I first saw Champion Jack Dupree when I
was fifteen, when I sat on the floor all night at the old Studio 51
Club in Great Newport Street to listen to a man who'd only just
arrived in this country and was to make Europe his home.
This session was recorded in 1969 and
is reviewed here because the young harmonica player present on some
of the tracks is "Plough" regular John O'Leary and NOT
Victor Brox as stated on the sleeve notes. Ray Warleigh (sax),
Aynsley Dunbar (drums), John Moorsehead (guitar), Alexander Dmchowski
(bass), and Nick Evans (trombone) are the musicians, with Victor Brox
playing organ and pocket trumpet.
As soon as I put this CD on I was
overcome with emotion, not quite tears dripping on the floor, but
close; I'd forgotten just what a singer this man was, and the way his
music reminds me so much of Jelly Roll Morton and New Orleans jazz,
James Booker and Otis Spann - and I wonder where this stuff has gone
now. Anyway, back to business....here you get humour,
storytelling, great sadness, and a depth of experience across vast
time and distance and a direct line from the blues and jazz past.
You Rascal You - A ridiculous
shouting and 'arguing' muckabout with the band leading us into this
rollicking, wildly gleeful old New Orleans standard - "I'll be
glad when you're dead you rascal you"."
No Tomorrow - Tear jerking,
rippling opening to a desperately sad story - a James Booker
feel - always disturbing. It is wonderful stuff, but not to
listen to on your own when you're tired , drunk, about to have your
house repossessed and your entire family has just left you and you've
spilt some chilli sauce on your best shirt. Yes, John O'Leary
gets to come in here on harp with Champion Jack talking to him.
The Japanese Special - This mad,
fast swirling English jazz & Rock & Blues effort that is very
much of it's time. John plays bits of harp in among the mayhem
but where is Jack? I rather liked it actually.
Hard Feeling - John O'Leary to the
fore on this slow blues. I've got to question him closely about
what sort of stuff he was using back then - it's twenty nine years
ago!
Blues From 1921 - This is a slice
of history all right, Jack talking about playing in New Orleans with
Buddy Bolden in 1921 - "Take a tip from an old man, the blues
will never die".
Don't Mistreat Your Woman - More
harp from John on this very slow laid back blues. It's a pity
that pianos have slowly all but vanished from contemporary live
blues...Pete Boulter
