BLITZ MAGAZINE:
By Michael McDowell
August 12, 2010
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
DOIN' THE BOOGIE: The visionary John Lee Hooker, Jr. brings his seasoned take on the blues to an appreciative audience in his recently released Live In Istanbul Turkey CD. Blitz Editor/Publisher Michael McDowell takes a closer look below.
CD Review:
LIVE IN ISTANBUL TURKEY -
John Lee Hooker, Jr. (Steppin' Stone)
In recent years, there has been no small amount of dissention within country music circles with regards to its perceived appropriation by outside interests that harbor inclinations towards commercial rock. The result of this seemingly hostile takeover has been an increased emphasis on image and fashion, with the music falling into an unprecedented secondary role.
Likewise, the blues idiom has endured both internal and external criticism over its ever increasing infiltration by post-Woodstock rock protagonists, whose professed singularity of purpose in reality comes as the byproduct of peripheral concerns. More often than not, the resultant mix is little more than a showcase for the pyrotechnical abilities of the artists involved, rather than the music itself.
As was also the case with country music, the blues intermingled with rhythm and blues, Gospel, rock and roll and country itself, with generally satisfying results. Artists such as Little Milton Campbell, Bobby Bland, Otis Rush and Junior Wells successfully drew from each of these sources to raise blues’ aesthetic quotient to unprecedented heights, only to find the fruit of their labors being reaped by the aforementioned post-Woodstock contingent.
While blues music from the onset has been blessed with superlative musicianship (evidenced in abundance in the work of such beloved pioneers as Huddie William “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Charly Patton and Robert Johnson), its central and most indispensible component has been its strong, inspirational and/or convicting story line. While such visionaries as Campbell, Bland, Rush and Wells excelled in both respects, it was the onslaught of the hard rock element that (for a variety of reasons) shifted the emphasis away from lyrical content.
To be certain, there remains in country music a strong and determined contingent whose mission statements include the restoration of aesthetic credibility as an indispensible component. In turn, blues music is blessed with surviving veterans and like minded aspirants who are determined to raise its standard of excellence.
One such artist is Detroit, Michigan native John Lee Hooker, Jr. His just-issued Live In Istanbul Turkey draws (by instinct as much as by design, if not more so) from the ambitious musicianship of Campbell, Bland, Rush and Wells, adds to it a remarkably strong gift for lyricism and embellishes it with flourishes that are at once both timely and universal in their appeal.
Recorded before an appreciative audience at the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival, Live In Istanbul Turkey celebrates through Hooker’s broad vision the most embraceable aspects of the blues experience. Herein, Hooker and his entourage bring the blues full circle by not only embracing the remarkable accomplishments of the aforementioned pioneers, but by combining superlative (yet not overbearing) musical proficiency with a finely tuned sense of communication that brings the conventional blues story line into a twenty-first century setting without compromise.
Many of the tracks are coauthored by Hooker and bassist Frank Thibeaux, who shares the bassist role in this project with Darrell Fields. Contributions from other band members likewise underscore Hooker’s mission statement with duly inspired resolve.
To wit, the opening track, Suspicious combines a traditional slow blues template with illustrations comprised of universally recognizable cultural periphery that simply would not and could not have been a factor in the work of the aforementioned pioneers. Indeed, cell phone sound effects and references to narcotics usage at a McDonald’s restaurant would at best have represented the articulation of a vivid imagination to audiences at a Charly Patton or Robert Johnson performance.
In similar fashion, the mid tempo It’s A Shame serves to perpetuate the proclamations of affliction indigenous to such genre landmarks as Ray Charles’ Busted (ABC Paramount 45-10481) and Roy Brown’s Hard Luck Blues (Deluxe 3304) via references to current events (the economic crisis) and instantly recognizable cultural fixtures (poignantly depicted with illustrations of partaking of the food outreach program at a Saint Vincent De Paul Mission and shoplifting at Wal-Mart). Fed Up follows suit, with its Bobby Bland-flavored account of a deceiving acquaintence who takes undue advantage of an offer of benevolence; complete with the tried and true appeals to the listener and the universal petitions to God for mercy.
Keenly aware of the often untapped potential for diversity within the idiom, Hooker herein offers as wide a spectrum of material as possible without compromise. On one hand, You Make My Life Brand New meshes the brass-tinged eloquent delivery of Little Milton, with a touch of Supreme-label era Jimmy Witherspoon.
On the other hand, Funky Funk tips its hat to the exuberance of Rufus Thomas, with repeated references to Thomas’ Walking The Dog (Stax S-140). Fittingly, Funky Funk is augmented by a rhythm section that draws from the sympathetic workouts of the Fabulous Counts and the Nite-Liters.
The standard blues shuffle of They Hatin’ On Me (complete with the prerequisite call and response) brings it home (complete with a coy and timely reference to golfer Tiger Woods), as does the despondency of Wait Until My Change Come. Conversely, the guarded optimism of Talk Too Much (coauthored with veteran blues man, James Cotton) rounds out the proceedings with James Brown-inspired “give the drummer some” exchanges with the band.
Inevitably, Hooker also pays tribute herein to his late father, John Lee Hooker, Sr. The elder Hooker (who passed away in June 2001 at age 83), released the landmark album, Don’t Turn Me From Your Door (Atco 33-151) in 1961 and authored the monster classics Boogie Children for John Fred and the Playboy Band (N-Joy 1005) and Boom Boom for the Animals (MGM K13298). Hooker Jr. interned at length as a member of his father’s band and herein turns in commendable renditions of Maudie (which the elder Hooker showcased at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival to considerable acclaim) and Boom Boom.
Just as the elder Hooker was an integral figure in the development of blues and its inevitable impact on rock and roll, John Lee Hooker, Jr. has to date taken decisive, proactive steps to maximize the potential of technology within his art. Witness the bonus video of Extramarital Affair, which had previously appeared in the audio format in his 2008 All Odds Against Me CD. Coproduced by Hooker and Laurent Mercier, this cautionary tale of tragedy at once provides a poignant depiction of the realities of the road, while simultaneously providing Hooker with a platform to resoundingly condemn such practices.
One media observer recently compared the career of John Lee Hooker, Jr. to that of Hank Williams, Jr. To be certain, the analogy bears considerable merit. Indeed, both artists were the offspring of visionaries with formidable musical legacies, and each remain the standard of excellence within their respective idioms. Likewise, both Hooker Jr. and Williams Jr. as a result found themselves immersed in considerable hardships in their endeavors to establish their own identities under such circumstances. Happily, both have not only survived, but have each cast their own shadow as major innovators in their own right.
"Thanks to the almighty God for making this possible", said Hooker in this project’s sleeve notes. Indeed, as Live In Istanbul Turkey sublimely showcases, Hooker’s legacy is one blessed with God’s grace and mercy. In the process, Hooker has put a whole new perspective on his earlier Blues With A Vengeance and like Williams, casts his own formidable shadow.
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