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| LIVE IN TEL AVIV 2002 - JEROME GODBOO |
| Recorded live at The Music Factory and Camelot Herzelia in Tel Aviv, Israel, this delightful mixed bag of sophisticated blues and blues-rock shines a clear reflection on the passionate frustrations ensuing from a reluctantly severed relationship. Rather than crying the blues mournfully, though, Mr. Godboo excels in masking his grief in a charming, almost vaudevillian way, allowing his joy in playing to override the pain. There are a few lightweight exceptions to this rule - �Stand Up For My Baby� (although he still can�t resist mumbling a sarcastic barb against his lady-love) and �Play Me�, a memorable collaboration with Alec Fraser - while Hendrix�s �Little Wing� gets pushed a notch higher in its bittersweet emotion, especially on one of many soul-searing guitar breaks. Hendrix gets another worthy, extended nod on �Voodoo Child�. Various influences are subtly injected into his originals, such as Jack de Keyzer (on �October 17� and �The Night I Slept Outside�) and Jeff Healey (on the barrel-housing �Cold Woman Blues�), a candid introductory admission of his repressed feelings towards his broken marriage. There is also a bass-ic parallel to Hendrix�s �Foxy Lady� on �Eye on You�, which is enhanced by lushly quivering keyboards. Shedding his usual funky persona (but not completely, as witnessed on Slim Harpo�s �Teena Neena Noo�), Jerome gets playful on Ernie K. Doe�s �Certain Girl� (also responsible for the �Mother-in-Law� song). He then proceeds to rock out on John Mayall�s �Little Girl�, followed by the instantly recognizable but somewhat sloppily-covered Derringer-Winter classic, �Rock & Roll Hoochie Coo� � but, hey, it�s only rock�n�roll and I like it; yes, I do! A consummate live performer, Jerome takes full advantage of his wide-ranging vocals, casual onstage patter and, of course, that fully-loaded belt of juicy-sounding harmonicas slung around his waist like a Mexican bandito to connect with his appreciative audiences everywhere! Jerome�s excellent backing players � Arik de Mayo on bass; Eyal Klein on keyboards; Amit Itzhak and Gadi ben Elisha on guitars; and Israeli-born comic-musician-author Danny Sanderson making a special appearance � must have made the production work by Alon Neuman (who also plays drums on the CD) a piece of cake, if the captured audience response is any clue. Tel Aviv in Israel 2002 rocks the blues away! |
| Jerome Godboo and Jimmy Bowskill at Healey's (Photo by G?nter Ott �2004) |
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