'The American Folk-Blues Festival: The British Tours, 1963-1966'

My brother found "The American Folk-Blues Festival: The British Tours, 1963-1966," in a bargain bin somewhere, but I don't care. The DVD is one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received.

I knew it was going to be special right away. Sonny Boy Williamson ambles onto the stage wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella and a briefcase. He looks and sounds regal as he performs "Keep It to Yourself."

The documentary also features Muddy Waters, Lonnie Johnson, Big Joe Williams, Lightnin' Hopkins, Sugar Pie Desanto, Howlin' Wolf, Big Joe Turner, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Junior Wells. Predictably, all are great. My biggest surprises were the performances by DeSanto and Wells.

DeSanto lifts the side of her dress and stomps out a beat for the band to follow at the start of "Rock Me Baby." I knew she had a big voice, but I never realized how tiny she was. She kills the song.

I've been a fan of Junior Wells for decades, but I don't think I'd ever seen him on video before. On "What'd I Say," he doesn't even pull out his harmonica. He lets his vocals and his feet do the talking. And, man, can he dance.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-30-08

Today's mix:

1) Amadou and Mariam: "Taxi Bamako"
2) Gangbe Brass Band: "Yemonho"
3) Chico & the Gipsies: "Fantasia"
4) Tito Puente: "Para Los Rumberos"
5) Eddie Palmieri: "Cinturita"
6) Maraca: "Castigala"
7) Arsenio Rodriguez: "No Quiero"
8) Delroy Wilson: "Mash It Up"
9) Joe Higgs: "Steppin' Razor"
10) Jimmy Cliff: "You Can Get It if You Really Want"

A Musical Travelogue

I've just returned from a holiday visit with the family in Georgia. Some reflections from the road:

Gogol Bordello: "Strange Uncles From Abroad"
• Gogol Bordello's music is a perfect adrenaline rush for an uncle loaded with presents who's starting a trip at 4 a.m.

John Hiatt: "Drive South"
• It's a long trip from Hoosierland to Georgia, but music makes the drive enjoyable.

John Eddie: "Jesus is Coming"
• You know you're back in the South when you see a semi painted with "Got Jesus?" on the side.

Robert Johnson: "Hellhound on My Trail"
• I'm convinced that your chances of getting tailgated increase proportionately with the size of the vehicle behind you.

Bob Dylan: "Mississippi"
• I've had Bob Dylan's "Tell Tale Signs" for a few weeks now, but I fell in love with it on this trip. The version of "Mississippi" that leads the album is basically a blues tune. It's stark, simple and sad.

Emmylou Harris: "All That You Have is Your Soul"
• Emmylou's latest album, "All I Intended to Be," is a great complement to Dylan's "Tell Tale Signs." Her sweet voice provides a counterbalance to Dylan's gruff one. Her tune "Broken Man's Lament" sounds almost like a Dylan tune and her covers of Billy Joe Shaver's "Old Five and Dimers Like Me" and Tracy Chapman's "All That You Have is Your Soul" are stunning.

Johnny Horton: "Smokey Joe's Barbecue"
• Eating barbecue and Brunswick stew from Holcolmb's Barbecue, which is owned by my mama's cousins, is always a highlight of my trips to Georgia. There's no better food in the world.

Joan Armatrading: "Visionary Mountains"
• I grew up with a view of the mountains from my bedroom window. I love the Midwest, but I get nostalgic whenever my ears start to pop as I climb a Smoky Mountain road.

Robert Earl Keen: "Merry Christmas From the Family"
• My parents don't drink and my brothers, sister-in-law and nieces seem well-adjusted, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about them when I hear this tune. Moreover, we usually turn Thanksgiving into Christmas because I stay in Indiana in December.

Sherman Irby: "Lake Tuscaloosa"
• My dog loves sitting on my parents' dock and watching the fish jump. Me, too.

R.E.M.: "Drive"
• I didn't make it to Athens on this trip, even though it's only about a half hour from my parents' home. That didn't stop me from listening to R.E.M. on my drive home.

Allen Toussaint: "Back Home Again in Indiana"
• I love visiting the family, but I'm delighted to be home. Charles Walker and the Dynamites are here on Saturday, man.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-26-08

The daily mix:

1) Meshell Ndegeocello: "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"
2) Johnny "Guitar" Watson: "Ain't That a Bitch"
3) Stevie Wonder: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)"
4) Katie Webster: "I'm Bad"
5) Otha Turner and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band: "Boogie"
6) Betty Wright: "Clean Up Woman"
7) Boogaloo Combo: "Hot Pants Road"
8) Bobby Womack: "Across 110th Street"
9) Curtis Mayfield: "Future Shock"
10) Gil Scott-Heron: "Gun"

Stefano Bollani: 'Carioca'

Italian jazz pianist Stafano Bollani new album, "Carioca," features a mix of jazz and Brazilian music, but it could just as easily be about the pastoral rural scenes I'll be driving past on my way to Georgia tomorrow.

The tunes sound like a gentle wind blowing over rolling hills and pastures. Bollani has a light touch, but he plays with a lively delight that reminds me a bit of Vince Guaraldi's music on "Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus."

At any rate, "Carioca" will probably stay in my car stereo for much of the trip. As a bonus, it's likely to have a soothing effect on the little hellhound in the backseat.

Joanne Brackeen on NPR

I was delighted tonight when I stumbled upon Dee Dee Bridgewater's show on NPR featuring jazz pianist Joanne Brackeen. I've been a fan of Brackeen's work for many years an the music on the show's great. Moreover, she pays tribute to three of my favorite musicians: Art Blakey, Joe Henderson and Stan Getz.

Take some time over the holiday weekend and give the show a listen.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-25-08

The daily mix:

1) Honey B. and the T-Bones: "Bumble Bee"
2) John Primer: "How Long Will You Be Mine?"
3) Tail Dragger: "Tend to Your Business"
4) Earl Gilliam: "Pretty Little Doll"
5) Guitar Shorty: "I Just Can't Run Away From the Blues"
6) Koko Taylor: "Better Watch Your Step"
7) Bonnie Lee: "Baby, What You Want Me to Do?"
8) Ray Bailey: "Love Her With a Feeling"
9) Snooky Pryor: "Keep What You Got"
10) W.C. Clark: "Lonely No More"

Score

I got a ticket to The Pogues' show in Atlanta next March. It looks as if I'm spending Spring Break in Georgia with my parents. Life is good.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-24-08

It's Monday. Let's rock.

1) Ludella Black and the Masonics: "I Want Some Answers"
2) Rocket From the Crypt: "I'm Not Invisible"
3) Downbeat 5: "Radiates That Charm"
4) Detroit Cobras: "(I Wanna Know) What's Going On"
5) The Standells: "Little Sally Tease"
6) The Zakary Thaks: "Bad Girl"
7) The Undertones: "Mars Bars"
8) The Buzzcocks: "Orgasm Addict"
9) Billy Childish: "Jezebel"
10) The Cramps: "Rock on the Moon"

Ludella Black and the Masonics: 'From This Witness Stand'

I've been crushing on Ludella Black's music since she was in Thee Headcoatees — a sister group to Billy Childish's Thee Headcoats — with Holly Golightly, Bongo Debbie and Kyra LaRubia. With the release of Black's new album, "From This Witness Stand," I've become Fanboy No. 1.

The album's title track is the best new rock tune I've heard this year. It sounds to me like a Shangri-las tune cranked up and turned into a classic garage rock tune. Black sings "Don't You Walk Away From Me" with a sneer as nasty as anything you'll find on a Sex Pistols record. She sounds a bit like a female version of Billy Bragg on "Cost of Money." Her vocals on "I'll Ride This Storm," which is about as close to a ballad as you'll find on the album, are heart-wrenching and lovely. And "Loony" could pass for a Ramones song.

It helps, of course, that Black is backed by the Masonics, one of the best garage rock bands working today — I highly recommend their "Down Among the Dead" and "Silently By Night" albums. They sound as if they found a time portal from the mid-'60s to 2008, with a stop at CBGBs in the '70s ... and that's a good thing, if you ask me.

The Masonics' instrumentals on "This is Elvis Dog," for example, are straight-up punk riffs, sharp and simple, with a few Link Wray-type surf rock rumbles. And Black rips through her lyrics, which, I swear, were written about my own little hellhound.

The album is available now in MP3 format and on vinyl. It will be released as a CD next week. but I suggest you don't wait; you need to act quickly if you're going to become Fanboy No. 2 or Fangirl No. 1.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-23-08

The daily mix:

1) Jim Ed Brown and the Browns: "Barroom Pals and Goodtime Gals"
2) Terry Allen: "Flatland Farmer"
3) Billy Joe Shaver: "The Cowboy Who Started the Fight"
4) Hank Thompson: "A Six-pack to Go"
5) Red Simpson: "Give Me 40 Acres"
6) Porter Wagoner: "Lonely Coming Down"
7) Steve Young: "Heartbreak Girl"
8) Johnny Horton: "Rhythm in My Baby's Walk"
9) Montana Slim: "I Bought a Rock for a Rocky Mountain Gal"
10) Hank Snow: "The Gal Who Invented Kissin'"

Sonny Langley: "From Bakersfield to You"

Sonny Langley might have recorded his album, "From Bakersfield to You," in the mecca of West Coast country hipness, but his rendition of The Louvin Brothers' "Gonna Shake Hands With My Mother Over There" sounds as if it comes straight out of the Smoky Mountains. Even his covers of Marty Robbins' "To Be in Love With Her" and "Mr. Shorty" remind me of the tunes I heard in my grandmother's north Georgia mountain home when I was growing up.

Langley, a pal of Merle Haggard and George Jones, has an old voice, a classic country voice. And unlike most modern country singers, you empathize every time he opens his mouth. When he sings "Streets of Baltimore" and "Each Time You Leave I Die a Little," you hear the pain between the cracks in his voice. And though my grandmother's been gone for many years, I can see her in her rocking chair nodding as I listen to "Lord It's Me Again."

Thanks, Mr. Langley, for taking me back home.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-22-08

Saturday afternoon soul:

1) Mitty Collier: "Get Out"
2) Wendy Rene: "Give You What I Got
3) O.V. Wright: "That's the Way I Feel About Cha"
4) The Tams: "Laugh It Off"
5) The Intruders: "Teardrops"
6) Chairmen of the Board: "Give Me Just a Little More Time"
7) Margie Joseph: "Punish Me"
8) Jean Knight: "Why I Keep Living These Memories"
9) James Carr: "Coming Back to Me Baby"
10) Arthur Conley: "I Can't Stop (No, No, No)"

The Pogues are Coming

The Pogues are touring the States again this spring and I'd love to catch one of their shows.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-21-08

The daily mix:

1) Richard Thompson: "Dad's Gonna Kill Me"
2) Eliza Gilkyson: "Emerald Street"
3) Rodney Crowell: "Still Learning How to Fly"
4) Jarvis Cocker: "Baby's Coming Back to Me"
5) Nikki Sudden: "Sanctified"
6) Leonard Cohen: "I Can't Forget"
7) Rod Stewart: "I'd Rather Go Blind"
8) Angela Strehli: "Always Love You"
9) Shelby Lynn: "Killing Kind"
10) Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter: "The Dreaming Dead"

Joanna Ramirez: 'Satisfy Me'

According to Joanna Ramirez's myspace page, she's writing songs for a new album and that's good news indeed for folks who like female blues singers such as Angela Strehli, Michelle Willson and Lou Ann Barton.

The title track of her 2001 debut, "Satisfy Me," is a seductive invitation for love that's damn hard to resist. Ramirez's voice goes down like a deep-fried doughnut covered with sugar. The uptempo Texas blues tune "Fool for You Baby" might be even sexier.

One of my best friends, who's in Austin for a supercomputing conference, has a chance to see her at a club there Friday night. I've never envied him more than I do now.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-20-08

Thursday morning jazz:

1) Gerry Mulligan and Astor Piazzolla: "Deus Zango"
2) Richard Galliano: "Mister J"
3) Anja Lechner and Dino Saluzzi: "Minguito"
4) Buddy Tate: "Cry Me a River"
5) Benny Carter: "Everything I Have is Yours"
6) Pat Martino: "Dreamsville"
7) Jim Hall: "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"
8) Red Garland: "Little Girl Blue"
9) Stefano Bollani: "Luz Negra"
10) Bill Evans: "When I Fall in Love"

Cut in the Hill Gang

The Cut in the Hill Gang, which features former Soledad Brothers member Johnny Walker, plays rock 'n' roll steeped in the blues that's raw and fuzzy. Just the way I like it. To hear some of the band's songs, visit the Cut in the Hill Gang's myspace page. And if you're interested in buying one of the group's 7-inch records, visit the Little Room Records site.

In the meantime, check out their version of "Goin' Back to Memphis."

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-19-08

The daily mix:

1) Les McCann and Eddie Harris: "Compared to What"
2) Horace Silver: "The Skunky Funky Blues"
3) The J.B.'s: "There's a Price to Pay to Live in Paradise"
4) Leroy Solieau: "Wish You Were Here"
5) Mitty Collier: "That'll Be Good Enough for Me"
6) The Admirations: "I Want to Be Free"
7) The Marvelettes: "Playboy"
8) Tammi Terrill: "What a Good Man He Is"
9) Katie Webster: "I'm Bad"
10) Blues Boy Willie: "Fishing Trip"

Jazz Blog Special: The Three Sounds, 'Soul Symphony'

I fell asleep with my iPod stereo on the other night and awoke to a bluesy piano flourish by Gene Harris playing "Summertime." I can't think of a better wake-up call.

Without a doubt, it's my favorite version of George Gershwin's classic tune. I think the only other one that comes close is a recording of it that Harris made with his trio, The Three Sounds.

I love everything I've ever heard by Harris and The Three Sounds, so I was thrilled a few days later when I spied a copy of "Soul Symphony" at a local record store. I didn't even know the 1969 recording had been reissued.

"Soul Symphony" doesn't feature The Three Sounds' classic lineup with Harris, bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy. And though I prefer the simple elegance of the trio to a bigger band with strings, I'll snarf up any album I can find that features Harris.

The album's title track is lovely. If I were picking the music for a remake of "Romeo and Juliet," "Soul Symphony" would be the theme song. After all, Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers is the ultimate blues story. My other favorite track on the album, "Popsicle Pimp," is a bluesy funk piece that would have fit in wonderfully on a soundtrack for one of the black exploitation films of the '70s.

If you're new to the music of The Three Sounds, start with one of the group's earlier albums. But if you're in the mood for a bluesy jazz jam, you'll be thrilled by the tunes on "Soul Symphony." It would be a pleasure to wake up to any one of them.

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

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-18-08

It's Twang Tuesday:

1) Peter Rowan: "Last Train"
2) Red Foley: "Birmingham Bounce"
3) Billie Jo Spears: "Mr. Walker, It's Over"
4) Bobbie Gentry: "Okolona River Bottom Band"
5) Steve Earle: "Hillbilly Highway"
6) Wanda Jackson: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"
7) Reckless Kelly: "I Saw It Coming"
8) Lefty Frizzell: "She's Gone Gone Gone"
9) Buck Owens: "You're Welcome Anytime"
10) Guy Clark: "That Old Time Feelin'"

Star Anna: 'Crooked Path'

Star Anna will break your heart before you make it halfway through "Black Cat Blues," a song from her debut album, "Crooked Path," but the song's so pretty you'll probably be eager to have it broken again and again.

The young musician from Ellenburg, Washington, is a country singer, to be sure, but her songs all sound like blues with a twang to me. And as I said, the music's lovely. "If Wishes Were Horses," for example, hit me the same way Toni Price's "Richest One" and Kelly Willis' "What I Deserve" did when I first heard those songs.

Star Anna says her biggest hero is Tom Petty. I can hear that, if only in the way she emotes. And I surely would love to hear her cover "Hope You Never."

Here's a clip of Star Anna singing "If Wishes Were Horses."

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-17-08

Monday morning jazz:

1) Stanley Turrentine and Shirley Scott: "Let It Go"
2) JImmy McGriff: "Tiki"
3) Bobby Hutcherson: "Whisper Not"
4) Sonny Rollins: "In the Chapel in the Midnight"
4) Sonny Criss: "The Isle of Celia"
5) Frank Strozier: "Pacemaker"
6) Sal Nistico: "Shoutin'"
7) Oliver Nelson: "March On, March On"
8) Tony Scott: "I'll Remember April"
9) Wallace Roney: "Northern Lights"
10) George Wallington: "'Dis Morning'"

Jazz Blog Special: Paris Reunion Band, 'French Cooking'

I stumbled upon The Paris Reunion Band's "French Cooking" when I started exploring the discography of saxophonist Nathan Davis.

Journalist Mike Hennessey conceived the idea to put together a group of American jazz musicians who once called Paris home. He found a lot of great ones. In addition to Davis — who plays alto and tenor saxophone and flute — the Paris Reunion Band features Johnny Griffin on tenor saxophone, Woody Shaw and Dizzy Reece on trumpet, Slide Hampton on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Billy Brooks on drums.

The great Kenny Clarke was supposed to fill the drummer's slot, but he died shortly before the album was recorded in 1985. Hennessey says in the liner notes that, at least in the part, the album's a tribute to the man known as Klook. That's clear from the first song, "Klook's Theme," which features Brooks riding his symbols and the band bouncing through Davis' charts extolling the bebop style that Clarke helped invent.

All of the principals get solo time on the album, but the most impressive thing to me is how cohesively they play as a unit. If you ask me, the album is every bit as good as most of the great jazz ensemble recordings of the '50s and '60s and it's certainly one of the best jazz recordings of the last 25 years.

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

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-16-08

The daily mix:

1) Tex Williams: "The Leaf of Love"
2) George Jones: "Once a Day"
3) Blaze Foley: "My Reasons Why"
4) Jim White: "Diamonds to Coal"
5) Charline Arthur: "Leave My Man Alone"
6) Janiva Magness: "Don't Let Your Memories"
7) Jemima James: "You Weren't There (When Our Love Died)"
8) Bertha "Chippie" Hill: "Lovesick Blues"
9) Sippie Wallace: "Murder's Gonna Be My Crime"
10) Georgia White: "What Have You Done to Me?"

Reverend Peyton and His Big Damn Band Concert at the Lafayette Brewing Company

Robert Johnson met the devil at the crossroads. Saturday night in Hoosierland, which is arguably the country's real crossroads, a couple hundred blues fans and I met The Reverend Peyton and His Big Damn Band. And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure whether Reverend Peyton plays more like Johnson or the devil.

I knew all hell was about to let loose when Peyton came marching out of the kitchen with a siren blaring through a bullhorn. It did. I've never heard three people playing acoustic instruments make such a racket.

When they hit the stage, Reverend Peyton started funneling the manic sounds of his harmonica through the bullhorn. His wife, Breezy, on washboard and his brother, Jayme, on drums banged on their instruments like they were trying to wake the dead. They might have been successful too — especially when Reverend Peyton started pounding his guitar — if we'd been near a cemetery.

Their music is rooted in the country blues of folks like Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy and Skip James, but they play it with a punk sensibility. In that respect, they're a lot like Flogging Molly, a band they've toured with, which plays a furious blend of Celtic music and punk.

I'm betting Robert Johnson would dig the way Reverend Peyton plays his National steel and Gibson guitars, though. He'd probably appreciate the lyrics, too. "My Old Man Boogie" and "My Old Man Boogie" are straight-up great blues tunes on speed. And "Your Cousin's on Cops," a song the good reverend and his brother wrote after seeing Breezy's cousin on an episode of "Cops," strikes me as the modern day equivalent of Lightnin' Hopkins' "Penitentiary Blues" or Stick McGhee's "Jailhouse Blues."

I loved all the songs, even though my ears are still ringing. I'm just glad they hail from southern Indiana because that means I'll get to see Reverend Peyton and His Big Damn Band again soon. And when I do — perhaps at The Vogue in Indianapolis on Dec. 26 — I'm taking ear plugs.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-15-08

The daily mix:

1) Star Anna: "Devil Don't Remember My Name"
2) Liz Tormes: "Without Truth"
3) Kasey Chambers: "Not Pretty Enough"
4) Rosie Flores: "Going Through the Motions"
5) Kathleen Edwards: "Run"
6) Grey DeLisle: "Joanna"
7) Pieta Brown: "On the Edge"
8) The Waifs: "When I Die"
9) Mary Lou Lord: "Cinderella Backstreet"
10) Shannon McNally: "It Ain't Easy Being Green"

Jody Reynolds Dies

Rockabilly star Jody Reynolds, who died last week, will forever be associated with his top 10 hit "Endless Sleep." The song's pretty enough, but it's a bit too melodramatic for my taste. I prefer "Stranger in the Mirror," a tune he performed with Bobbie Gentry on which he sounds like a cross between Roy Orbison and The Byrds. It's one of the prettiest pop songs I know.

RIP.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-14-08

Friday morning jazz:

1) Johannes Berauer's Tiny Orchestra: "Dust Clouds"
2) Jason Lindner Big Band: "Song for Amos"
3) Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band: "The First Circle"
4) Darcy James Argue's Secret Society: "Flux in a Box"
5) Bob Florence Limited Edition: "New York Injection"
6) Bobby Henderson: "Blues for Louis"
7) Lennie Niehaus: "Have You Met Miss Jones?"
8) Thad Jones/Pepper Adams Quintet: "Mean What You Say"
9) Cannonball Adderley Quintet: "This Here"
10) Bob Brookmeyer's Small Band: "Yesterdays"

Blues Blog Special: 'Coot Grant and Kid Wilson, Volume 3 (1931-1938)'

The patter between Coot Grant and her husband, Wesley "Kid" Wilson, will be a revelation to folks who grew up watching Sonny and Cher snipe at each other.

On "Hot Papa, That Out," for example, Williams asks Grant for a quarter so he can "go out and spread some joy." She calls him a pig-eyed ape and questions his manhood. And on "I Don't Want That Stale Stuff," Grant assures Wilson that all the men she's been hanging out with are her cousins. He remains skeptical and a hilarious series of insults follow.

Sonny and Cher can't compare. In fairness, Coot Grant and Kid Wilson's double entendres on "Meat Cuttin' Blues," "Keep Your Hands Off My Mojo" and "Save a Little Bit for Me" never would have made it past the TV censors of the '70s. But Sonny and Cher's music, though generally pleasant and occasionally amusing, couldn't compare with Grant and Wilson's either. Grant had an impishly sultry voice and Wilson was an excellent blues pianist with an agreeable voice. Moreover, on "Coot Grant and Kid Wilson, Volume 3 (1931-1938)," they're backed by Fletcher Henderson, Eddie Lang, Charlie Green and Buster Bailey.

Bessie Smith knew how good Grant and Williams were; she recorded several of their songs, including "Gimme a Pigfoot." And trust me, the tunes on this collection have just as much bite.

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

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-13-08

The daily mix:

1) The Faces: "Stay With Me"
2) The Painted Faces: "I Think I'm Going Mad"
3) Dean Kohler:"Gooseberry Pie"
4) Lyres: "She Pays the Rent"
5) The Kinks: "Got My Feet on the Ground"
6) The Dickies: "Epistle to Dickie"
7) The Detroit Cobras: "Nothing But a Heartache"
8) Jack-O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers: "Knick the Knife"
9) The Jacobites: "Ambulance Station"
10) J. Geils Band: "Looking for a Love"

Faces Reunion?

I'm pretty stoked about the news that The Faces might be reuniting. Reportedly, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenny Jones have booked a practice hall next week and might play some gigs next year.

In his younger day, Stewart was one of the greatest of all rock singers. Now, he makes the kind of music that "Saturday Night Live" could build a silly skit around.

I'm hoping that Wood, McLagan and Jones can rekindle Stewart's love of blues-based, ball's out rock 'n' roll. If they do, I'd be proud to call Stewart one of my favorite singers again.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-12-08

Wednesday night jazz:

1) Nathan Davis: "Shades"
2) Sonny Rollins: "You Don't Know What Love Is"
3) Ted Heath: "Autumn Leaves"
4) The Modern Jazz Orchestra: "Django"
5) Dusko Goykovich: "Nella"
6) Thurman Green: "Searching for Peace"
7) Freddie Redd: "Time to Smile"
8) Harold Land: "One Down"
9) Duke Pearson: "Empathy"
10) Frank Morgan and Bud Shank: "Quiet Fire"

Blues Blog Special: Alberta Adams

Alberta Adams imbues every song on "Born with the Blues," released in 1999, and "Say Baby Say," released in 2000, with attitude. And let me tell you, more than 50 hard years in the music business took away none of her sass.

For whatever reason, older women have always had a thing for me. Twenty years ago, when I was still a relatively young man, a woman in her late 80s asked me every week to meet her for drinks at a local tavern. Her friend, a feisty woman in her 90s, told me she was ready to start dating again but she was "worried about that AIDS thing."

Adams' songs on these albums remind me of those women.

"We Ain't Makin' Honey" would be amusing if a young blues singer recorded the song. It's unforgettable when a singer in her 80s, especially one with as fine a voice as Adams', tells a man he's not getting lucky unless he's making some jack. The tune, which can be found on "Say Baby Say," is one of my favorite blues songs of all time. I'm also a big fan of "He May Be Your Man," a song from "Born with the Blues," on which Adams taunts another woman with tales of getting busy with the woman's man.

For that matter, I'm wild about almost all of Adams' songs. She never rushes her delivery, but even ballads ballads such as "I Cried My Last Tear" and "Just a Lucky So and So" are packed with power and passion.

Sauciness never gets old.

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

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-11-08

The daily mix:

1) St. Thomas: "The Play"
2) Brian Jonestown Massacre: "A New Low in Getting High"
3) Loose Fur: "Pretty Sparks"
4) Sam Prekop: "Dot Eye"
5) Mark Lanegan: "House a Home"
6) Silver Jews: "Advice to the Graduate"
7) The Teenage Prayers: "Annihilation"
8) The Mountain Goats: "In the Craters of the Moon"
9) Gorky's Zygotic Mynci: "If Fingers Were Xylophones"
10) Bats and Mice: "Enough of You"

Remembering Saint Thomas

I like a lot of young pop and indie rock artists, but I don't fall in love very often. Norwegian singer Thomas Hansen (a.k.a. St. Thomas and Saint Thomas) was different.

Hansen, who died a year ago when he took a deadly combination of prescription drugs, didn't have a particularly strong voice — I think he sounded like a poor man's Neil Young — but he sang with conviction and heart. Moreover, his lyrics were both tender and surprising.

Apparently, there's a new box set of his music from his label, Racing Junior. As a bonus, the set includes a tribute album featuring artists such as Lambchop, Ane Brun and A Boy Named Sue. I haven't been able to find a physical copy of the box set, but most of the music from it, including the songs from the tribute album, is available from emusic.

Check out this video of Hansen performing "Sheer Wonder" from his "Children of the New Brigade" album. I'm betting you'll fall in love, too.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-10-08

Monday night jazz:

1) Miles Davis: "Time After Time"
2) Zoot Sims: "Echoes of You"
3) Phineas Newborn: "If I Should Lose You"
4) Charlie Rouse: "When Sunny Gets Blue"
5) Lee Morgan: "Twice Around"
6) Steve Grossman: "This Time the Dream's on Me"
7) Billy Mitchell: "Siam"
8) Tina Brooks: "Good Old Soul"
9) Andre Previn: "Low and Inside"
10) Woody Shaw: "All Things Being Equal are Not"

Miriam Makeba Dies

South African singer Miriam Makeba has died. She was one of world's greatest musical agents of change.

A college friend introduced me to her music in the '70s when we were talking about apartheid. I've been mesmerized ever since.

Here's a clip of Makeba performing "Soweto Blues":

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-9-08

The daily mix:

1) Blaze Foley: "Big Cheeseburgers and Good French Fries"
2) Ray Wylie Hubbard: "Dust of the Chase"
3) Merle Travis: "I Am a Pilgrim"
4) Earl Taylor and Jim McCall: "Little Henry Lee"
5) Steve Young: "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird"
6) Patsy Cline: "In Care of the Blues"
7) Gram Parsons: "Hearts on Fire"
8) Lucinda Williams: "Pineola"
9) Kelly Willis: "That's How I Got to Memphis"
10) The Gourds: Lower 48"

Kenny Brown: 'Meet Ya in the Bottom'

A dirty roar blasts out of Kenny Brown's guitar on several songs on his new album, "Meet Ya in the Bottom." It sounds almost like R.L. Burnside's longtime sidekick figured out how to tune a jet engine.

Brown's voice, though, is warm and scratchy. And that's perfect for his Mississippi Hill Country blues that mixes in heavy doses of rock and old-school country.

"Meet Ya in the Bottom" is one of the best new blues albums I've heard all year. Here's a taste:

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-8-08

The daily mix:

1) The Fairfield Four: "John the Revelator"
2) Bonnie Raitt and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama: "When the Spell is Broken"
3) Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia: "Lonely Avenue"
4) Solomon Burke: "None of Us are Free"
5) Esther Phillips: "Black-eyed Blues"
6) Lavelle White: "Wrapping Up Our Love"
7) Eddie Floyd: "On a Saturday Night"
8) Little Milton: "Right to Sing the Blues"
9) The Fabulous Jades: "Come on and Love"
10) Bob and Earl: "Don't Ever Leave Me"

Bye-bye Warm Weather

It looks as if our unseasonably warm weather's over. That's OK, I can live with it being a cold night for alligators.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-7-08

Friday morning soul:

1) Mary Gresham: "You've Never Really Lived (Til You've Loved Someone)"
2) Arthur Conley: "Where You Lead Me"
3) Barbara Redd: "I'll Be All Alone"
4) Little Buster and the Soul Brothers: "First You Cry"
5) Spencer Wiggins: "That's How Much I Love You"
6) Sam and Dave: "You Don't Know What You Mean to Me"
7) Sam Baker: "Let Me Come on Home"
8) Barbara and the Browns: "If I Can't Run to You I'll Crawl"
9) Irma Thomas: "Don't Make Me Stop Now"
10) Genie Brooks: "Fine Time"

Music for Obama's Inauguration?

If I had my guess, Chicago will be well-represented when Barack Obama chooses the musicians to perform at his inauguration.

I'd be willing to bet that Wilco will be there. Maybe Buddy Guy and Mavis Staples, too. I'd also like to see Common, a rapper from Chicago, perform at the inauguration.

Ideally, the musical guests would represent the broad coalition of folks who elected Obama. I read today that Beyonce is making a push to get invited. She wouldn't be at the top of my list, but I didn't grow up watching MTV and she'd certainly appeal to a portion of Obama's younger demographic. Manu Chao would appeal to many Hispanics and young indie rock fans. Personally, I'd like to see Los Lobos there, too.

Reportedly, Obama likes jazz, so I'm betting he'll invite Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. They'd be the safe pick and a damn fine one, too — their recent show at Purdue was outstanding. But if Obama wanted to be edgy, I'd advise him to turn to Chicago jazz legend Fred Anderson, who could put together an extraordinary collection of Windy City jazz artists from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

I don't know whether Obama would pick some country artists, but if he does, I'm willing to bet Hank Williams Jr. and Toby Keith don't make the cut. If I were in charge, Merle Haggard, Buddy Miller and Emmylou Harris would get invitations. And for folkies, I'd pick John Prine, Pete Seeger and Mary Gauthier.

I know a lot of people think it's too predictable to pick Bruce Springsteen, but The Boss represents just about all the values Obama stands for. Why not pair Springsteen with Bob Dylan, Neil Young and John Mellencamp?

Whatever the choices, it's going to be a hell of an inauguration.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-6-08

Thursday morning jazz:

1) Clark Terry and His Big Bad Band: "Una Mas"
2) The Heath Brothers: "Bop Again"
3) Larry Willis: "Light Blue"
4) Martial Solal: "Monster Piece"
5) Tete Montoliu: "Primeros Pasos"
6) Eddie Palmieri: "Azucar Pa' Ti"
7) Chucho Valdes: "Rhapsody in Blue"
8) Dexter Gordon: "Coppin' the Haven"
9) Mal Waldron: "Suicide is Painless"
10) Marian McPartland: "In the Days of Our Love"

Jim Pugh/Pastel Motif: 'Background for a Soulful Life'

Jim Pugh, the keyboard player for the Robert Cray Band, refers to the songs on his new album as sketches. It seems to me that they're a lot more than that. The 10 tunes on the CD, "Background for a Soulful Life," are intricate musical portraits painted with sure strokes on his Hammond organ.

On his Website, Pugh says he plays what he heard as a young musician working at the Stardust Lounge in San Francisco. There's blues, to be sure, and soul jazz in the style of the great Hammond B3 master Jimmy Smith. There's some nasty funk, too, but that's to be expected from a guy whose mentor was Louis Madison, the keyboard player for James Brown's Famous Flames. I even hear some church music — the sound of Pugh's organ spirals out in deep, majestic colors on a few cuts. It sounds all the world like a pipe organ to me.

The one constant on all the tunes is that Pugh and drummer John Hanes, the only other musician on the album, always find a groove. And, really, that's the art of being a great organist.

A Playlist for President-elect Barack Obama:

Songs for a new American hero:

1) Jason and the Scorchers: "Victory Road"
2) Neil Young: "Looking for a Leader"
3) The Treniers: "(We Want a) Rock and Roll President"
4) David Bowie: "Heroes"
5) Dinah Washington: "There'll Be Some Changes Made"
6) The Pixies: "Here Comes Your Man"
7) Merle Haggard: "Here Comes the Freedom Train"
8) Chairmen of the Board: "All We Need is Understanding"
9) Soul Swingers: "Brighter Tomorrow"
10) Bruce Springsteen: "Waitin' on a Sunny Day"
11) Al Green: "Free at Last"
12) A.C. Reed: "The President Plays"
13) Black Uhuru: "Happiness"
14) Nat King Cole: "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)"
15) The 5 Royales: "Tears of Joy"
16) Gogol Bordello: "Forces of Victory"
17) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: "Change the World"
18) Femi Kuti: "Fight to Win"
19) Vulgar Boatmen: "You're the One"
20 Jeff Buckley: "Hallelujah"

Anthony Braxton: 'The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton'

I've been savoring Mosaic Records' new eight-disc box set for Anthony Braxton, "The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton," for a week now. The set is astounding in its breadth of styles and textures. It's so good, in fact, that I haven't even opened the three-disc Mosaic set featuring the music of Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, and I adore them.

At $136, the Braxton set's a bargain, especially considering the recordings have been out of print for so long. Whether you buy the limited edition set or not, make sure you watch the video interview with Braxton, which can be found on the right side of the page linked above.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-4-08

The daily mix:

1) Richard Thompson: "I Misunderstood"
2) Gurf Morlix: "Worth Dying For"
3) Jay Farrar: "Damn Shame (Memphis Mix)"
4) Robbie Fulks: "She Must Think I Like Poetry"
5) Chris Smither: "Diplomacy"
6) Tommy Womack: "You Could Be at the Beach Now, Little Girl"
7) Bob Dylan: "Ballad of a Thin Man"
8) The Spanic Boys: "The Man Who Hates the World"
9) Clem Snide: "Velvet Elvis Heart"
10) The Handsome Family: "Tesla's Hotel Room"

In Search of a 'Girl and Her Guitar'

I whiffed this evening in my quest to find a copy of jazz guitarist Mary Osborne's "A Girl and Her Guitar." No CDs, no LPs. I couldn't even find any digital copies to download. That's crazy. The album features pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Jo Jones, for god's sake, and Osborne played guitar with the bite of a rockabilly star and the sweetness of Ella Fitzgerald.

There are some of her songs available on "Swing to Bop: Guitars in Flight, 1939-1947," but I already had those. I guess I'm not smart enough to understand why record companies wouldn't open their vaults to make more old albums available for digital purchase. It couldn't cost them much and might yield some big revenue streams. Oh well.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-3-08

Monday morning blues:

1) Seasick Steve: "Cut My Wings"
2) Alec Seward: "Risin' Sun Shine On"
3) Bishop Dready Manning: "Go Ahead On Satan and Leave Me Alone"
4) Lil' Son Jackson: "Freedom Train Blues"
5) Henry Townshend: "Rocks Have Been My Pillow"
6) J.B. Lenoir: "When I Was Young"
7) Pee Wee Crayton: "Send for Me"
8) Snooky Pryor: "Real Fine Boogie"
9) Joe Hill Louis: "Tiger Man"
10) Carlos Guitarlos: "Keep My Hot Tamales Warm"

Seasick Steve

I was pretty psyched when I heard that bluesman Seasick Steve had released a new album, "I Started Out With Nothin' and I Still Got Most Of It Left," until I discovered that it's damn near impossible to find in the States.

Seasick Steve (Steve Wold) is an American bluesman who's a sensation in Britain but is barely known in his home country, and that's a shame. Dude plays blues that's raw and nasty, but also tender and sweet. His tunes are filled with the experiences of a guy who ran away from home when he was a kid, hopped trains as a young man, worked as a carny and spent some time in jail.

While you're waiting for his new album to make it to this side of the pond, I recommend you download "Doghouse Blues" from iTunes. And make sure you check out the clips below.

Lafayette Gilchrist: 'Soul Progressin''

The title song of pianist Lafayette Gilchrist's new album, "Soul Progressin'," sounds almost like a lost track from Charles Mingus' "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady." The tune is a bluesy, funk-filled ride that confirms that Gilchrist is one of the top young jazz artists in the business.

Gilchrist, a member of saxophonist David Murray's band, is often compared to Thelonious Monk. It's easy to hear Monk's influence on "Soul Progressin'," but don't get the idea that the music is derivative. Gilchrist and his octet play jazz with the energy and swagger of an inventive hip-hop band.

Songs such as "Between Us" and "Many Exits, No Doors" are likely to cause sensory overload because there are so many interesting chord progressions assaulting listeners at once. But if you listen carefully, Gilchrist's piano gives clarity to the chaos. He knows how to work a ballad, too. "Uncrowned" could easily be used as the backdrop for a love scene in a movie.

I know it's early November, but if you're looking for the perfect gift for your favorite jazz fan, I'd put "Soul Progressin'" on your list. It's easily one of the best jazz releases of the year.

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-2-08

Sunday morning blues:

1) Lightnin' Hopkins: "Come Go Home With Me"
2) Muddy Waters: "You're Gonna Need My Help I Said"
3) Fenton Robinson: "You Say You're Leaving"
4) The Five Points Band: "Smokin' Loco"
5) Watermelon Slim: "Possum Hand"
6) Lucky Peterson: "You Can't Fool Me"
7) Liz Mandville Greeson: "The Friendly Stranger"
8) Lavelle White: "Movin'"
9) Alberta Adams: "I Can Be Good"
10) Katie Webster: "Pussycat Moan"

Thornetta Davis: 'Sunday Morning Music'

Thornetta Davis' version of "You Haven't Done Nothin'" is my favorite cover of a Stevie Wonder tune ever. As far as I'm concerned, Herbie Hancock's "You've Got It Bad, Girl," Gilberto Gil's "Secret Life of Plants," the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Higher Ground" and King Curtis' "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" are the only others that come close.

On "You Haven't Done Nothin'," Davis skewers the man she's singing about with a combination of funk and sass. She's even nastier when she sings "Helpless," a fuzzed out funk tune on which she sound like an updated version of Betty Davis with a sweeter voice.

Those songs, which can be found on "Sunday Morning Music," released in 1996, show just one side of the Detroit blues diva.

"Cry" is a blues burner that highlights the emotional range of her voice. "Come Go With Me" sounds like a pop version of a classic soul tune. And "Only One" is a gorgeous love song on which Davis' voice soars above a sexy organ instrumental by Eddie Harsch. I wish the album included more '60s-style soul — she is from Motown — but I'm not complaining.

You won't find any of the songs from "Sunday Morning Music" on Davis' myspace page, but you will hear just how great her voice is. And make sure to check out the clip below of Davis performing "Get Ready."

Cahl's Jukebox, 11-1-08

The daily mix:

1) Bishop Allen: "The News From Your Bed"
2) Billy Pilgrim: "Billy in the Time Machine"
3) Eleventh Dream Day: "Road That Never Winds"
4) True Believers: "Hard Road"
5) Peter Bruntnell: "Perfume River"
6) Blanche: "Scar Beneath the Skin"
7) Wilco: "Hotel Arizona"
8) M. Ward: "Big Boat"
9) A.A. Bondy: "World Without End"
10) Black Lipstick: "Viva Max"

Big Weekend

Next weekend will probably be one of the musical highlights of my year.

On Saturday, I'm planning to see Bob Schneider at The Music Mill in Indianapolis. It's hard to categorize his music. He's a folkie and a rocker who plays some of the snarkiest funk you'll ever hear. I saw him in Bloomington a few years ago and it was one of the best, and funniest, shows I've ever seen.

On Sunday, I'll be back in Lafayette for a show sponsored by Friends of Bob, a local music cooperative, featuring The Gourds at the Lafayette Brewing Company. It's even harder to categorized the Austin roots rockers who combine country, rock, Tex-Mex, zydeco and blues into their act.

If you're around central Indiana next weekend, you should catch these shows. I'll be looking for you.