CHARLES EARLAND - I AIN’T JIVIN’, I’M JAMMIN’ (Muse, 1992)

I posted this one on Nine Sisters last year but since the blog no longer exists, I re-post it here.

It’s not my favorite Charles Earland album, not even my favorite Earland album on Muse.  Don’t expect the burning raw energy of albums such as “Black Talk”.  Nevertheless, it’s certainly not a bad album and it has its moments.  The title track grooves nicely, in an easy-going and laid-back way.  As AMG puts it: “ The improviser swings hard and passionately on Wayne Shorter's "Tell It Like It Is," but his mellow side wins out on such congenial, groove-oriented jazz/R&B fare as pianist Neal Creque's "Cease the Bombing" and the originals "Sweety Pie," "World of Competition" and "Thinking of You." Even at his most relaxed, though, Earland's music is undeniably gritty. Among the noteworthy soloists employed this time are trombonist Clifford Adams, guitarist Oliver Nevels and the promising young tenor & soprano saxman Eric Alexander” . (Alex Henderson, All Music Guide).

Give it a try!

Track list:

1          I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin'

2          One for Andre

3          Tell It Like It Is          

4          Cease the Bombing    

5          Thinking of You

6          City Lights

7          World of Competition

8          Sweety Pie

Credits

Charles Earland                       Keyboards, Organ

Clifford Adams                       Trombone

Eric Alexander                        Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)

Oliver Nevels                          guitar

Darryl Jones                            Bass (Electric)

Steve Cobb                             Drums

Tony Carpenter                       Percussion

Currently OOP.  Link in comments.

I've been searching YouTube but there ain't no live footage of Charles Earland. 

YOU GOT ME RUNNIN' (Muse, 1991)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

I’ll start the year with an album that should have appeared on or be linked  to the Nine Sisters blog as it was issued on the Muse label, but unfortunately this excellent blog no longer exists. 

My first love in Music was the Blues.  I discovered Jazz thru' Jazz Blues records and as such I’ve always been very fond of the great Blues Shouters, people like Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, Big Joe Turner, Jimmy Whiterspoon, Big Miller to name a few. Because these bluesmen sat on the borderline between jazz and  blues, they were often shunned by the rock-fed white blues aficionados, who were never too keen on jazz anyway, prefering the raw harmonica based sound of Chicago Blues to the more jazz-oriented style of the shouters.  Alexis Korner made this remark almost 50 years ago.

The fact is that there aren’t many real blues shouters around nowadays.  I guess Willie Pooch could qualify. He recorded some fantastic sides with Tony Monaco on Hammond B-3.  Highly recommended but I won’t post them as these records are still currently on sale.

A photo of Larry O'Neill, taken
 from  an ad for a show in a
Cafe in Istanbul  in 2009.

The shouter I’ve posted today is not somedody one would call a household name ... unless you live in Turkey. It’s common for US blues artists to try their luck abroad but generally they choose Europe, some try Japan or Australia ... few would decide to become a blues star in Turkey.  Larry O’Neill did.  I don’t know whether he is still living there but the only info I manage to find on the net was from Turkish sources.  He’s apparently a regular visitors to festivals and clubs overthere

The only recording of Larry O’Neill I know is this excellent CD produced by Houston Person and issued on Muse in 1991.  The repertoire is mostly blues numbers and a few ballads but, as AMG states “no one's going to mistake You Got Me Runnin' for a Chess session of the 1950s or 1960s--O'Neill's backing consists of nothing but jazz musicians, including Person on tenor sax, Stan Hope on piano, Randy Johnston on electric guitar, Peter Martin Weiss on upright bass and Cecil Brooks III on drums.”

Tracks

You Got Me Runnin'

I Need You So           

Hard Luck Blues

Woke up This Morning          

I Want a Little Girl

Ain't Nobody Sleepin' in My Bed

Don't Deceive Me

Built for Comfort

How Do You Speak to an Angel

Why Must I Be Lonely

Credits :  Larry O'Neill (Vocals), Houston Person (Sax Tenor, Producer), Stan Hope (Piano), Randy Johnston (Guitar), Peter Martin Weiss (Bass), Cecil Brooks III (Drums).

Currently OOP.  Link in comments.