Reviews from these publications are listed below in chronological order. Scroll to see all reviews.
ABS Magazine (France)
Blues Blast Magazine
Blues Bytes
Blues News (Finland)
Blues News (Germany)
Blues Roadhouse
Bluestown Music (Netherlands)
Bman’s Blues Report
Chicago Blues Guide
Concert Monkey (Belgium)
Keys And Chords (Netherlands)
La Hora del Blues (Spain)
Midwest Record
Paris-Move (France)
Road To Jacksonville (France)
Rock & Blues Muse
Rock Doctor
Sound Guardian (Croatia)
World Of Harmonica (UK)
Paris-Move (France) (January 27, 2022)
Iverson Minter Jr, plus connu sous le sobriquet de Louisiana Red… Né à Vicksburg, Mississippi le 23 mars 1936 (bien qu’il ait également prétendu être né quatre ans plus tôt à Bessemer, Alabama) et décédé à Hanovre, si loin de ses funestes terres natales, fin février 2012. Nombre de ses drames personnels furent largement documentés (il perdit sa mère dès son premier anniversaire, et son père fut ensuite lynché sous ses yeux quelques années plus tard), et l’on put y déceler la source de son caractère tourmenté. Je n’oublierai pour ma part jamais l’avoir programmé au Grand Mix, dans ma ville natale de Tourcoing, en mars 1999. Dans une pénombre savamment entretenue et devant une modeste cinquantaine de spectateurs, il y délivra une performance solo empreinte d’une pénétrante émotion. Quand je lui demandai ensuite à quoi il lui arrivait de penser quand il se produisait ainsi en public, il me souffla dans un murmure: “À mon père, je me revois quand j’étais enfant…”, et quand son épouse d’origine nigérienne (qui lui servait à la fois de chauffeur, d’assistante et de manager) le reprit en lui assénant: “Tu ne réponds pas à la question, ce n’est pas ce que ce jeune homme t’a demandé”, il la rabrouait en ces termes: “Femme, c’est mon interview, je réponds ce que je veux”. Un peu sans doute comme pour les sets mythiques du Velvet Underground à ses débuts, tous ceux qui assistèrent à ce concert en parlent encore des trémolos dans la voix… À Phoenix, dans l’Arizona, un rejeton d’immigrants italiens, lui-même natif de Chicago, se vit un beau jour confier la gérance d’un club situé en périphérie de la ville. Le baptisant le Rhythm Room, Bob Corritore s’y emploie depuis des décennies à y programmer ce que la scène blues historique et contemporaine compte de talents errants. Harmoniciste émérite, cet activiste forcené ne manque jamais de se joindre à ses invités lors de leur passage, et ne néglige que rarement d’en profiter pour enregistrer ces prestations. La série “From The Vaults” qui en résulte comprend une bonne quinzaine de titres à ce jour (featuring un panel s’étendant du regretté Henry Gray à Dave Riley, en passant par Kid Ramos et John Primer, entre autres). Pour ce nouveau volet de ses archives personnelles, il a sélectionné onze plages captées entre l’an 2000 et 2009 (dont sept totalement inédites). Dès le “Mary Dee Shuffle” introductif, la rythmique qu’impriment Brian Fahey et Mario Moreno imprime le sceau du Chicago South Side le plus moîte, où le piano virevoltant de Matt Bishop et l’harmo brûlant du taulier prodiguent au timbre vigoureux de Louisiana Red l’écrin qui lui sied. Les six cordes de Buddy Reed ne sont pas en reste, et on s’imprègne là sans conteste de l’univers de Muddy Waters. L’inédit “Early Morning Blues” plonge plus profondément encore dans cette veine, tandis que Red y épouse les licks de slide qu’assénait McKinley Morganfield en son temps, et que les lamelles de Corritore en font autant avec celles de Big Walter Horton. La versatilité du bonhomme s’exprime ensuite au fil du swamp “Alabama Train” (auquel l’harmo de Bob boute encore le feu), mais “Caught Your Man And Gone” et “New Jersey Blues” renouent bien vite avec le Memphis Chicago blues du Wolf (hululements à l’appui). Comme sur une bonne moitié des titres, c’est le grand Chico Chism qui officie aux balais, délivrant le beat tour à tour déterminé ou cahotant qui sied si bien au genre. Sans show-off inopportun, le solo de Buddy Reed s’y avère aussi goûteux et concis que pertinent, mais c’est à Johnny Rapp qu’il revient ensuite de soutenir le Red pour un “Freight Train To Ride”, où sa slide et son chant évoquent le ton rageur du regretté Elmore James. Créditée à son ultime épouse, Dora, la plage titulaire se range à nouveau du côté du natif de Rolling Fork découvert sur la Stovall Plantation, de même que “Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You” (où l’harmo de Corritore ranime le spectre de Junior Wells) et “Edith Mae”, digne de ce que dispensait Muddy vers la fin des fifties (avec à nouveau cette slide à hérisser l’échine, et un Chism au petit poil), dans l’esprit de son “Nineteen Years Old”. Ce disque épatant se referme sur une version de son standard “Bessemer Blues”, suivi d’un “Bernice Blues” plus Morganfieldesque que jamais… Amateurs éperdus de Chicago blues grand cru, cette année débute avec un authentique classique du genre… Si vous aviez oublié quels frissons peut procurer cette musique, voici donc venue l’heure des révisions.
– Patrick Dallonge
Rock Doctor (February 1, 2022)
5 Stars
This is the latest installment in Bob Corritore’s ongoing “From The Vault” series, culled from his personal archives of outstanding blues recordings. Tell Me ‘Bout It is basic, raw, feral blues… blues that, to many, is the way it was meant to be.
The close friendship and musical chemistry between harp maestro Corritore and guitarist/ singer Louisiana Red is on full display here. At one time Red and Bob lived and worked
together in Chicago and Phoenix, and continued to perform and record together even after Red moved to Europe. The 11 tracks on Tell Me ‘Bout It were pulled from 7 different recording sessions between 2000 and 2009; Red passed away in early 2012. The disc is all original songs, just about as elemental as blues can get except for Red’s electric guitar and full band tracks like Alabama Train. Red’s guitar playing is hard-hitting and Corritore’s harp accompaniment has the power of another singer pitching in as he bends notes and warbles around the vocal lines. When you think about basic blues, this is the sound that comes to mind; simple, direct, very little pissing around.; manly, pure, unadulterated blues power. Caught Your Man And Gone even has a quick albeit subtle shout-out to Howlin’ Wolf. If you know Wolf’s stuff, you’ll notice it too.
As these performances were pulled from 7 different sessions, different bands were involved in Tell Me ‘Bout It. Those musicians include Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Bob Margolin, Little Victor’s Juke Joint, Buddy Reed, Johnny Rapp, Chris James, Patrick Rynn and Brian Fahey. Rather than try to push the blues into the future with inventive, modern techniques these guys honor they music that inspired them by playing it straight known the line. Nothing fancy or shmancy, just straight up slap-you-in-the-face-and-take-your-woman blues. Don’t get me wrong I dig the fancy stuff too, but sometimes you just gotta go back down to the source to feed your soul… Tell Me ‘Bout It is one of the records that can do that for you.
– John Kereiff
Midwest Record (February 2, 2022)
Culled from sundry recordings recorded over a decade from the archives of Corritore that document a friendship that went back to 1980 across a load of time and tide—they keep it real and on the natch. Organic down home electric choogle, this is a fine example of how you rock a juke joint well into the morning hours. A nice blast from the past that’s really timeless.
Rock & Blues Muse (February 7, 2022)
Released February 18th on VizzTone Label Group, Tell Me ‘Bout It celebrates the talents of two singular individuals, Bob Corritore and Louisiana Red, both of whom have contributed much to the blues story. Louisiana Red, a guitarist, harmonica-player and singer, real name Iverson Minter, was born in Alabama in 1932, and suffered the tragedy of losing both parents early. Red, who himself sadly passed in 2012, played with John Lee Hooker during the 1950s, served in Korea, and released his debut album in ’63. Twenty years later he was awarded a W. C. Handy Award for Best Blues Male Artist. Blues Music Award-winner Corritore, a harmonica-player, producer, blues-promoter and radio show host, will be familiar to many as one of the most active and highly-regarded players on the contemporary blues scene.
The cuts presented here stem from seven different recording sessions which took place between 2000 and 2009. There are some fine players backing the duo on this record, and part of the attraction of the album lies in the wide cast of musicians involved. Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Bob Margolin, Little Victor, Buddy Reed, Johnny Rapp, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Brian Fahey all lend a hand here and, although recorded across that nine-year gap, the material feels remarkably coherent and cohesive.
“Mary Dee Shuffle” starts the proceedings in fine style. As you might expect, the harmonica is front and centre, blasting forth saw-dust riffs and casting out highly affecting, swirling undercurrents. This is a fine mid-tempo electric blues. You won’t hear anything revolutionary on this track, but that is exactly the point. Red and Corritore have authenticity running through their veins and backed by some fine session players, their music is up there with the best.
“Alabama Train” is a standout, a fuzzing, warbling, steam-roller of a track which lurches from steady rollin’ to a swaying shuffle. These are recordings packed full of nuance and style. A word must be said on the production and arrangement – the sound is first-class and all-encompassing. There’s nothing flashy in the audio-balance, but the performances sound thrillingly immediate, not too crisp or too clean to strip the music of its living heart.
The same can be said of all the cuts here. “New Jersey Blues,” a slower-tempo, more introspective affair, drawls and drips with plenty of soul. You could listen and re-listen to these recordings and discover something new each time. The cool, soulful bass is compelling, the guitars riff and roll with understated pathos, and the harp-playing, of course, is captivating. Vocally, Louisiana Red ticks all the boxes. More than anything, like the greatest of blues singers, he inhabits these songs to the full.
“Edith Mae” encompasses some frankly beautiful, cutting guitar. The song flows like a slow river beneath a hot sun. “Bessemer Blues” rattles and moans. Every cut here has something special to offer, with deep grooves and a muscular sway. The title-track, in particular, is delightful, starting as it does with some ad-lib studio chatter before launching into the most classic of all blues riffs. Classic, in fact, is a good term to apply to all facets of this set. Red was a special character. With Bob Corritore, the pair shared a unique chemistry. The results make for a fitting tribute to these two great blues players.
– Chris Wheatley
Concert Monkey (Belgium) (February 18, 2022)
Bob Corritore is een Amerikaans mondharmonicaspeler, die op 27 september 1956 in Chicago werd geboren. Zijn leven veranderde voorgoed wanneer hij op twaalfjarige leeftijd voor het eerst Muddy Waters hoorde op de radio. In minder dan één jaar leerde hij mondharmonica spelen. Bob zocht contact met de grote harpspelers, zoals Big Walter Horton, Little Mack Simmons, Louis Myers, Junior Wells, Big John Wrencher en Carey Bell. Van hen kreeg hij veel mondharmonica tips en aanmoedigingen. In 1981 verhuisde Bob naar Phoenix, Arizona, waar hij in 1986 begon samen te werken met voormalig Howlin’ Wolf drummer Chico Chism. Die samenwerking duurde twintig jaar, tot Chico in 2007 overleed. In 1991 opende Bob de inmiddels beroemde blues & roots club, The Rhythm Room en in 1999 bracht hij zijn debuutalbum ‘All-Star Blues Sessions’ uit. In 2005 bracht Bob de Rhythm Room All-Stars, met Big Pete Pearson, naar het Marco Fiume Blues Passions Festival in Italië. Hierdoor kwam er heel wat Europese interesse voor het vurig mondharmonica spel van Bob Corritore. In 2007 ontving Bob een Keeping The Blues Alive Award van de Blues Foundation. In datzelfde jaar werd ‘Travelin’ The Dirt Road’, een samenwerking met Dave Riley, genomineerd voor een Blues Music Award. In 2011 won het album ‘Harmonica Blues’ van Bob Corritore & Friends een Blues Music Award voor Best Historical Blues Release. In 2013 werd ‘Ain’t Nothing You Can Do’, de schitterende samenwerking met John Primer, gekozen tot Best Blues Album Of 2013 door het Duitse Blues News Magazine. Een jaar later kreeg Corritore ook een Blues 411 Jimi Award als Beste Mondharmonicaspeler. In mei 2020 verscheen ‘The Gypsy Woman Told Me’, de derde samenwerking tussen Bob Corritore en John Primer. In het najaar van 2020 verschenen nog drie albums van Bob Corritore in de reeks ‘From The Vault Series’. Ook op zijn album ‘Spider In My Stew’ uit 2021 nodigde Bob Corritore weer een hele reeks gasten uit. Sugaray Rayford, Lurrie Bell, John Primer, Alabama Mike, Diunna Greenleaf, Francine Reed, Johnny Rawls, Oscar Wilson, Willie Buch, Bill & Shy Perry, Bob Stroger, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, Kid Ramos, Johnny Main, Jimi Smith en Adrianna Marie zijn er een paar van.
Louisiana Red is de artiestennaam van Iverson Minter, die op 23 maart 1932 geboren werd in Bessemer, Alabama. Hij stierf op 25 februari 2012 in Hannover, Duitsland. Hij was een singer/songwriter, bluesgitarist en mondharmonicaspeler. Iverson verloor op jonge leeftijd beide ouders. Zijn moeder overleed kort na zijn geboorte door een longontsteking en zijn vader werd in 1937 gelyncht door de Ku Klux Klan. In de late jaren veertig nam Louisiana Red al op voor Chess Records. Toen moest hij naar het leger waar hij opgeleid werd tot parachutist en in 1951 naar Korea moest. Na het leger speelde Red in de late jaren vijftig twee jaren bij John Lee Hooker. In 1963 bracht Louisiana Red zijn debuutalbum ‘Lowdown Back Porch Blues’ uit. In de jaren zestig en zeventig had hij een druk opnameschema en werkte hij als sessiemuzikant voor Chess Records, Checker Records, Atlas Records, Glover, Roulette Records, L&R en Tomato. In 1983 won hij een W.C. Handy Award voor Best Traditional Blues Male Artist’. Hij woonde vanaf 1981 in Hannover, Duitsland. Louisiana Red nam meer dan vijftig albums op en hij werd vooral bekend met het nummer ‘Sweet Blood Call’. In de reeks Bob Corritore’s ‘From The Vaults’ verscheen op 18 februari 2022 ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’ van Louisiana Red en Bob Corritore. Er staan elf nummers op het album, waarvan Louisiana Red er negen schreef. Alle songs op het album werden opgenomen tussen 2000 en 2009.
Het album opent met de lome Chicago blues shuffle ‘Mary Dee Shuffle’. Het is één van de twee nummers die niet door Iverson Minter werden geschreven, maar door Dora Minter, Iverson’s laatste vrouw. Drummer Brian Fahey en bassist Mario Moreno zorgen voor de lome stuwende groove en pianist Matt Bishop weet zijn piano klanken uitstekend in de melodie te weven. Het heerlijke gitaarwerk komt van Buddy Reed en Bob Corritore schittert op de mondharmonica. Louisiana Red zingt met zijn rauwe en doorleefde stem dat hij veel tijd doorbrengt met Mary Dee in een drankgelegenheid in New Jersey. De doorleefde en ruwe bluesstem van Louisiana Red komt nog beter tot zijn recht in het Delta blues nummer ‘Early Morning Blues’. Het is één van de weinige nummers op dit album die nog nooit uitgebracht werden. Het knappe slidewerk van gitarist Louisiana Red en het fantastische mondharmonicawerk van Corritore zorgen voor de weinige, maar o zo mooie instrumentale begeleiding. Treinen en reizen staan centraal in veel nummers van Louisiana Red. De stoomwals ‘Alabama Train’ is daar een schitterend voorbeeld van. Mondharmonicavirtuoos Bob Corritore is het ganse nummer aanwezig met zijn fantastisch scheurende klanken uit zijn kleine blaasinstrument. David Maxwell en Little Victor nemen het piano en gitaarwerk voor hun rekening en de ritmesectie bestaat hier uit drummer Alex Pettersen en bassist Billy Troiani. ‘Alabama Train’ is één van de hoogtepunten op dit album.
Muddy Waters was één van Louisiana Red’s grote voorbeelden en dat is te horen in het vloeiende Chicago blues nummer ‘Caught Your Man And Gone’. Bassist Paul Thomas en drummer Chico Chism zorgen voor een heerlijke groove en Corritore strooit het gehele nummer weer gretig rond met straffe mondharmonica riffs. De steeds weerkerende gitaar riff komt van Johnny Rapp. Buddy Reed etaleert nogmaals zijn klasse als gitarist in het tragere en meeslepende blues nummer ‘New Jersey Blues’. Het wordt weer met veel emotie en passie gezongen door Louisiana Red en ook Corritore schittert weer met knap blaas en zuigwerk op zijn bluesharp. De trein is nogmaals het onderwerp in de verschroeiende blues song ‘Freight Train To Ride’, waarin Louisiana Red zijn luisteraars laat meegenieten van het leven van een bluesmuzikant on the road. Chico Chism op drums en Paul Thomas op bas zorgen voor de stuwende groove. Louisiana Red laat zijn bottleneck weer op een gevoelvolle wijze over de snaren op de nek van zijn sixstring glijden en natuurlijk is het fantastische mondharmonicawerk van Corritore ook in dit nummer uitdrukkelijk aanwezig. In ‘Freight Train To Ride’ herkennen we veel Elmore James invloeden. Het tweede nummer dat geschreven werd door Louisiana Red’s laatste vrouw Dora is de titeltrack ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’, waarin Louisiana vertelt over een slechte ervaring, één van zijn liefjes stal namelijk al zijn geld. De muzikanten verschillen van nummer tot nummer. De ritmesectie in ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’ bestaat uit drummer Brian Fahey en bassist Patrick Rynn en toetsenist Don Maxwell is weer van de partij op de piano.
‘Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You’ is een uitstekend uptempo bluesnummer met Rob Corritore die op de bluesharp herinneringen oproept aan Junior Wells. Het liefdeslied ‘Edith May’ weet bluesveteraan Louisiana Red met veel passie en overtuiging te zingen. Tussendoor strooit hij samen met gitarist Bob Margolin nog kwistig rond met uitstekende slide riffs. De liefhebbers van de Chicago blues zullen in hun nopjes zijn met ‘Bessemer Blues’, waarin Corritore het gehele nummer uitdrukkelijk en uitstekend aanwezig is met fantastisch mondharmonicawerk. Het knap gitaarwerk en de prachtige snarensolo komen van Buddy Reed en Louisiana Red. Het album wordt afgesloten met ‘Bernice Blues’, een Chicago bluesballade, waarin de stem van Louisiana Red volledig tot zijn recht komt. Ook deze keer heeft Bob Corritore weer een uitstekende selectie weten te maken van de opnames die hij gemaakt heeft met Louisiana Red. De liefhebbers van de blues en van de mondharmonica zullen aan ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’ van Louisiana Red & Bob Corritore zeker weer veel plezier beleven. Het is weer een mooie aanvulling in de reeks ‘From The Vaults’. (8/10)
– Walter Vanheuckelom
Chicago Blues Guide (February 18, 2022)
As an in-demand harp player, club owner, radio host, producer and blues writer, Bob Corritore has jammed and interacted with legions of blues legends ranging from Pinetop Perkins and Bo Diddley to John Primer, Sam Lay and so many others.
While all these collaborators left their mark on Corritore, he maintains that one “guardian angel” helped change the direction of his life and led to his long-running career playing and promoting the blues in Phoenix, Arizona.
The man who helped Corritore “grow as a human being” was Iverson Minter, who had many monikers, including Louisiana Red. Corritore met Red at Chicago’s old Delta Fish Market back in 1981, where he had the “honor and the privilege” of playing with him. They exchanged phone numbers and Corritore moved to Phoenix soon after that.
The move to Phoenix was precipitated because Corritore knew he needed to break away from the temptation-laden Chicago blues scene in the early eighties. While he would miss incredible moments playing harp with great artists like Red, a temporary move West was necessary.
So, it came as a bit of surprise when Red rang up Corritore’s landline and said he was heading out to Phoenix. Soon, they were jamming together at Red’s new woman’s home. Not long after that, the same lady called Corritore and told him to pick up Red because she was kicking him out!
Corritore took Red in, and this arrangement resulted in countless morning jam sessions and reflections on Red’s real-life lessons. To say Red had it rough was a gross understatement. His mother passed from pneumonia shortly after his birth and his father was lynched and killed by the Ku Klux Klan.
Following these incomprehensible tragedies, Red bounced around the country to be raised by various relatives. He recorded with Chess Records in Chicago and served in Korea before making the move to Detroit where he worked on the Oldsmobile assembly line, hung out on Hastings Street, jammed with John Lee Hooker, and recorded some tunes under the Rocky Fuller moniker.
After these Motor City machinations, he hit the Big Apple and recorded as Louisiana Red. He had musical success with the politically charged “Red’s Dream” on his first album, Lowdown Back Porch Blues which was released in 1963 and raked in over a million in sales under the Roulette label. This label was managed by gangster, Morris Levy, so you can bet that Red lost out on that record deal.
Red ditched the Roulette deal but stuck with the Louisiana Red name, under which he enjoyed a prolific recording career. So, Red was already an established artist when he came to live with Corritore, his brother and then-girlfriend. Corritore said they “became a little family” and had a “wonderful time together.”
Looking back on this period, Corritore said Red was “guiding my life in ways I didn’t even realize at the time.” These meant-to-be moments included a trip to the Purple Turtle, which later became Corritore’s very own Rhythm Room. He also accompanied Red to a radio interview on the same station where Corritore’s been on air for 38 years.
While Corritore was putting down roots in Phoenix, it was a different story for Red. He toured Europe to appreciative crowds, met a wonderful woman through Champion Jack Dupree and settled down across the pond. But his friendship with Corritore continued as he started touring the States in 2000 and would always stop at his old stomping grounds to perform with Corritore and a rotating cast of accomplished musicians.
Luckily for us, Corritore has captured all of Red’s magic via seven different recording sessions on the just-released Tell Me ‘Bout It. Although these sessions went down in the desert, it has a distinctly Chicago feel thanks to the many local musicians who have followed Corritore out to play or record in Phoenix. The sessions took place from 2000-2009 before Red passed away in 2012.
The list of accompanying musicians with Chicago connections includes the late drummer Chico Chism as well as bass player, Patrick Rynn and guitarist Chris James. Other artists who dropped in to hear Red “tell them about it” include Johnny Rapp, Buddy Reed, Bob Margolin, Little Victor, Matt Bishop, David Maxwell, Paul Thomas, Mario Moreno, Billy Troiani, Brian Fahey, and Alex Pettersen.
Corritore remembers Red as a “really kind soul who laid himself vulnerable to the world.” He said Red found a “safe haven” with him that led to a lifelong friendship. This easy rapport between the two gentlemen from very different backgrounds shines through on every track of this stellar new release.
Tell Me ‘Bout It opens with the “Mary Dee Shuffle” where Red’s lyrics revolve around spending too much time at a New Jersey watering hole with the title character. While hanging out at the Hideout, he plays his blues all night long with nary a thought to his early call at the local steel mill.
With morning jam sessions with Corritore being part of Red’s repertoire, it’s not surprising to hear “Early Morning Blues” on the second track. Here, a rough-edged Red sings about “coming down” as he schools the listener in down-home Delta blues.
But Red wasn’t one to stay tethered for too long and the upbeat “Alabama Train” is a musical travelogue that touches on everything from late nights in New York City to pretty girls in Pennsylvania. Trains and travel are front and center on several of his songs with both “New Jersey Blues” and “Freight Train to Ride” carrying listeners on an enjoyable journey through a bona fide blues life.
Tell Me ‘Bout It also shows Red’s impressive vocal range as he runs the gamut from broken-hearted bluesman to affable storyteller on the title track. Throughout the course of Tell Me ‘Bout It, Red’s vocal delivery and off-the-cuff comments demonstrate the comfort zone he found with Corritore and company.
One of Red’s earliest influences was Muddy Waters and his legacy shines through on “Caught Your Man and Gone” as this track boasts a Morganfield vibe mixed with a few utterances that would make Howlin’ Wolf proud. His haunting vocals are also front-and-center on “Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You.”
Tell Me ‘Bout It wraps up with “Bessemer Blues” and “Bernice Blues.” But there’s nothing that’s even remotely B-side about these tracks as Red, Corritore and the rest of the crew bring their A-game to each cut on this impressive release.
While Louisiana Red had all the requisite tools necessary to be a highly regarded bluesman, including receiving a WC Handy award for Best Traditional Male Blues Artist in 1983, it’s surprising that he didn’t receive more recognition during his lifetime, especially during the Sixties blues boom. Like many artists, he was embraced by European audiences and found a place there. He also found a home with Corritore and the pair’s many magical musical moments have been captured for posterity on Tell Me ‘Bout It.
Sound Guardian (Croatia) (February 18, 2022)
Doista, 18. veljače je datum koji se veže uz izlazak i objavu više odličnih albuma, a evo nekako su Louisiana Red i Bob Corritore svojim albumom “Tell Me ‘Bout It” prvi u tom nizu eksluzivnih promocija koje vas uskoro očekuju!
Ma, nema, barem što se mene tiče, ovdje nikakvih tajni, pred vama je doslovno sjajan utovar odličnog bluesa, kojeg nam tako neposredno i nesebično isporučuju Louisiana Red i Bob Corritore. Naime, ovdje se ne radi o nekom albumu, ovdje je riječ o materijalu koji je nastao na čvrstim temeljima jednog prijateljstva, koje je bilo prožeto izuzetnom glazbenom suradnjom, brojnim zajedničkim nastupima i nevjerojatnom interakcijom kojom su ova dva blues glazebnika funkcionirala. Svi oni koji poznaju blues i znaju o čemu pišem nemaju nikakvih dvojbi, već će zaisgurno potražiti i u svoje kolekcije uvrstiti ovaj nadasve izvrstan blues album, ako već nisu!
Obojica su živjeli i radili u Chicagu, zatim u Phoenixu, a nastavili su zajedno nastupati i snimati i nakon što se Red preselio u Europu.
Ovih 11 pjesama dolazi sa sedam različitih snimanja u razdoblju od 2000. do 2009., a Louisiana Red je preminuo 25. veljače 2012. godine i, naravno, Bob je morao krenuti dalje i danas je doista respektabilno blues ime u svjetskim razmjerima.
Na albumu čujemo kako sve odlično i sigurno vodi sam Louisiana Red, kroz sve autorske pjesme svojim impresivnim vokalom i snažnom gitarom, dok Bobov “usnjak” doslovno pali i gasi požar, koji se svako malo pojavljuje i stišava. Isto tako, preslušavajući album čuje se da je njihova zajednička svirka zapravo uvijek bila jedinstveni doživljaj! Nema sumnje, bio je to nevjerojatan sraz i istovremeno duhovno i glazbeno iskustvo, koje se samo stapa u ono što izvode! Nema nikakve dvojbe, ova glazbena fuzija, kombinacija Louisiana Reda i Boba, doslovno na prvu isporučuje potpuno čistu i nepatvorenu blues snagu i “feelling”. Još kada vam kažem da su u sam album uključeni i: Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Bob Margolin, Little Victor’s Juke Joint, Buddy Reed, Johnny Rapp, Chris James, Patrick Rynn i Brian Fahey, ma svaki će blues fan jedva dočekati da ovaj dragulj postane dio njegove kolekcije.
Kako se stvari redaju postaje jednostavno jasno da je ova glazbena priča posvećena istinskim fanovima bluesa koji u tom i takvom, nepatvorenom tradicionalnom blues ozračju jednostavno nose tu priču na svojim leđima.
“Tell Me ‘Bout It” Louisiana Reda i Boba Corritorea definitivno nije samo tamo neki novi album koji nam donosi stare snimke iz razdoblja od 2000. do 2009., već je svakako to bila i neka svojevrsna kruna njihove suradnje.
Od njihovog prvog susreta na “Delta Fish Marketu” u Chicagu u ljeto 1981., Louisiana Red i Bob Corritore samo su se nastavili družiti i raditi. Već sljedeće godine Bob se seli u Phoenix. Uskoro mu se pridružuje Louisiana Red i njih dvojica nastupaju po lokalnim klubovima veći dio 1982. godine. Potom Louisiana Red odlazi na europsku turneju gdje je upoznao svoju ženu Doru i preselio se. Bez obzira na sve, njihova priča se nastavlja i tako i ostaje sve do smrti Louisiana Reda 25. veljače 2012.
Ovo što je sada objavila izdavačka kuća VizzTone Label Group, uz svjetsku radijsku promociju promotivne kuće BratGirlmedia, doista je istinski i pravi dokument, glazbeno svjedočanstvo kako dvojica vrsnih blues glazbenika, uz pomoć pridruženih im glazbenika, praše blues u svoj njegovoj ljepoti i raskoši. I stoga, ne čekajte niti trenutak, već se potrudite i što prije krenite slušati ovo blago, ovu moćnu glazbu koja je rođena na Delti Mississippija i iz tog mulja uzdignula se nevjerojatno visoko, čak toliko da je prisutna u gotovo svakom domu svih onih koji vole dobru i kvalitetnu glazbu.
Ne čekajte, već odmah provjerite o čemu se radi!
– Mladen Loncar
Bluestown Music (Netherlands) (February 21, 2022)
Weer een juweeltje uit “The Vault Series” van Bob Corritore
Louisiana Red en Bob Corritore gaan samen ver terug, vanaf de zomer van 1981 tot aan het overlijden van Red in februari 2012 onderhielden ze een warme vriendschap die dus ruim 30 jaar stand heeft gehouden.
Dat vriendschap niet aan kilometers gebonden hoeft te zijn blijkt wel uit het feit dat Red in 1982 verhuisde om bij zijn geliefde te kunnen zijn, naar Hannover in Duitsland, maar daarmee Bob niet uit het oog verloor.
Vanaf het wisselen van de eeuw ging Louisiana Red weer jaarlijks op tournee door de Verenigde Staten en wanneer de tour Arizona aandeed , bracht hij een bezoekje aan Bob om samen te spelen en op te nemen.
De elf nummers die op deze uitgave staan, zijn afkomstig van maar liefst zeven sessies die plaats vonden tussen 2000 en 2009…nu gebundeld en uitgebracht als onderdeel van “The Vault Series, Historic Blues Recordings” From Bob‘s Vast Archives.
Voor de liefhebbers geen onbekende serie aangezien we eerder al getrakteerd werden op samenwerkingen van Bob met onder andere; Henry Gray, Kid Ramos en Dave Riley. De samenwerkingen met John Primer zijn ook echte aanraders.
Nu dus een nieuwe toevoeging….en wat voor een ! Heerlijk rauwe no nonsens blues, enkel eigen nummers doordrenkt van vuige harmonica, geweldige vocalen en smerige gitaarpartijen. Vuig en smerig dienen in de meest positieve zin van het woord verstaan te worden want de heren vinden elkaar met groot gemak in de krochten van de blues, de single die het album moest voorgaan ( New Jersey Blues) bleek een prima voorbode van wat er ging komen…ongefilterde rauwe blues.
Onder de deelnemende muzikanten vinden we onder meer Bob Margolin, Buddy Reed, Bryan Fahey, Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Little Victor‘s Juke joint, Johnny Rapp, Chris James en Patrick Rynn. Al met al niks om je voor te schamen maar Louisiana Red en Bob Corritore zijn de kapiteins op het schip, ze leiden ons door de woelige baren met liefde voor hun instrument en de ervaring die je samen opdoet in ruim dertig jaar vriendschap.
Ook voor deze Vault Series gaat op dat we alleen maar kunnen hopen dat de kluis, in de toekomst nog meer van dit moois aan ons prijs geeft want het smaakt zeker naar meer.
– Jan Wolf
Blues Roadhouse (February 21, 2022)
It’s always a pleasure to find a new release from harp-master Bob Corritore’s treasure trove of great old blues music — his “From the Vaults” series.
This time he celebrates the unique blues guitar stylings and prolific songwriting skills of the too-often overlooked Louisiana Red.
Red, whose real name was Iverson Minter, was something of a blues vagabond, although in his younger years, he lived where his family took him. He was born in Bessemer, Ala., and his mother died of pneumonia shortly after his birth. His father was lynched by the Ku Klux Klan in 1937, when he was five.
He was then raised by relatives in various places, including Pittsburgh, where he reportedly learned to play the blues. The Pittsburgh Music History website describes those years:
“In his teens Iverson moved to Canonsburg, Pa., (south of Pittsburgh) to live with an aunt and uncle. He moved into the city of Pittsburgh with his grandmother in the late 1940’s. One day in Pittsburgh, Red heard blues guitarist Crit Walters playing on his porch. Walters (also known as Boy B) serenaded passers-by every day with down home blues. Red asked Walters to teach him the blues. Red also studied wtih another Pittsburgh bluesman named Mr. Cash. After learning the basics from Walters and Cash, Red and his friend Orville Whitney formed a three-piece band composed of a washboard player, a washtub bass player, and himself on bottleneck guitar. They performed on the streets of Pittsburgh for pennies, earning $5 dollars on a good night. Red’s 1995 release “Sittin Here Wonderin’” features his song “Pittsburgh Blues.”
And in an interesting sidelight to that, I remember seeing Red at the The Decade, a long-gone but musically vital club in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, probably in the late ’70s, shortly before he moved to Hanover, Germany, in 1981, where he lived until his death in 2012.
Red’s music was usually an old-style acoustic, down-home blues with a fierce slide and lyrics that told stories often taken from his past, if not his wonderfully fertile imagination. He lived a little too late to be considered with the early pre-war acoustic players, and he didn’t adopt the electric blues combo style that came to dominate the post-war blues years. So his creative songwriting and stinging slide often got lost in the blues world. But Red recorded 50 albums and carried his music around the world until he died.
This album was recorded at seven different sessions between 2000 and 2009 with Corritore, who became Red’s close friends during their Chicago years. Other musicians involved in these tracks include Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Bob Margolin, Little Victor, Buddy Reed, Johnny Rapp, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Brian Fahey.
All this is to introduce, or re-introduce you to the music of Louisiana Red. This album is tough, old-fashioned blues, played by Red with a passionate guitar attack combined with an evil-sounding slide, which could range from angry to ethereal.
About that name: It was a nickname given to him as a child by his grandfather because he really liked “Louisiana Red” hot sauce.
This is truly classic blues material, a hot sauce in its own way. Enjoy it and thank Bob Corritore for preserving it.
– Jim White
World Of Harmonica (UK) (March 4, 2022)
Good day to you all, despite this page not being anywhere near as active, still share the occasional post from time to time. Having received many harmonica influenced album releases over the years, delighted still get the occasional surprise, this one of 2 from The Bob Corritore Vaults Series arrived on my birthday. Couldn’t have asked for a better birthday tray.
The long and short this is another gem to be released from Bob Corritore with a incredible bluesman, Louisiana Red. Top listen! Amazing musicianship throughout. Sadly no longer with us today RIP, this is surely an album to remember and enjoy such supreme talent, accompanied by incredible harmonica playing. Blues at it very best, currently in the player, thanks for sending 
– Shaun Monument May
Blues Blast Magazine (March 5, 2022)
Bob Corritore offers up two new releases in his “From The Vaults” Series. His archives of recorded music are huge and we get to hear some magnificent music in these releases. The album with Louisiana Red album is a superb release featuring 11 tracks, recorded in seven sessions from 2000 to 2009 when Red would stop by Bob’s Rhythm Room as he toured the US. Louisiana Red passed on in 2012 but leaves a great recorded legacy of music behind and here were get seven never released cuts on top of four that were prior releases. Red wrote nine of these tracks and his wife Dora penned the other two.
Let’s look at the four tracks that were previously released. “Mary Dee Shuffle” opens the album. Joining Red and Bob is Buddy Reed on guitar and Matt Bishop on piano who does a delightful job backing and soloing. Red tells us about his days in New Jersey with a gal named Mary Dee who hung out at the Hideaway Club. Red sings with passion and Bob blows some great harp. “Alabama Train” is a driving and slick cut and Red hearkens to the girls in Pennsylvania, more references to time in the Northeast along with singing about the train to take him home. David Maxwell is on piano here and Little Victor plays some mean guitar; it’s a cool cut. Johnny Rapp adds some slick slide guitar to “Freight Train To Ride” as Red howls and Corritore explodes on harp. “Tell Me ‘Bout It” concludes the prior releases and here we have Chris James on guitar and David Maxwell on piano. It’s a great slow shuffle that just resonates with charm and emotion.
The new released cuts start with the second tracks on the album “Early Morning Blues” with just the duo of Red and Bob. Red picks out some licks as he sings and plays some pretty, slow blues as Bob punctuates things with his harp. “Caught Your Man and Gone” has Rapp on guitar again and it’s a another nice cut with Red, Bob and Johnny doing some classic blues. “New Jersey Blues” follows that as Red continues to hearken back to his days in the Garden State. New Jersey is a place that would be hard to forget for many a reason; here we have Red bemoaning the winter snow there and his woman who took his relief check to buy beer while he’s working hard in the steel mill. Reed is on guitar here and we get some more great slow blues to savor. Both Red and Buddy offer up some fine guitar work.
The last four tracks on the album are all newly released. ‘Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You,” a bouncing cut with Buddy Reed adding his guitar. Corritore is spectacular on harp and Red remains vigilant fronting the band. The next track opens with a familiar guitar tone; Bob Margolin is featured here supporting Red and Bob on “Edith Mae,” a gal back in Mississippi that Red yearns for. Margolin slips and slides on guitar and Red howls and moans for Edith Mae as Corritore aptly supports them. Next is “Bessemer Blues” where Buddy Reed plays lead guitar. Bessemer is the Alabama town Red was born in and he pays tribute to returning to the town of his mother. Guitar and harp solos are well done again and Red sings with great feeling. Johnny Rapp’s guitar opens the final track, “Bernice Blues.” Bernice is another New Jersey gal who must have made an impression on Red. Another excellent slow blues that the listener can appreciate.
Red handles all the vocals here and plays guitar. Corritore’s harp on each track is exemplary. The lead guitarists and piano players for each track were noted above; bassists were Paul Thomas (six tracks), Mario Moreno (two cuts), and Billy Troiani and Patrick Rynn with one cut each. The great Chico Chism plays drums on six cuts while Brian Fahey does so on three and Alex Petersen plays on another. This is a fine album with some superb music.
Louisiana Red is a great talent and Bob Corritore and he seem to have a great vibe going when they get together. There are fine musicians on each cut who know how to play the blues. If you want to hear some great stuff from this Alabama legend that Corritore and friends make even better then go grab this one.
– Steve Jones
Bman’s Blues Report (March 15, 2022)
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tell Me ‘Bout It, from Louisiana Red & Bob Corritore and it’s a really strong helping of Chicago blues. Opening with Dora Minter’s Mary Dee Shuffle, Louisiana Red is up front on vocal and guitar trading the center spot with Bob Corritore, backed by Buddy Reed on guitar, Matt Bishop on piano, Mario Moreno on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. Corritore plays some real nice riffs on this track making it a strong opener. Louisiana Red original, Alabama Train, has a great rhythm and Red’s vocals really carry the track nicely with rich, harmonica soaked backing. Very cool. Another Chicago blues with a slower pace is New Jersey Blues that really nicely showcases Red’s vocals. With Paul Thomas on bass, Chico Chism on drums and some excellent soloing by Reed and Red, a strong entry to the set. Red pulls the slide in an Elmore James styled track, Freight Train To Ride. With soulful wailing lyrics, strong slide compliment and Corritore’s master harmonica work, this track adds variety and depth to the release. Another of my favorites on the release is Edith Mae with it’s Muddy Waters like feel. I particularly like Red’s vocal enthusiasm on this track, complimented nicely by Corritore’s harmonica and Red’s primitive slide sound. Wrapping the release is one final Red original, Bernice Blues, showing strong Morganfield roots. I really like Red’s slide playing and Johnny Rapp on guitar throws sown some great riffs as well. Excellent closer for a really solid release.
Keys And Chords (Netherlands) (March 19, 2022)
Weinig artiesten zijn zo fanatiek, als het om hun instrument gaat, dan Bob Corritore. Net zoals hij ook om de haverslag met een nieuw album op de proppen komt. Twee jaar geleden jaar was er het drieluik ‘Cold Chills’ met Henry Gray, ‘Phoenix Blues Sessions’ feat. Kid Ramos en de plaat ‘The Gypsy Woman Told Me’, een samenwerkingsproject met John Primer. In 2019 had Bob met zijn ‘friends’, die een heuse een all-stars cast formatie gevormd en vonden we de albums ‘Do The Hip-Shake Baby’ en ‘Don’t Let The Devil Ride!’ (2018) in de winkelrekken. Vorig jaar was er dan de release ‘Spider In My Stew’. Nu verschijnt ‘Tell Me ‘About It’ met Louisana Red en ‘Down Home Blues Revue’, een plaat met heel wat talloze soulmates. Louisiana Red stierf op 25 februari 2012 in het Duitse Hannover. Hij had opnamen voor labels als Chess Records en won in 1983 een W.C. Handy Award als ‘Best Traditional Blues Male Artist’. Hij heeft in zijn lange carrière meer dan vijftig album gereleaset. De plaat ‘Tell Me ‘About It’ omvat elf songs, uit zeven opname sessies én dit tussen een periode van 2000 en 2009. Louisiana Red (zang en gitaar) en Bob Corritore (mondharmonica) vinden backing op de diverse songs bij gitaristen Johnny Rapp, Buddy Reed, Bob Margolin, Little Victor en Chris James, pianisten Matt Bishop en David Maxwell, bassisten Paul Thomas, Mario Moreno, Billy Troiani en Patrick Rynn en drummers Chico Chism, Brian Fahey en Alex Pettersen. De kern van dit album van fijn gemaakte down-home blues is de hechte vriendschap en muzikale chemie tussen Louisiana Red en Bob Corritore. Ze woonden en werkten beiden in Chicago, trokken vervolgens naar Phoenix, Arizona en bleven samen optreden en opnemen nadat Red naar Europa verhuisde. Hier ontgrendelt de band met de Chicago blues shuffle ‘Mary Dee Shufle’, een nummer dat bij elkaar werd gepend door Reds vrouw Dora Winter. Met het akoestische ‘Early Morning Blues’ trekken we onverwijld naar de Delta. Lord have mercy verkondigd Red en zet gezwind ‘Alabama Train’ in de steigers. De track ‘Caught Your Man And Gone’ heeft die Muddy Waters groove, net zoals het meeslepende ‘New Jersey Blues’ en het slidegitaar begeesterde ‘Freight Train To Ride’. Van de slowblues ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’ gaat het naar de boogie ‘Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You’ en het passionele ‘’Edith Me’. Het Chicago blues begeesterde ‘Bessemer Blues’, dat is ingekleurd met die vette bluesharp en de bluestrage ‘Bernice Blues’ zijn meer dan waardige afsluiters. Louisiana Red leidt ons door alle originele nummers met zijn verbluffende zang en gitaar. Bob Corritore’s briljante mondharmonica is zoals altijd spiritueel en muzikaal gelieerd. De combo van Red en Bob, samen met de andere fijne artiesten op dit album, is pure onvervalste blues power. Alleluja!
Few artists are so fanatical when it comes to their instrument than Bob Corritore. Just like he comes up with a new album every now and then. Two years ago there was the triptych ‘Cold Chills’ with Henry Gray, ‘Phoenix Blues Sessions’ feat. Kid Ramos and the record ‘The Gypsy Woman Told Me’, a collaborative project with John Primer. In 2019 Bob had formed a real all-stars cast formation with his ‘friends’ and we found the albums ‘Do The Hip-Shake Baby’ and ‘Don’t Let The Devil Ride!’ (2018) on store shelves. Last year there was the release ‘Spider In My Stew’. Now ‘Tell Me ‘About It’ is released with Louisana Red and ‘Down Home Blues Revue’, an album with many countless soulmates. Louisiana Red died on February 25, 2012 in Hanover, Germany. He had recorded for labels such as Chess Records and won a WC . in 1983 Handy Award as ‘Best Traditional Blues Male Artist’. He has released more than fifty albums in his long career. The album ‘Tell Me ‘About It’ contains eleven songs, from seven recording sessions and this between a period of 2000 and 2009. Louisiana Red (vocals and guitar) and Bob Corritore (harmonica) find backing on the various songs with guitarists Johnny Rapp , Buddy Reed, Bob Margolin, Little Victor and Chris James, pianists Matt Bishop and David Maxwell, bassists Paul Thomas, Mario Moreno, Billy Troiani and Patrick Rynn, and drummers Chico Chism, Brian Fahey and Alex Pettersen. At the heart of this album of finely crafted down-home blues is the close friendship and musical chemistry between Louisiana Red and Bob Corritore. They both lived and worked in Chicago, then moved to Phoenix, Arizona and continued to perform and record together after Red moved to Europe. Here the band unlocks with the Chicago blues shuffle “Mary Dee Shufle,” a song penned by Red’s wife Dora Winter. With the acoustic ‘Early Morning Blues’ we immediately head for the Delta. Lord have mercy proclaims Red and swiftly sets up ‘Alabama Train’. The track ‘Caught Your Man And Gone’ has that Muddy Waters groove, just like the compelling ‘New Jersey Blues’ and the slide guitar inspired ‘Freight Train To Ride’. From the slow blues ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’ it goes to the boogie ‘Earline Who’s Been Foolin’ You’ and the passionate ‘Edith Me’. The Chicago blues inspired ‘Bessemer Blues’, which is colored with that fat blues harp, and the bluestrage ‘Bernice Blues’ are more than worthy closings. Louisiana Red walks us through all the original songs with his stunning vocals and guitar. Bob Corritore’s brilliant harmonica is, as always, spiritually and musically related. The combo of Red and Bob, along with the other fine artists on this album, is pure unadulterated blues power. hallelujah!
FIVE STARS
– Philip Verhaege
ABS Magazine (France) (March 2022)
On le sait, Bob Corritore aime mettre en avant les musiciens avec lesquels il a partagé la scène. Louisiana Red, décédé le 25 février 2012, faisait partie de ces artistes avec lesquels Bob avait su créer une véritable complicité. Ces deux-là s’étaient rencontrés au Delta Fish Market de Chicago en 1981 et d’emblée ils jouèrent ensemble. L’année suivante, Bob partit pour Phoenix, Arizona, et fut rapidement rejoint par Red avec lequel il écuma les clubs locaux également en 1982, avant que ce dernier ne parte faire une tournée en Europe au cours de laquelle il rencontrera son épouse Dora. Il s’installera en Europe définitivement. Mais leur amitié demeure et, à partir des années 2000, lorsque Louisiana Red reprit des tournées annuelles aux États-Unis, il en profita pour faire une halte chez en Arizona pour jouer et enregistrer avec son ami. Nous avions eu la chance de partager un moment avec les deux compères lors de la grand messe du Chicago Blues Festival, leur complicité n’était pas une légende. Les 11 faces que contient ce CD proviennent de 7 sessions d’enregistrements différentes entre 2000 et 2009. Autant le dire de suite, rare sont les disques dans lesquels on sent une telle alchimie entre les protagonistes. La connexion est totale entre l’harmonica de Bob Corritore, le chant et La guitare de Louisiana Red. Du blues down-home pur jus, un son à se damner, et la présence au fil des plages de musiciens tels que Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Bob Margolin, Little Victor’s Juke Joint, Buddy Reed, Johnny Rap, Chris James, Patrick Rynn ou Brian Fahey sont au programme. UN grand disque de blues !
– Marcel Bénédit
Blues Bytes (March/April 2022)
Louisiana Red and Bob Corritore first met at the Delta Fish Market in Chicago in 1981, where they performed together for the first time. Corritore moved to Arizona the next year and Red soon followed, where they worked local clubs for a year before Red relocated to Europe after meeting his wife there during a tour. Red returned to the U.S. once a year and always stopped in Arizona to visit and perform with Corritore, who often recorded their sessions together.
Red passed away in 2012, but Corritore recently unearthed a prime set of tunes the pair recorded in seven different sessions between 2000 and 2009. Tell Me ‘Bout It (VizzTone/SWMAF) features 11 tracks, seven previously unreleased, pairing Corritore and Red with an all-star cast of musicians in support, including Johnny Rapp, Buddy Reed, Bob Margolin, Little Victor’s Juke Joint, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Chico Chism, David Maxwell, and Brian Fahey.
“Mary Dee Shuffle” kicks off the album, a previously released shuffle with Reed on guitar and Matt Bishop on piano. “Early Morning Blues” is an old school slow blues track featuring just Red and Corritore which really shows their musical rapport at it’s best, and “Alabama Train” is a muscular, driving blues with superb support from Little Victor’s Juke Joint, with David Maxwell on piano. The jaunty “Caught Your Old Man and Gone” is a slight rhythmic variation of “Trouble No More,” with Rapp on guitar, Paul Thomas on bass, and Chism on drums.
“New Jersey Blues” re-teams Reed and Red on guitar, as Red tells the story of the woman in Jersey who took his relief check to buy beer while he toiled away at the steel mill. On the terrific “Freight Train To Ride,” listeners get a taste of Red’s slide guitar prowess, and on the stop time title track (with Maxwell, James, Fahey, and Rynn), Red laments his hard luck with women and money while living in New Jersey. “Earline Who’s Been Fooling You” is a lively shuffle, and “Edith Mae” is a slow burner with Margolin guesting on guitar as Red remembers a wonderful woman from West Point, Mississippi.
“Bessemer Blues” is a tribute to Bessemer, Alabama, the town where his mother was born and where he spent time when he was a kid. “Bernice Blues,” the album finale, is a tight Windy City blues with splendid slide guitar from Red, who recalls another woman from his days in New Jersey.
Red is in fine voice throughout and his guitars and songs (he penned nine and his wife, Dora, wrote two) are first-rate, as always. Corritore is simply one of the best at what he does, one of the finest, most soulful harmonica players currently practicing. The harp master also seems to have an endless supply of wonderful, unreleased material at his disposal (called his “From The Vaults” series) and blues fans hope he doesn’t run out anytime soon. In the meantime, Tell Me ‘Bout It is a most excellent set that traditional blues fans will want to get their hands on.
– Graham Clarke
Blues News Germany (Germany) (April 13, 2022)
6 Stars
Zehn Jahre liegt es nun zurück, dass der Sänger und Gitarrist Louisiana Red starb. Spätestens nachdem er sich 1981 in Deutschland niedergelassen hatte, konnte sich der 1932 in Bessemer, Alabama, geborene Vollblutmusiker mit seinem ungehobelten Gitarrenstil, seiner kraftvollen Stimme und einer unbändigen Spielfreude hierzulande eine außerordentlich große Popularität erarbeiten. Entsprechend dürfte es Bluesfans freuen, dass der Harpspieler Bob Corritore nun das Album „Tell Me ’Bout It“ auf den Markt brachte, auf dem sich Louisiana Red noch einmal mit all jenen Stärken präsentiert. Während seiner USA-Tourneen besuchte Red Corritore regelmäßig und so entstanden zwischen 2000 und 2009 bei sieben Studiosessions elf hervorragende Songs in wechselnden Besetzungen. Neben Corritore finden sich unter den Mitwirkenden viele weitere hochkarätige Bluesmusiker, darunter die Gitarristen Bob Margolin, Johnny Rapp, Buddy Reed und Little Victor, der Pianist David Maxwell und der Bluesschlagzeuger Chico Chism. Das durchweg im klassischen Chicago-Blues gehaltene Album punktet nicht nur mit geballter Kompetenz, sondern auch mit verschiedenen Nuancen, in denen sich unter anderem Einflüsse von Muddy Waters und Elmore James widerspiegeln. Zu vielen zumeist geshuffelten Zwölftaktern gesellen sich zudem ein knackiger Stop-Time-Blues und eine an Arthur Crudups Klassiker „Who’s Been Foolin’ You“ angelehnte Nummer, die nicht zuletzt durch das grandios stolpernde Schlagzeug einen ganz eigenen Charakter aufweist. Wurden der „Mary Dee Shuffle“ und „Freight Train To Ride“ bereits 2005 auf dem Album „No Turn On Red“ veröffentlicht, unterscheiden sich zwei ebenfalls bereits bekannte Titel hingegen in den vorliegenden Fassungen teils erheblich von den ursprünglichen Versionen: „Alabama Train“ und der auf dem „Someday Baby Blues“ (Sleepy John Estes) basierende Song „Caught Your Man And Gone“. Fans von Louisiana Red oder dem Chicago-Blues im Allgemeinen können bedenkenlos zugreifen.
La Hora del Blues (Spain) (April 2022)
Louisiana Red and Bob Corritore met in Chicago in 1981 at Delta Fish Market where they played together for the first time. The following year Bob settled in Phoenix, Arizona and soon Red traveled there. Together they played at city clubs and surrounding area until Red was booked for a tour in Europe where he met his wife Dora and decided to settle in Germany. However, their friendship between these two blues masters remained and, since year 2000, Red traveled once a year for a tour in USA and he always stopped in Arizona to play or recording with his good friend Bob Corritore, something he did until he passed away in February 2012.
The album includes eleven songs recorded by Red and Corritore from seven different sessions between 2000 and 2009. Both musicians’ deep connection and chemistry becomes evident if you listen carefully to the eleven Red’s own compositions album songs, he performs with his immense feeling surrounded by Corritore’s harmonica which sounds totally inspired always giving the right support and filling the silence spots with a total flexibility and an amazing good taste.
The album also features some deluxe collaborations coming from artists like Chico Chism, David Maxwell, Bob Margolin, Little Victor’s Juke Joint, Buddy Reed, Johnny Rapp, Chris James, Patrick Rynn and Brian Fahey among others. What you will listen can be simply defined as old style Chicago blues, but the true thing is it totally fills me because I deeply love it.
Road To Jacksonville (France) (October 2022)
L’harmoniciste talentueux Bob Corritore ouvre ses archives pour le plus grand plaisir des amateurs de blues. Et c’est un plaisir qui risque de durer car Bob a fait tellement de sessions qu’il pourrait sortir un disque tous les mois. Pour le moment, il s’est contenté de quatre albums dans cette optique mais on peut raisonnablement penser que ce n’est qu’un début.
Là, il propose des enregistrements s’étalant de 2000 à 2009 avec Louisiana Red (décédé en 2012).
La voix et le jeu de guitare du bluesman transpirent la musique bleue et fait voyager l’auditeur entre Chicago et le Mississippi.
Les blues lents refilent des frissons (« New Jersey blues », « Bernice blues ») et les morceaux plus rapides donnent envie de danser (le jump blues « Earline who’s been foolin’ you »). Un swamp blues lancinant et hypnotique s’envole en direction du bayou (« Edith Mae »).
La slide de Louisiana Red glisse dans le style d’Elmore James sur « Freight train to ride » tandis que « Tell me ‘bout it » évoque le grand Muddy Waters.
Et tout est dit avec le blues lent « Early morning blues » joué uniquement par Bob et Louisiana Red. Là, on atteint réellement l’esprit du blues !
Assurément, Bob Corritore n’a pas fini de faire des heureux avec ses archives personnelles.
– Olivier Aubry
Blues News (Finland) (February 2023)
Harpistin, tuotta-
TELL ME BOUT IT
jan ja levymogulin
Bob Corritoren Iä-hes pohjattomasta
BU CORRITORES FROM THE VAULTS’ Senes
Misteric blues recordings trom Bou’s vast archives
“From The Vaults”
-arkistoista on tällä kertaa löytynyt Louisiana Redinja Bobin Rhythm Room -klubilla seitse-mänä eri kertana tekemät tallenteet vuosilta
2000-2009. Lähes 10 voden ajanjakson johdosta levytyksissä on ollut mukana liuta muusikoita, mm. visi kitaristia, neljä basistia ja kolme rumpalia. Kitaristeista Buddy Reed esiintyy neljällä, basisti Paul Thomas ja rumpali Chico Chism kuudella kappaleella, loppujen “vierailijoiden” ollessa mukana yhdellä tai kahdella.
Alabamassa 30-luvun alussa syntyneellä
Iverson Minterillä oli karu lapsuus, sillä hän menetti äitinsä viikon ikäisenä ja isänsä seit-semän vanhana, joutuen isoäitinsä hoteihin Pittsburghiin. 40-luvun lopulla Red ajautui Detroitiin, missä hän ystävystyi John Lee Hookerin ja Eddie Burnsin kanssa, päästen jopa keikkailemaan miesten rinnalla. Matka jatkui Chicagoon, missä Muddy Waters otti nuorukaisen sipiensä suojin, opettaen kikan jos toisenkin. Hänen ohellaan myös Elmore Jamesin vaikutus Redin soittoon kuluu hyvin tälläkin levyllä.
Levyllä on 11 kappaletta, joista neljä löytyy miehen aikaisemmilta julkaisuilta, loppujen seitsemän ollessa ennenjulkaisemattomia.
Tuttuja vuosien varrelta ovat Mary Dee Shuffle, Alabama Train, Freight Train To Ride sekä nimi-kappale Tell Me ‘Bout It. Edellisistä ensiksi ja vimeiseksi mainitut ovat Redin vaimon Doran säveltämiä, muut hdeksän taas Redin omia.
Levyn tyli on pääosin vankkaa down-home bluesia, rosoista ja maanläheistä, vahvalla Muddy-latauksella varustettuna.
Tähän kaikkeen hyvän pohjan antaa Redin ja Corritoren pitkä-aikainen ystävyys. Molemmat ovat asuneet samaan aikaan nin Chicagossa kuin Phoenixissakin ja esintyneet sekä le-vyttäneet yhdessä lukemattomia kertoja. Se on luonut miesten välille vahvan yhteyden, sielunkumppanuuden.
Muddyn tyyliä edustaa mm. Early Morning Blues, jossa Red ia Bob duetoivat nin vahvasti, ettei muita soittajia edes huomaa tarvitsevan-sa. Myös Edith Maella Bob Margolinja Redlähes kilpasoittavat Muddya, Johnny Rappin vuoro tulee kappaleilla Caught Your Man And Gone ia Bernice Blues. Vahvaa Chicagoa muten vaan tarjoilevat Mary Dee Shuffle ja New Jersey Blues, joihin Buddy Reed tuo tylilleen uskollisena raakaa kitarointia, Corritoren mukaillessa vieressä.
Little Walteria lähennytään vahvasti nimi-kappaleen Tell Me ‘Bout It myötä, jossa Redin kanssa on kitaroimassa Chris James ja pianossa David Maxwell. Johnny Rappin slide tekee
Elmorea tutuksi kappaleessa Freight Train To Ride. Perus-Chicagoaja etenkin James Cotton
-henkeä vilielee myös Bessemer Blues, jolla toisena kitaristina toimii jälleen Buddy Reed.
Louisiana Redin noin 50 levyn tuotannosta tämä “Tell Me ‘Bout It” on eräs miehen par-haimpia. Sen kautta voihelpostialoittaa hänen lähes 60 vuoden mittaiseen muusikonuraansa tutustumisen laajemminkin.
– Jari Kolari
Bob Corritore - Official Website 