Keepin It Real

Rod Piazza, Gino Vannelli | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 11, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blind Pig
• ASIN: B0002198TG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,110 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's pretty rare for a harmonica player to be a breakout success, but it seems as though Rod Piazza could do it with Keepin’ It Real. It's a perfect synthesis in every way: his Chicago-meets-West Coast style offers a canny blend of songwriting and musicianship, originals and covers. The Mighty Flyers hum along like a well-oiled machine with plenty of chances to shine. The appropriately titled "Big Blues Party" kicks things off right, and songs like "Good Morning Little School Girl," "Baby Please Don't Go," and "Pretty Thing" are handled with both freshness and a respect for tradition; the original songs are brimming with energy. Piazza, a multiple Handy winner who consistently draws comparisons to the masters, has the necessary invention and versatility for mainstream success. --Genevieve Williams

Product Description

Rod Piazza, considered one of the preeminent harmonica players around, has become a commanding presence at the forefront of today’s blues scene. Along with his skin-tight band of the last quarter century, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers have won the prestigious "Best Blues Band of The Year" W.C. Handy Award three times along the way. Speaking of the new album, Piazza told Blueswax, "It's a happening record, one of the toughest and best I've ever done. Part of it is that so many of the songs were recorded live in the studio in one take, but another part is that because we've been doing these songs live, we've really had a chance to learn how to react to each other's playing."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As In "Real Good" !, July 12, 2004

By 

peterfromkanata (Kanata, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Keepin It Real (Audio CD)

Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers are quite simply one of the greatest blues bands in the world. After several successful years on the Tone-Cool label--and some outstanding CDs--Rod and his band have "moved" to Blind Pig. The music is as super as ever.

There are some excellent harp players on the blues scene today, but none are better than Mr. Piazza--his range and technique are astonishing. Like a fine wine, he seems to just keep getting better with the passing years. At the same time, Rod's virtuosity is fully matched by his partner, Miss Honey Piazza, who--in this writer's humble opinion, based on their appearances at Ottawa's annual Bluesfest--is the best "boogie woogie" piano player in music--period. Rod and Miss Honey always seem to have top-notch musicians in their "Mighty Flyers" line-up--currently, there is Henry Carvajal on guitar, Bill Stuve on bass and Paul Vincent Fasulo on drums--all are solid and inventive.

I understand that the tracks on this CD were recorded in one take, to keep them as fresh and spontaneous as possible. As a result, even blues standards such as "Good Morning Little School Girl", "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Pretty Thing" come across with a renewed vigour. Several tracks were written by Rod himself--excellent numbers like "Moving in a West Coast Way" and "West Coast Midnight Blues" give away his California roots, by way of Chicago of course !

In 1991, Rod and the Flyers released a fine CD on Black Top
( Blues in the Dark ), which featured an amazing "boogie woogie" instrumental, "Buzzin'", to showcase Miss Honey's extraordinary talent. It has been a mainstay of the Flyers' concerts ever since--here in Ottawa, the only sound you could hear apart from Miss Honey's piano was thousands of jaws dropping ! On "Keepin' It Real", she updates "Buzzin'" into a more extended version, in keeping with her concert performances. I can tell you--it still blows me away !

Bottom line--one of the best blues CDs of 2004, from the band that never, ever disappoints. Highly recommended !

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keepin' It Real, June 10, 2004

By 

JP (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keepin It Real (Audio CD)

Just picked it up today from Best Buy, and it smokes. It's bluesy with an up tempo beat that rocks. A great addition to my CD collection!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ho hum, August 27, 2004

By 

D. Smith (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keepin It Real (Audio CD)

Piazza is consistantly a good player year after year. His backup band continues to grow but I don't think the same can be said for Rod. I think many Piazza fans would love to see recorded more adventerous harmonica such as in the song "Devil Foot". This CD is well recorded (except for two of the songs being out of pitch, which may nag those of us who like to play along)and an honest reflection of what Piazza sounds like live.