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Michael Jerome Browne—Getting’ Together—Borealis ASIN
‏: ‎B0BX4PSFLR

Canadian guitarist Michael Jerome Browne is perhaps best-
known in this country for his work with Eric Bibb, who joins him
on this record along with other esteemed guests including J.J.
Milteau, John Sebastian, Mary Flower, Colin Linden, Happy
Traum and Harrison Kennedy. The record is mainly old blues
songs with just one original, the instrumental ‘Reverend Strut’
in the style of Reverend Gary Davis and indeed Michael plays
Davis’ old 6-string banjo on the tune. We begin with Mississippi
John Hurt’s ‘Monday Morning Blues’ with Michael on 12-string

and Harrison Kennedy helping on harmonica and vocals, more harp on Bukka White’s ‘Shake
‘Em On Down’ this time from J.J. Milteau and with Eric Bibb playing 9-string guitar (shades of
Big Joe Williams).

Mary Flower joins Michael on lap slide for an instrumental take on the Delmore Brothers’ ‘I’ve
Got the Big River Blues’ and she also stays around for ‘Coffee Blues’ (‘Spoonful’) helping out on
vocals while John Sebastian adds his harp. Mary also duets with Browne on ‘Married Man
Blues’ and also ‘Black Dog Blues’ as well as her own instrumental ‘Wisecrack’. Michael covers
fairly obscure country blues like Rube Lacy’s ‘Ham Hound Crave’ and Peetie Wheatstraw’s ‘Six
Weeks Old Blues’ but there is also variety with him playing with a rhythm section of bass and
drums on J.B. Hutto’s ‘Please Help’ and he renders Bukka White’s ‘Fixin’ To Die Rag‘ as an old
timey mountain song with the help of Teilhard Frost on fiddle. This is a fine album of traditional
songs, with Michael centre stage on every song but the additional musicians and singers just
add that extra spice. In the album’s notes Michael also adds details of the instruments and
tunings he uses throughout.

Graham Harrison

Bob Corritore—High Rise Blues—Vizztone Label ASIN ‏:
‎B0BYYXS9B3

Another month and another release from Bob Corritore’s ‘From

the Vaults’ series, this time with previously unreleased tracks
recorded between 1992 and 2022 featuring some of Chicago’s
finest including Bo Diddley, Jimmy Rogers, Koko Taylor, Magic
Slim and Pinetop Perkins. Bob enticed blues singers to his
Rhythm Room club in Phoenix by offering them a gig plus a
recording session – hence this huge archive of blues gold.

We begin with Jimmy Rogers revisiting his own song ‘Last Time’,
while Koko Taylor does a fine job on Willie Dixon’s ‘Twenty-Nine
Ways’ and Eddie Taylor Jr. tackles Lightnin’ Hopkins’ ‘Short Haired Woman’. Bo Diddley’s ‘Little
Girl’ doesn’t have ‘the Bo Diddley beat’ but is a nice blues shuffle with Bo’s distinctive guitar
and always good to hear pianist Pinetop Perkins here playing Memphis Slim’s ‘Grinder Man’.
Elsewhere we also hear Chicago legends like Luther Tucker, John Brim, Eddy Clearwater and
Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith as well as newer acts such as Lil’ Ed, Bob Reidy and Manuel Arrington
– with Bob adding his excellent harmonica to give us authentic Chicago blues recorded in
Arizona.

Graham Harrison