| CD REVIEW |
| ONE NIGHT ONLY - LITTLE BILL |
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| One Night Only is a fitting marquee for this CD, as it certainly is a performance that would demand immediate attention, in a live setting, before the magic disappears. Washington's Ambassador of Bass Guitar, Bill ("Little Bill") Englehart, has again offered up an immensely enjoyable, high-class collection of music. Whereas his previous CD, Naked Blues, was comprised of earthier, gutsy slide guitar pieces (care of Mark Riley) in that country-blues vein that is near and dear to my heart, One Night Only is more romantically sophisticated but still retains its blues-based sincerity. The long-running musical entity known as Little Bill & The Blue Notes has been performing since 1956 and has seen as many personnel changes over the years as Canada's Powerhouse. The CD is, in fact, dedicated to a Mister Jenkins, the original 1955 Tacoma Blue Notes and the Washington Carver American Legion. The current line-up includes the spectacular talents of Dick Powell on B-3, electric piano and harmonica, Billy Stapleton on guitars, and drummer Tommy Morgan, all players at the top of their game here. Tommy is obviously one of the more professional drummers around, displaying his rhythmic versatility on standards as diverse as Henderson-Dixson's "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" and Titus Turner's "Grits Ain't Groceries". Although Bill has contributed only three of his own superb originals here, he has a knack for filling out his repertoire with well-chosen covers that do justice to his snake-charming vocals. Little Bill's shuffling version of Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'" has a great little piano noodle finale, and the slow and sensual renditions of Ray Charles' "Losing Hand" and B.B. King's "Guess Who" are understated pieces of excellence featuring exquisite electric guitar and absolutely chilling B-3. These tracks just beg to be listened to, not talked about. "Cherry Red", not to be confused with Luther Allison's song of the same name, is a catchy little harmonica and slide guitar-based country-rocker that will get your toes tapping. Bill's second original, "Down Town Rhumba Girl" is self-explanatory where musical style is concerned and stands out with Dick Powell's contributions on some very exciting boogie-woogie piano and harmonica. My favourite original track, "Lincoln Continental Blues", addresses the subject of retaining a genuine sense of the blues upon achieving financial success. No problem there, Bill - rich (and white) people get the blues, too. Bill's deserved reputation as a master of bass guitar shines through in his disciplined, dynamic approach, at times maintaining a subtle but interesting background rhythm and then filling in more prominently when the reinforcement is called for, especially on the excellent CD closer, Arthur Conley's "Shake, Rattle & Roll". This track was dedicated to Guitar Shorty (a.k.a. David William Kearney), an acrobat and musician who, in the '60s, toured frequently in Canada (with Ray Charles and Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones) and settled for a while in Seattle, marrying Jimi Hendrix's stepsister, Marcia. Now based in Los Angeles, Guitar Shorty is currently on tour across America, with scheduled December/02 dates in New York City and Memphis, Tennessee. If Little Bill should ever become physically incapable of playing/singing, he could certainly continue in the business as a producer, as he and Dick Powell have done a splendid job here and should be highly recommended for anyone requiring this service. It took 46 years for me to discover the magical Blue Notes, but as the saying goes, "better late than never"! |
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