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SEPTEMBER 2009 Bobby Stringer Lightnin’ Malcolm & Cedric Burnside Brenda Alford Nick Curran Jason Hainsworth of Miami Jazz Collective
SEPTEMBER2009
Bobby Stringer
Lightnin’ Malcolm& Cedric Burnside
Brenda Alford
Nick CurranJason Hainsworth ofMiami Jazz Collective
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WINNING SPINSBOBBY STRINGER KNOWS A
THING OR TWO about juke joints. Theveteran Miami soul singer has performed in afew of the raucous, remote venues over theyears, lending authenticity to his tune “Overin the Woods,” which kicks off his new CDI’m Not To Blame. “They had these littlespots down in Goulds, where they hadBrown’s Lounge,” he remembers. “And inHomestead, they had King’s. They weren’t inthe woods, but they were down—way, wayaway—and people would come from milesaround, if they had the right name.”
Certainly, Stringer was one of the rightnames. Night after night, he built his rep asa dynamic entertainer in the clubs of hisnative Coconut Grove, Overtown and LibertyCity. The juke he sings about in “Over in theWoods,” however, was not in South Florida,but rather in Alabama. Johnny’s Place drewaudiences from all over the South and wasowned by Johnny Collins, the father ofStringer’s wife, Bernice Stringer. The coupleco-wrote the song, and its sinuous backbeat,heated vocals and snippets of dialog capturethe giddy anticipation of an evening out atsuch an establishment.
While I’m Not To Blame contains its shareof sensuous Southern soul and R&B, it alsofeatures straight-up down-home blues. In thespoken intro to the Mitchell-Scales-Robinsontune “Blues Is in the House,” Stringer callsout all the “closet blues lovers.” This party-hearty anthem, complete with sultry femalebackup singers, proves that the blues needn’tbe a buzz kill.
On the stunning, self-penned slow-burner,“I’ve Been Trying To Get Next to You,”Stringer shows just how deeply he can dig intothe marrow of the blues. “I’ve been trying toget next to you, baby, but your mind is toostrong,” he sings in a pleading vocal. “You saidthe last love you had did you wrong, that’s whywe can’t get it on.” Bassist Vinnie Fontanaand drummer Guido Marciano lay down abeat as thick and smoky as Tom Jenkins’ bar-becue, while guitarist Jimi Fiano icepickssnaky leads that stab right at the emotionalcore of the tune and underline Stringer’s tautvocals. Fiano keeps the spotlight on the singer,
and his solo at about the two-and-a-half-minutemark is a marvel of concision.
Fans of the Malaco sound of Little Miltonand Bobby “Blue” Bland will enjoy trackssuch as “Somebody Else’s Somebody,” a catchyyet cautionary tale of the heavy price exactedon cheating lovers. On the title ballad,Stringer expertly supplies his own backupsinging—as well as a Barry White-style spoken interlude—and the song is furtherlayered with synth strings and the double-tracked saxophones of Stan Waldman.
As he has on previous releases, Stringeralso reprises his 1970s single, “Before You.”Fiano and the rhythm sec once again showtheir versatility, this time laying down irre-sistible dance grooves, with Waldman’s hornsthe perfect complement.
Like the blues, the church is deeply embeddedin Stringer’s DNA. This is especially evidenton the concluding “Brand New Me,” whichfeatures a lilting female chorus as Stringertestifies to the transformative nature of truelove. The singer induces shivers as the banddrops out and, accompanied solely by piano,
BOBBY STRINGER
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By Bob Weinberg
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he declares his love for the woman who saved him. Then, the bandcomes back in and the song builds to an ecstatic finish.
Throughout, Stringer sounds as potent as ever, even as he awaits akidney transplant. A South Florida treasure, he continues to give allhe’s got in service of the music he loves.
An Evening of Jazz and Blues featuring Jesse Jones Jr.and Bobby Stringer takes place at 8PM on Sept. 5 at theSouth County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Rd, Delray Beach.Tickets cost $45, with dinner. Call (561) 495-9813.
For Press Releases, CD Reviews, Advertising Info orListings, contact our Main Office at 561.313.7432
or P.O. Box 2614, Palm Beach, FL 33480
PUBLISHER: Charlie Boyer [email protected] EDITOR: Bob Weinberg [email protected] DIRECTOR: Hope Jason [email protected] WRITER: Bill Meredith
Jazz Blues Florida is published monthly. All copyrights are the property of Charlie Boyer. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced without written permission of the Publisher.No unsolicited manuscripts will be returned unless sent with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
WINNING SPINS
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NICK CURRANTHE BACK ROOM, BOCA RATON/SEPT. 5Guitarist and vocalist Nick Curran got his first professional experience at age 15, playing in hisfather’s blues band while growing up in Portland,Maine. But the fledgling artist was a rock ‘n’ roller atheart, something he’s made more obvious on his mostrecent recordings. Curran truly found his dual callingsin Texas in his early 20s, soaking up the blues inDallas and the roots-music scene in Austin. His 2003blues release, Doctor Velvet, featured guest appear-ances by guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, and Curran’sband Nick and the Nitelifes continued to tour through2005. But his current update, Nick and the Lowlifes,
showcases the ele-ment of his playingthat the blues couldn’tcorral—speed. Trackslike the autobiographi-cal ”Rocker,” “Womenand Cadillacs” and“Heeby Jeebies” addwarp-speed rockabillyand early rock ‘n’ rollinfluences to his gritty, yowling vocals,creating a 21st-centuryhybrid of Little Richardand T-Bone Walker. BM
S P O T L I G H TBRENDA ALFORD & FRIENDSTHE VAN DYKE CAFE, MIAMI BEACH/SEPT. 6Brenda Alford met jazz-singer extroardinaire EllaFitzgerald in 1978 in Baltimore. She was so inspiredby the encounter that three days later, she embarkedon her own career as a jazz vocalist. Now based inSouth Florida, and a product of the University ofMiami music program, Alford’s most-recent CD showstrue Ella-like versatility. My Favorite Things also fea-tures steel drummer Othello Molineaux’s quartet withpianist Mike Gerber, bassist Nicky Orta and drummerErnesto Simpson Jr. The foursome backs Alford on apleading version of Rodgers and Hart’s “My FunnyValentine,” an exquisite vocal take of Sonny Rollins’
bebop classic “Oleo”and a reading ofMarvin Gaye’s hit“What’s Going On.”For her no-cover-charge performance at the Van Dyke,which is part of the Sunshine JazzOrganization’s JazzNite Out series, Alfordwill be accompanied bypianist Brian Murphy,bassist Jamie Ousleyand drummer OrlandoHernandez. 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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LIGHTNIN’ MALCOLM & CEDRIC BURNSIDEBRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB,TALLAHASSEE/SEPT. 18With his guitar slung low and buzzing, Steve“Lightnin’” Malcolm pinballed about the asphalt duringthe 2008 Chicago Blues Festival, sonically calling up thememory of his two greatest influences: Junior Kimbroughand R. L. Burnside. His vocals proved nearly as potent, ashe yowled Kimbrough’s “All Night Long” and Burnside’s“Jumper on the Line,” accompanied solely by R.L.’sgrandson, Cedric Burnside, who traded vocals with theguitarist and kept the crowd boogying with his expertHill Country cadences. That same year, the pair releasedthe aptly titled 2 Man Wrecking Crew and showed how
much they learnedfrom those NorthMississippi masters.Working out on a setof original groovers,Malcolm and Burnsideupdate the Hill Countrysound, retaining themesmerizing majestyof their forebears, butsounding completelycontemporary. Based onthe strength of the CD,the team scooped up a Blues Music Awardfor Best Artist Debut. On-stage, they’re evenmore powerful. BW
S P O T L I G H TMIAMI JAZZ COLLECTIVEBASS MUSEUM OF ART, MIAMI BEACHSEPT. 11 AND SEPT. 18Saxophonist Jason Hainsworth (shown below) andguitarist Fernando Ulibarri provide heady leadershipto the Miami Jazz Collective. Hainsworth is the direc-tor of jazz ensembles and saxophone instruction atBroward Community College in Davie. Ulibarri is alsoan instructor at BCC, as well as at Miami’s SoBeMusic Institute and New World School of the Arts,where the Collective’s pianist, Jim Gasior, is head ofthe jazz department. The all-star lineup is roundedout by teenage-bass phenom Carlos Alabazi, whoplays with Miami legend Ira Sullivan, and versatile
veteran drummer JohnYarling, who playswith… well… every-body. Expect materialfrom Hainsworth’s2009 CD Kaleidoscope,which features hisoriginals and stan-dards. The quintetwill also play composi-tions by Costa Ricanative Ulibarri, aBerklee College ofMusic grad who booksthe Bass Museum ofArt’s Friday “HotNights, Cool Jazz”concert series. BM
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