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| New Album by Singer-Guitarist Mary Flower Memphis-based Yellow Dog Records continues to reshape American roots music with the Sept. 13 release of “Bywater Dance”, folk-blues guitar virtuoso Mary Flower’s dynamically eclectic collaboration with some of New Orleans’ finest musicians. Working in both the intricately syncopated Piedmont fingerpicking style as well as her own deeply bluesy lap-slide guitar, Flower is a world-renowned singer/guitarist, in demand for festivals, concerts and guitar camps on both sides of the Atlantic. But though she can recreate prewar blues with the best of them, Mary Flower isn’t content to be just another keeper of the classic blues flame. Instead she draws on traditional, contemporary, and original material to create something suprisingly new, a sound uniquely her own that remains true to the timeless power of the blues. It’s that mix of tradition and innovation that drew the attention of Yellow Dog Records, a label that has quickly earned a reputation for bringing fresh sounds under the blues tent in the work of Flower’s labelmates William Lee Ellis (The Full Catastrophe, Conqueroo), Mark Lemhouse (Big Lonesome Radio, The Great American Yard Sale) and Chris Cotton (I Watched the Devil Die). “Bywater Dance” is filled with fresh, inventive sounds in what is Flower’s most spontaneous and innovative CD to date. The recording session arose from chance, when a lucky re-meeting with old friend Mark Bingham (Dr. John, Dirty Dozen Brass Band) led to a date at his Piety Street Recording in New Orleans, co-owned by John Fischbach (Songs in the Key of Life). Flower, a longtime fan of early jazz, swing and Crescent City R&B, asked Bingham to help recruit the right players to incorporate authentic touches of those influences into her upcoming album. She found the right guy – Mary was continually amazed by the parade of world-class players who walked through the door in response to Bingham’s flurry of phone calls. And such greats as clarinetist Dr. Michael White, pianist Henry Butler, keyboardist Jon Cleary and sousaphone master Kirk Joseph indisputably came to play. There were few written arrangements – the red-hot sounds you’ll hear on “Bywater Dance” burst forth in spontaneous combustion, as sparks flew between Mary and her brand-new friends, usually just minutes after the first handshakes and introductions. That sense of immediacy, of “capturing the moment, ” continued through the rest of the recording process. All of it – from recording through mastering – took just one week. The result is “Bywater Dance”, a 14-song set that glides gracefully through the byways and backwaters of American roots music. Piano, clarinet, sousaphone, trumpet, accordion, and washboard all take their turn in this magical musical dance. With Flower’s crystalline fingerpicking and rich, full-bodied slide playing providing the setting for her springwater-clear vocals, her vibrant collaborations expand the folk-blues palette with flashes of classic NOLA jazz and even Jelly Roll Morton’s Caribbean-tinged rags, adding some very surprising world-music influences to her distinctly contemporary take on Southern blues. Flower and her new friends have a great time breaking those stylistic boundaries. Just listen to the smile in her voice as she sings “Papa’s on the Housetop, ” as Henry’s Butler’s rocking, rolling piano raises the roof. She adds a few island touches to her elegant guitar showcase, “Hudson River Rag, ” while, after the lyrical wordplay in Red Stick Rambler Josh Caffrey’s “Main Street Blues, ” the song bursts open with Dr. Michael White’s Klezmer clarinet and gets subterranean with Matt Perrine’s primally funky tuba solo. “Bywater Dance” is full of such delights, as songs take unexpected twists and turns. And although some purists might find it unusual to pair acoustic fingerpicked guitar with jazz horns and more, it’s a tradition as old as the country blues itself. Memphis Minnie, Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy and Lonnie Johnson all recorded with jazz bands. Even Jimmie Rodgers made records with Louis Armstrong. Flower simply takes that sound and makes it new again. For those who prefer a sparer approach, she includes two of the great acoustic blues guitar themes on “Bywater Dance”. “Crow Jane, ” brings Carl Martin’s funky, string-bending arrangement to life. The second, Geechie Wiley’s “Last Kind Word Blues” is a haunting, minor-key piece made eerier still by Cleary’s addition of dissonant keyboards. And one of the highlights of “Bywater Dance” is the finale, Flower’s elegiac bit of Americana, “The Good News Waltz, ” which breathes new life into that too-often-neglected musical form. There’s lots more here, but listen for yourself. It’s a rare talent to be able to play the blues with the skill and respect for tradition that initially made Mary Flower a prominent figure in contemporary folk-blues. But it’s a rarer talent still to take all those influences and mix them into something truly new, spontaneous and completely your own. Her freewheeling approach comes naturally but not easily, forged by decades of performing. As Jimmy Cagney once famously said, “You have to rehearse your whole life to become who you really are.” After a lifetime of music, Mary Flower knows who she really is. And that uniquely original musical identity shines throughout the 14 songs on “Bywater Dance”. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |