Cahl's Jukebox, 11-30-07

The daily mix:

1) Syd Straw: "Love and the Lack of It"
2) Sleater-Kinney: "Milkshake and Honey"
3) Loudon Wainwright III: "When I'm at Your House"
4) Rufus Wainwright: "One Man Guy"
5) Peter Case: "Spell of Wheels"
6) Handsome Family: "Famous Blue Raincoat"
7) The Waifs: "When I Die"
8) Eef Barzelay: "Ballad of Bitter Honey"
9) Mountain Goats: "Broom People"
10) Nikki Sudden: "Fall Any Further"

Syd Straw's New Album?

Syd Straw's Web site mentions a Nov. 17 CD release party for her long-awaited new album, "Pink Velour." The site also links to CD Baby, but the album isn't available yet there.

I'm still waiting ... and hoping.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-29-07

Thursday morning soul:

1) Black Nasty: "Talking to the People"
2) Curtis Mayfield: "Wild and Free"
3) James Carr: "Love Attack"
4) The Delfonics: "You'll Get Enough"
5) The Intruders: "Sad Girl"
6) James and Bobby Purify: "The Weeper"
7) David Porter: "I Got You and I'm Glad"
8) Sandra Wright: "Wounded Woman"
9) Maxine Brown: "You Upset My Soul"
10) Erma Franklin: "Abracadabra"

Van Morrison to Reissue Old Albums

Next year, you won't have to drop 90 bucks on a used copy of Van Morrison's "It's Too Late to Stop Now," one of the finest live albums ever recorded.

Starting in January, Morrison will be reissuing his 29-album back catalog. It's about time. For several years, I've wanted to give a copy of "It's to Late to Stop Now" as a Christmas present. Next year it looks as if I'll be able to do so.

My main dilemma wil be deciding whether to replace my old Van Morrison albums with new copies that include additional tracks. I probably will because I'm a sucker for Morrison's music. At least the albums won't cost a fortune.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-28-07

Wednesday morning jazz:

1) Randy Weston: "Little Niles"
2) Cecil Payne:"Lover Man"
3) Shelly Berg: "Blackbird"
4) Bill Evans: "If You Could See Me Now"
5) Donald Byrd: "Lament"
6) Gene Ammons: "I Believe"
7) Joe Gordon: "A Song for Richard"
8) Mary Lou Williams: "The Man I Love"
9) Randy Sandke: "Lullabye for Karen"
10) Dexter Gordon: "Darn That Dream"

Cecil Payne Dies

Cecil Payne, the great baritone saxophonist who died Tuesday, recorded with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Gigi Gryce, Duke Jordan and a lot of other jazz greats. He also released many excellent albums as a leader. But when I want to hear Payne's music, I usually turn first to albums he recorded with pianist Randy Weston.

Friends since childhood, Payne and Weston complement each other perfectly. That's especially true on ballads such as "I Can't Get Started with You" and "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me," which can be found on Weston's "With these Hands,"recorded in 1956. Payne plays the ballads with a tenderness that seems improbable from someone on baritone saxophone. Weston punctuates Payne's notes with piano riffs that sound almost like kisses. They sound almost as if they're completing the other's thoughts.

I also recommend Weston's "Jazz a la Bohemia."You can find used copies of both albums at Amazon. And if you live near Chicago, you might check the Jazz Record Mart, where I saw new copies of both the last time I was there.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-27-07

The daily mix:

1) Los Van Van: "Y No Le Conviene"
2) Fela Kuti: "Monkey Banana"
3) Bobby Sanabria: "Nuyorican Son"
4) Mario Bauza and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra: "Night in Tunisia"
5) Dizzy Gillespie: "Cubana Be"
6) Elis Regina: "Como Nossos Pais"
7) Edith Piaf: "Le Bruit Des Villes"
8) Carmen McRae: "The Man I Love"
9) Frank Sinatra: "Without a Song"
10) Les Baxter: "Never on Sunday"

Yowsa

I guess I should have kept my old rock T-shirts when I outgrew them in the '70s. Christie's auction house is selling some vintage rock shirts for thousands of dollars. Probably should have kept my father from throwing out my Beatles bobble-heads, too.

Oh well, it's still the music that counts.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-26-07

The daily mix:

1) Ronnie Lane: "How Come"
2) Susan Voelz: "Glad and Sorry"
3) Suzanne Vega: "Pornographer's Dream"
4) Michael Penn: "Invisible"
5) The Blasters: "Common Man"
6) Brenda Lee: "Bigelow 6-200"
7) Roy Hall: "You Ruined My Blue Suede Shoes"
8) Carl Perkins: "Honey Don't"
9) John Lennon: "I Found Out"
10) The Kinks: "Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight"

Paul Revere & the Raiders: 'A Christmas Past … and Present'

When a facetious LBJ impersonation interrupts the jangly “Wear a Smile at Christmas” midway through the song, you realize that “A Christmas Past … and Present” ain’t your father’s Christmas album. It’s more like your favorite grandmother’s … and grandma’s pretty damn hip. Needless to say, folks who own Celine Dion’s Christmas album aren’t going to like the irreverent yuletide gift from Paul Revere & the Raiders.

Perhaps I was in the mood for the album because I just spent a Thanksgiving holiday with the family having my ears assaulted by tunes from “High School Musical,” Donny Osmond and David Cassidy. After that, “A Christmas Past … and Present” sounds like the perfect antidote.

“Rain, Sleet, Snow” might be the best psychedelic Christmas song ever recorded. And “Dear Mr. Claus,” a plea for a real live doll, is one of the funniest.

Some of the album’s songs are annoying and none are as catchy as “I’m not Your Stepping Stone,” but there are some solid pop tunes on the album, especially “Valley Forge.” The song isn’t a particularly clever indictment of the Vietnam War, but the Byrds-like harmonies and the sentiment make it endearing.

Besides, I’d much rather spend my Christmas with Paul Revere & the Raiders and your grandma than with Celine, Donny and the Partridge Family.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-19-07

The daily mix:

1) Kelly Willis: "Sweet Sundown"
2) Buddy and Julie Miller: "Little Darlin'"
3) Dwight Yoakam: "Never Hold You"
4) Ray Wylie Hubbard: "No Lie"
5) Chuck Prophet: "I Can Feel Your Heart Beat"
6) Flying Burrito Brothers: "Older Guys"
7) Rolling Stones: "Country Honk"
8) Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint: "International Echo"
9) Brinsley Schwarz: "Home in My Hand"
10) Dave Edmunds: "No Money Down"

Kelly Willis' Concert in Lafayette

Kelly Willis told the crowd at the Lafayette Brewing Company Sunday night that she once made a tactical error when she serenaded a group of prisoners with “Heaven Bound,” a song many folks say is about the electric chair. I’m willing to bet the inmates didn’t mind.

Willis is hard not to love. She delivers all her songs with a sweet Texas drawl that sounds like she means every word. And how can you dislike anyone who can’t stop talking about her kids, even when she’s giving a concert? Willis even sang a gorgeous love song to her children, “Sweet Little One,” a tune from her new album, “Translated from Love.”

It’s hard to classify her music. Tunes such as “Don’t Know Why,” “Losing You” and “What I Deserve” sound like twangy soul. Some of her other songs sound like the Shangri-Las hired the Texas Playboys to back them. She even covers an Iggy Pop tune.

My only disappointment was that Purdue students didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to hear one of the finest singers working today; I’m well into middle-age and I felt like a youngster surrounded by so many gray beards.

Their loss. I’ve attended a lot of shows sponsored by Friends of Bob, a local music cooperative, and Willis’ concert ranks as one of the best I’ve seen.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-18-07

Sunday morning jazz:

1) The Frank Wess-Harry Edison Orchestra: "All Riled Up"
2) Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra: "Cherry Red Blues"
3) Ed Wiley Jr.: "Room"
4) Leroy Vinnegar: "On the Sunny Side of the Street"
5) Jessica Williams: "Birks Works"
6) Benny Golson: "Killer Joe"
7) Dave Bailey Sextet: "Sandu"
8) Anat Cohen and the Anzic Orchestra: "La Comparasa"
9) James Carter: "Sack Full of Dreams"
10) Shirley Scott: "Like Blue"

Stefon Harris' Concert at Purdue

I almost went to a Purdue women’s basketball game instead of to Stefon Harris’ concert at Purdue Saturday night. That would have been a big mistake. Harris and his band paid homage to some of Duke Ellington with entrancing interpretations of the Duke’s music that sounded both mystical and soulful.

“Sunset and the Mockingbird” was especially beautiful. In his introduction to the song, Harris said Ellington wrote the composition after hearing a bird’s cry. Harris’ rendition was hardly a copy. His riffs on marimba and vibes, which replaced those of the horn section of Ellington’s band, sounded strikingly like the calls of a bird on a pristine northern lake.

The band cast a relaxing spell for most of the concert. Harris — with the quiet punctuations of Mark Vinci on clarinet, Anne Drummond on flute, Louise Dubin on cello and Junah Chung on viola — sounded like they were helping the audience meditate until Harris’ hands started flying faster than I could see them.

That led to some old-school jazz funk. On one song, I think it was Ellington’s “Portrait of Wellman Braud,” trombonist Roland Barber blew some hard New Orleans-style blues. Pianist Marc Cary added the soul while bassist Earl Travis and drummer Terreon Gulley laid down a funky base that sounded like it came straight off a Curtis Mayfield record.

Harris’ own Ellington-inspired compositions are first-rate, too. You can find them all on "Taranetella: Dances with Duke.” Buy the album. And catch Harris’ show if you ever have a chance … no matter what else is going on.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-16-07

The daily mix:

1) Tony Joe White: "Takin' the Midnight Train"
2) Jon Dee Graham: "I Go Too"
3) Peter Case: "Blind Luck"
4) Teddy Thompson: "No Way to Be"
5) Mary Gauthier: "Same Road"
6) Liz Tormes: "Limelight"
7) Kirsty MacColl: "The End of a Perfect Day"
8) The Spanic Boys: "Looks Good to Me"
9) Drive By Truckers: "When the Pin Hits the Shell"
10) Old 97s: "Bloomington"

Go See Kelly Willis

I just got an email from Friends of Bob, a local music cooperative, that said pre-sales for Kelly Willis' Sunday night show in Lafayette are light. What's up with that? Kelly Willis has one of the greatest voices in country music. But you don't have to be a twang addict to love her. Willis' albums appeal to almost everyone I know.

Check out some of Willis' tunes on her myspacesite. Buy her new album, "Translated from Love" — it reminds me of her "What I Deserve" CD. Then get tickets to the show. It promises to be one of the best shows Lafayette has seen in a long time.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-15-07

The daily mix:

1) Compulsive Gamblers: "Negative Jerk"
2) The Undertones: "Listening In"
3) Troubled Hubble: "Shooting Guns and Eating Ice Cream"
4) Modest Mouse: "You're the Good Things"
5) Pavement: "Blue Hawaii"
6) Nirvana: "Come As You Are"
7) The Pretty Things: "L.S.D."
8) Bruce Springsteen: "From Small Things (Big Things Come)"
9) X: "Soul Kitchen"
10) Weeping Tile: "Through Yr. Radio"

Joe Henderson Box Set Arrives

An eight-disc box set of saxophonist Joe Henderson's Milestone recordings arrived this morning and I'm stoked. For one thing, I paid less than $30 from an Amazon seller for an unopened edition of the set. More importantly, the music is phenomenal. I already owned three of the discs included in the set, but I'm not worried about that because it includes the music from a couple of albums I've coveted for a long time.

The set would make a fabulous Christmas present for your favorite jazz fan who thought he had everything ... and you can get it for a song.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-14-07

Wednesday morning jazz:

1) Buddy Rich: "Keep the Customer Satisfied"
2) Count Basie: "Silks and Satins"
3) Slide Hampton: "Lester Leaps In"
4) John Lewis: "Afternoon in Paris"
5) Bobby Timmons: "Moanin'"
6) Erroll Garner: "The Petie Waltz"
7) The Three Sounds: "Here's That Rainy Day"
8) Junior Mance: "Don't Ya Hear Me Callin' to Ya"
9) Junior Cook: "Play Together Again"
10) Sonny Redd: "Ko-Kee"

Aletra Hampton Dies

Aletra Hampton, a member of the Hampton Sisters, died Monday. Perhaps you've never heard the Hampton Sisters because it's so hard to find their recordings, but if you're a jazz fan in Indiana, you probably know all about the importance of the singing group. And if you've ever attended a concert in Indianapolis by trombonist Slide Hampton, Aletra's younger brother, you've probably seen her.

Indianapolis fostered some of the greatest artists in jazz — Wes Montgomery, J.J. Johnson, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Coe, Melvin Rhyne, to name a few. Aletra Hampton and her family were among the greatest.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-13-07

The daily mix:

1) Lonnie Mack: "Baby What's Wrong"
2) Janis Martin: "Barefoot Baby"
3) 13th Floor Elevators: "Thru the Rhythm"
4) Buzzcocks: "Runaround"
5) Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros: "All in a Day"
6) Dandy Warhols: "Hard-on for Jesus"
7) Eels: "Souljacker, Part 1"
8) Juliana Hatfield: "Because We Love You"
9) The Outsiders: "Summertime Blues"
10) The Who: "Magic Bus"

New Stevie Ray Album Calls My Name

I like Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I own several of his albums and I never envisioned myself buying another. Now I learn that a new collection features unreleased collaboartions between Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton, Albert Collins, Lonnie Mack, Jimmie Vaughan, Katie Webster and Bonnie Raiit. That's going to be hard to resist.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-12-07

The daily mix:

1) Ian McLagan & the Bump Band: "Spiritual Boy"
2) Nikki Sudden: "House of Cards"
3) Gurf Morlix: "Killin' Time in Texas"
4) Paul Thorn: "Angel Too Soon"
5) Tim Easton: "I Would Have Married You"
6) Matthew Ryan: "Somebody Got Murdered"
7) The Judybats: "She Lives (in a Time of Her Own)"
8) Kathleen Edwards: "One More Song the Radio Won't Like"
9) Jim White: "Static on the Radio"
10) Solomon Burke: "That's How I Got to Memphis"

Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers: 'Cold Shoulder'

I’ll admit to being infatuated by Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” back in the mid-‘60s, but I don’t think it holds up nearly as well as the cover recorded by Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers. Pucho’s rendition, fueled by the great percussionist’s Latin fire, is filled with energy. Moreover, Jackie Soul’s vocals are grittier than Hebb’s. As a result, Pucho’s version doesn’t sound so maudlin. And it certainly doesn’t sound dated.

You can find the tune on “Cold Shoulder, a collection of some of Pucho’s recordings for the Prestige label.

The first portion of the album is straight-up Latin soul and funk, and I’m not sure anyone ever did it better. I’m especially fond of “Cold Shoulder,” for example, which reminds me of a Latinized rendition of a Doors tune without the vocals. Neal Creque, who wrote the tune, uses his clavinet to infuse the song with an ethereal, almost other-worldy quality. Pucho brings the funk. Big Stick,” which features some of the most simplistic lyrics you’ll ever hear, is another highlight because Jackie Soul’s vocals sound almost as if Otis Redding is singing and because the band grooves so hard.

“Friendship Train,” the Gladys Knight and the Pipps staple, is even better. The horn section, featuring Seldon Powell, Eddie Pazant, Al Pazant and Barry Rogers explodes from the opening notes. And Billy Butler, one of my favorite guitarists, manages to sound both fiery and seductive.

My favorite tune on the album, though, is probably "Dateline." At first it sounds almost like a Tito Puente track. Then, a minute or so into the track, Eddie Pazant rips into a warbling saxophone solo on which he combines the best elements of Willis “Gator” Jackson and Sonny Rollins.

I like the fact that Pucho allowed his band members to grab the spotlight on every tune, especially the Latin jazz instrumentals on the second half of the album, but his driving rhythms give "Cold Shoulder" its soul. The liner notes, say Pucho became something of a sensation in London in the ‘90s when DJs started sampling his music. I’ll have to ask my students whether American rap stars have discovered Pucho, but I don’t think they have. The day I start hearing rap on top of Pucho’s rhythms is the day I’ll turn into a hip-hop freak.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-11-07

It's a jazzy Sunday:

1) Bob Cooper: "Confirmation"
2) Serge Chaloff: "Four Brothers"
3) Stan Getz: "Day Waves"
4) Walt Dickerson: "Sugar Lump"
5) Clark Terry: "Baby Clementine"
6) Larry Willis: "Never Let Me Go"
7) Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden: "On the Alamo"
8) Shorty Baker and Doc Cheatham: "Good Queen Bess"
9) Wild Bill Davison: "That's a Plenty"
10) Bobby Hackett: "My Monday Date"

Nancy Wilson's Jazz Profiles on NPR

I'm not about to slam Ken Burns' jazz series on PBS — it was responsible for turning one of my friends into a jazz fanatic — but if you ask me, Nancy Wilson's Jazz Profiles series on NPR is much better.

For one thing, Wilson's series is more thorough. Her last show, the first part of a profile on Duke Ellington, includes interviews with everyone from dancer Fayard Nicholas to conductor/composer Gunther Schuller.

Wilson also investigates a broad swath of jazz. I'm still smiling and laughing about her profile of Sun Ra, one of the most innovative jazz musicians in history. He certainly was the most eccentric. Wilson illustrates how Sun Ra built on his traditional jazz beginnings and turned them inside out. But the thing I like best about the piece is that she humanizes a guy a lot of folks regard as a freak.

In the future, I plan to recommend Nancy Wilson's profiles to my students who aspire to become music journalists. I should probably point my other students to the series, too, because every show is a course in the art of the profile.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-10-07

The daily mix:

1) Graham Parker: "Don't Ask Me Questions"
2) John Hiatt: "Woman Sawed in Half"
3) Van Morrison: "Glad Tidings"
4) Angela Strehli: "Soul Shake"
5) Michelle Willson: "You Got What It Takes"
6) Lavay Smith: "Honey Pie"
7) Billy Eckstine: "Ma! She's Making Eyes at Me"
8) Mel Torme: "Down for Double"
9) Count Basie and Tony Bennett: "Jeepers Creepers"
10) Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson: "Some Women Do"

Jazz Blog Special: Gene Ammons and Dodo Marmarosa: 'Jug & Dodo'

I've been on a pretty big Gene Ammons jag lately. In fact, I had a hard time kicking "Jammin' with Gene" off my CD player until I picked up "Jug & Dodo" for a few bucks a few weeks ago.

The fat tone of Ammons' saxophone is lovely on the album, of course, but it's Dodo Marmarosa's piano that stopped me. I'd heard Marmarosa before on recordings by Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Howard McGhee, but I guess I'd never really paid much attention because the stars dominated those albums. On "Jug and Dodo," Ammons is good, but he's not overpowering. Ammons doesn't even appear on several tracks.

Marmarosa was among the nimblest of the bebop pianists and his play is particulalrly perky on "Jug and Dodo." The tunes that feature him a trio format with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Marshall Thompson sound downright bouncy. And on "Bluzarumba," my favorite tack on the album, both Marmarosa and Ammons sound as if they're hopping on pogo sticks toward Soulsville.

I don't own any of Marmarosa's solo albums, but I plan to rememdy that soon. In the meantime, I'm going to pull out some old Lester Young and Charlie Parker records and pay more attention to the piano.

(Jazz Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older jazz albums worth checking out.)

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-9-07

Friday morning blues:

1) Scrapper Blackwell: "Little Girl Blues"
2) Blind Blake: "Blind Arthur's Breakdown"
3) Casey Bill Weldon: "You Just as Well Let Her Go"
4) Jazz Gillum: "I Couldn't Help It Blues"
5) Son House: "Yonder Comes My Children"
6) Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee: "Po Boys"
7) Mississippi John Hurt: "Got the Blues and Can't Be Satisfied"
8) Furry Lewis: "If You Follow Me Babe"
9) Texas Alexander: "Work Ox Blues"
10) Bertha "Chippie" Hill: "Kid Man Blues"

Mosaic Podcasts

Mosaic Records is now offering podcasts to accompany its always excellent jazz box sets.

The initial podcasts feature Loren Schoenberg, the director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and David Baker, chairman of jazz studies at Indiana University. Both are excellent, but I'm especially fond of Baker's talk, which previews a Mosaic box set for Quincy Jones.

I've attended several discussions by Baker before and I'm always enthralled. This time he compares Jones to Shakespeare, and it seems to me that Baker makes a good case. He also talks about what makes Jones' music special. It's a podcast all jazz fans should hear. But be careful because Baker is pretty persuasive. I own several of Quincy Jones' albums, but I plan to order my copy of his Mosaic box set soon.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-8-07

Thursday afternoon jazz:

1) Count Basie: "Midgets"
2) Quincy Jones: "Solitude"
3) Frank Morgan: "The Nearness of You"
4) Harold Land: "One Second, Please"
5) Irakere: "Neurosis"
6) Henry Grimes: "Eighty Degrees"
7) Henry Threadgill: "Paper Toilet"
8) John Coltrane: "To Her ladyship"
9) Clark Terry-Bob Brookmeyer Quintet: "My Gal"
10) Charles Mingus: "Pedal Point Blues"

Jazz Blog Special: Buddy Rich, 'The Roar of '74'

I've never seen Buddy Rich's "The Roar of '74" on lists of the great funk albums, but it should be. Everything from the photo on the cover of Rich in a race car to the band's rendition of "Prelude to a Kiss" is funky.

"Kilimanjaro Cookout" and "Big Mac," which feature Joe Beck's guitar and Tony Levin's bass, are among the spiciest funk tunes I know. The horn section, led by saxophonist Pat La Barbera, also pushes hard — I'm reminded of the horn section for some classic Blood, Sweat and Tears albums — but it's Rich's drums that drive the tunes. The rest of the songs on the album are more traditional big band jazz, but you won't find many big band jazz ensembles that play at a more frenetic pace. Rich and his band race particularly hard on "Time Check," for example.

The orchestra slows the pace on "Senator Sam," which closes the album, and that's fine by me. It sounds like a funky victory lap.

(Jazz Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older jazz albums worth checking out.)

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-7-07

Wednesday night soul:

1) Laura Lee: "Rip Off"
2) Baby Washington: "Only Those in Love"
3) Don Covay: "Seesaw"
4) Joe Tex: "Skinny Legs and All"
5) The Emotions: "You Make Me Want to Love You"
6) Robert Parker: "Let's Go Baby (Where the Action Is)"
7) Otis Clay: "I Don't Know What to Do"
8) Younghearts: "A Little Togetherness"
9) The Supremes: "You Can't Hurry Love"
10) Barbara West: "Anyone But You"

The Kentucky Colonels: 'Appalachian Swing'

When I was a kid, the Rolling Stones opened a portal for me into the world of blues. Similarly, a few years later my infatuation with Byrds guitarist Clarence White led to my discovery of his first band, the Kentucky Colonels.

Last week, I bought a copy of “Appalachian Swing,” replacing my scratchy old vinyl copy of the album. I’d almost forgotten how good it is.

White was still just a kid, a teenager, when the Colonels recorded the album in 1964. His flat-picking was amazing. I love the Byrds’ version of “I Am a Pilgrim,” but I think I like the Colonels’ instrumental bluegrass version even better, largely because of White’s guitar work.

He was hardly the only star, though. Roland White, Clarence’s older brother, got about as big a tone out of his mandolin as anyone I know. I’m also a big fan of the other players: Billy Ray Lathum, banjo; Roger Bush, bass and banjo; Bobby Slone, fiddle and bass; and Leroy Mac McNees, dobro.

Though “Appalachian Swing” is clearly an old-school bluegrass album, it’s played with a rock sensibility. You won’t find any vocals on the album, but I’d be shocked if it wasn’t a huge influence on the Byrds and on other folk rock groups of the ‘60s. I’m even reminded a bit of Merle Haggard’s songs.

“Appalachian Swing” opened a window for me into the music of Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and a lot of other bluegrass artists. But you don’t have to be a bluegrass freak to dig the Kentucky Colonels’ virtuosity.

Now that I have “Appalachian Swing” on CD, I plan to slip a song or two onto some mix discs I make for my students. If all goes well, it will provide them with a portal to something beyond Toby Keith … twang with a bite.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-6-07

The daily mix:

1) Gogol Bordello: "Dub the Frequencies of Love"
2) Dead Milkmen: "Brat in the Frat"
3) Roxy Music: "Both Ends Burning"
4) The Pogues: "Billy's Bones"
5) The Zombies: "I Want You Back Again"
6) Bohemian Vendetta: "Enough"
7) Mike Watt: "Piss-bottle Man"
8) The Stranglers: "Nice in Nice"
9) The Strangeloves: "Night Time"
10) Mono Men: "Watch Outside"

Tab Benoit is Coming

A friend from out of town alerted me today that Tab Benoit is coming to Lafayette on Feb. 2. Mark your calendars if you live in central Indiana.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-5-07

The daily mix:

1) Calexico: "Tulsa Phone Booth"
2) Elvis Presley: "So Glad You're Mine"
3) Johnny Horton: "Go and Wash Your Dirty Feet (Before You Go to Bed)"
4) The Handsome Family: "I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling"
5) Gillian Welch: "Orphan Girl"
6) Merle Haggard: "I Made the Prison Band"
7) The Byrds: "Everybody's Been Burned"
8) The Osborne Brothers: "New Patches"
9) The Jayhawks: "Ain't No End"
10) Hadacol: "All in Your Head"

King Garth?

Garth Brooks has now sold more albums than Elvis Presley. I'm just glad he's never covered "Suspicious Minds."

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-4-07

The daily mix:

1) Buddy Miller: "Fire and Water"
2) Emmylou Harris: "Red Dirt Girl"
3) Rosanne Cash: "House on the Lake"
4) Carter Family: "My Texas Girl"
5) Stanley Brothers: "Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake"
6) The Delmore Brothers: "Prisoner's Farewell"
7) Webb Pierce: "Yes, I Know Why"
8) Buck Owens: "We Were Made for Each Other"
9) Delbert McClinton: "Dead Wrong"
10) Rodney Crowell: "Still Learning How to Fly"

Levon Helm: 'Dirt Farmer'

Levon Helm’s voice, ravaged by throat cancer, makes him sound like an old blues singer on “Feelin’ Good,” a song by J.B. Lenoir. On the rest of the songs from Helm’s new album, “Dirt Farmer,” he sounds more like the old mountain gospel singers I listened to with my grandmother in the ‘60s.

Folks expecting to hear the sure-voiced vocals of Helm’s days with The Band might be disappointed. They shouldn’t be. Though Helm’s voice is gruff and a bit shaky now, it fits the songs on the album perfectly. And when it’s paired with the sweet vocals of his daughter, Amy, Helm’s voice sounds like a heavenly plea from the mountains.

Helm, who plays mandolin, piano and drums on the album, makes Steve Earle’s “The Mountain” and Byron Isaacs’ “Calvary” sound almost like they belonged on an album by The Band. Traditional tunes such as “False Hearted Lover,” “Poor Dirt Farmer” and “The Girl I Left Behind” sound more like they belong on a Stanley Brothers record.

The album’s final track, Buddy and Julie Miller’s “Wide River to Cross” is a song of both reflection and hope. When Helm sings he’s only halfway home, you know he’s singing with conviction. To me, he sounds almost like an old backroads preacher and I’ve always eager to hear Helm’s musical sermons.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-3-07

Saturday night jazz:

1) Bobby Watson & Horizon: "Heckle and Jeckle"
2) Lee Konitz and Wayne Marsh: "Don't Squawk"
3) Freddie Hubbard: "Bolivia"
4) Roy Ayers: "Reggie of Chester"
5) Roland Kirk: "the Monkey Thing"
6) Lazlo Gardony: "Someone"
7) Lou Donaldson: "South of the Border"
8) Russ Freeman and Shelly Manne: ""Prime Time"
9) Branford Marsalis Quartet: "Jack Baker"
10) John La Porta: "Perdido"

Jazz Blog Special:Nat Adderley, 'Branching Out'

I thought about buying Nat Adderley’s “Branching Out” for years but never picked it up because I already had so much of his work. I owned several of his solo albums, of course, and tons that featured him as a sideman, notably ones by his brother, Cannonball; J.J. Johnson; Philly Joe Jones; Wynton Kelly; Don Wilkerson; Jimmy Heath; James Clay; King Curtis; Lionel Hampton; Gene Ammons; Mongo Santamaria; and Red Garland.

Then a few weeks ago, I found a copy of “Branching Out” for a few bucks and I’m glad I did. I was hooked as soon as I heard the first track, “Sister Caroline,” a loping blues composition by Adderley. If you like bluesy jazz, I don’t know how you could avoid digging it. Adderley’s cornet flirts with the bluesy rhythm section of Gene Harris, Andy Simpkins and Bill Dowdy — better known as the Three Sounds — and the results are memorable. The interplay between Adderley’s cornet and Harris’ piano on “I’ve Got Plenty of Nothing” is even better.

But I’d expected bluesy jazz when I saw the Three Sounds were credited on the back of the disc. What I wasn’t prepared for is how hard Johnny Griffin, who appears on all but two of the album’s seven tracks, would drive Adderley. Predictably, Griffin, a speed merchant on the tenor saxophone, takes off on the title track. Surprisingly, Adderley keeps up. On “I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody,” Adderley starts racing on the first few notes and it’s Griffin who’s forced to keep up. Harris, who plays pretty damn fast himself, provides the bridge.

Adderley, Griffin and the Three Sounds cool down for “Warm Blue Stream,” a bluesy tune that recalls some of Miles Davis’ best ballads. Adderley might not have been in a class with Davis, but he certainly should be considered one of the all-time greats in jazz. Listening to "Branching Out" makes me realize that I have a few spaces left on my shelves for more albums that feature Cannonball’s little brother.

(Jazz Blog Special is a regular feature that examines older jazz albums worth checking out.)

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-2-07

The daily mix:

1) Elvis Presley: "Burning Love"
2) Tony Joe White: "Old Man Willis"
3) Dion: "King of Hearts"
4) Mark Knopfler: "Boom, Like That"
5) Dave Alvin: "Abilene"
6) Alejandro Escovedo: "I Was Drunk"
7) Jim Lauderdale: "Divide and Conquer"
8) Lucero: "Coming Home"
9) Steve Earle: "Here I Am"
10) Billy Bragg: "Never Had No One Ever"

Elvis is Alive Museum Closes

I love Elvis Presley and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But in 1977 I accepted the fact that the King had died and I moved on with my life. Even so, over the years I've stopped several times at the Elvis is Alive Museum an hour outside of St. Louis. Now the museum is closing and I'm bummed.

I've always had a weakness for freaky little museums and the Elvis is Alive Museum was about as little and freaky as any I've ever seen. The highlight of the museum was the wax likeness of Elvis in a casket that was supposedly used at his funeral. And I use the term "likeness" liberally because the Elvis replica made him look like a mutant. The silly little artifacts in the museum were almost as amusing.

Now the museum's collection is being sold on eBay. I'm not tempted to drop several thousand dollars on Elvis memorabilia, but I did take time tonight to check out the Elvis is Alive Web site. It's amusing, too.

Now that the museum's gone, maybe some Elvis fans can admit that the King really is dead and focus on what really matters ... his music.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-1-07

The daily mix:

1) Katie Webster: "Pussycat Moan"
2) Big Maybelle: "Ring Dang Dilly"
3) Jay McShann: "Merry-Go-Round Blues"
4) Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson: "I Needs to Be Wid"
5) Freddy Cole: "Brother, Where Are You?"
6) Nat King Cole: "My Kind of Love"
7) Les McCann: "Burnin' Coal"
8) Bobby Patterson: "Don't Be So Mean"
9) Maxine Brown: "Baby Cakes"
10) Calvin Scott: "Shame on the Family Name"

Bernie Worrell, 'Pieces of Woo: The Other Side'

Over the weekend, I played Bernie Worrell's "Pieces of Woo: The Other Side" for a friend who politely said he wouldn't listen to it often. My friend loves both free jazz and Third Stream music, which mixes elements of classical music and jazz. "Pieces of Woo: The Other Side" incorporates both, along with heavy doses of funk, so maybe it was the combination that left him cold. I love the album, but I've been digging Worrell since I first heard him play with Parliament and Funkadelic years ago.

The album's first song, "Witness for the Defense," sounds like it could have been arranged by Jacques Loussier, who translated music by Bach, Ravel and Debussy into catchy jazz. Worrell, whose Hammond B-3 organ and Roland synthesizer would be welcome in almost any church, lays down a gentle base for a lovely chorus provided by Fred Wesley's trombone, Vincent Chancey's French horn, Marty Ehrlich's bass clarinet, Janet Grice's bassoon and Patience Higgins' clarinet.

The second tune, "Set the Tone/Victory," starts softly, too. But when Umar Bin Hassan starts reading a poem that's reminiscent of early Gil Scott-Heron compositions, you know a revolution is percolating. And it comes in the form of a steady barrage of funk from Worrell and organist Amina Claudine Myers. This isn't your father's P-Funk, though. It's cleaner, in a sense, without all the horns, and as a result it sounds more subversive.

"The Mask," on which Worrell is joined by Buckethead on guitar, is even more incendiary. It sounds like a Yes song has been funneled into a kaleidoscope at warp speed. And that's infinitely more interesting than anything Rick Wakeman ever played, if you ask me.

Bill Laswell joins Worrell on the album's other four songs, the best of which is a ballad called "Moon Over Brixton." Laswell's credit on the song is simply "noise," but it's a lovely atmospheric noise that perfectly complements the horns of Wesley, Chancey, Ehrlich, Grice and Higgins.

"Pieces of Woo: The Other Side" isn't for everyone, but if the prospect of hearing amixture of classical music, free jazz and funk intrigues you, the album's certainly worth checking out.