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Johnnie Bassett - The Gentlemen is Back [2009]

Blues | Sly Dog Recs. | SLY3003 | Covers | 2009

The new album of blues singer JOHNNIE BASSETT is blues at its best... simple and down to earth. From the melancholy ''A Woman's Got Ways'', to the rollicking ''Keep Your Hands Off My Baby'', bot of which include the Motor City Horns with Skeeto Valdez on drums. This album shows substance. Most of the songs are written either by Bob Codish of his son Chris, who plays both the Hammond organ and piano. Of course, as Johnnie knows, I was delighted when an old friend, ''Georgia On My Mind'' written by Hoagy Carmichael, entered the mix. Another good songs is ''I Can't See What I Saw in You'', which has a somewhat unique concept. And ''My Old Flame'' was not what I was expecting and I can happily say it was a pleasant surprise for me. All in all I would say that The Gentleman Is Back is a mellow album, executed adroitly and smooth as velvet. And yes, we're glad you're back, Johnnie! -- GRETCHEN CARHARTT VALADE, Chairwoman

The career of a working blues musician is rarely one of continued long term ascendancy. In fact, music careers routinely include more bumps and bruises than those of professionals in law, finance, education or medicine. Those disciplines have a continually rotating clientele with the same needs. They don't have to deal with the problems encountered by musicians. Little, annoying, repetitive occurrences such as getting stiffed by a promoter, getting stiffed by a club owner or getting stiffed by a record label, for openers. This is just the beginning: stolen instruments, a van that breaks down, an audience that wants to hear ''Sweet Home Chicago'' all night. You get the picture. And a blues performer utilizes the memory of ALL such events at some time or another in his appearances. The ability to integrate experience into musical performance is one way a blues musician can channel his feelings into his songs. There is no doubt in my mind that JOHNNIE BASSETT uses such methodology, yet he uses it so naturally and with such ease, that you might think he never HAD the blues.

Things started out so well for him. By 1955, still a teenager, he hooked up with pianist JOE WEAVER and became part of the house band at Fortune Records, the largest Motor City independent label of the era. Johnnie played on Weaver's ''Baby I Love You So'' as well as hit records by Andre Williams (''Jail Bait''), Nolan Strong and the Diablos and other Detroit groups of the time. He managed to play on some of the early recordings of SMOKEY ROBINSON and THE MIRACLES. All that came to an end with a letter from his UNCLE SAM inviting him to join the United States Army.

Johnnie was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington for two years and he moved to Seattle upon his discharge where he worked with JOHNNY ''GUITAR'' WATSON and LITTLE WILLIE JOHN among others. He returned to Detroit in 1965 and began working his own organ trios, as well as playing as a sideman in various local blues bands.

In the time-honored ttradition, he could provide ''music for all occasions''. Or as veteran Detroit radio man Ed Love puts it, ''Johnnie is the jazzy side of blues and the bluesy side of jazz.''

So Johnnie operated deep beneath the radar of those outside Detroit until he met up with drummer R.J. Spangler at the 1992 Montreux/Detroit Jazz Festival. Out of that meeting came the Blues Insurgents, a band co-led with organist Bill Heid and including tenor man Scott Peterson. When Heid decided to do other things, Johnnie took over the Insurgents adding Chris Codish on organ in 1994 and Keith Kaminski on tenor the following year. This band proved to be one of the finest blues unit of the 1990s. Later members included pianist Al Hill and bassist Pat Prouty. There were four CDs by Johnnie, three by Heid that featured Johnnie, and appearances on projects by Joe Weaver and Alberta Adams. When Bettye LaVette scooped up some of these players and Johnnie's record label went bust, things wound down veru quickly.

Tracks

1.A Woman's Got Ways (5:05)

2.Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (3:58)

3.Nice Guys Finish Last (5:43)

4.Georgia (5:16)

5.Your Real Gitchieegumee (2:50)

6.Feeling Lucky (5:11)

7.Meat On The Bones (4:41)

8.I'm Lost (5:02)

9.I Can't See What I Saw In You (4:58)

10.I Love The Way You Look (4:26)

11.My Old Flame (7:26)

*****

EAC (Exact Audio Copy)

FLAC image + CUE + LOG

367 MB (4 Parts)

Sly Dog Records SLY3003

Year - 2009

*****

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