SOUND CHECK.JUNIOR WELLS: ``Live at Theresa's 1975'' (Delmark) - Three and one half stars Good-humored Chicago blues harpist, singer and band leader Wells was a regular in the '70s at now-defunct Theresa's Tavern on the South Side. This superb set finds the ex-Muddy Waters sideman side·man n. A member of a jazz band who is not the leader or a featured soloist. and his excellent band in a relaxed late-night mood at the joint, playing such crowd pleasers as ``Love Her With a Feeling,'' ``Snatch It Back and Hold It'' and an eight-minute ``Goin' Down Slow.'' Along with amusing, priceless patter pat·ter 1 v. pat·tered, pat·ter·ing, pat·ters v.intr. 1. To make a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds: Rain pattered steadily against the glass. between Wells and an audience of neighborhood folks, the disc is notable for great guitar work from journeymen Phil Guy and others. Wish we could've been there. -- Fred Shuster HECTOR LAVOE: ``Comedia'' (Fania) - Three stars If you've never heard of Lavoe, you will have by next year at this time. Due in theaters this summer is ``El Cantante,'' a biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] starring Marc Anthony as the tragic Puerto Rico-born salsa singer, with Jennifer Lopez as his equally doomed wife. This newly remastered album from 1978 finds the sweet-voiced Lavoe (who died penniless in '93 from AIDS) in top form, performing his signature tune ``El Cantante'' (penned by his then-labelmate Ruben Blades) and produced by the great Willie Colon, with whom Lavoe made more than a dozen albums before the band leader booted him over his drug addiction. This is horn-driven, stop-on-a-dime Nuyorican salsa, a style that, even in the ballads that dominate ``Comedia,'' is far tougher and more musical than today's automated sound of reggaeton. -- F.S. LORRAINE HUNT LIEBERSON Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (March 1 1954 – July 3 2006) was a renowned American soprano then mezzo-soprano, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. [1]. Her Life : ``Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs'' (Nonesuch none·such also non·such n. 1. A person or thing without equal. 2. See black medic. none ) - Four stars In this heart-wrenching disc, composer Peter Lieberson puts music to five love poems by Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda sung by Lieberson's late wife, the great mezzo-soprano mezzo-soprano: see soprano. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. The dramatic results, recorded in concert, are sometimes abstract but deeply touching, with moments that bring to mind pastoral Debussy and turbulent Mahler, and consistently tug at the emotions. Hunt Lieberson is radiant, with a powerfully convincing delivery and light touch that soars. Even if you know little about Neruda or classical music, this poignant album is spellbinding spell·bind tr.v. spell·bound , spell·bind·ing, spell·binds To hold under or as if under a spell; enchant or fascinate. [Back-formation from spellbound. . After the applause faded out on the night this was taped, so did Hunt Lieberson, last July at age 52. -- F.S. PSALM ONE: ``The Death of Frequent Flyer'' (Rhymesayers) - Three stars Chicago native Psalm One first surfaced on the hip-hop radar with her self-released ``Bio: Chemistry.'' Now that she's got some momentum, Psalm is avoiding the pitfalls of other female MCs who get by on wiggles not words. Merely good when she dips into a laconic la·con·ic adj. Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. See Synonyms at silent. [Latin Lac groove, Psalm lights up when her full attention is engaged. ``Death'' flows from style to style. Large beats stretch across whispers of jazz and funk, the disc gives way to stripped-down postmodern beats (``Macaroni and Cheese'') and straight-out bombastic dancehall dance·hall n. 1. or dance hall A building or part of a building with facilities for dancing. 2. See ragga. dancehall Noun a style of dance-oriented reggae grooves (``Rap Star''). It's hard to complain when each is done so well, but you can't help wish there was more consistency. -- Len Cutler CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Junior Wells) (2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers) |
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