3 Mulligans

I’ve enjoyed several of Charles Lloyd’s releases on the ECM label but this live recording really stood out. With an interesting lineup of tabla player, drummer, and himself on reeds, its overall sound broke away from his usual quartet setting. There are some nice percussive workouts featured but throughout the CD both percussionists play melodically and they instinctively connect with each other’s style without cluttering up the sound. This song’s beautiful sax intro really struck me, but also how he slips in those fast runs, making their placement sound so natural. I also loved how the swing feel is established when the tablas come in and how closely they resemble the sound of an upright bass.

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This song marks another memorable night of live blues at Big Cities Lounge. Touring in support of his recent Little Walter tribute, Dennis Gruenling pushed and pulled such a variety of sounds from his harp that unless you were watching you’d swear at times he was playing a sax or guitar, not to mention a freight train and several other non-musical objects. It was incredible. This song comes from a rare single that was available at the show.

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This song sounds like it was tossed off in a matter of 20 minutes, which includes any time required to get the band set up and ready to record. One look at their equipment list will tell you how that’s possible; garage sale drum set, two guitars, one amp. But that’s the beauty of Hound Dog Taylor. His songs are ramshackle and raw, like each one was captured in its energetic first take. Any more time spent to improve the sonic quality, tuning included, would rob his music of what makes it so much fun.

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Back when television offered only what broadcast over UHF and VHF frequencies – usually about six channels total, but depending in which direction your antennae was pointed – I fondly remember staying up late to watch In The Heat Of The Night with Dad and Craig; Christopher wasn’t old enough to join us.

There’s a scene where a creepy café guy uses a knife to open the jukebox, and once the song starts playing he gives us a little dance. This scene was originally shot using a different song, the already popular “Li’l Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, but a licensing problem prevented its use in the film. Quincy Jones co-wrote this substitute and it fit perfectly, just like how the rest of his score fits the entire film. It propels the action sequences, creates suspense, and helps remind us what the Deep South was like in the ‘60s.

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When this promo arrived at the store I was pretty certain no other employees would be interested, so I nabbed it.  Aside from the main attraction of Aretha’s voice, which sounds impeccable on these two CDs of demos and outtakes, the loose and funky groove of “Mr. Big” grabbed me. Roger Hawkins, only 23 at the time, provided the drum track and he would go on to become a session drummer with one of the most impressive resumes, both with and without the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

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