Kenny Clarke Trio

Big Bill Morganfield Victor WootenVictor WootenJesse Jones Jr. Sonny Rhodes

John Ricci

JULY2010

E.G. Kight

Tinsley EllisAlbert Castiglia

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WINNING SPINS“ IT ’S KA-STEEL-YA, DA MMIT!” T-shirts emblazoned with those words begancropping up in South Florida blues clubs overthe past few years, the inside joke referringto the frequent verbal mangling of AlbertCastiglia’s last name. However, a greaternumber of blues lovers outside our region arebecoming hip to the music, if not the nomialpronunciation, of the guitarist and vocalistwho grew up in Miami. In fact, last year,Castiglia’s original tune, “Bad Year Blues,”was nominated for a Song of the Year BluesMusic Award, and actually won that honorfrom subscribers to the widely read Illinois-based Blues Blast.

And if he continues to create recordings asstrong as Keepin On, his third release for theNew Jersey-based Blues Leaf label, Castiglia’sstar should continue to ascend. Over thecourse of a dozen tunes, the guitarist show-cases his ever-increasing skills while delvinginto blues rock, traditional blues and funkwith equal mastery and enthusiasm.

Keepin On kicks off with a hard-rockingread of the Sir Mack Rice-penned “CadillacAssembly Line.” Unlike Albert King’s classicrendition, Castiglia eschews the song’sunderlying sadness and instead plays up itspromise of the better life awaiting a Southernsharecropper seeking work in the Motor City.The track’s insistent funk riff, speeded-uptempo and fuzzed-up guitar make for a potentupdate, and Castiglia uncorks a sizzling solothat underlines the song’s theme of liberation.As throughout, bassist AJ Kelly and drummerBob Amsel keep the rhythmic intensity boiling.

Castiglia cranks up the reverb for his original“Keep on Keepin’ On,” a blue-collar manifestothat takes on the financial crisis. His lead linescrunch and sting as he excoriates the greedyexecs in the boardrooms, while at the sametime acknowledging that the only option forthe working man is to put one workboot infront of the other. Castiglia’s vocals, as well asthe song’s content, nod to one of his greatestMiami influences, Iko-Iko’s Graham Drout.

The tune makes the perfect companionpiece to Castiglia’s cover of Peter Green’s sultry“Could Not Ask for More,” which celebratesthe simple joys of sinking into the arms of alover at the end of a busy day. “When I put

down those dirty old tools and need to sweatno more,” he sings, sounding appropriatelyworn, “I find you waiting at the station/And Icould not ask for more.” Bill “Mighty” Quinnaugments the proceedings with some moody,Otis Spann-style piano, and an uncreditedSandy Mack lends lassitude with some humidharmonica blowing.

A fine Dobro player himself, Castigliarecruited the masterful Toby Walker to play theresonator alongside his own acoustic guitar ona couple of tunes. The pair generate a chuggingrhythm on Castiglia’s “Sweet Southern Angel,”a standout that shows how deeply rooted bothplayers are in the traditional idiom, as theymaintain a relentless country-blues groove.They also revisit Robert Nighthawk’s classic“Murderin’ Blues,” bringing it from theurban milieu of Chicago’s Maxwell Street to aMississippi Delta frontporch, while unmis-takably calling up Nighthawk’s steely, spark-throwing slide.

Castiglia expertly evinces John Lee Hooker’sdirty boogie on “Goin’ Upstairs,” which featuresQuinn’s heated Hammond B3 licks, and nodsto T-Bone Walker with a sparse and slinky

By Bob Weinberg

A L B E R T C A S T I G L I A

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version of “My Baby is on My Mind.” The latter spot-lights the leader’s interaction with just Amsel and Kelly,and allows him space for a taut yet dazzling solo thathonors T-Bone without being imitative.

Concluding the album with some of his most jaw-dropping solos, Castiglia sends listeners out the door withhis own “Closing Time,” bending and blurring stringswith great dexterity and emotion. The guitarist buildsthe tension on this last-call slow-burner and then letsloose with flurries of notes that accumulate into averitable snowstorm, relating his tortured innerstate on successive solos.

Having recently returned from a midwest tour,Castiglia is poised for fame beyond the borders of theSunshine State. As documented by his recordings, his already impressivetalents just keep growing deeper all the time.

Albert Castiglia performs at 5:45PM July 3 at Boston’s Red, White and Blues Festin Delray Beach. Visit Bostonsbluesfest.com for a full schedule. Castiglia also per-forms July 10 at Maguire’s in Fort Lauderdale; July 13 at The Field in Dania; July16-17 at the Green Parrot in Key West; and July 20 at Fat Cat’s in Fort Lauderdale.

WINNING SPINS

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BIG BILL MORGANFIELDLOU’S BLUES, INDIATLANTIC/JULY 2SEMINOLE CASINO, COCONUT CREEK/JULY 3EARL’S HIDEAWAY, SEBASTIAN/JULY 4Carving out an individual identity as a blues artist isdifficult enough, but what if your dad was a genre icon?Such is the challenge set before Big Bill Morganfield,son of the late Muddy Waters. Not that Morganfieldhas run from the association: His recordings haveincluded his father’s tunes and surviving bandmates.And certainly, his big voice carries more than a bit ofMuddy’s genetic influence. However, over the courseof four albums, Big Bill has indeed forged his own per-sona, undoubtedly calling on Muddy’s legacy but alsoupdating it with his own songs and point of view. His

latest release, lastyear’s Born Lover,finds him interpretingclassics such as “TooLate Brother” and“One Kiss,” as well asadding to the bluescanon with titles suchas “High Gas Prices”and “X-Rated Lover.”For his Florida shows,Morganfield, who grewup in Fort Lauderdale,will be joined byMelbourne ’ s ownSteve Thorpe BluesOrchestra. BW

S P O T L I G H TE.G. KIGHTBRADFORDVILLE BLUES, TALLAHASSEE/JULY 9EARL’S HIDEAWAY, SEBASTIAN/JULY 11E.G. Kight consistently wins over blues fans with hersoulful Southern vocals, impressive guitar chops andsuperb songwriting. The seasoned vet, who’s also knownas “the Georgia Songbird,” topped the roots blues chartswith her 2008 release It’s Hot in Here, which enjoyedfrequent play on Sirius XM satellite radio. In May, sheperformed for an appreciative hometown crowd—andmany more—when Garrison Keillor featured her on hisA Prairie Home Companion, which was recorded live atthe Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Ga. In addition to show-casing her dazzling, Phoebe Snow-like vocals on a pair oforiginal tunes—the ripping “Somewhere in Atlanta”

and the moving “I’mNew at This”— Kightrevealed that her realname is “Eugenia Gail.”In fact, she joked, shesometimes receivescalls from telemarketersasking for “Egg” Kight(she tells them that“Egg” isn’t home, butthey can speak to“Bacon” or “Grits”).Catch this charmingand multitalented performer this monthin Tallahassee orSebastian. BW

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JESSE JONES JR.HARD ROCK HOTEL, HOLLYWOOD/JULY 21, 28LOEWS HOTEL, MIAMI BEACH/JULY 23Miami saxophonist Jesse Jones Jr. just released a newCD, Father of Scat Hop, that might surprise longtimefans. Jones’ previous releases, Soul Serenade and TheSo Then Collection, were postbop recordings that fea-tured Florida pedigreed musicians like Jones’ trum-pet-playing brother Melton Mustafa, organist Dr.Lonnie Smith, bassist Curtis Lundy and drummerDanny Burger. The Miami native’s new effort, however,is essentially a duo pairing with arranger, producer,programmer and multi-instrumentalist Hugh J.Hitchcock that melds jazz and hip-hop sensibilities.Cameos by guitarists Dennis Sierra and Ike Woods,

vocalist Val Wood andpercussionist Joe Colladoaccentuate Jones’ alto,soprano and baritonesaxes and flute. Butmost prominent areJones’ humorous scat-hop vocals, which blendSouthern scat-singingwith funk and hip-hoprhythms. This month,Jones teams up withthe jump-swingingDale Powers Band inHollywood and vocal-ist Yvonne Brown inMiami Beach. BM

S P O T L I G H TVICTOR WOOTENPLAZA THEATRE, ORLANDO/JULY 10Victor Wooten plays his instrument so differently fromother bassists that a comparison to basketball superstarLebron James makes sense. The most athletic bassistsince Jaco Pastorius, Wooten began making a namefor himself in 1990 as a member of the genre-bendingBéla Fleck & the Flecktones. The group’s rhythm sec-tion also featured drummer and older brother RoyWooten (a.k.a. Futureman, nicknamed for his guitar-shaped drum synthesizer). The youngest of five musicalWooten brothers, the agile bassist—who is capable ofslapping, tapping and fingerstyle playing—augmentedhis work as a sideman with a solo career in the mid-1990s. His touring configurations have ranged

from a duo with drum-mer J.D. Blair to fullbands featuring hisoldest brother, gui-tarist Regi Wooten.On his 2008 CDPalmystery, Wootenfeatures all of hisbrothers—Roy, Regi,saxophonist Rudy andkeyboardist Joseph. Afive-time Grammywinner, Wooten hasalso earned “Bassist ofthe Year” honorsthree times from BassPlayer magazine. BM

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Log on to www.bostonsonthebeach.comfor our complete lineup, menus, photos and more!Located on the waterfront in Delray Beach, Boston’s is the ideal place

for casual dining, live music and sports viewing in our first-floor restaurant, The Beach. Or enjoy great cuisine and cocktails

upstairs at our fine dining restaurant, The UpperDeck. And be sure to check out our Back Bay Tiki Bar for a tropical cocktail

while listening to some of the area’s finest musicians on our outdoor stage. Boston’s… something for everyone!

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KENNY CLARKE TRIOFEATURING MICHAEL LEASUREMATT’S CASBAH, MELBOURNE/JULY 8, 22Based in Palm Bay, versatile Hammond organistKenny Clarke plays jazz standards with his eponymoustrio, blues with Big Bill Morganfield and rock withGeorge Terry (of Eric Clapton’s band), among others.The keyboardist moved to the Sunshine State fromRhode Island in 1989, and his playing echoes influencesboth vintage and modern—from Jimmy Smith, JackMcDuff and Larry Young to Dr. Lonnie Smith, LarryGoldings and Joey DeFrancesco. Also featuring gui-tarist Michael Leasure and drummer Jeff LoForte, theKenny Clarke Trio sounds like an organ version of ErrollGarner’s piano trio. On the standard “How High the

Moon,” Clarke allowsLeasure to solo first,and the guitarist—often a guitar-synthspecialist—displayscreativity and cleantones worthy of PatMartino. Then, withLeasure and LoForteproviding propulsiveundercurrent, Clarkeimaginatively blendssimultaneous left-hand bass lines, grind-ing melody and abroad range of ideasas a soloist. BM

S P O T L I G H TJOHN RICCI JAZZ GROUPEUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ LISTENING ROOM,JACKSONVILLE/JULY 13Jacksonville-based tenor saxophonist John Ricci’sdebut CD, the self-released Holding Time, earned a2009 Independent Music Award in the best jazz songcategory for his composition “Mode Time.” An impres-sive accomplishment, but just look at Ricci’s background.Raised in a musical family in which his mother sangopera in Argentina, Ricci studied with saxophonistJerry Coker at the University of Tennessee, and pri-vately with pianist and former Jazz MessengerDonald Brown. With a robust tone influenced by iconsfrom John Coltrane and Ben Webster to Wayne Shorterand Branford Marsalis, the saxman now recycles his

knowledge as directorof jazz studies atJacksonville University.Holding Time featuresthree graduates of theUniversity of NorthFlorida (where Ricciassistant taught withsax great Bunky Green)in Jacksonville: pianistJoshua Bowlus, bassistBilly Thornton anddrummer Peter Miles.All make great contri-butions to the disc,which was recordedwith no overdubs. BM

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TINSLEY ELLISBOSTON’S ON THE BEACH, DELRAY/JULY 2MOJO KITCHEN, JACKSONVILLE/JULY 3Tinsley Ellis makes unapologetically ear-bruisingblues rock. For more than 20 years, his recordingshave combined his love of electric blues icons such asAlbert King and B.B. King with his passion for 1960srock gods such as The Yardbirds and Cream. And hismost recent release, Speak No Evil, follows directly inthat path. The Atlanta-born, Hollywood, Florida-raised guitarist unleashes fluid, fiery solos and fuzzand crunch textures worthy of Jimi Hendrix (dig hiswah-wah work on the standout “Amanda”). However,Ellis’ solos always serve the song, and his hooks arestrong and deeply embedded. On Speak No Evil, he

once again bringsgreat emotion to hisplaying and singing,and pens irresistiblycatchy riffs and cleverturns of phrases.Listeners will marvelat his instrumentaldexterity, but it’s thesongs that stay withyou after the string-bending solos havefaded. For the fullschedule of the three-day Red, White andBlues Fest, visit Bostonsbluesfest.com. BW

S P O T L I G H TSONNY RHODESBRADFORDVILLE BLUES, TALLAHASSEE/JULY 10“I’m a traveling bluesman, that’s all I wanna be,”Sonny Rhodes sings on his joyful tune “TravellingBluesman.” “I love to play the blues, that’s the onlything that satisfies me.” The track hails from Rhodes’2008 recording, I’m Back Again, which finds the 69-year-old, Texas-born guitarist and vocalist in greatshape on a set of revealing, autobiographical numbers.The title track says it all, as Rhodes recommits himselfto the music he loves. On “Smithville Texas,” a JohnLee Hooker-meets-Slim Harpo-style groover, Rhodesrelates how he left his hometown to forge his path inthe blues. The singular artist, who’s renowned for hiscrying, lap-style slide guitar, played all over Texas with

Albert Collins andJohnny Clyde Copelandin the late ’50s, beforemoving to California.While his recordingswere often criticallyhailed, Rhodes becamebest known for his liveperformances, winningover audiences with hispowerful vocals andinstrumental prowess.Since then, he’s beenhonored by Congressas a “Blues Legend” andrecognized by the Smith-sonian Institute. BW

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PHOTO CREDITS: Albert Castiglia WinningSpin by Suzanne Foschino, Big Bill MorganfieldSpotlight by Phil Wight, John Ricci coverand Spotlight by Ingred Hertfelder

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