Customer Reviews

Must Be Jelly: Live at Wrox in Clarksdale Mississippi

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

 

 

This is classic juke joint gutbucket blues at it's finest. The vocals are very cool and "real deal" as well, especially Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's vocal cuts...the Amazon reviewer is totally wrong on that note.

A blues summit of living legends and established pros gathered in Clarksdale, Mississippi to cut this CD, and it's a throwback to a time that may soon be lost forever. "Must Be Jelly" goes against the prevailing rules of recording, making for a raw, exceptional session.

Crowded into one room of WROX Radio with their instruments, amps, mikes and skills were the Jelly Roll All-Stars, each in their own right worthy of the name -- Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, the longtime rhythm section for Muddy Waters and later the Legendary Blues Band, Sam Carr and Arthur Williams, along with guitarist Jesse Hoggard and pianist Bob Lohr get together for a session that recalls the backroom jams that always occur among like-minded artists before and after gigs. This time, however they got it on tape.

Smiths leads off on the mike, on Jimmy Reed's "Baby Don't Say That No More." Williams, who played with Reed takes off on another of his classics, "I'm Gonna Get My Baby."

Other recognized standards, "The Sun Is Shining," B.B. King's "Country Girl" and Sonny Boy Williamson's "Nine Below Zero" get slightly different takes from the originals, and Hoggard provides two of his own songs, "King Motel" and "Arkansas Boogie." The latter gives Hoggard plenty of room to show his stuff, but the give and take is good on the session, with no one member trying to take over.

All in all, the old masters and the seasoned vets getting together in a different lineup shows their true talent and professionalism. The egos were left at the station's front door, and the result of the work is a strong recording that is a joy to listen to.