Allen Toussaint 1938-2016, Jon Cleary Occapella! 2012, Stanton Moore With You In Mind 2017

 

Allen Toussaint was a producer, songwriter, pianist, singer and arranger of skill and renown. He produced many hits for New Orleans artists in the sixties. He continued to produce for many non-New Orleans artists throughout the 20th century, and recorded twelve solo records. His late career solo output was outstanding, including The Bright Mississippi 2009, Songbook 2013 and American Tunes (2016).

His work is represented by many wonderful records. His own seventies output is summarized on The Allen Toussaint Collection 1991. His writing and producing can be enjoyed on Holy Cow! The Best of Lee Dorsey 1985, any of a number of Irma Thomas compilations such as Sweet Soul Queen of New Orleans: The Irma Thomas Collection 1996, or any of the fine records by The Meters, who were his house studio band for many years. He arranged the horns for The Band's great live Rock of Ages 1972.

Jon Cleary, a New Orleans transplant, made his delightful tribute Occapella! in 2012. The record features Cleary on all instruments on eight of the twelve songs. Like most New Orleans artists, Cleary is reverential, and having a real good time. You will, too.

 

Stanton Moore entered the studio in 2017 shortly after Toussaint's passing and cancelled previous plans for the session so he could honor Toussaint. His deft trio is joined by mostly New Orleans guests singing or playing horns on another selection of Toussaint's marvelous songbook. 

One of Allen Toussaint's famous compositions is Everything I Do Gone Be Funky. The title sums up his career. Dive into Allen Toussaint's output, and you gone be funky too.

Vulfmon Dot 2024

Vulfmon is the stage name of Jack Stratton, a keyboard/guitar/drums multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer and principal in the band Vulfpeck. Vulfpeck has released 10 records and/or EPs in their brand of modern funk/soul since 2011. This is Vulfmon's third solo release.

The record features an electronic/funk/soul/pop hybrid that is highly accessible and toe-tapping enjoyable. Vulfmon lets others do the singing for the most part, while he writes, produces and plays a variety of instruments. The first three songs feature vocals from Evangeline Barrosse. Got To Be Mine (jaunty keyboards), Letting Things Go (mellow, whispery vocals), and Tokyo Night (lovely vocals over piano and a sax solo) get things started in fine form. The fast pop of It Feels Good To Write A Song has hot drums and bass from Vulfmon. The guitar riff on Little Thunder rocks, and the harmonies are good. There's even a guitar break.

Too Hot In LA has a funk-light bass line and squiggly synth that has a Prince-like sound. Brian Wilson's Surfer Girl is given an instrumental treatment with only Vulfmon's guitar and Drew Taubenfeld's gorgeous pedal steel guitar. It's an interesting diversion. Nice To You is funky R&B with high falsetto vocals from Little Yacov and interesting lyrics. Disco Snails is just plain hilarious, with multiple obvious rhymes. Hit The Target closes things on a sweet pop instrumental note, and a beautiful, voice-like saxophone that has some sort to processing applied.

There's a touch of Louis Cole's modern experimentalism, and there's plenty of skilled pop craftsmanship. It doesn't feel like an important record, it's just fun. I'm looking forward to exploring his other records as well as those from Vulfpeck. This one is well worth checking out.

Boz Scaggs Detour 2025

Boz Scaggs has been here before, and the results are always excellent in a very mellow, laid-back jazz way. But Beautiful 2003 and Speak Low 2008 were both fine late night jazz entrees, and this one is at least the equal of those outings.

Accompanied by a jazz piano trio, Scaggs sings everything with sensitivity and nuance normally reserved for the finest jazz vocalists. If you heard the two mentioned above, you already know that he can deliver jazz vocals as fine as everything else he does in soul, blues, and rock.

Song selection is a lovely dip into the great American songbook and features some songs that not everyone has recorded, at least not recently. There are familiar tunes (The Meaning of the Blues, The Very Thought of You, Angel Eyes) and there are less familiar ones (Detour Ahead, Once I Loved, Too Late Now) that set this collection apart from and above the usual jazz standards collection and makes it sound more interesting than dragging out only the oft-covered songs. In addition to the jazz there are two lovely surprises. Allen Toussaint's It's Raining opens the record, and the rendition is stellar in a quiet way. Scaggs' own I'll Be Long Gone from 1969 is included in an interesting arrangement that is lovely. 

Two things make this record special. One is Scaggs' voice, and the phrasing he has so clearly developed for jazz. The other is pianist Seth Asarnow, whose playing and arranging are sensitive and deft. 

Since 1969 Boz Scaggs has made nineteen records, and there isn't anything close to a disappointment in the catalog. Make that twenty.

Martha Velez Escape From Babylon 1976

Martha Velez acted on the stage in the sixties, and in movies and TV throughout the eighties and nineties. Her voice is big and brassy, and must have been effective from the stage.

Velez's first recordings were with the folk group Gaslight Singers in 1963-64. Her debut solo record, the bluesy Fiends and Angels in 1969, which featured a cast of famous musicians, failed to be her big break. It's a good record, and well worth a listen. She recorded three other stylistically eclectic records in the seventies that went mostly neglected. 

In 1976 Martha Velez went to Jamaica to record a reggae record with Bob Marley producing and The Wailers providing instrumental and backup vocal support. It sounds nothing like anything Velez did before or after. It is also the only record Bob Marley produced for another artist.

Money Man opens the record and the Velez/Wailers combo sounds good on a Velez original that might not be the best fit for a reggae version, but it mostly works. There You Are follows, and it is an excellent take on a Marley original. Wild Bird, another Velez-written tune is an odd folk melody for reggae, but it works and benefits greatly from the I-Threes and a fine Velez vocal. The side closes with Disco Night, featuring less than stellar lyrics, but a strong performance and swell horns from the Zap Pow Horns.

Side two kicks things up a notch. Marley's Bend Down Low is a good fit for Velez, and again the stellar Wailers and I-Threes produce a song worthy of any good reggae mix tape. Happiness repeats the formula again for a hit. Another Velez tune, Come On In, is a blast. It sounds like a Marley written song, and is strong vocal from Velez. The record ends with a cover of Marley and Peter Tosh's Get Up, Stand Up. Velez does a fine job, even if it can't improve on Marley's version, or the definitive version from Tosh's Equal Rights. 

The record is just 31 minutes long, and then it's over. Side two is perfect.

Album Art

The stereo rack sits in the corner of the living room. Above it in the corner are two framed album covers. In this picture, it's Kim Richie's Rise and The Honeydogs' Love and Cannibalism. They worked together because the colors are similar and they are both collage designs. The selections change frequently. Usually there's a theme.

Like highways. That's the back cover of Jimmy Buffet's A1A and Tower of Power's Back to Oakland. 

Or Blue. Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue and Joni Mitchell's Blue.

Or love. Stacy Kent's In Love Again and Nat King Cole's Love Is the Thing.

Or paintings with animals. Dylan's painting from the cover of The Band's Music From Big Pink and Calexico with Iron and Wine's In The Reins. 

Here's Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with Billy Cobham's Spectrum. 

These two work nicely with the color of the wall. Donovan's Barabajagal and Ten Years After's Cricklewood Green. They are both from the same time period, and they are great records.

OK, breasts. I don't think these stayed up all that log. The Rondstadt is my favorite of her records, and the Marilyn Monroe is better than you'd think. It includes her famous Happy Birthday, Mr. President as well as songs she sang in movies, such as Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend. The cover is the gatefold picture she did for Playboy magazine. I'm guessing it sold well.

And then there's the Christmas season. I don't own all that many holiday records, but I have these two combos that I rotate year-to-year.

John Fahey's Christmas Guitar is a very lovely record. The Bolshoi Theater Orchestra's Nutcracker is a classic recording, and good, but there are better versions of the material. Perfect cover though.

Diana Krall's Christmas Songs and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' It's A Holiday Soul Party. Both are fun holiday covers, and also happen to be fabulous music.

And there we have it. There's a bunch of combos I didn't remember when I was taking the pictures, so maybe I'll return to this later, or I'll do it when I'm discussing two different records. If I leave anything up too long, the director of home decor keeps me updating fairly regularly.

Maria Muldaur One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey 2025

Maria Muldaur had a big hit in 1974 with Midnight at the Oasis. The eponymous debut it came from featured blues, country, folk, and pop stylings. She made several others with similarly varied styles, but none of them met with the success of the debut, and nothing charted after 1978. Well, unless you count the US Blues chart, where she's placed 10 records in the top 15 since 1996. One of them, Heart of Mine: Maria Muldaur Sings Love Songs of Bob Dylan was #1 in 2006. Since her debut she's made some 37 mostly blues records.

Victoria Spivey was a blues singer, songwriter, and actor. She made a series of singles in the 20s and 30s, and sang in musical theatre throughout the 40s. She returned to blues in the sixties, both as a recording artist and also as a record company owner.  

On One Hour Mama, Muldaur puts on her best sultry voice to cover a dozen of Spivey's excellent compositions. Musical backing is provided by wonderful New Orleans styled jazz bands, and the arrangements capture the rhythmic swing the style is famous for. There's plenty of great playing. Taj Mahal and Elvin Bishop make cameo appearances. 

If you've kept up with Maria Muldaur, you know she never stopped making solid records. If not, now would be an excellent time to catch up. 

Ricky Byrd NYC Made 2025

 

Ricky Byrd has been around the block a few times. Lead guitar, backup vocals, and songwriting with Joan Jett's Blackhearts for more than ten years. He's in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Touring and/or recording guitarist with Roger Daltry and Ian Hunter, and at least 25 other artists you're familiar with. He's made four previous solo records. So, a journeyman with a deep resume and plenty of talent. He can sing. 

It's a message record. The message is rock hard and have fun.

Songs are consistently strong. He wrote all of the songs, one a co-write with Southside Johnny Lyons. (Ya Get) 1 Life kicks things off with a reminder to get the most out of it. Glamdemic Blues is a tribute of sorts to Queen and glam rockers. Rhapsody in Blues (One For Jeff) is a fine instrumental in Jeff Beck fashion. Sweet Byrd of Youte and Transistor Radio Childhood dig a nostalgic groove. Alien asks what Bowie's Starman might think of our messy planet. Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Demise (Has Been Greatly Exaggerated) is what it sounds like. Then Along Comes You, Anna Lee, and Best of Times are sweet (rocking) love songs. Nothing deep, and nothing trite.

Music is terrific. Arrangements are varied and dynamic. He's got an A-list team of musicians helping him out. The recording is very good. Lots of hot guitar, hooks for the choruses, gang backup vocals, Uptown Horns on a couple. Bass, drums and keys are all killer, staffed as they are by fellow professional ace musicians. Byrd's vocals are out front, and you can hear what he has to say.

Bryd lists his inspirations as Raspberries, Stones, Yardbirds, The Who and Sam Cooke. This record sounds like that in a blender. There's a lot of sub-genres of Rock 'n' Roll these days. This one is the original, straight up. I know, it's only rock 'n' roll, but I like it.