CD Review: Bob Corritore – Taboo
This April 15th meant a tax filing deadline to most people, but for blues music fans it was a feast day because it was the day of the latest release by master blues harp player, Chicago native and the owner of Phoenix club The Rhythm Room, Bob Corritore.
What sets this record, Taboo, apart from most run-of-the-mill blues productions is that its an all instrumental blues harmonica record and has many fine cuts for you to enjoy.
For example, track 1 “Potato Stomp” is a snazzy number with a big-band/swing feel to it. The piano playing is interwoven with some sax and horns and provides an example of the diversity found in this CD. The second cut, “Many A Devil’s Night”, is reminiscent of a Double Trouble tune with a strong piano presence played well by Fred Kaplan, which weaves into a great harp blowing session by Bob.
The diversity in this disc is further evidenced by the #4 track, “Harmonica Watusi”, which sounds exactly like the title suggests, a beach party dance tune thats harmonica-based. The harmonica, piano, bass and yes even an extended drum solo combine to create a great song that will have you hip-shaking and foot tappin’. Theres a very cool part of this song with an organ solo session and then a killer guitar solo by guest Junior Watson, all in all this may be the best song on the disc. In 3 and a quarter minutes you have every musician showing off some of their best work.
The title track “Taboo”, #5, is a sweet, slow-sound type of cut and it kinda glides along in a smooth way as it highlights Bob’s skill on the Hohner.
There’s plenty of solid blues on this disc.
Track 7, “Mr. Tate’s Advice”, brings out the heavy artillery with Jimmie Vaughan ripping chords on the tune as guest lead guitarist. Then, you get Doug James blowing the saxophone into the mix and throw in terrific organ playing by Papa John DeFrancesco and you really have a hit on your hands here. With Bobs fabulous harp playing on this one, its definitely one of the best numbers on the CD. Further interesting tracks include #9, “Fabuloco”, which has a latin/calypso beat and great harp playing and mixed into this musical gumbo are congas and steel drums too.
There’s plenty of solid blues on this disc. With the variety of songs and musicians, and the overall uniqueness of an all instrumental CD, this disc is definitely a good addition to any blues fans’ collection.
