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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Skronky Tonk, from Little Charlie and Organ Grinder Swing and it's massive! Little Charlie Baty has teamed up with Lorenzo Farrell on Hammond and J. Hansen on drums to put together a really swinging blues/jazz release. Opening with title track, Skronky Tonk, Little Charlie takes a departure from the blues of the Nightcats with this groove swing track instrumental showcasing Little Charlie at his best. Charlie plays long flowing nicely formed guitar phrases stacked up nicely with Farrell on Hammond. Excellent! Morgan Lewis' How High The Moon really made popular in recent times by Les Paul is really ripped by Little Charlie who cranks it up and lets it fly. Another excellent Hammond solo by Farrell and these guys deliver. Latin influenced, Receita de Samba shows yet another side of Baty with sensitive yet quickly articulate playing. Hansen is tight on drums and Farrell's organ work is clean. Gypsy jazz favorite, Nuages, by Django Reingardt is quiet and precise with feeling. Very nice! Arthur Johnson's, Pennies From Heaven, has a cool swing in very much a 50-60's jazz style. Baty and Farrell nicely jam over the solid bottom for an extremely well done cover of an old standard. High energy, Gerontology, is a Baty original and he absolutely dances on the fretboard. Farrell provides a super match for baty and Hansen balances them out for a great trio. One of my all time favorite jazz melodies is Django by John Lewis. Lindsay Buckingham and John McLaughlin with Jeff Beck covered it and now Baty. This is a terrific improvisational tune and showing just how deep Baty goes...terrific! Charlie Christian's, Swing To Bop, covers a lot of ground with Baty tested to produce. Everyone knows that he's a master bluesman but not everyone knows he's a masterful guitar player...well, they will now. Excellent! Henri Woode's Broadway has a solid groove bottom that will really keep you tuned in. Farrell and Baty both take nice solo passages keeping the feeling tight and Hansen busting a few heads himself. Another Latin track, Um A Zero, penned by Pixinguinha really has a great beat. Baty really captures the moment with his light finger work emphasizing the beat. Super. Breaking into an original swing blues, Cobalt Blues, Baty, Farrell and Hansen are solid. This is what most fans know Baty for and he delivers in spades. Erroll Garner's Misty gets a total make over with a jazzy swing feel with a touch of Latin under the bottom. Farrell leads the way on melody but Baty does shows his chops a number of times with nicely placed solos. Wrapping the release is Lionel Hampton's Flyin' Home is a cool closer with Baty and Farrell each showing a super solos to close out this hot instrumental release.
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