STONY PLAIN JUNE 08 NEWSLETTER

• New Guitar Summit rides again
• Big Dave McLean: An acoustic blues "real deal"
• Joe Louis Walker & Rory Block finish new CDs
• Blues news from the Stony Plain information desk
• Quote of the Week: A final word on Amos Garrett

NEW GUITAR SUMMIT RIDES AGAIN:

In 2004, blues/jazz guitarists Jay Geils, Duke Robillard, and Gerry Beaudoin recorded a self-titled collection of songs for Stony Plain. Calling themselves New Guitar Summit. the critically-acclaimed album (SPCD-1301) led to a subsequent performance DVD (SPDVD-1302), Live from The Stoneham Theatre - and afterwards the three skilled instrumentalists went back to the business of their individual careers. Now the trio has released Shivers, the group's sophomore outing for Stony Plain (SPCD-1328). It's another breathtaking collection of classic guitar work of vintage jazz, swing and blues by Geils, Robillard, and Beaudoin, Shivers features a mix of original songs and classic covers such as "Broadway," "Little Bitty Pretty One," and the title cut, written by Charlie Christian and Lionel Hampton.The legendary Canadian rock guitarist Randy Bachman (Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive) joins the New Guitar Summit trio, providing his unique guitar sound and warm vocals to a pair of classic Mose Allison songs.

BIG DAVE McLEAN: CANADA'S "REAL DEAL"
BLUES ARTIST DELIVERS HIS THIRD STONY PLAIN CD

"Big Dave McLean has been the quintessential behind-the-scenes bluesman." So wrote Billboard, the music business Bible.They got it right, too. McLean won this year's Maple Blues Award for his lifetime contribution to the blues, and his two previous CDs for Stony Plain both won Western Canadian Music Awards.Now comes his third for Stony Plain: Acoustic Blues - Got 'em from the Bottom (SPCD-1334), a collection of performances of original material, plus covers by Barbecue Bob, Lightnin' Hopkins, and the man who inspired and mentored McLean, Muddy Waters.In Canada, he's known as one of the hardest-working musicians in the blues; his last tour saw him play 60 dates in 60 days in close to 60 cities and towns.Now it's time for Canada's neighbours to the south to discover McLean. As journalist Peter North says in his sleeve note for the new CD: "He's the real deal, a blues singer with a voice that could give a miles' worth of boxcars rumbling through the Winnipeg rail yards a run for their money."Acoustic Blues - Got 'em from the Bottom will be released in Canada July 15, with U.S. and international release following September 2.

TWO NEW STONY PLAIN ARTISTS COMPLETE
THEIR DEBUT RECORDINGS FOR THE LABEL

Joe Louis Walker has completed his first CD for Stony Plain, Witness to the Blues.  Produced by Duke Robillard, the new recording will be released internationally Sept. 30.The CD features a duet with singer Shemekia Copeland, "Lover's Holiday." Insiders who have heard the recording insist that this is the artist's very best work.Walker is an international artist who frequently performs in Europe, Japan and Australia, and who constantly performs in the United States and Canada.  Following two days at the Vancouver Island Musicfest July 12 and 13, he leaves for a major tour in Italy.With university degrees in music and English, Walker has a wide knowledge of a variety of blues styles - making an instant connection with Robillard, who equally relishes the chance to play in a variety of styles.

Rory Block has completed her debut for Stony Plain, a heartfelt tribute to the legendary blues artist Son House. Titled Blues Walkin' a Man: A Tribute to Son House. Packaging for the CD will feature a previously unpublished photograph of Mr. House by his long-time manager, Dick Waterman.For Ms. Block, the opportunity to devote a whole album to the work of Son House is something she's been looking forward to for many years.  And having harmonica player John Sebastian, former member and main songwriter for The Lovin' Spoonful, join on three of the numbers made the recording sessions even more special.  Like Joe Louis Walker, Rory Block will also play the Vancouver Island Musicfest.Blues Walking Like a Man will be released internationally on September 30.

BLUES NEWS FROM STONY PLAIN'S INFORMATION DESK

Greystone Books, the publisher of It Ain't Easy - Long John Baldry & The Birth of British Blues by Paul Myers is offering to send promo copies to blues media, now that the book has been released in the United States.Stony Plain Newsletter readers in the U.S should contact John Francis Peters < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it >.  Needless to say, we recommend the book wholeheartedly.

Jeff Healey's Mess of Blues (SPCD-1333) remains on Billboard's blues charts at #5, following a three-week run in the #1 spot. The CD, jointly released by Stony Plain and Ruf Records, has been on the chart for more than three months.

The final instalment of the TV series Rhythm, Roots and Soul - seen in Canada on Bravo! - featuring Stony Plain's Harry Manx and Kevin Breit, is scheduled to air on Friday, June 27 at 7:00 pm EST.  The duo perform some of the material from their Stony Plain release In Good We Trust (SPCD-1320).The series is put together by Toronto-based film-maker Mako Funasaka.

Duke's on the road - well, where else do you expect to find Duke Robillard these days? Here are some of his upcoming dates in the U.S. and Canada:

July 8  Blues At the Beach, Westerly,  RI
July 10  The Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence,  RI
July 11  Johnny D's,  Somerville,  MA
July 12  Wadawanuck Club, Stonington, CT
July 17  River and Blues, New York, NY
July 18  Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA
July 19  FTC Stage One, Fairfield.  CT (with John Hammond)
July 20  Party in the Park, Rochester, NY
July 26  Fiesta Verde, Middletown, RI
August 1 & 2  Warmdaddy's, Philadelphia, PA
August 3  The Turning Point, Piermont, NY
August 4  Stockroom's Blue Monday, Mystic. CT
August 9  Kitchener Blues Festival, Kitchener, ON, Canada
August 10  Lafayette Tap Room. Buffalo, NY  (with Jerry Portnoy)
August 15  Harry's Cajun Restaurant, Hyannis, MA
August 16  Gilrein's, Worcester, MA
August 17  Providence Firefighter, Providence, RI
August 22  Silver Dollar, Toronto, ON, Canada
August 23  Welland Concert Series, Welland, ON, CANADA

Red Dog, a track from Duke Robillard's latest Stony Plain CD, A Swingin' Session with Duke Robillard, is included on a CD released with the June issue of the U.S. magazine Jazziz.

 
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

AMOS GARRETT
Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield (SPCD-1330)

"Among guitarists of a certain age, Amos Garrett is a legend. His solo on Maria Muldaur's hit, "Midnight at the Oasis," made many a player in the Seventies consider a career in automotive repair. His solo on "Georgia On My Mind" on Geoff and Maria Muldaur's record Pottery Pie was rumored to be on a tape loop that Robbie Robertson of The Band kept running for hours.
"What made Garrett so revered was his distinctive and difficult approach to the instrument. Exhibiting influences far beyond just previous guitarists, he incorporated elements of pedal steel, trombone (his other instrument), as well as some tricks uniquely his own. These distinctive licks were often executed by bending two and even three strings at a time, a feat made possible by his enormous hands."But Garrett's appeal is not limited to his instrumental prowess. On his solo records and guest vocal spots scattered through discs by the Muldaurs (together and separately), he kept alive the genius of his two favorite songwriters: Hoagy Carmichael and Percy Mayfield. As this CD's subtitle avers, Get Way Back is a tribute to the latter. Any more-than-casual roots music fan will be familiar with Mayfield's songs "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit The Road Jack," but Garrett has unearthed a treasure trove of lesser known works over the years and proffers some of them here. He has recorded a few before ("Ha Ha In The Daytime," "River's Invitation"), but they are treated to new arrangements this time around.

"Percy Mayfield (not to be confused with Curtis) was born in Louisiana but his music reflects the more sophisticated R&B of Los Angeles, where he moved in the Forties. After a promising start as a singer and songwriter, an auto wreck left him disfigured and effectively ended his performing career. He retreated to his songwriting, and the morbid tendencies of his tunes reflect his tragedy. "My Jug and I" is a vision of an alcoholic who gets up in the morning only to retreat to his bed with a bottle when the blues is all he finds. "River's Invitation" tells the tale of a lovelorn fellow contemplating a gentle death by drowning.
"Like all great blues though, these songs are less about delineating depression than providing catharsis, and Garrett sees that they do the job. Blessed with a voice as big as his hands, the Detroit- born, Canadian-raised musician's baritone amply relays the darkness of Mayfield's tunes but, in blues fashion, the spirit of the singing and playing celebrate the fact that we have made it through these feelings."Garrett emphasizes that this is a song-oriented record by letting the opening tune pass with nary a guitar fill. But guitar fans take heart: Get Way Back contains enough miraculously twisted, musical solos to make a new generation of fledgling pickers marvel." - Michael Ross, wwwpuremsusic.com.

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