by Mick
Rainsford - Blues in Britain Magazine
Jimmy Cavallo & The Houserockers – Rock, Rock,
Rock, Then & Now
Petcap Music
Johnny Ferreira – Rock &
Roll Saxophonist
Pair-A-Dice Records
Jimmy Cavallo
The saxophone has been at the heart of jump blues and R&B for
over six decades - artists like Illinois Jacquet,
whose wild solo on Lionel Hampton’s 1942
hit ‘Flying Home’, and the unfettered
flamboyance of artists like Big Jay McNeely, Joe Houston
and Wild Bill Moore inspiring a revolution
that was to explode, in the 50s, onto young white audiences as rock’n’roll,
led by legendary bands like Bill Haley & The Comets
and Jimmy Cavallo & The Houserockers.
Cavallo was born in 1927 and, inspired by Roy Brown, Wynonie
Harris and Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams,
in 1949 he formed his own quintet, which took Central New York by
storm. Recordings followed for BSD Records (‘I Got Eyes For
You’ and ‘Rock This Joint’) and Coral Records
– and in 1956 his became the first white R&B Band to appear
at the famed Apollo Theatre, culminating in his
appearance singing the title track in Alan Freed’s
ground-breaking movie ‘Rock, Rock, Rock’.
Since then Jimmy has worked continuously recording for labels like
Darcy and Romar Records – backing Nat King Cole, Bobby
Darin, Sammy Davis Jr and Jayne Mansfield,
and sharing the stage with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Joe
Dee & The Starliters, The Fifth Dimension and the
Turtles.
Cavallo is now 79 and his music is as undiluted as ever, his powerful
baritone voice still capable of shouting the blues with the best,
whilst his sax playing is as wild and unadulterated as ever. Not
convinced? Then just listen to his latest CD, ‘Rock,
Rock, Rock, Then And Now’ where he is joined by ex-Houserockers
John Latocha and Chuck Sgroi on
bass and guitar respectively, with Tom Razzano
on drums and cameos from Andy Rudy (piano), Rob Spagnoletti (percussion)
and Pete McMahon (harp).
The set opens with Roy Brown’s ‘Good Rockin’
Tonight’, Cavallo’s powerhouse blues shouting
underpinned by his explosive sax, fat-toned swinging guitar, rocking
piano and percolating organ – setting the scene for 54 minutes
of great music that will delight all lovers of jump blues, R&B
and vintage rock’n’roll. The jumping ‘Greenbacks’
with it’s funky guitar riff and snorting sax – a tribute
to “Brother Ray” with soaring, soulful
sax, wistful vocals and cascading piano on ‘Georgia”,
followed by a jumping ‘Hallelujah I Love Her So’
with sax and guitar sparring playfully – a brooding
‘Stormy Monday’ that segues into a frantic
rendition of Jimmy Rushing’s ‘Goin’ To
Chicago’ – and, inevitably, a wild workout
on the classic ‘Rock, Rock, Rock’,
all confirm why Cavallo’s music has retained it’s popularity
over sixty plus years.Add in exhilarating renditions of ‘Flip,
Flop And Fly’ and a wild ‘Drinkin’
Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee’ with it’s shuddering backbeat,
snorting sax and wild r’n’r guitar – and I am
left with no other option than to recommend this impressive set.
(www.petcapmusic.com)
Johnny
Ferreira
If Jimmy Cavallo was one of the pioneers of rock &
roll saxophone, then Johnny Ferreira is a disciple and it’s
future.
Ferreira is a top session player who has toured with the likes of
Steve Winwood, the Rolling Stones, Little feat and
Stevie Ray Vaughan, and was a featured soloist in the Colin
James Little Big Band – but his roots are firmly
entrenched in the music of the black jump saxophonists and rock’n’rollers
of the 40s and 50s, as his latest CD testifies.
Ferreira wrote nine of the ten tracks on this set, and it
is a tribute to him that they all could have been potentially written
in the golden age of the genres he is portraying.
The set opens with the stomping Wine,
Women & Song that comes replete with boogie piano, wild
snorting sax, chanted backing harmonies and pure r’n’r
guitar underpinning his suitably growled and strident rock’n’roll
vocals. The slow rocking Swing
That Thing features a baying horn section,
a feral sax solo, percolating B3 and hip vocals from Ferreira –
‘Dancin’ Is Not My Thing’ is a call and
response stomper with trashcan drumming underpinning raucous trombone
(Hugh Fraser) and sax – and we are back to “head-banging”
r’n’r with ‘If That Ain’t Love’
with it’s wildly riffing horn charts.
The tempo is relaxed for the rock’n’roll ballad Lady
– but this is a brief respite as ‘Let’s
Rock Tonite’ cranks up the tempo and the volume with
it’s squalling sax – ‘Mean Mr Senf’
is a full-throttle yackety-sax instrumental – ‘Night
Gown’ swings irresistibly and features suitably twee
female backing vocals – ‘Creeps’ is
a wild jumper fired by manic sax, trumpet (Vince Mai) and trombone
– which leaves ‘Chompin’ at The Bit’,
which does exactly what it says on the tin.
Whilst there are artists like Johnny Ferreira around, lovers of
rock&roll and sax fired R&B can rest easy that their music
is in safe hands.
Recommended?
What do you think! (www.johnnyferreira.com)
Mick Rainsford
Blues in Britain
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