Edgar Winter's New Album!

[Jazzooo]

Holy crap. Holy crap!

I should be writing more about Brian Wilson's SMILE, a CD that literally made me cry last night upon the first listen to the track Surf's Up. What a spectacular project--it is mind-blowing, guys. If I never hear another note by 'The Beach Boys' again, that would be ok with me. SMILE is shaping up to be some of the best '60s music I can think of, and thanks to Wilson's amazing imagination and the EXCELLENT sonics, in some ways surpasses even Sgt Pepper's. In some ways.

But I am not here to talk about SMILE. I am here to talk about someone who obviously loves to come from behind. Edgar Winter.

I couldn't have admired Edgar Winter more than I did in the late '60s when I heard first Entrance, his jazz-rock operetta, and then White Trash, his smokin' R and B band. His cameos on brother Johnny's albums always delighted me too.

Then came a long, long, long slide into weirdness and commercial radio pandering. I enjoyed Frankenstein, but so much of his surrounding music was really awful to my ears. Like when someone who doesn't really know how tries to pander. (Of course, he DOES know how, as a couple of his songs like Free Ride have become rock staples.) But I sure didn't get any of the Edgar Winter magic from that stuff.

And the, I've seen him live several times...always with mixed results. He usually seems terribly stoned; he plays with a sequenced bassline so forget about spontaneity...but then he sings like Stevie Wonder meets Mose Allison and plays his ass off on alto sax. Hard to hang around, hard to walk away.

And the last few solo albums I checked out...eeeek. SOme of the most amateurish midi tracks and frankly lame writing I've heard in a long time.

So my expecations were lowered as far as they could be when I auditioned his new CD, Jazzin' The Blues, last night after grabbing Brian Wilson's SMILE. What I heard on the listening station at Barnes and Noble was enough to make me rush to the cash register, and that was even considering that there is a HORRENDOUS smooth jazz version of Free Ride in the number two slot. That's how strong the OTHER tracks are!

Simply put: this is butt-bumping blues/jazz/funk, done as well as Stevie Ray Vaughn ever did. Edgar plays B3 on most tracks; there's a great drummer and about half of the tracks feature Will Lee or another good bassist (the others have keyboard basslines, but they don't detract from the power or the funk).
Guitar chorses are handled beautifully, and soulfully by Hiram Bullock and a couple of other killer players.

Edgar STRETCHES OUT on organ and sax. He is simlpy fantastic on both, and also extremely original in his improv concepts. He knows when to go 'outside' and then when to slam it back home.

But...the main story so far is two-fold:

His songs kick ass and have made me laugh out loud several times per song for the Mose Alison/Bob Dourough-level wit and sass. He has a lot to say, and he keeps saying it a new way, verse after verse. I am just stunned at his creativity with turning a phrase--songs like If God Did It is a blues masterstroke, but every song so far has hit home with me (I'm only on the 7th track).

And the other best part? His VOICE. This guy is not only in the best shape I've ever heard, he has the coolest and most original approach to singing the blues. I am just dying to hear the next track, and the track after that.

This is straight-ahead blues/rock with heavy jazz overtones. It is funny as hell. The guitar playing features one knockout solo after another, but Winter steals the show every time he takes the spotlight.

It was obviously done fast--there haven't been any background vocals so far, and production is mercifully transparent.

If he had the money to back it up, this would shoot him right to the top. Sadly, the only thing that will get any airplay is probably the horrendous version of Smooth Jazz--man, Edgar should really hire a decent programmer. His rhythm tracks sound like Casio demos a la 1983.

Don't hesitate--if you dig the blues, check this album out. And I warned you about the second track!

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

Mr. Robinson,
"Smile" is excellent. 'Nuff said! I heard Edgar Winter many years ago; he seemed to be higher than a giraffe's eyebrows, but the virtuosity was there. The smoother version of "Free Ride" is something I'll withhold judgement on until I listen to it. Will check out the new cd. Thanks for the heads up!

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

BTW, what were your impressions of the Tommy Emmanuel concert?

[Jazzooo]

Hey, Lenny--you can withhold judgement on that smooth track, but don't worry--I've got plenty to go around. Doesn't phase me a bit, just need to warn some of my brethren in advance.

I thought I told you that Tommy Emanuel just floored me! I was gripped for 2.5 hours straight. What a fine showman. I loved everything about the evening--his virtuosic blurs of notes, his ultra-delicate and stunning command of harmonics on songs like Over the Rainbow, his amazing 'drum' solo--right up there with Zakir Hussain in terms of creativity and complexity. Dynomite.

[Ron Thorne]

Thanks for the heads up, Doug. I'm salivating just thinkin' about hearing Edgar Winter in top form again. I LOVE the same stuff of his that you mentioned at the top.

[Gentle Giant]

Glad to see your comments on SMiLE, and on the greatest albino rocker of them all. I saw Winter in concert back in the 80s when I was in college. he put on a great show. I didn't even know he was still making records. But Johnny has passed through Boston twice in the last six months so they're obviously both keeping busy. Glad to hear it.

[Gary Sisco]

I can't wait!

[Dr Dave]

I listened to sample tracks at Edgar's website. He sort of does sound like the second coming of Mose Allison on this one. Truthfully, I may pick it up just to hear Hiram Bullock. I'm probably one of the three people who actually owns "From All Sides" and "Give It What U Got."

I'm also tempted to go find a copy of "Road Work." The tracks recorded live at the Apollo were--in memory, anyway--seriously good.

[Chazro]

Wazzup All!

Was an absolute Edgar Winter fanatic back in the days with White Trash! Saw him over 10 times! Always felt his potential was never reached, especially when he cashed out. I'll be pickin' up this new one today, thx for the heads up Doug!

DR. D., count me with you as being a Hiram Bullock fan, tell ya what, from time to time a thread askin' 'where's the Funk?' pops up here, his last record, "Try Livin It' would satisfy anyone lookin' for a soul vaccination!

[Jazzooo]

Hiram Bullock sounds just great on this one. My favorite guitar solo, believe it or not, is from Steve Lukather--not one of my favorite players by any stretch. But he builds a beauty here.

Gary--do I sense facetiousness or are you actually enthused about this?

I'm going out on a limb here: this is the best Stevie Wonder album in 30 years. In fact, it's the album a lot of us have always wanted him to make...too bad it's done by Edgar Winter.

That's how strong some of the writing and performing is.

I am on the fence about the Mose Alison connection--there are definitely similarities in style, but Winter has more than sardonic bluesy wit--there is also a kind of confessional and personal feel to his lyrics. Often, Mose just seems to be setting up the punchline to me. Maybe it's just me, but when Winter comes up with 30 or 40 original ways to say that he feels "like a new man" on one track (over some great chord substitutions, Musos!), it really connects.

There is more White Trash-style funk on this album than I'd realized--much of the second half in fact, even though it is combined with Entrance-style sophistication. There are four or five instrumentals as well.

Another warning: the second track is BEYOND LAME. TERRIBLE, AWFUL. HIDEOUS. EMBARRASSING. THere is a nice alto solo--no, the whole track is BAD. Skip it if you can.

He wraps the album up with a weird but swinging big band version of Frankenstein, where he overdubs ultiple horn parts (and it sounds like some of them are combined with keyboard samples). In this way, he is also like Stevie Wonder--I just dn't think he has very good taste when it comes to using sampling technology, and could really benefit from a producer who knows the difference between cheesy and cool sounds. On another tune, about bass players, he actually combines stiff sampled bass with Will Lee's slippery funk--to great effect, but why stick us with even a couple of measures of the sampled sound? Still, both this and Frankenstein won me over fast. Frankenstein features ultra-cool solos and arranging.

Favorite cuts right now: New Man, Hunk o'da Funk and Keys to the Kingdom.

I hope Stevie Wonder listens to this album.

[Alastair]

Originally Posted by Jazzooo

But I am not here to talk about SMILE. I am here to talk about someone who obviously loves to come from behind. Edgar Winter.

Are you outing Edgar?

[Dr Dave]

Naw, the site's got all these pictures of him nuzzling his wife.