Erwin Helfer, Chicago´s master boogie and jazz pianist and his longtime-friend Skinny Williams on his tenor sax sit together to invite you to an outstanding club date that features blues, jazz and standards. Williams, rooted in the styles of Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins works the miracle of blending this jazzy approach to music with the bluesy wails and grooves he refined while working with Jr. Wells, B.B. King and Buddy Guy, spicing his riffs with reminiscences of Earl Bostic and Gene Ammons. Helfer, who is famous for his refined and elegant, fluid and careless style still beats the blues and boogie out of his piano thus paying respect to his teachers Jimmy Yancey, Albert Ammons and Cripple Clarence Lofton. While mastering the melodic and rhythmic subtleties of black folk piano his classical training enables him to add a very special swinging grace to give the piano his unmistakable distinctive sound. Blues and Jazz were never strictly separated as some purists want us to believe, and the songs on this cd prove how creative and productive this liaison can be.
"St. James Infirmary," "Trouble in Mind," "Nobody Knows You When You´re Down And Out" are soulfully bluesy, proud of their origin yet polished and refined with some splendid riffs and syncopations. The old and forever young standards "Please Send Me Someone To Love," "It´s Only A Paper Moon,""When You Whish Upon A Star," "Stormy Weather" blend the artistry of Jazz with a bluesy touch, while "Ain´t Misbehaving" and "Honeysuckle Rose" pay respect to the great Fats Waller. "Five Foot Two", "Pooch Piddle (a Helfer composition)" and "Back At The Chicken Shack" invite you to tap your foot, taking part in the fun and pleasure these two cats enjoy while playing their special music.
This cd is a must for anyone who loves the blues and still knows how to swing in style.
It makes a beautiful present for someone who wants to sit back, relax and enjoy jazz and blues at its best.
For further information contact www.thesirensrecords.com
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