Two for Tuesday: Volume 4

JOHN WESLEY HARDING: "THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ACE"
I once heard a guy in a bar dismiss John Wesley Harding as just another folkie. Maybe, but Harding's one folkie with an ear for a hook.

I love all of us his albums, but I'm especially fond of "The Confessions of St. Ace," released in 2000, because it's packed with pop gems.

Once when I was playing "You In Spite of Yourself" in my office, a student came in and said the tune sounded like Elliott Smith with more pep. I didn't argue with him.

The album's best tracks, I think, are "I'm Wrong About Everything" and "People Love to Watch You Die," which have particularly poppy melodies, but I like "Our Lady of the Highways," a lot, too. It's a soft, twangy duet between Harding and Steve Earle. And if you like that tune, you'll probably dig "Bad Dream Baby," which features Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

Other highlights include "Humble Bee" and "She's a Piece of Work."


THE ZAKARY THAKS: "FORM THE HABIT"
The Zakary Thaks were just kids when they recorded some of the fuzziest garage rock of the '60s. In the liner notes for this collection of their music, group member Chris Gerniottis says he was just 15 when their first single came out.

The group's youthful exuberance fueled tunes such as "Bad Girls," "Face to Face" and "Won't Come Back," which sound a lot like some of the Rolling Stones' earliest tunes. The Zakary Thaks' harmonies are prettier than those of the Stones, though.

"Please" is a particularly pretty tune documenting the angst of teen love. The group's rocking cover of "I Need You" is similar to The Kinks' original, but I dig it anyway because the guitar riffs are so wild. I like "Green Crystal Ties" even more because the track has a biting psychedelic feel.

If you're a fan of garage rock — and why wouldn't you be? — your collection won't be complete without this album. The fact that the songs were recorded by a group of teenagers makes the collection even more amazing.

(Two for Tuesday is a weekly feature in which I revisit older rock and pop albums worth checking out.)

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-30-08

The daily mix:

1) Douglas Little Quartet: "Tainted Tango"
2) Paco De Lucia: "Cositas Buenas"
3) Vicente Fernandez: "Palabra De Rey"
4) Los Lobos: "Si Yo Quisiera"
5) Julian Plaza: "La Tregua"
6) Paul Desmond: "Latin Chant"
7) John Zorn: "Tango Exotique"
8) Pancho Sanchez: "Latin Spirits"
9) David Sanchez: "Lamento Borincano"
10) Chico O'Farrill, Dizzy Gillespie and Machito: "Calidoscopico"

Groove With Me

I'm back from the Austin City Limits Music Festival and I'm already getting psyched for a show featuring Etran Finatawa, a group that blends African beats and blues. The show will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Duncan Hall in Lafayette.

Here's a clip from one of Etran Finatawa's shows:

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-29-08

Monday afternoon jazz:

1) Gerry Mulligan and Johnny Hodges: "What It's All About"
2) Sam Jones: "The Chant"
3) Cannonball Adderley: "Who Cares?"
4) Rodd Levitt Orchestra: "Jelly Man"
5) Lou Donaldson: "Messin Around With C.P."
6) Benny Goodman: "Swift as the Wind"
7) Mingus Big Band: "Nostalgia in Times Square"
8) Red Garland: "We'll Be Together Again"
9) Sonny Stitr: "Ringin' In"
10) Johnny Coles: "My Sweet Passion"

Roky Erickson's Set List at ACL

My friends and I will be talking about Roky Erickson's performance at the 2008 ACL Fest for years to come. That's no surprise, though, because we're some of his biggest fans.

I haven't seen a posting of the set list from his Saturday night show anywhere else, so here it is:

1) "Cold Night for Alligators"
2) "Don't Shake Me Lucifer"
3) "White Faces"
4) "The Interpreter"
5) "The Beast"
6) "Mine, Mine, Mind"
7) "I Think of Demons"
8) "Bermuda"
9) "Before You Accuse Me"
10) "Bloody Hammer"
11) "Splash I"
12) "Creature With the Atom Brain"
13) "Starry Eyes"
14) "Two-headed Dog"
15) "You're Gonna Miss Me"

ACL 2008, Day 3: Gillian Welch, Nicole Atkins, Nakia and His Southern Cousins...

Early in her set with David Rawlings, Gillian Welch said, "Perhaps it's a fetish, but there's a certain subset of the population that digs chicks with banjos."

I didn't know I had that fetish until I heard Welch perform "My First Lover." I've known for a long time, though, that that I dug Gillian Welch's music. So God bless her for playing "Orphan Girl" — my favorite song that she's ever recorded — early in her set. That allowed me to skip out early to check out Tristan Prettyman, whose tunes are a peppy mix of country and pop. I liked her a lot, too.

• I'd hoped to catch Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet this afternoon at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In fact, as we entered the park, I heard a beautiful voice drifting across the fence and thought it must be Washburn's. Turns out it was Nicole Atkins and I never made it across the giant field to see Washburn.

Atkins made at least one new fan today.

• I also became a fan of Nakia and His Southern Cousins. Nakia, whose voice reminds me a bit of Joe Cocker's, only sweeter, sang soul music with a gospel flavor. Very cool.

• I wimped out and left the Austin City Limits Music Festival early this afternoon. The temperatures were much cooler this year than in the other years I've been, but the sun still hit me hard. And my body, still aching from surgery a few weeks ago, seemed ready to shut down.

I don't feel cheated, though, because Roky Erickson, Gogol Bordello, Alejandro Escovedo, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and the Nachito Herrera All-Stars gave some of the best performances I've ever heard. It was a great ACL Fest and I'm sure I'll be back next year.

ACL 2008, Day 2: Roky Erickson, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Nachito Herrera All-Stars...

ROKY ERICKSON
A pirate flag flew a few feet behind us at Roky Erickson's show at the Austin City Limits Music Festival Saturday night. To our side, a smiley-face balloon bounced above the heads of a young family. Strangely, both seemed appropriate.

Erickson, the man who invented psychedelic rock as a teenager, a man who's battled schizophrenia and more personal demons than we can imagine, has a dark side. His songs are inhabited by two-headed dogs, demons and creatures from the deep. In fact, a friend told me he once heard a kid at a Roky Erickson show say Roky makes Ozzy Osbourne seem like a choir boy.

Saturday night, Roky and his band, The Explosives, ripped through songs such as "Two-headed Dog," Creature With the Atom Brain" and Bloody Hammer" like they were out to plunder the crowd. They were wicked. But after every song, Roky thanked the crowd like no one you've ever heard. He even good-naturedly dodged a beach ball that bounced onto the stage. I don't think I've ever seen someone so grateful for the opportunity to perform.

In many ways, I thought Erickson's concert Saturday was even better than his show at ACL in 2005 ... and I thought that show, Roky's return to the stage after years living in mental institutions and in poverty, was one of the best concerts I'd ever seen.

This year, Roky seemed stronger, more sure of himself. That certainly showed in his guitar playing. He took the lead on portions of "The Beast," which he infused with stinging blues guitar licks, and he played some real blues on a cover of Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me." As one of my friends said, the song takes on a whole new meaning when Roky sings it.

Roky closed his set with "You're Gonna Miss Me," a song he first recorded with The 13th Floor Elevators in the mid-'60s. He sounded just as strong as he had when he was a kid reshaping rock 'n' roll.

With apologies to Robert Plant, who was performing with Alison Krause a couple stages over, Roky Erickson was the best rocker at ACL this year. There shouldn't even be a question about that.

SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS
I've never disliked The Fratellis, but I now hate the band for going over their allotted time at the ACL Fest. They stole five minutes with Sharon Jones from me.

Jones, a former prison guard who's now one of the greatest soul singers in the world, seduced the crowd with songs of love, betrayal and slavery. She certainly won the hearts of a couple of middle-aged fat guys she brought on stage to dance and romance. I haven't craved the spotlight since I was a 5-year-old ham, but I'd have sold my soul to the devil to be one of those guys dancing with Sharon Jones for five minutes on Saturday.

Jones dances like no one you've ever seen. At one point, she kicked off her heels, took off her earrings and started stomping around the stage as the Dap-Kings serenaded her with some Stax-style funk.

Her real inspiration, I think, must be James Brown. She infuses her songs with the same kind of energy that the Godfather of Soul always brought to his shows. You could hear it as her big voice blew across the massive crowd when she sang "100 Days, 100 Nights." She even closed the show with one of his songs, "It's a Man's Man's World." Jones killed it and I, for one, am in love.

NACHITO HERRERA ALL-STARS
Nachito Herrera and his orchestra got the whole WAMU tent dancing with their Cuban rhythms. I felt almost as if I were in a New York City Club in the '40s listening to the mambo of Tito Puente or Machito. The crowd even got a free dance lesson.

My first order of business when I get to the festival today will be to buy one of Herrera's CDs.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• Austin's Bavu Blakes' rap, backed by some good Texas funk, provided a jump-start to my day.
• Big Joe Lewis and the Honeybears infused their soul with some funk, blues and rock. Very cool.
• Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves. I had high expectations for this set of soul and Reed delivered.
• Les Frères Guissé. I caught just one of the group from Senegal's tunes but it was rousing.
• Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. I could have listened to Oberst sing all night, but I had to leave after four or five songs to stake a spot for Roky Erickson's show. I'm delighted to have heard him, though.

ACL 2008, Day 1: Gogol Bordello, Alejandro Escovedo...

I'm worn out and ready for bed tonight, but I'd party with the folks from Gogol Bordello if they called. In fact, I feel as if I already have after watching their set Friday afternoon at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

I go to a lot of concerts, but I've never seen a more energetic band. I'm not sure I've ever seen a band rev up a crowd as much either ... not even Springsteen. For an hour, I watched as thousands of folks pumped their arms in unison as Gogol Bordello played their gypsy punk. And the audience members who weren't waving their arms were dancing. Wildly. I even danced a bit, which might explain why my aging bones hurt so much tonight.

It was the best party I've been to at ACL, and I've been to some good ones.

• Alejandro Escovedo, playing his first ACL, was incredible, too. On his opening song, "Put You Down," he launched into a rollicking, fuzzed out guitar solo followed by some Pete Townshend-like windmill guitar gyrations. And on his last tune, "Castanets," which he dedicated to Joe Strummer, after a diatribe about President George Bush, Escovedo exploded. I particularly enjoyed it when he jammed face to face with violinist Susan Voelz, who rocked pretty hard herself.

I've seen many of Escovedo's shows over the years and this might have been the best of the lot.

• My biggest surprise was the Eli Young Band, which played a hard-grooving mix of country, blues and rock. They were so good, in fact, that I almost skipped David Byrne's set. That and I didn't particularly relish the idea of walking across Zilker Park for the 20th time of the day. Then I started thinking about all the New Year's Eves in the '80s that my friend Diana and I went to see the Talking Heads documentary "Stop Making Sense" in a Chicago theater. And, to tell you the truth, I was a little afraid of what Diana would say to me if I skipped Byrne's show.

I'm glad I went. He played a ton of Talking Heads tunes and he surrounded himself with a terrific band that mixed some Afro-beat and Latin sounds with the Talking Heads rhythms. I thought it was a little odd that Byrne didn't say anything to the crowd, and I was disappointed that Brian Eno didn't appear, as billed, but Byrne and his band provided a catchy hour of nostalgia for me and a lot of other old farts in the crowd.

• In all, I heard at least a couple of songs by 15 acts today. I especially liked Louis XIV, which loves power chords as much as any band I've heard in a long time and reminded me a bit of The Hold Steady. Most of their songs sounded the same to me, but I didn't really care. I thought What Made Milwaukee Famous was great, too. Their indie rock peppered with some nice harmonies, rocked hard and provided a nice start to my festival. And I'd like to thank my former student who urged me to see Jamie Lidell. The guy's pretty damn soulful. Has a nice saxophonist, too.

• Assorted thoughts: The organizers of the festival do a great job of scheduling, but why the hell did they put Jenny Lewis in the WAMU tent? If you went to see Gogol Bordello or Patty Griffin, you couldn't get anywhere near the tent. It reminds of when the organizers put the Dirty Dozen Brass band in the tent right after Hurricane Katrina. Silly, but at least I got to see that show.

AT&T is sponsoring the festival, but AT&T cell phone coverage at Zilker Park is spotty at best ... even in the AT&T hospitality room.

The park seems more crowded this year. Maybe it's the cool weather. Or maybe it's the fact that Vampire Weekend played a Friday afternoon spot. Or maybe they sold more tickets to the festival. Whatever the reason, there's a crush of people. Lines for beer and water move quickly, though.

• All told, it was one of the best days I've had at ACL over the last four years. But tomorrow, as one of my friends said, is the main event ... Roky Erickson's return to the festival. I'm so psyched I'd have a hard time getting to sleep if I weren't so tired.

'Twas the Night before ACL...

We arrived in Austin at 2:30 this afternoon and got our wristband passes for the Austin City Limits Music Festival at the airport. I'm delighted I won't have to worry about checking in at the park tomorrow.

After checking into our hotel, we walked down to Sixth Street and ate some Mexican food, naturally, before frequenting some bars. I settled for pop — I struggle with heat and don't want to get dehydrated this weekend. I'm thinking the weather might be nice, though. Early this afternoon, the temperature cracked 90, I think, but the humidity was low, so it didn't seem too bad. And walking back from the bars at 7, it felt like we were in Hoosierland on a pleasant fall evening.

My challenge will be to avoid getting suckered by false hopes of cool breezes. On Friday, for example, I'd love to catch Rodney Crowell's set at 12:30 — I think his new album, "Sex and Gasoline," features a few terrific songs. Bud do I really want to hang at the park for nine hours until Alejeandro Escovedo's set is finished at about 9?? (I always overindulge.)

I'm getting better, though. Tonight, for example, I'd planned to go see Sarah Borges and James McMurtry at The Continental. I'm going to opt to hang with my friends and to get some sleep instead. Disappointing, I know, but I have seen McMurtry several times and I'm sure I'll get a chance to see Borges again soon.

My top priorities for this year's festival:
• Gogol Bordello: 4:40 p.m. Friday.
• Alejandro Escovedo: 7:45 p.m. Friday.
• Old 97s: 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
• Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
• Roky Erickson: 7:45 p.m. Saturday.
• Beck: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
• Gillian Welch: 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
• Galactic: 7 p.m. Sunday.

And of all those acts, Roky Erickson is the only one I absolutely cannot miss. He was incredible when I saw him at ACL a few years ago. And, frankly, I'd consider my trip to Austin worthwhile if I saw no one but him.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-25-08

The daily mix:

1) The Buzzcocks: "Real World"
2) The Detroit Cobras: "Green Light"
3) The Black Angels: "The First Vietnamese War"
4) The Scabs: "Vampirella"
5) Sons & Daughters: "Dance Me In"
6) The Muffs: "I Don't Like You"
7) S.S. Legends: "I'll Come Again"
8) Dean Kohler: "Gooseberry Pie"
9) The Sonics: "Bama Lama Bama Loo"
10) The Monacles: "I Can't Win"

Roy Roberts and Johnny Rawls: 'Partners and Friends'

Roy Roberts and Johnny Rawls' "Partners and Friends" is the kind of album you put on the stereo when you bring your dream date home for the first time. It's got just about everything you need for setting the perfect mood: sexy soul and blues grooves, seductive vocals and romantic (occasionally suggestive) lyrics.

That's not much of a surprise, though. Roberts and Rawls learned their craft backing masters of seduction such as Solomon Burke, O.V. Wright, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd and Z.Z. Hill.

"You are the One for Me" is a classic soul burner. It would be a great song if either Roberts or Rawls sang it because both have the kind of smooth voice that make women forget they came to a concert with a date. Together, they sound almost like the second coming of Sam and Dave.

"Country Boy" is a bluesy musical portrait of a couple of country boys with lovin' on their mind. Roberts tells mamas they'd better hold on to their daughters because he likes his love good and slow. Rawls sings, too, but he lets his guitar most of the talking ... and it sounds both sweet and dangerous.

Roberts and Rawls get down to business on "Shaggin' Down in Carolina." And with a horn section behind them adding some sass, they urge everyone else to join the party. I was certainly ready to party when I heard the Hammond B3 organ riffs on "Can't You See."

"Partners and Friends" seems to be out of print, but it's worth seeking out if you're a fan of tunes that combine soul, blues and seduction.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-24-08

The daily mix:

1) Luiz Bonfa: "Calypso Minor"
2) Cannonball Adderley: "Corcovado"
3) Alex Cuba Band: "Cafe Havana"
4) Gene Ammons: "Moito Moto Grosso"
5) Maria Rita: "Dos Gardenas"
6) Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban: "Secret Love"
7) Joao Gilberto: "Doralice"
8) Martinho Da Silva: "Claustrofobia"
9) Cal Tjader: "Linda Chicana"
10) Charlie Palmieri: "I've Got You Under My Skin"

Two for Tuesday: Volume 3

TIN MACHINE: "TIN MACHINE" (1989)
In a writing seminar last year I played multiple versions of several songs for my students and asked them to write about the differences. "Working Class Hero" drew the strongest reaction.
Almost everyone liked John Lennon's version. And why wouldn't they? Most of my students hated Tin Machine's cover, which disappointed me, but Tin Machine's probably not a band that appeals to many Rascal Flats or Toby Keith fans. Personally, I think "Working Class Hero" is about as good as anything David Bowie's ever recorded.

Tin Machine — a band Bowie formed with Tony and Hunt Sales, the sons of comedian Soupy Sales, and guitarist Reeves Gabrels in the late '80s — assimilated Lennon's message and amped it up. Bowie and his pals poured their outrage into every angry drumbeat and guitar lick.

There isn't a hint of glitter in "Tin Machine," which will remind many listeners that Ziggy Stardust can indeed rock out. After all, Bowie was pals with Iggy Pop and The Stooges. I love "Prisoner of Love," too. It sounds like a classic Bowie tune on which he's backed by a band with muscle.

I don't begrudge my students their musical tastes — everyone should find music that speaks to his heart. Me? I like it when music makes my heart pound. Hard.




JOHN EDDIE: "WHO THE HELL IS JOHN EDDIE?" (2003)
My mama wouldn't like John Eddie's "Jesus is Coming." She'd probably think it's sacrilegious when he sings that Jesus is going to hang with Madonna. But if you listen, really listen, you'll discover that "Jesus is Coming" is a simple cry for help from a man in despair. So what if waitresses think he's cute? It's a song filled with hope ... and a mighty tuneful one at that.

You can bet my mama wouldn't like "Forty" either — there's an expletive in the first line and in just about every one after that. But I can relate to Eddie's bitter lament about becoming a middle-aged man ... even though I don't share his regret about never having dated Winona Ryder.

I suspect Eddie, who's just about the same age I am, isn't really bitter anyway. He's just a dude from Jersey playing straight-up rock in the shadow of Bruce Springsteen. And I'm willing to bet The Boss is a fan.

(Two for Tuesday is a weekly feature in which I revisit older rock and pop albums worth checking out.)

Chuck Prophet Podcast

I've been pretty stoked since I found this Chuck Prophet podcast from Austin's KUT radio station. The station interviews Prophet and he performs several tunes in the studio.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-23-08

The daily mix:

1) King Curtis: "Ode to Billie Joe"
2) Sonny Criss: "All Night Long"
3) George Benson: "Some of My Best Friends are Blues"
4) Jimmy McGriff: "There Will Never Be Another You"
5) Hank Marr: "Soul Eyes"
6) The Three Sounds: "Drown in My Own Tears"
7) Art Pepper: "Blues in the Night"
8) Blue Mitchell: "Gone With the Wind"
9) Horace Silver: "Melancholy Mood"
10) Miles Davis: "Circle"

Strummerville

I learned about Strummerville — a charity set up by family and friends of Joe Strummer to help aspiring musicians — from a friend who shares my fanaticism for The Clash. I'll be happy to support the group's work.

I've also been checking out some of the bands the organization is backing. I'm particularly fond of The Cedars, who pepper their music with a tasty mix of twang and blues. Their music reminds me a bit of the tunes on Toni Price's first album.

Nappy Brown Dies

I just heard the sad news that R&B singer Nappy Brown has died. He was 78.

Brown's probably best known for his version of "Night Time is the Right Time," which he recorded 50 years ago. It's one of the most sexually charged songs I've ever heard. If you're a late-comer to Brown's music, I suggest you look for a used copy of a collection of his songs on an album called "Night Time is the Right Time." If you can't find one, the album's available from iTunes. You'll find hoppin' R&B tunes that influenced rock 'n' roll and sexy ballads like "My Baby," which shares some similarities with Little Willie John's "Fever."

A collection called "Something's Gonna Jump Out the Bushes" is a nice album, too. Brown's voice is sweet and sure on a soul ballad called "Nothing Takes the Place of You." If you're making a mix CD of soul torch songs, the tune will fit perfectly nestled between some Sam Cooke and Etta James.

RIP.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

I've been down on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for years now because I think the hall's organizers have snubbed some of our greatest rockers. But I have no complaints about this year's list of nominees, mostly because Wanda Jackson, the queen of rockabilly, made the cut.

In many ways, Wanda Jackson is the prototype for every female rocker who's followed her. It's insane for her not to be a part of the hall.

I'm also thrilled that The Stooges, Bobby Womack, Jeff Beck and War made the list. I also understand the inclusion of Metallica, Chic, Little Anthony and the Imperials and Run D.M.C.

I tried to go to the Rock and Hall of Fame many years ago when I went to Cleveland for a World Series game, but the hall was open only to baseball players and executives that day. (That really miffed me.) But if Wanda Jackson and The Stooges get in, another trip to Cleveland might be in order.

Can't Miss Gogol Bordello

I'm bummed that Gogol Bordello, Patty Griffin, M. Ward and Bobby Bare Jr. are all playing in the same time slot Friday at Austin City Limits. I'm sure all four will be great. But other than Roky Erickson and Sharon Jones, Gogol Bordello is the act I'm most looking forward to seeing this year.

Here's why:

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-22-08

The daily mix:

1) Dave Alvin: "Brand New Heart"
2) Carl Perkins: "I'm Sorry I'm Not Sorry"
3) Billy Adams: "Rock Pretty Mama"
4) Buzz Busby: "Lonesome Wind"
5) Osborne Brothers: "I Ain't Got a Worry on My Mind"
6) Levon Helm: "Little Birds"
7) Jemima James: "Tracking Through the Snow"
8) Eliza Gilkyson: "The Great Correction"
9) Marti Brom: "Lonely Days"
10) Hacienda Brothers: "Arizona Motel"

Wayne 'The Train' Hancock Concert in Lafayette

Wayne Hancock's a throwback, that's for sure. Hell, Saturday night at the Lafayette Brewing Company, he sounded more like Hank Williams than his buddy Hank Williams III does — and that's saying something.

Hancock and his band were scary good when they played Hank Williams covers, especially "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." But folks who think The Train is merely a Hank Williams clone have never heard him play. He meshed elements of rockabilly, jazz, surf tunes, blues and even a little punk with his classic country sound. And trust me, Hancock's high lonesome voice makes everything sound fresh.

That was especially true when he sang Wilbert Harrison's classic blues tune "Kansas City," which sounds mighty good with a steel guitar. The band's performance of "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Cow Cow Boogie" were incendiary and I'm still humming "Highway 54."

Hancock drew a diverse crowd — from college students to bikers and old country fans — and at times it seemed as if half of them were dancing. It's hard not to wanna boogie when he plays.

This morning I'm listening to Hancock's twang-packed cover of "Brand New Cadillac." It's as feverish as The Clash's original and, I'm willing to bet, it's a recording both Hank Williams and Joe Strummer would appreciate.

Catch Hancock's show if you ever get a chance — take your grandma and your little punk rock girlfriend.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-21-08

The daily mix:

1) Doreen Shaffer: "Sugar Sugar"
2) Funky Butt: "The Glove"
3) Earl King: "Street Parade"
4) Mo'Fone: "Crescent"
5) Betty Wright: "Sweet Lovin' Daddy"
6) Clarence "Frogman" Henry: "Lonely Tramp"
7) Louis Armstrong: "Weather Bird Rag"
8) Eureka Brass Band: "Just a Little While to Stay Here"
9) Henry "Red" Allen: "Ride, Red, Ride"
10) Boris Gardner: "My Commanding Wife"

Reminder

Hoosiers who live near Lafayette should consider checking out Wayne "The Train" Hancock tonight. His show at the Lafayette Brewing Company starts at 9.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-20-08

The daily mix:

1) Charles Trenet: "La Mer"
2) Josephine Baker: "Blue Skies"
3) Pearl Bailey: "A Woman's Prerogative"
4) Billie Holiday: "I'm a Fool to Want You"
5) Helen Forrest: "Skylark"
6) Chris Connor: "I've Got a Crush on You"
7) Elis Regina: "O Trem Azul"
8) Joe Williams: "You Are Too Beautiful"
9) Serge Gainsbourg: "Black Trombone"
10) Billy Eckstine: "Cottage for Sale"

Chillin' With Lou Rawls

I needed a giant chill pill tonight after giving 50 seminars in a two-week span, just days after having surgery, so I pulled out all my Lou Rawls albums. I don't know of any music that's more calming.

Rawls might not have saved my soul, but he certainly provided a balm to my battered body and spirits. Here's a list of Lou Rawls' smoothest tunes, the ultimate chill pills.

1) "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."
2) "God Bless the Child"
3) "Don't Explain"
4) "I'm Still in Love With You"
5) "Save Your Love for Me"
6) "Blues is a Woman"
7) "Willow Weep for Me"
8) "I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues"
9) "Soul Serenade"
10) "It Was a Very Good Year"
11) "Let's Fall in Love All Over Again Again"
12) "Stormy Weather"
13) "At Last"
14) "Natural Man"
15) "One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)"
16) "Ain't That Lovin' You"
17) "St. James Infirmary"
18) "Peace in the Valley"
19) "Autumn Leaves"
20) "Since I Met You Baby"
21) "Tobacco Road"
22) "Sweet Slumber"
23) "World of Trouble"
24) "Two Years of Torture"
25) "I Wish It Were Yesterday"

And here's a clip of Lou Rawls, backed by Bobby Hutcherson and Les McCann, singing "Blues is a Woman." Relax and enjoy.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-19-08

Friday morning soul:

1) William Bell: "Let's Do Something Together"
2) Homer Banks: "Round the Clock Lover Man"
3) Walter Foster: "Your Search is Over"
4) O.V. Wright: "I'd Rather Be Blind, Cripple and Crazy"
5) Nathan Williams: "Reaching Higher"
6) Barbara Lewis: "You Made Me a Woman"
7) Maxine Brown: "One Step at a Time"
8) Margie Joseph: "Punish Me"
9) The Donays: "Bad Boy"
10) The Marvelettes: "Don't Mess With Bill"

Dr. G.B. Burt: 'They Call Me Dr. Burt'

There aren't any wasted notes on "They Call Me Dr. Burt," the latest CD I received from the Music Maker Relief Foundation's Givin' It Back Record Club. Dr. G.B. Burt's sole focus is on the message, the feel of his music, and he doesn't have any time for frills.

You'll learn everything you need to know about him when he sings "What Can an Old Man Do?" You'll hear the low rumble of a guitar, some simple drumbeats and his scratchy voice recalling life on the assembly line and the travails of love. "What can a man do, but sing the blues," he asks. Really, though, it's more a philosophy than a question.

Dr. Burt is on a quest to make sure folks remember who he was. And every song on the album — from blues classics such as "Ain't That Loving You Baby" and "I'm a Man" to his own songs such as "Come On In This House" and "Woman I Love" — are snapshots, powerful portraits, really, of a man who's lived a full life.

The Music Maker Foundation is my favorite charity because it helps roots musicians in need. It also gives them a pulpit for preaching about a kind of music that's timeless. Through his music, Dr. G.B. Burt reminds us of the power of the blues musicians who came before him and he lays down a path for others to follow.

Dorothy Moore: 'Misty Blue'

Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue" might have been the best torch song recorded in the mid-'70s. More than 30 years later, it still sounds as heartbreaking as the first time I heard it.

The rest of her "Misty Blue" album is great, too ... especially "The Only Time You Ever Say You Love Me" and "Funny How Time Slips Away."

Here's a video clip of Moore singing "Misty Blue."

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-18-08

The daily mix:

1) Rodney Crowell: "Sex and Gasoline"
2) Guy Forsyth: "Beautiful Mistake"
3) Charlie Sexton: "Burn"
4) Suzanne Vega: "Caramel"
5) Tanya Donelly: "Whiskey Tango"
6) Bree Sharp: "Sunday School and Cigarettes (Slippin' Away)"
7) Whiskeytown: "I Hope It Rains at My Funeral"
8) The Jayhawks: "Dying on the Vine"
9) Great Lakes Myth Society: "Queen of the Barley Fool"
10) The Pogues: "The Ghost of a Smile"

A Cooler ACL?

According to austin360.com, Austin City Limits Music Festival organizers are considering an October date for next year's event.

That sounds like a dream come true to me. I've had a hard time coping with the Texas heat every year I've been to the festival. Moreover, I'm always swamped at the beginning of every semester.

I don't have a vote, but if I did...

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-17-08

Wednesday morning blues:

1) Travis Haddix: "Backward Baby"
2) B.B. King: "All Over Again"
3) Little Walter: "My Babe"
4) Willie Dixon: "Spoonful"
5) Memphis Slim: "Blue and Lonely"
6) John Dee Holeman: "Mojo Hand"
7) Raful Neal: "No Cuttin' Loose"
8) Screamin' Jay Hawkins: "Ice Cream Man"
9) Percy Strother: "Love is Growing Cold"
10) Muddy Waters: "I Don't Know Why"

Boo Boo Davis: 'Name of the Game'

When I first put Boo Boo Davis' new album, "Name of the Game," on my stereo, it sounded like a twister coming out of my speakers, blowing thick chunks of blues and groove all over my house. And out of the dense mass of instrumentals, Davis' voice boomed like a foghorn.

He has a gruff and gritty voice, the kind that cuts through the darkest night. It's a voice so big and powerful that you can't focus on anything else when he's singing.

This is no-frills, down and dirty blues — there isn't even a bass on the album. As a result, the music is simple and tough as Davis blows his harp and Jan Mittendorp rocks his guitar.

They thunder through "I'm Coming Home," my favorite tune on the album. Boom, boom dah dah boom. I dig "Who Stole the Booty," too. On it, their instruments blend into a swirling cloud that makes it hard to distinguish the guitar parts from those of the harmonica and the drums.

"St. Louis Woman" might be about a woman from Missouri, but the music's rough and tumble blues straight out of Mississippi. And the title track's a hard blowin', grease-filled tour de force.

Listen to some of the tracks on Davis' my space page, but be careful ... there's a storm coming.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-16-08

Tuesday afternoon jazz:

1) Andrew Hill: "New Monastery"
2) The Pete Minger Quartet: "When Lights are Low"
3) Tony Monaco Trio: "The Cat"
4) Shirley Scott: "Don't Worry 'Bout It Baby, Here I Am"
5) Gerry Mulligan: "The Lady is a Tramp"
6) Charles Mingus: "Hobo Ho"
7) Al Foster, Charlie Haden and Joe Henderson: "All the Things You Are"
8) Bill Evans: "Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)"
9) Bob Florence Limited: "Willis"
10) Dexter Gordon: "Second Balcony Jump"

Two for Tuesday, 9-16-08

JOE ELY: "LIVE AT LIBERTY LUNCH"
I've been a big Joe Ely fan since I saw him open for Bonnie Raitt in Chicago two decades ago. I like all of his solo albums, but he's best when he's live and loud. And "Live at Liberty Lunch," released in 1990, is one of the rockingest albums I own.

There are some slower tunes on the album, too, but the highlights are the fast ones such as "Are You Listenin' Lucky," "Drivin' to the Poorhouse in a Limousine" and "Must Notta Gotta Lotta." You won't find many twangy tunes with more bite.



AMY CORREIA: "CARNIVAL LOVE"
I bought Amy Correia's "Carnival Love" on a whim when I saw it in a store in 2000 and I've been grateful ever sense.

Correia sounds like she's wishing on a star as she reminisces on the "Angels Collide," which opens the album. Her vocals are slow and soft, almost wistful. I also love "Carnival," a song about love between carnival freaks. It's quirky, peppy and surprisingly sweet. But the album's centerpiece, at least for me, is "The Bike," a tune about inheriting a bicycle from a misanthropic, alcoholic uncle. I wouldn't be surprised at all if years from now my own nieces play the song whenever they want to remember their own misanthropic uncle. And that would be just fine with me, especially when they listen to the line about how handsome the uncle once was. My nieces are welcome to my bikes, too. I have nice ones.

(Two for Tuesday is a weekly feature in which I revisit older rock and pop albums worth checking out.)

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-15-08

The daily mix:

1) Fleet Foxes: "Quiet Houses"
2) Crowded House: "I Walk Away"
3) R.E.M.: "New Test Leper"
4) Pedro the Lion: "Keep Swinging"
5) The Mountain Goats: "Lovecraft in Brooklyn"
6) The Decemberists: "When the War Came"
7) Ray Davies: "Morphine Song"
8) Vampire Weekend: "A-Punk"
9) The Velvet Crush: "Heaven Knows"
10) Roger McGuinn: "Take Me Away"

Brothers and Sisters: 'Fortunately'

I'm convinced that "Fortunately," the new album by Brothers and Sisters, could bridge the generation gap between my students, who think pop music started with R.E.M., and their parents, who think no one's recorded a good album since, oh, 1976.

The band, led by Will and Lily Courtney, who are actually brother and sister, taps into the country pop of The Byrds. But their album also sounds thoroughly modern, much like the music of Ryan Adams, the Counting Crows and, yep, R.E.M. And let's face it, great harmonies backed by the jangly riffs of a Rickenbacker guitar never go out of style.

"Fortunately" is filled with tunes that straddle the alt-country, pop and indie rock genres. It's sweet and lovely. I'm not a parent, but I have a couple hundred students who have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and Nick Lowe. I'm hoping my students will latch onto the music of Brothers and Sisters and that will lead them to the band's musical antecedents, just as The Blues Brothers led their parents back to classic blues and soul artists.

Check out Brothers and Sisters' myspace page for some samples.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-14-08

Sunday night jazz:

1) Arnett Cobb: "I Want a Little Girl"
2) Ben Webster and Joe Zawinul: "Soulmates"
3) Frank Strozier: "Pacemaker"
4) Paul Desmond: "Jazzabelle"
5) Lucky Thompson: "Then Soul Walked In"
6) Stefano Di Battista: "Buffo"
7) The Bob Sneider and Joe Locke Film Noir Project: "Katya"
8) Illinois Jacquet: "Pucker Up"
9) Sherman Irby: "Aunt Dororthy"
10) Wayne Shorter: "Pug Nose"

Bunky Green: 'Places We've Never Been'

I was thrilled when I found that Bunky Green's "Another Place" was available for download from emusic. It's a terrific album featuring Green on alto saxophone with Jason Moran on piano and Lonnie Plaxico on bass. Moreover, it's hard to find from retailers.

If you like "Another Place," you're going to love "Places We've Never Been," which Green recorded for the Vanguard label in 1979. The album — which features Randy Brecker on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass and Frederick Waits on drums — is apparently out of print. Luckily, it's available from iTunes for $5.94.

I became interested in Green's music when I learned he'd worked briefly with Charles Mingus. On "Places We've Never Been" you can hear the influence of the great bassist and band leader — Green and his pals play one unpredictable note after another. Green's music, though, is more soothing. You might even call it ethereal.

On "East & West," the album's opening track, Green's saxophone flutters in and out like the tide breaking against the shore. "Only Seasons/Places We've Never Been" is a more traditional ballad, and it's lovely, too. In fact, all six songs on the album are memorable. I like to listen to them as the day breaks because they put me in a meditative mood.

In addition to being a superior performer, Green is the director of jazz studies for the University of North Florida's music department. I recommend you grab every recording by Green that you can find. They're all good.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-13-08

Saturday morning blues:

1) Angela Strehli: "Boogie Like You Wanna"
2) Lonnie Brooks: "You Don't Have to Go"
3) Freddie King: "Only Getting Second Best"
4) Big Mama Thornton: "I'm Feelin' Alright"
5) Jessie Mae Hemphill: "Shake It Baby"
6) Wild Jimmy Spruill (with Horace Cooper and Band): "The Squeeze"
7) Jimmy Yancey: "Mournful Blues"
8) Otis Spann: "The Hard Way"
9) Slim Harpo: "Mohair Sam"
10) Lazy Lester: "I'm Gonna Leave You Baby"

Magic Slim & the Teardrops: 'Midnight Blues'

Magic Slim & the Teardrops' latest release, "Midnight Blues," isn't a live album, but it certainly has the feel of one.

The album's opening track, "Let Me Love You," is the kind of barroom blues shuffle that rock bands have been trying to emulate since the early days of the Stones and the Beatles. The shouted choruses even sound like the ones you might hear from a rock band. The difference is that I don't think any rocker's ever sung with a road-worn voice as gritty as Magic Slim's.

James Cotton, one of many guest artists on the album, matches that grit with his fiery harmonica licks on the next tune, Muddy Waters' "You Can't Lose What You Never Had." And Lonnie Brooks uses his guitar to slice up Willie Dixon's "Spider in My Stew," which features some of Magic Slim's most riveting vocals ever.

"Full Load Boogie" isn't fancy, but the instrumental track does serve notice that Magic Slim's still a guitar slinger who can shoot down young pretenders to the Chicago blues throne with a flick of his pick. But don't think Magic Slim is all flash and fury. A duet with Otis Clay on Little Milton's "Loving You is the Best Thing That Happened to Me," though far from soft, is a soulful tour de force.

So check out "Magic Blues." You'll think you're at a club being slammed by some of the best of blues you've heard in years.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-11-08

The daily mix:

1) Marty Robbins: "Big Iron"
2) Sammi Smith: "He's Everywhere"
3) Jeanne Pruett: "Hold to My Unchanging Love"
4) Tompall Glaser: "The Bad Times"
5) Terry Allen: "Room to Room"
6) Buck Owens and His Buckaroos: "I Know You're Married, But I Love You Still"
7) Doyle Holly: "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)"
8) Conway Twitty: "Boy Next Door"
9) Peter Rowan: "Man of Constant Sorrow"
10) George Jones and Tammy Wynette: "My Elusive Dreams"

Anat Cohen, 'Notes From the Village'

Anat Cohen plays her clarinet on "Siboney" and "After the Rain," songs from her new album, "Notes from the Village," like she's giving a massage. And trust me, after giving four seminars in a row the last three nights, just a few days after surgery, I needed something to soothe my aching back, arms and soul.

The album's lovely. Buy it even if you don't need to work out the tension in your body.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-11-08

The daily mix:

1) Dinah Washington: "New Blowtop Blues"
2) Baby Washington: "You Could Never Be Mine"
3) The Joy Tones: "This Love That I'm Giving You"
4) Etta James: "Would It Make Any Difference to You"
5) Ruth Brown: "I Wanna Do More"
6) Shemekia Copeland: "It's My Own Tears"
7) Mable John: "Your Good Thing"
8) Annisteen Allen: "I'm Still in Love With You"
9) Abbey Lincoln: "Strong Man"
10) Shirley Horn: "I Want to Be With You"

Wynona Carr: 'Jump Jack Jump'

I'm not a corrections officer, but if I were I'd have had a hard time resisting Sister Wynona Carr's pleas to free her man when she sang "Please Mr. Jailer." Carr, a gospel singer who turned to secular music in the '50s, had a voice as strong as Mahalia Jackson's and as pure as Ella Fitzgerald's. Backed by a rhythmic chorus of horns, Carr opens a vein and her vocals pour out.

The song, which can be found on "Jump Jack Jump, is pure passion, whereas the title track is a straight-up dance romp. In fact, Carr boogies through most of the tunes on the album, including "Till the Well Runs Dry," "Boppity Bop (Boogity Boog)" and "Ding Dong Daddy." I doubt you'll find better jumping R&B tunes this side of Ruth Brown.

At heart, though, Carr was always a gospel singer, as evidenced by "If These Walls Could Speak," on which she weaves a sad, slow sermon of pain.

Fast or slow, the songs on "Jump Jack Jump" are almost all keepers.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-10-08

The daily mix:

1) A.C. Newman: "Better Than Most"
2) Bob Mould: "I Hate Alternative Rock"
3) Mike Watt: "Tuff Gnarl"
4) Bright Eyes: "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)"
5) Loose Fur: "Thou Shall Wilt"
6) Robert Pollard: "Circle Saw Boys Club"
7) Pavement: "Blue Hawaii"
8) The Smiths: "Cemetery Gates"
9) Teenage Fanclub: "The Sun Shines From You"
10) Sun Kil Moon: "Duk Koo Kim"

Two for Tuesday, 9-9-08

A lot of my students and former students frequently ask me where they should start when they want to explore the music of certain artists. I write a lot about older jazz and blues albums, but I probably don't revisit my favorite rock artists often enough. So, starting today, every week I'll look at older rock and pop albums worth checking out.

NIKKI SUDDEN, "TREASURE ISLAND"
The late Nikki Sudden might be best known for his work with The Swell Maps and The Jacobites — I love both groups — but I'm particularly fond of his solo albums.

On Treasure Island" the ragged rockers "Looking for a Friend" and "Kitchen Blues" sound like a vintage Stones tune, partly because they feature Mick Taylor on guitar.

Sudden was an even better balladeer. His shaky voice sounds particularly poignant on "Stay Bruised," which provides a pretty good code for living. Ian McLagan's keyboards and Anthony Thistlethwaite's saxophone sound both sad and hopeful. The album's other tunes that are always near the top of my iPod playlists are "Sanctified," Russian River," "Wooden Floor" and "House of Cards."

Sudden didn't have a traditionally pretty voice, but he sounded like he meant every word he sang. And, to me, he embodied everything a young rock' n' roller should aspire to.


SPIRIT, "THE BEST OF SPIRIT"
Older rock fans, like me, will certainly remember Spirit fondly, but I almost never find the band's music nestled among the tunes by The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zepplin, The Doors and The Who on my students' iPods. More's the pity.

I think "I Got a Line on You" is on a par with "Back in the "U.S.S.R.," "Satisfaction" and "Magic Bus." Perhaps my judgment is impaired by memories of holding hands with a little neighbor girl while we played the song over and over again back in 1968, but I don't think so.

"Uncle Jack" doesn't rock quite as hard as "I Got a Line on You," but the lovely harmonies and psychedelic feel of the tune take me back, too. To me, it sounds like the best of The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who rolled into one groovy tune.

My other favorite song on this album is "Man Enough For You." It has a simple, driving beat, but the guitar work is as wild as anything that came out of the '60s.

Zilker Park Improvements

It was surreal watching evening shows the first time my friends and I went to the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Clouds of dust hung in the air, and, under the lights, it looked as if we were watching the shows from a giant base of dry ice. That was sort of cool. But there was nothing cool about the fact that I was still coughing up dirt a few weeks later.

There hasn't been as much dust at ACL the last couple of years, but it was still a problem. So I'm thrilled to learn that C3 Presents, the festival organizers, have donated $2.5 million to resod the park and to install an irrigation system.

If they'd build more air-conditioned buildings at the park so overheated concertgoers could cool off, I'd be even happier, but this project is big step.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-9-08

The daily mix:

1) Frank Sinatra: "Too Marvelous for Words"
2) Jackie Paris: "There Will Never Be Another You"
3) Mel Torme: "I Can't Believe You're in Love With Me"
4) Joe Williams: "Little Birdie"
5) Lou Rawls: "Nobody But Me"
6) Sheila Jordan: "Baltimore Oriole"
7) Etta Jones: "Laughing at Life"
8) Chris Connor: "The Night We Called It a Day"
9) Carmen McRae: "I'd Rather Leave While I'm Ahead"
10) Dakota Staton: "Girl Talk"

Save the Music

Only one of the students in a seminar I gave Sunday knew who I was talking about when I mentioned Otis Redding. It's not the first time.

I don't fault my students. I lay the blame on MTV and VH-1, which would rather be televised versions of The National Enquirer than music channels.

I'm an old fart, I'll admit, but unlike some of my aging peers, I don't dismiss new music. In fact, I'm a fan of acts such as Fleet Foxes, The National, Spoon and Eels; I even like rap. But society needs to have an institutional memory of our greatest artists. Perhaps MTV and VH-1 run scads of documentaries about Redding, Buddy Holly and other music gods and I just don't see them. I doubt it, though, because whenever I tune to the channels I find shows about the latest drunken exploits of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan ... or shows about their wealth.

Didn't VH-1 sponsor a "Save the Music" campaign a few years ago? What a crock.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-8-08

The daily mix:

1) The Jacobites: "Ambulance Station"
2) The Kinks: "A Well Respected Man"
3) Graham Parker and the Figgs: "Dislocated Life"
4) Bishop Allen: "The News From Your Bed"
5) Grant McLennan: "Easy Come, Easy Go"
6) Keene Brothers: "Island of Lost Lucys"
7) Todd Deatheridge and Rhett Miller: "Stopping Me Is You"
8) The Weepies: "World Spins Madly On"
9) A.A. Bondy: "Rapture (Sweet Rapture)"
10) Ray Wonder: "Homemade Movie Queen"

Rockin' With Elvis and the Grandmothers

The other day at the old folks cafeteria, where I often eat when I'm in a hurry and when my parents are in town, I overheard two elderly couples at the next table discussing Elvis Presley.

One gentlemen said he was glad to get out of the house because his wife had been playing Elvis songs all day. "I don't mind when he sings ballads," he said, "but that fast stuff makes my head spin." The other man at the table said he could empathize.

I almost spit up my lunch when wife number one said, "Elvis' ballads are pretty, but they don't get my juices running like it does when he rocks. Besides, you silly old cow, you can't hear anyway." Both women cackled. It reminded me of the time when I was a kid that one of my mother's friends said at a bridge party that she'd walk 30 miles nude in the snow to hear Elvis.

Me? I'm with the grandmas. In honor of them, here's a list of my 10 favorite rockin' Elvis songs.

1) "Rip It Up." Elvis' version rivals Little Richard's, and that's saying something.
2) "Baby, Let's Play House." I love the stuttering entry to the song, the boss guitar solos and Elvis' delivery of the lyrics. You can almost hear him wink.
3) "Dixieland Rock." Elvis backed by New Orleans horns. Yowsa.
4) "(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care." I imagine the grandmothers from the cafeteria played this tune for their husbands when they got home.
5) "Blue Suede Shoes." I've coveted a pair since I first heard this song when I was a kid.
6) "Ready Teddy." It's frenetic. Young punkers should put this at the top of their favorite iPod playlists.
7) "Jailhouse Rock."
8) "Good Rockin' Tonight."
9) "Mean Woman Blues"
10) "Heartbreak Hotel."

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-7-08

Sunday morning jazz:

1) Wynton Kelly: "Willow Weep for Me"
2) Ted Curson: "Baby Has Gone Bye Bye"
3) Cedar Walton: "Holy Land"
4) Houston Person: "Starburst"
5) Benny Carter: "Fantastic, That's You"
6) Ray Brown: "Georgia on My Mind"
7) Stanley Turrentine: "Where Or When"
8) Zoot Sims and Harry "Sweets" Edison: "Blue Skies"
9) Ben Webster: "Sidewalks of New York"
10) Bunky Green: "Little Girl, I Miss You"

Ahmad Jamal on NPR

Listen to jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal's visit with Marian McPcPartland on her "Piano Jazz" show on NPR while you can. The music and the conversation are wonderful.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-6-08

The daily mix:

1) Allen Toussaint: "Tim Tam"
2) Lee Allen: "Short Circuit"
3) Dumas King: "Wish You'd Come Home"
4) Memphis Minnie: "Down Home Girl"
5) Georgia White: "I'm So Glad I'm 21 Today"
6) Jemima James: "The Boy Who Used to Be"
7) Gillian Welch: "Orphan Girl"
8) Guy Clark: "Like a Coat From the Cold"
9) Townes Van Zandt: "If I Needed You"
10) Mary Gauthier: "Before You Leave"

Mo'Fone: 'Sling Shot'

Mo'Fone's "Rock of Ages," a song on the band's new album, "Sling Shot," affected me as much as any song I've heard in a long time. As the son of aging parents, I can relate to the feelings drummer Jeremy Steinkoler must have had when he wrote it for his father, who died in 2002 — I almost lost my mother on Christmas Day a few years ago.

"Rock of Ages" starts as a New Orleans-style dirge, but a couple minutes into the song, it turns into a joyous celebration. Steinkoler's drum solo is especially energetic, uplifting even, but there's also a sense of melancholy. It's a song I'd like played at my own funeral.

The rest of the album is just as funky as the band's debut album, "Surf's Up," and that's good news indeed. In fact, the album's a flat-out party. Steinkoler sets the groove and bandmates Larry De La Cruz (on alto saxophone and clarinet) and Jim Peterson (on baritone saxophone, bass clarinet and alto saxophone) spice it up. Special guests Dave Ellis and and Dann Zinn on tenor saxophone and Kirk Joseph on sousaphone heat things up, too.

"Crescent," a tune Peterson wrote after trips to New Orleans with his father and his wife, is particularly saucy. Imagine a musical summit between the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and James Browns' Famous Flames and you get the idea.

I love "Kattywampus," too. It reminds me a little of an amped-up version of Little Willie John's "Fever." And what could be better than that?

Steinkoler's "Bee" is a lovely bookend to the album. In the liner notes, he says it's a composition inspired by a mediation on what it means to be a father. The fact that I don't have children doesn't keep me from empathizing with the message ... or from smiling.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-5-08

The daily mix:

1) Brand Nubian: "Like That"
2) Brooklyn Funk Essentials: "Bop Hop"
3) Caribbean Funk: "Jigalo"
4) The Mighty Dogcatchers: "It's Gonna Be a Mess"
5) Chester Randle's Soul Senders: "Soul Brothers Testify Pt. 1"
6) Lee Dorsey: "Night People"
7) Jimmy McGriff: "Groove Grease"
8) Lonnie Smith: "Where It's At"
9) Cold Grits: "Funky Soul"
10) The Latin Breed: "I Turn You On"

Fernest Arceneaux Dies

I own just one Fernest Arceneaux album, "Old School Zydeco," but playing it tonight was almost enough to get me out of my sick bed, where I've been since surgery on Wednesday, and start dancing.

The music on the album's a perky blend of zydeco and blues, happy music. The one song I've played over and over today, though, is "So Long (I Hate to See You Go)" because Arceneaux died yesterday at the age of 68.

RIP.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-4-08

Today's mix:

1) Link Wray and His Wray Men: "Ace of Spades"
2) Jimi Hendrix: "Foxy Lady"
3) The Pretty Things: "Buzz the Jerk"
4)The Creation: "Biff Bang Pow"
5) Leonard Cohen: "Jazz Police"
6) Nikki Sudden: "Sanctified"
7) Brinsley Schwarz: "Why Do We Hurt the Ones We Love"
8) Taj Mahal: "Slave Driver"
9) Jacob Miller: "Keep on Knocking"
10) Toots and the Maytals: "54-46 Was My Number"

Ramon Goose: 'Journey Into the Blues'

Ramon Goose moved to the top of my list of fresh blues guitarists to watch after I heard "Rude Mood," the first track of his new album, "Journey Into the Blues." The song, which you can hear on his myspace page, is a power-packed blues instrumental with hints of surf guitar.

The young Brit has a nice voice, too. His rendition of "I Heard the Angels Sing" is pleasant, though I prefer Eric Bibb's version. And Goose's acoustic guitar parts on "Hey Hey" are saucy.

Over the last couple years, Goose has also been involved in some other notable blues albums, contributing his production, songwriting and guitar playing talents to Boo Boo Davis' "Drew, Mississippi," and to Billy Jones' "My Hometown." Those albums served notice that Goose is a fine young blues talent. "Journey Into the Blues" is the next step. I hope the blues world is paying attention.

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-2-08

The daily mix:

1) Jo-Jo and the Fugitives: "Fugitive Song"
2) Judy Mowatt: "Groovin'"
3) Chairmen of the Board: "Men are Getting Scarce"
4) George Perkins and the Silver Stars: "Crying in the Streets"
5) Johnnie Taylor: "Baby, We've Got Love"
6) Bettye Swann: "Just Because You Can't Be Mine"
7) Dusty Springfield: "I Can't Make It Alone"
8) Los Lobos: "Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)"
9) Old 97s: "Borrowed Bride"
10) Guy Clark: "Instant Coffee Blues"

Jerry Reed Dies

Jerry Reed has died. A lot of folks will remember him best for his role in "Smoky and the Bandit." Others will remember him as an affable goofball who often sang catchy, sometimes dopey, songs.

I'll remember him as one of my favorite guitarists when I was growing up ... and for the time he appeared on "Scooby Doo."

Cahl's Jukebox, 9-1-08

Monday night jazz:

1) Whit Dickey: "Calls"
2) The David Boykin Expanse: "Jiffy Pop"
3) David Murray Octet: "Estimated Prophet"
4) Bobby Watson: "Hey Now"
5) Martial Solal and Dave Douglas: "Elk's Club"
6) Ronnie Cuber: "Samba D'Orfeo"
7) Sonny Stitt and Jack McDuff: "Ringin' In"
8) Shirley Scott: "Give Me the Simple Life"
9) Von Freeman: "Never Fear, Jazz Is Here"
10) Bernt Rosengren: "A Woman is a Sometime Thing"

Sonny Rollins at the Chicago Jazz Festival

At the Velvet Lounge late Thursday night, an older jazz aficionado and a young jazz fan were talking to Fred Anderson, the great saxophonist and owner of the club, about Sonny Rollins' performance at Millennium Park earlier in the evening.

"He was mellow, man," the younger one said. The older fan agreed. "Smooth."

My thoughts exactly. Rollins glided through a rendition of "In a Sentimental Mood," a song I'd never heard him play in concert before. And his band, especially guitarist Bobby Broom, floated through the melody right along with him. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say the song mesmerized the 13,000 people in the audience.

Rollins, who'll celebrate his 78th birthday on Sunday, still knows how to cast a musical spell. I love when he plays ballads. When he does, it's not hard to imagine you're listening to a jazz show back in the '40s. His notes are so clear, flawless even.

Then, almost in a blink, Rollins will start rocking and honking. Or he'll launch into a calypso tune ... or some blues. Even at 77, Rollins is still one of the most versatile musicians in jazz.

Perhaps he can't sustain the fire he displayed at his shows years ago. He now relies on his band — Broom, trombonist Clifton Anderson, bassist Bob Cranshaw, drummer Kobie Watkins and percussionist Kimati Dinizulu — to carry large portions of his shows. And that's a real treat. His band members are all virtuosos themselves. Besides, as a friend told me, it's cool hearing Rollins in a complementary role. In a way, Rollins is almost as impressive as a sideman to his band members as he is as a leader. His note blend so perfectly that you almost wonder whether the tunes were recorded.

I've heard better shows from Rollins than the one Thursday, but I'm not sure I've ever had a better time at a jazz concert. When I left, I kept reminding myself that I'd just heard one of the all-time greats of jazz for the third time in a couple years. And I felt, well, mellow.