those needing a respite from the pressures of modem living. Indeed, it is essentially soothing balm for the relief of stress and strain. It, makes little demand on the musical intellect. Most of the long musical journey is simply a drifting, dreaming type of harmony that makes each track an extension of the one gone by. The original tunes, however, played on synthesizers and classical musical instruments, will not disturb the induced meditation. EMMYLOU HARRIS. Ballad of Sally Rose. WEA 25205-1 No fan of this American country singer will miss this latest record which contains bonus appearances by Linda. Ronstadt, Gail Davies, Vince Gill, Wayion Jennings and Dolly Parton. Tracks include “Rhythm

By

ALLAN FRANCIS

Guitar,” “Bad . News,” “Long, Tall Sally Rose,” “K-S-O-S” and “Sweet Chariot,” as well as many more. CHICAGO-THE BLUESTODAY. Otis Rush, Jimmy Cotton, Homesick James, Junior Wells, J. B. Hutto and Otis Spann. VANGUARD VSD 79216-7. Doubtless those well versed will not need the virtues of any of the above artists accented. Others, though, may be interested to note the family tree of the art. The first well known representatives of this blues folklore were probably Blind Lemon Jefferson, Huddy Leadbetter, down to. Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy and Son House, as well as the many blues singers who made Chicago the blues capital of the United States, although they were all southerners. The next generation pro-

duced names such as Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker (ex-Detroit) and others. The star roles of the seventies belong, however, to Buddy Guy, Albert King, Junior Wells and the singerpianist, Otis Spann.

More interesting still is the shift of theme in their blues. They no longer hope — as did Trixie Smith and other 1920’s singers — with the despair ana irony that co-exists in the blues that some day the “sun will shine in their back door.” Now, Otis Spann demands a "whole hew house!”

Blues in Chicago is no small thing; at every turn one is faced with a barrage of names appearing with every decade. No sooner have the giants of the sixties passed by than a host of others appear on the scene.

The blues in the review recording is related to, but quite distinctive from, the idiom of Basie and other

Chicago jazzmen. Theirs is town music; Junior Wells and company practise country blues. BRASS AND STRINGS. Easy Listening sounds of Radio 2. Vol. 5. Various artists. BBC REC 266. Another mixed bag of wildly vaiying tunes ranging from “Stars and Stripes” and “March Past of the Kitchen Utensils” to the “Last Waltz,” “The Gypsy” and the ballad, “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Briefly, it is all brass on side one and nearly all strings for the rest of the way. The arrangements by Norrie Paramor, John Fox and Ken Moule are tasteful, while the brass sections are supplied by the Welsh Guards, a colliery band and Ronnie Hazlehurst. Some of the tracks are hard to enthuse over. Some have been repeated so often that another version, no matter how well played, is a yawn-fest — Ticcolini” is, even with the noble Norrie Paramor arrangement.