Customer Reviews

Gate Swings

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

 

 

My husband played drums with Gatemouth in the early 70's. He always raved about him so I went out and picked up "Gate Swings." I'm surprised the CD still works I've played it so much.

Today, 9/15/05, I read that last Saturday, 9/10/05, at the age of 81, Clarence Gatemouth Brown died, shortly after his home in Slidell, LA was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. We believe his heart was broken.

This album is a swinging, riveting performance that grinds into the heart of the true music lover and keeps you tapping your foot and swaying your whole upper body to the beat saying, "Oh yeah, play it for me again Gatemouth!" long after Gatemouth has taken it home. Big horns, Big Band, big music, big music man.

Pick up the CD and swing with us.

Good night Gatemouth. Play it for me again next time...

Veteran blues artist Clarence Gatemouth Brown takes us back to a bygone era on his cd Gate Swings. Brown refers to his music as American music rather than blues and does not like to be pigeon-holed. This cd celebrating Brown's fifty years in the music business, displays his skill at playing swinging blues like the great big-bands of the forties. It is no surprise that he does this so well. Clarence Gatemouth Brown first instrument was the trumpet and he says that he plays the guitar like a trumpet, fitting in nicely with a big-band.

He pays tribute to many leaders of American music Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, Count Basie and Percy Mayfield. I love his version of "Caledonia." What makes that good girl so bad anyway? I also am fond of his tough version of "Since I Fell for You." It beats the numerous saccharine versions which I had previously heard.

This cd is great for a mellow morning or afternoon of listening. I wouldn't be without it in my collection.

If you like big band music, this is a must.

Everybody gets this for Christmas. I wish I had tickets for the tune-up sessions. I'd be stunned if there was a human on the planet that, after listening to the first cuts, did not get up and... move.

A good friend of mine from Slidell introduced me to Gatemouth's music many years ago. He lived on the same stretch of Hwy 11. While I only saw him in live performances in local venues, I never got to meet him personally. In Louisiana, we have enjoyed many a patio party with Gatemouth providing the musical entertainment. My favorite CDs are "Gate Swings, Long Way Home, The Man". I was saddened over his death; yes, he may have been heartbroken as his house was destroyed, but I believe the pain of seeing the totality of Katrina as it affected his neighbors and friends was too much to bear.

I'm familiar with Gatemouth Brown for his blues but this is by far some of the best swing music I've ever heard !!
Hearing hundreds of swing/blues songs at dance conventions these songs go to the top of my list of favorites. Not all are dancible for West Coast Swing, but Midnite Hour and Toughen Up get my feet going, and for a slower blusier groove try Take Me Back Baby. A couple of excellent Lindy Hop songs are Honey Dew and Caldonia. I bought this along with American Music Texas Style and they make a great combination (a lot of the same musicians on both cd's). Both cd's are full of great dancing music, so get them both. If you're a fan of big band jazz and swing this is guaranteed to make you very happy, these are two of the best cd's in my collection, and if my house was on fire I'd run inside to grab them !

Gatemouth Brown is a terrific guitar player and blues singer. I heard him live at the Bangor, Maine annual summer folk festival in 2002. Great show! So why the low rating for this CD? The reason is that I want to call attention to my disapproval of the lyrics of the song, "Caldonia." Gate describes how he dragged his ex-girlfriend behind his pickup truck until her body fell apart. Fiction, of course. But it isn't funny. It shows a cruel, primitive, controlling attitude toward women. This CD was released a year before the racially-motivated murder of James Byrd in Texas in June, 1998. Three white men murdered Bryd by dragging him behind a pickup truck. What apalling curelty! Of course Gate wouldn't approve of it, but he shouldn't have put a similar incident in his Caldonia song. Cruelty is cruelty, whether motivated by race, sex, or religion. Aside from the lyrics, Caldonia is a pretty good song. Gate should eliminate the murder part of the lyrics, or do it as a pure instrumental. If it weren't for the Caldonia lyrics, I would have given this album 4 stars. (In comparison to 5 stars for Gate's album, "American Music Texas Style.")