Delmark Records artist: Dave Specter - Six String Soul - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Six String Soul, a double cd release by Dave Specter and it's great. Celebrating 30 years on Delmark, with remastered recordings from throughout his career and celebrating many guests. Opening with Buzz Me Specter on guitar, is joined by Barkin Bill Smith on vocal and Ronnie Earl on guitar as well as Ken Saydak on organ, Dez Desormeaux on sax, Red Groetzinger on sax, Mike McCurdy on bass and John Hiller on drums. Very cool. Specter really stretches out nicely on solo guitar on slow blues, Railroad Station. Smith, on lead vocal does a real nice job and Bob Stroger on bass anchors the track. Saydak's piano is a nice accent and sax soloing by Groetzinger is really nice. I really like instrumental, Specter's Walk, with it's deep jazz groove. Specter cruses on guitar, Desormeaux's sax solo is rich, and Saydak's organ work is strong. Tad Robinson has lead vocal on Sweet Serenity. I've always been a fan of Robsinson's vocals and Specter really gets this track swinging on guitar. Very nice. West Side Stroll is another terrific instrumental, showcasing Specter's dynamic guitar style. Backed by Mike McCurdy on bass and Mark Fornek on drums, another great track. Seventy-Four is a strong slower blues with Willie Kent on lead vocal and bass. This is the style of track that really gets Specter in the slot. His lead soloing is tops and with Fornek on drums, another highlight of the release. Lynwood Slim has the mic on Get Back Home, a strong shuffle. Mike Scharf on bass, Barrelhouse Chuck on piano and Fornek on drums hold a tight bottom and Specter nails it on guitar. Very nice. Kenny Lynn really adds depth to the release with his powerhouse vocals on Blues On My Mind and Rob Waters' organ solo is dynamite. Low slung, In Too Deep, features Sharon Lewis on lead vocal and Specter's guitar doing his talking. With Brother John Kattke on piano, Harlan Terson on Bass and Marty Binder on drums, this is a great shuffle. The Blues Ain't Nothin' features a cool pairing of Specter and Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitars with Harlan Terson on bass, Marty Binder on drums, Kattke on keys and lead vocal, Mars Williams on sax, John Janowiak on trombone and Ron haynes on trumpet. Wrapping the release is Ballad of George Floyd with Specter on guitar and vocal with Billy Branch on vocal and harmonica backed by Danny Shaffer on acoustic guitar and Brother John Kattke on organ. This is a really terrific retrospective and a great addition to your collection. 

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Delmark Records artist: Dave Specter - Blues From The Inside Out - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues From The Inside Out, from Dave Specter, and it's got great style. Opening with title track, Blues From The Inside Out, Dave Spector leads on guitar and vocal with Brother John Kattke on keys, Harlan Lee Terson on bass, and Marty Binder on drums. Adding in the horns on Ponchatoula Way, Specter put up a blues rocker with a splash of New Orleans. Mars Williams on sax, Jon Janowiak on trombone and Ron Haynes on trumpet give the track fullness and Spector's innovative blues riffs and the solid piano work of Kattke are really nice.  Hot Tuna leader, Jorma Kaukonen joins on Sanctifunkious, a real sweaty blues funk right out of the streets of NO. A cool instrumental with essential drums by Binder and percussion by Ruben Alverez, and nice key work by Kattke, a great groove. Latin influenced, Minor Shout has a super beat and with tight percussion, clean lead guitar and fluid organ runs, it could easily be from an early Santana release. Very nice. Boogie track, The Blues Ain't Nothin' has a terrific walking bass line, punched along by Haynes, Williams and Janowiak giving Jorma and Specter a wide open field to jam. Slick. My favorite track on the release, Opposites Attract, has a contagious, swamp rhythm, super piano work by Kattke and some of Specter's best soloing on the release. A little change up and a bit of R&B gives you Soul Drop with a straight snare beat, full organ and rich guitar lead with light chicken on the side. Wrapping the release is String Chillin' a smooth instrumental featuring Specter setting up a basic melody, jazz style but without too much sauce and Kattke on piano. As the track warms in, Specter's guitar ventures into improvisation. Think more Buchanan or Gatton than Wes Montgomery. This is a real nice track and a solid closer for a real nice release. 

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Delmark Records artist: Mississippi Heat - Cab Driving Man - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Cab Driving Man, from Mississippi Heat and it's a cornucopia of blues. Opening with R&B track, Cupid Bound, Pierre Lacocque is on the harp with sweet tone. Inetta Visor has the lead vocals. Chris "Hambone" Cameron sets up the keys backed by Brian Quinn on bass, Kenny Smith on drums with excellent guitar riffs by Michael Dotson and Sax Gordon on sax. Nice opener. Title track, Cab Driving Man, has great pace with Terrence Williams on drums and sweltering bari sax by Gordon. Visor's vocals are solid and Ruben Alvarez's percussion is tight. Boogie track, That Late Night Stuff features Dotson on lead vocal and his lead guitar work really hits the spot. On delta style blues, Flowers On My Tombstone, Visor lays in some of the best vocals on the release, backed by Sumito Aruyo on piano, Lacocque on harp and Dotson on guitar. Very nice. Icy Blue has a real nice funky bottom to it thanks to Quinn and Williams. Giles Corey lays down some real nice slide work on this track and Lacocque ices the track with always cool harp riffs. Cool boogie guitar riffs by Dotson open The Last Go Round and he stays at the mic on lead vocal. Punched along by Lacocque, this track has a Chicago twist. Bass driven, Rosalie, has a Latin flavor with Visor back on the mic and excellent percussion work by Alvarez. With slick guitar soloing by Corey, nice electric keys by Cameron, a hot bass solo by Quinn and an extended harp solo by Lacocque, this is a stand out track. Slinky, blues rocker, Luck Of The Draw is one of my favorites on the release with a great complex bass line and flaming guitar riffs by Dave Specter. Lacocque sits down nicely on the track delivering really smooth phrasing. Mama Kalia is a real nice blues ballad featuring Visor's vocals and really sweet guitar lead soloing by Dotson. With a light jazz edge, this track is smooth as silk. Smooth Operator has R&B roots but a New Orleans flavor with Gordon anchoring on bari, Alvarez adding vital percussion and Vison's vocals leading the way. Lacocque's harp solo is melodic and Gordon rips a real nice sax solo. Excellent! With a Morganfield feel, Can't Get Me No Traction, Dotson takes the lead on vocal and guitar. Lacocque rides the top on harp and Williams' drumming is tight. With the bluesiest instrumental work on the release, Lacocque sets up his harp for the run and Dotson cleans the plate. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Hey Pipo!, a real cool boogie track. Featuring nice lead lines by Lacocque and Cameron this is a real nice closer for a real cool release.



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Delmark Records artist: Dave Specter - Message in Blue - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Message in Blue, from Dave Specter and it's hot! Opening with instrumental, New West Side Stroll, Specter comes out with the strings blazing. A cooking jazz influenced swing blues also featuring Brother John Kattke on organ and backed by Harlan Terson on bass and Marty Binder on drums this is smoking! On R&B track, Got To Find A Way, Otis Clay takes the center spot light backed by Theresa Davis and Diane Madison on vocal and Kenny Anderson (trumpet), Bill McFarlland (trombone), Hank Ford (tenor sax)and Willie Henderson (bari sax). This Time I'm Gone For Good has a nice slow tempo and a great lead bass line. Clay again takes the mic but this time with a deeper bluesy approach. Specter lays out some really tasty riffs on this track making it one of the best on the release. Title track, Message In Blue, is a nice blend of blues and soul. Specter maintains the spotlight with clean melodic guitar solos. Very nice! On swinging Chicago Style, Kattke takes the vocal lead accompanying himself on keys. The horns are back and punctuating all the way with Binder keeping the drums tight. Specter plays a really nicely phrased guitar solo and Kattke also rolls out a nice piano solo as well. On classic R&B track I Found A Love, Clay is back with his best vocals on the release. Specter chases Clay's vocals on guitar in almost Hound Dog Taylor style. Very cool! Funkified Outta Space has a real authentic Billy Preston kind of organ style and Specter "sings" the lead on guitar. Playing lower neck solos against upper fretboard riffs is particularly effective. Kattke lays down a really gritty organ solo taunting Specter on. Nice groove. Same Old Blues has gospel piano phrasing and really sets a nice table for Kattke to sing really super lead vocal. Specter takes full advantage of this inviting rhythm squeezing out some of the tastiest riffs on cd this year. The Stinger has a latin feel with the addition of Victor Garcia on percussion. Another jazzy showcase for Specter on guitar and Kattke on keys these guys just keep pushing up the heat. Jefferson Stomp has a much more primitive feel with light percussion and piano work. Specter dances lightly on the strings and Bob Corritore joins on harp. As the track gets cranking, Specter don's his slide and cooks up some rich lead riffs. Corritore steps up as well and shows his chops. Very nice! Watchdog has Kattke back on lead vocal with a strong Chicago feel. Specter kicks it up a notch on this track with some really well placed riffs. Kattke is back on organ and commands the spotlight. Very cool! The Spectifyin' Samba gets further out on that jazz limb but maintaining a blue feel. John "Boom" Brumbach offers up a really nice tenor solo on this track opening the floor for Specter to show his jazzier chops. Garcia again joins on percussion helping to deliver that Latin feel. Kattke is always super on keys and the Rhodes is really rich. Wrapping the release is Opus De Swamp, has a really swampy feel with heavy drums (Travis T. Bernard) and bass (Jim Tuillo) coaxed along by Corritore on harp. Specter tops the track with lightly sprinkled country blues riffs. This is a really cool release with a lot happening. Check it out!  

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Delmark artist: Al Miller - In Between Time - New Release Review

I just received and have been listening to the newest release, In Between Time, by Al Miller. Due to some family issues I found my self in sunny Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week and had the pleasure to listen to this release numerous time while on the road. While driving, I rarely have time to look at the liner notes but now that I am writing my review, some of my passing thoughts actually make sense. I'll begin by saying, I kept thinking that I was listening to a Mike Bloomfield or early Paul Butterfield album. In reading the press release, I note that Miller was a part of the '60's Butterfield scene and played often with Bloomfield. This does not sound at all like a clone. It sounds like the real deal. The release opens with McCracklin/Taub track, Rockin' All Day. A rockin' boogie, this starts the entire release with a great groove with Billy Flynn (guitar), Willie Big Eyes Smith (drums), Barrelhouse Chuck (piano), and of course Miller on vocal and harp. BB King's Need You So Bad has a nice foamy lope to it. John Primer leads the way on this track playing guitar and singing. Dave Specter plays some cool guitar riffs on this track joined by Mike Schlick on drums and Harlan Terson on bass. Definitely a hot track! Johnny Young's My Baby Walked Out features some of Millers best vocals and harp and Chuck really does a great job on the 88's on this track. Original track Old Friends has a Latin beat featuring Kenny Smith on drums, Ken Saydak on piano and hot Albert King like riffs by Dave Specter. Miller pulls out the stops on this track blowing some great harp riffs. In Between Time, another original by Miller, shows Miller with a guitar in hand playing some cool primitive slide work over a very stripped down track. Another Johnny Young track, I Got It, is a smokin' hot harmonica blowout. Pushed by Flynn, Smith and Saydak this is a great track. Willie Dixon's Dead Presidents finds Primer again at the helm with vocal and guitar. Accompanied by Mike Schlick on drums and Harlan Terson on bass Miller plays cool harp riffs and Barry Winograd and John Brumbach add a nice sax solo. Another Miller original, A Better Day,features nice guitar work by Flynn and Specter. One of the most enjoyable traditional tracks on the recording, Miller really gets into his vocal strength. On another Johnny Young track, Tighten Up On It, I can smell the beer and cigarettes. This is the Chicago blues just the way it was meant to be played. Never hear this on contemporary records anymore. Barrelhouse Chuck lays down the riffs and the mix is perfect.Flynn is also guilty of some superb riffage on this track with Big Eyes keeping the bottom tight. Elmore James' 1839 Blues features Primer again on vocals and he does a superb job. Ken Saydak shows why his piano work is in high demand and the tone from Millers harp is spot on. Primer takes a nice guitar solo on this track and it is solid and enticing. Billy Flynn's Billy's Boogie is a real rocker of course featuring some outstanding guitar work from Flynn ... not to be missed. Miller plays a hot solo on harp on this track as does Saydak and Mike Schlick keeps it all together. Excellent track! Percy Mayfield track Bachelor Blues really conjures up the feeling of the old Bloomfield days for me. Again Miller shows his best on vocals and harp on this track. Barrelhouse Chuck and Big Eyes are right on the spot and the track creates the feel of the real deal... it is! Eddie Taylor's If You Don't Want Me Baby fits perfectly into this set with a bit of a HD Taylor beat. It's a great pickup track before the great track by Miller, Lake Michigan Waters. Billy Flynn plays some flaming hot work on this track with what I'd even say sound reminiscent of old Bloomfield riffs. Along with the great playing of Miller and Saydak this track may be one of the most intense on the recording. Specter and Primer step out a little on guitar on Lawhorn Special. Miller knocks down some cool riffs as well but it's the guitars that take this cake. Al Miller original Blizzard wraps up this really coherent authentic Chicago blues release. Flynn and Primer playing some stinging guitar riffs over heavy reverb riffs on this track and kenny Smith is really particularly crisp with his beat on this track. This may be one of the best modern "Chicago" blues albums to come out in a long time.

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I apologize that the band featured is not the band on the recording, but Al Does play harp here so I'll post a new one when I can find it. Enjoy!

Tell Me What's The Reason - Dave Specter & Barkin' Bill Smith

Barkin' Bill Smith (August 18, 1928 – April 24, 2000) was an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and songwriter. Although he was born in Cleveland, Mississippi, Smith spent his latter years in Chicago
Smith was raised in Mississippi, but later relocated to East St. Louis, Detroit and finally Chicago. He obtained his stage name from Homesick James in 1958, after the pair had worked together. Smith sang in front of various blues bands around Chicago for many years, having been initially influenced by Joe Williams, Jimmy Witherspoon and Brook Benton. He finally made his recording debut in 1991, providing the vocals on Dave Specter's first album, Bluebird Blues. His connection with Delmark Records then continued when they issued Smith's own solo debut, Gotcha!, in 1994. Gotcha! featured guitar work by Steve Freund.

In his latter years declining health restricted his live appearances.

Smith died in April 2000 in Chicago, from pancreatic cancer, at the age of 71.
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Dave Specter and the Bluebirds - Is What it Is

Dave Specter (born May 21, 1963, Chicago, Illinois, United States)[1] is an American Chicago blues and jazz guitarist.Hailing from Chicago's Northwest side, Specter began to learn to play the guitar at the age of 18. His teacher was Steve Freund, who taught Specter between the latter's duties at Jazz Record Mart, and Delmark Records. Freund ultimately organised a concert tour for Specter alongside Sam Lay and Hubert Sumlin. Contacts made while working at the B.L.U.E.S. nightclub secured gigs as a sideman to Johnny Littlejohn, Son Seals, and The Legendary Blues Band. By 1989 Specter had organized his own backing band, known as the Bluebirds.

By 1998 Specter had released five albums on the Delmark label, combining a mixture of blues (Specter listed his influences as T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush) and jazz (Kenny Burrell is another inspiration).

Specter does not sing, and he enlisted Barkin' Bill Smith as his first vocalist, performing on Specter's 1991 debut album, Bluebird Blues. Specter then made a guest appearance with Jesse Fortune, providing accompaniment on Fortune Tellin' Man (1993). Harmonica player and singer Tad Robinson took over on the Bluebirds' Blueplicity (1994) and Live in Europe (1995). Following Robinson's departure, Lynwood Slim became the band's vocalist.

Jazz influences prevailed as time passed, and Specter invited Brother Jack McDuff to play the Hammond organ on the next album, Left Turn on Blue (1996). Lenny Lynn took over vocal duties on the following release, Blues Spoken Here (1998). In 2000, Speculatin' appeared, but here Specter eschewed vocals altogether, issuing thirteen instrumental tracks. Is What It Is (2004) was followed by Live in Chicago (2008).[1]

In addition to his recordings, Specter undertakes frequent tours to Europe and beyond.