"Agua", New Music Video from Philippe Saisse

Watch "Agua", this extraordinary new video performance from Philippe Saisse who creates all sounds using just his hands on…

Tinsley Ellis releases "Tough Love" his 18th release and receiving fantastic reviews...

Listen To "tough love" CLICK HERE

Review by Thom Jurek -allmusic.com

When it comes to modern electric blues, Tinsley Ellis has always been the exception to the rule. He has always understood that the music's roots are more about feel than chops (though he is rightfully celebrated for them). Musically, he displays that different genre bends -- blues, country, jazz, soul, R&B, and of course rock & roll -- are part of an inseparable American musical heritage. Tough Love is Ellis' third set for his own Heartfixer label. He penned all ten tracks and produced the date with engineering and mixing help from keyboardist Kevin McKendree. Drummer Lynn Williams remains, but bassist Ted Pecchio has been replaced by Steve Mackey. Though Ellis has cut many different kinds of records, this is the first to display his considerable abilities as a singer. Things get off to a choogling start with "Seven Years," a minor-key, midtempo heartbreak groover that contains plenty of stinging lead fills, with McKendree's electric piano and B-3 fueling the rhythm section. It's followed by "Midnight Ride," a dirty-ass, good-time boogie. "Give It Away" is a soulful, Americana blues ballad with Ellis playing an acoustic National Steel. And this is the gift of the album in three tracks: he delivers three variants on the blues, in as many vocal approaches -- all of them excellent. Each song has its merits in craft and execution -- these days he's not writing any substandard ones -- but there are other clear highlights. "All in the Name of Love," another minor-key, midtempo slider, showcases electric piano and B-3 as Ellis' voice evokes the soul-blues. (Think Solomon Burke.) His guitar eventually catches up with ringing, emotive fills. A horn section punctuates the margins and it works so well, it makes one wish he'd used it more than on just this one tune. "Should I Have Lied" is a stone-electric blues ballad that crosses Albert King with T-Bone Walker, all in Ellis' phrasing. Leave Me" is a strutting blues rocker, while "The King Must Die" is a dark, brooding, swampy jam that showcases the band at their intuitive best under his six-string storm. Closer "In from the Cold" (on which McKendree plays a Mellotron) is a steamy, emotionally wrought blues. It rumbles from the depths, its emotion wrenching and desperate; Ellis' playing is lyric and forceful, it bites, snarls, and cuts. While he has issued plenty of fine records, he's never revealed himself as such an axe slinger, singer, and songwriter with this magnitude and abundance. Tough Love is a tough record to beat.

Thank You Thom Jurek for the Great Review

Staff writer Thom Jurek was born in 1958 and grew up in and around Detroit. He has been writing about music since he was 15. His reviews, interviews, and articles have appeared in magazines and journals including Rolling Stone, Creem, Musician, Spin, American Songwriter, Paste, Interview, The Canadian Journal of Political and Social Theory, and Rock and Rap Confidential. Jurek has also written liner notes for a variety of albums. He is the author of two poetry collections: DUB (In Camera, 1986), and Memory Bags, with French artist Jacques Karamanoukian (Ridgeway, 1995). His fiction has been anthologized in Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook on Cyberpunk and Postmodern Science Fiction (Duke University Press) and elsewhere. Jurek served as senior editor for Detroit's Metro Times from 1990-1996; he has been affiliated with All Music Guide since 1999.

Landslide Records Celebrates their 32nd Anninersary

♫ Landslide Records celebrates their 32nd Anniversary with a retrospective playlist featuring Sean Costello, Col. Bruce Hampton, Derek Trucks, Widespread Panic and more - Click on link to subscribe now! Landslide Records 32nd Anniversary


Landslide Records was established in 1981 with the now rare "Outside Looking Out" by The Late Bronze Age, a group led by Atlanta legend Colonel Bruce Hampton. The label released debut albums in the 80's by The Bluesbusters, Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks and Widespread Panic plus critically acclaimed blues by Tinsley Ellis and The Heartfixers and Nappy Brown. Throughout the 1990's to present, Landslide has released a wealth of great Southern roots music, including The Derek Trucks Band's first album, new Webb Wilder sounds on CD and DVD, diverse Americana projects by ex-BR-549 leader Gary Bennett, folk Singer/Songwriter Jan Smith, and Bluegrass hybrids Blueground Undergrass. Newest releases include Toe tapping Blues/Jazz/Soul wonders Scrapomatic, featuring Mike Mattison, and Carolina favorites, Jim Quick & Coastline.

Share

Landslide releases David Earle Johnson, John Abercrombie and Dan Wall digital re-issues

Landslide Records announces the exclusive digital only release of two critically acclaimed Jazz albums which originally appeared on  Landslide vinyl in the early 80's, but are now out of print. Look for both releases at your favorite download store starting September 6, 2011.

Route Two is from a jazz trio led by the late percussionist David Earle Johnson with notable guitarist John Abercrombie and powerful organist Dan Wall. Route Two presents an exciting fusion of Latin rhythms, fluid guitar work, and propulsive Hammond B-3 organ. Johnson was well known for his percussion work with keyboardist Jan Hammer, and he appeared on many recordings by, among others, Billy Cobham, Oregon, and Lenny White. Abercrombie, who contributed three original compositions, is highly regarded for his superb solo outings on numerous ECM records, though Route Two finds his fluid style perfectly meshed within an entirely different setting. The album marks Wall’s first recordings as an organist, and he also wrote two of the tracks included. Other sidemen on Route Two include Jeremy Steig, flute, Gary Campbell, tenor saxophone, Joe Chambers, drums, and Col. Bruce Hampton (aka Hampton B. Coles) who provides inimitable intros over the closing track.


The DMM Roundup - August 31, 2011 by digitalmusicmarketing


Song For The Night by jazz pianist Dan Wall appeared on Landslide vinyl in 1981, was Wall’s initial appearance on record and features stellar sidemen Steve Grossman, soprano sax, Mike Richmond, bass, and Jimmy Madison, drums. Given influences from Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner, Wall boasts considerable prowess on keyboards in a lively set which includes all original tracks. Since the album’s initial release, Wall has cultivated a strong reputation as a jazz pianist and organist via his work performing and recording with such artists as guitarist John Abercrombie, drummer Bernard Purdie, bassist Eddie Gomez, and saxophonist Eddie Harris. His compositions have been recorded by, among others, Gomez and Chick Corea. Wall has been a featured artist for countless stories in numerous publications including DOWNBEAT, JAZZ TIMES, and KEYBOARD PLAYER. Currently he maintains an international touring schedule and acts as Associate Professor of Jazz Piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Share

New Music | The Hipstones | Dreamers

New music from Australia's, The Hipstones...download, listen and play "Dreamers" now