Customer Reviews

Complementary Colors

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Purists hate it, see above, but they got a hole in their souls. This is so much fun, I can't believe it. Imagine a blues record that makes you laugh out loud, and a classical record that will have you boogieing across the room. Warm and dry, wry and sly, Corky Siegel will put some shaking in your shaker and some blues in your brain. I have always been attracted to the exquisite melodies of the blues, and the musicians on this cd have an obvious love for the music form. It is such a kick to hear a cello punching out Muddy Waters' bass lines, while Corky plays the cleanest blues melodies on the planet. Buy this sucker.

Corky Siegel is clearly the best blues harmonica player on the planet. He takes that instrument and blends it flawlessly into a different medium, the string quartet. After several listens to this CD, it is clear the instruments were made for each other. The highlight of the CD is the clear, thoughtful production that gives each instrument its own space and qualities. My only criticism is that some of the pieces are retreatments of his solo piano work in the last 1970s.

One can't fault Corky Siegel's imagination, but rather than a serious attempt at a marriage between classical music and blues, Complementary Colors comes off as a parody of a marriage between the two. Though he brings in some obviously skilled musicians to assist his project, the album falls far short of my expectations. I was a fan of the old Siegel-Schwall Blues Band in their heyday and was eager to see what new material might be available. When Complementary Colors came to my attention, I snapped it up. The concept of a bluesman working with a string quartet was intriguing. Alas, it didn't work here. Despite all that, I actually found one composition to be quite enjoyable. Slow Indigo:Opus 16 has a very nice bluesy feel to it. Now if only the rest of the album was as good! There were several cuts featuring vocals and they all stunk. The lyrics range from lame to downright silly. Perhaps this album is an indulgence of whimsy on Siegel's part and perhaps he doesn't give a flying frijol about sales volume, but he should try something else next time. As presented, the pairing of blues and classical music makes for a lousy marriage.