A Jan. 29 Style review of a new CD by the Blind Boys of Alabama incorrectly said that group member Clarence Fountain had recently died. Fountain still performs with the group as his health permits.
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DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS
The Blind Boys of Alabama
One of the last groups standing from the golden age of black gospel quartet singing, the Blind Boys have recently witnessed the passing of two founding members, Clarence Fountain and George Scott. The group still has gravelly shouter Jimmy Carter, who was there with Fountain and Scott when the group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s. Even so, to have made an album this inspired and relevant at this late date, and after sustaining such monumental losses, borders on the miraculous. Maybe more remarkable, the quartet has done so while essaying the tricky second-line rhythms of New Orleans R&B for the first time in its career.
Backed by the Hot 8 Brass Band, they do a rousing, Katrina-conscious version of the Earl King classic "Make a Better World." A pensive, though no less poignant, take of Marion Williams's "If I Could Help Somebody," one of two tracks on the album associated with Mahalia Jackson, features the bluesy piano of New Orleans producer and songwriter Allen Toussaint. Elsewhere, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band joins the group for a Dixieland romp through the gospel standard "Uncloudy Day."
Over the course of the album's 12 tracks, country-inflected material like "Across the Bridge" mixes seamlessly with the juking blues of "You Got to Move" and the later-day gospel balladry of Curtis Mayfield. There's also no shortage of heated vocal call-and-response, including the house-rocking "Down by the Riverside" with its timely-as-ever chorus, "Ain't gonna study war no more."
-- Bill Friskics-Warren
DOWNLOAD THESE:"Make a Better World," "Down by the Riverside," "Uncloudy Day"
DAY TRIP
Pat Metheny
For many fans of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, size is everything. Some prefer the world beat atmospherics associated with the Pat Metheny Group. Others favor the intricate interplay Metheny has pursued in skeletal settings over the years.
"Day Trip" is a trio session but one likely to appeal to a wider audience than usual. It combines the sleek lines and post-bop thrust that listeners have come to expect from Metheny's small-combo recordings with some surefire contrasts. The Brazilian-tinged ballad "Snova," for example, ranks among Metheny's most hummable themes, while "The Red One," a quirky foray into funk and twang, recalls Metheny's playful collaborations with fellow guitarist John Scofield. Another departure, the acoustic guitar lament "Is This America?," inspires a haunting interlude.
While "Day Trip" was recorded in one session, Metheny, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez weren't exactly winging it. Metheny's latest trio had already developed a close rapport on tour before making its recording debut. What's more, the guitarist contributed 10 original compositions to "Day Trip," nearly all of them fresh and appealing.
