After making a name for himself with his work on the West Coast, performing with his own band, The Tri Tones, as well as supporting West Coast notables, Earl Thomas and Freddie Brooks, Kyle Jester took his reputation national and international with his work as guitarist and band leader for blues diva, Candye Kane.
Earlier this year Jester went into the studio to cut a record with Kevin Williams (bass) and Tom Essa (drums). The end result of Jester’s efforts was his debut recording, Ain’t No Way. With some good early reviews of the recording, Jester has decided that in 2005, he will take his show on the road, leaving Candye Kane to make a go of it on his own, using Ain’t No Way as a vehicle to promote his solo effort.
The first thing to note about Ain’t No Way is the fact that it is a very long recording, comprised of twenty songs and over 70 minutes of music. In addition to his primary back-up musicians, Jester also gets some guest support from the likes of Thomas Yearsley (The Palladins); Sue Palmer; Vladimir Yarrovsky (The Tri-Tones); and s special appearance by Ms. Candye Kane who sings a duet with Jester on “Roll With Me Henry.”
While only six of the twenty songs were written by Kyle Jester, the guitarist puts an affirmative stamp on each and every song on the CD with his excellent guitar and strong vocal style. Covers of songs by Otis Rush (“3 Times a Fool”); James Cotton (“Straighten Up Baby”); ”); Roosevelt Sykes (“Drivin’ Wheel”); Magic Sam (“Easy Baby); and Willie Dixon (“Can’t Hold Out”) offer Jester playing and singing in a clear Chicago style. Jester gets a bit more soulful on Junior Parker’s “I Feel Alright Again” and the King Curtis classic “Let Me Down Easy”; taking on a more of a jump flavor with Jay McShann /Jimmy Witherspoon’s “Voodoo Woman Blues,” Witherspoon’s “Love My Baby,” and “Roll With Me Henry,” the Jester/Candye Kane duet. Also exceptional are the jazzy “Is You Is” and a nice version of Robert Johnson’s “If I Had Possession.” The obvious variety in song choice allows listeners to hear the versatility of Jester’s guitar style.
Jester’s originals continue the demonstration of versatility. The title track, “Ain’t No Way” and “If I Had You” have a mellow jazzy feeling; “l.a.” is an up tempo jump tune with a bit of scat thrown in; and “Haven’t Felt Good” offers a nice honky tonk sound (complete with a kazoo solo). The best of the originals however is “Hey Louise,” an energetic, up tempo tune with an old time rock n’ roll feeling.
Ain’t No Way represents an excellent effort by Kyle Jester and a fine representation of his musical talents. To find out more about Kyle Jester and to pick up a copy of Ain’t No Way, visit Kyle Jester’s website at www.kylejester.com.
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