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TexMexino—Unforgotten by Heart (R. S. Version)—

Independent (Single)
(www.texmexino.ok-productions.com)

The recent death of Tex-Mex legend Flaco Jimenez on 31st July
brought back a flood of memories of seeing and talking to him
many times back in the 80s when it seemed he was a permanent
fixture in London at venues like The Cricketers and The Half
Moon in Putney.

Oliver Kraus obviously felt it deeply too, especially as the
accordionist with The River Zydeco Band in The Netherlands
also died around the same time. Oliver is the accordion player with Germany’s respected Zydeco
Playboys and this is his tribute to two friends; as the style didn’t quite fit with his own band,

TexMexino was formed as an off-shoot. Whatever, this is a remake of a rootsy Texas Tornados
styled number he wrote over 20 years ago, with relevant lyrics and some prominent conjunto-
styled accordion on a mellow border number. Just right for those hot Tex-Mex nights… and if
you’re unsure about Tex-Mex, give it a listen and then check Flaco.
Norman Darwen

Matt Schofield Trio—Many Moons / Vol. 1—Number 7 Re-
cords

“Many Moons / Vol. 1” sees blues guitarist/vocalist Matt Scho-
field reuniting with his original trio line-up of Jonny Henderson
on organ and Evan Jenkins on drums, for their first album to-
gether in over a decade.

The album opens with ‘Can’t Catch My Breath’ a cracking upbeat
blues with some hints of Stevie Ray Vaughan in there. ‘Any
Questions’ is a classic slow blues whilst Evan Jenkins leads into
‘Shoe On The Other Foot’ with a nice little drum intro that
develops into a proper funked out blues. Matt takes things
down real slow with ‘Measure Of A Man’ which at times reminded me of the Hoax in their heyday.

‘Wellington Shuffle’ is a top class instrumental that is sure to get your foot tapping whilst ‘Do

Me Right’ is another power driven blues with some excellent drumming from Evan once again.
‘Danger Zone’ has a nice laid back vibe with brushes underpinning some excellent Hammond
sounds from Jonny Henderson before the album closes with the party atmosphere in full
swing on ‘Nothing But A Party’.

This is a top class blues album. These three artists work so well together with great feel and
dynamics, it’s almost like a live show. Matt Schofield is such a fantastic guitarist and he dis-
plays all of his skill, nuance and crafted tone throughout this album. With all of the jazz edged
blues on display here you can’t help but compare his style to Robben Ford. Interestingly, I re-
cently saw the Robben Ford trio live which included Jonny Henderson on keys no less and
Jonny’s signature Hammond sound plays a key part on this album too.