Getting Warm

Hot” jazz—string-based material patterned after the late ’20s and early ’30s collaborations of guitarist Django Reinhardt—is the latest vintage form enjoying renewed popularity. Artists from Willie Nelson to Ruby Braff are recording material in this vein, and the Nashville duo of mandolin soloist Butch Baldassari and guitarist John Carlini recently added their names to the growing list.

The duo’s Reflections (Soundart) doesn’t just tackle jazz; there are strong bluegrass, classical, and even modern influences discernible in both men’s solos. The CD’s most amusing tune is a rendition of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Winin’ Boy Blues,” complete with odd rhythms and intervals, while the weakest is a cover of John Coltrane’s “Spiritual/Evening Prayer Blues.” Coltrane’s definitive anthem packs far more power in its original solo than the Baldassari/Carlini duo can replicate, despite the generally high technical level of their interpretation.

Still, much of the date is above-average, especially Carlini’s original “The Game’s Afoot” and Baldassari’s “What’s Doin’.” These are played with more flair and ease than the covers, which occasionally get bogged down by the musicians trying to uphold the spirit of the original rather than doing it their own way. It’s intriguing to hear mandolin-and-guitar adaptations of compositions initially designed for saxophones or trumpets, but at times the absence of percussive coloration, brass, or reed support hurts the treatments.

Even so, the vast majority of Reflections will appeal to fans of early jazz, string-band music, and bluegrass, as well as to guitar and mandolin lovers.

—Ron Wynn

Dark blues

Ever since it opened earlier in the decade, 3rd and Lindsley has hosted a number of local and regional blues and R&B acts on its stage. The recent anthology Good Whiskey Blues “Live” (Taxim) collects 13 performances at the club spotlighting some of the city’s more notable blues acts, among them Mike Henderson & the Bluebloods, Kentucky Thunder, Mary-Ann Brandon, Clarence Dobbins, and Gary Nicholson.

Dobbins’ “Hearsay” gets things off to a fiery start and establishes the disc’s ground rules: These are raw, sometimes brutal numbers, vastly different from the polished fare you’ll often hear on major-label blues releases. It’s hard to think of any record company that would issue a song like Henderson’s “When the Welfare Turns Its Back on You,” even though it’s the type of unapologetic, slice-of-life number that represents the essence of the blues. Likewise, despite some sloppy moments, the Blues Boyz’s “Murdered By Love” and Gary Nicholson & the Change’s “I Got the Itch” are entertaining, if flawed, songs very much in the genuine blues spirit.

Not everything on Good Whiskey Blues “Live” is a gem, and a couple of covers, like the Little Kings’ less-than-inspired version of Lowell Fulson’s “Reconsider Baby,” could have been omitted. But for intensity and carefree attitude, this CD is a lot more interesting than much of what passes for the blues these days, especially from the corporate entities.

—Ron Wynn

Pen pal

Who is this troublemaker Sterling Huck? If you glean information from his just-published book The Sterling Huck Letters, he’s a man with a 26-inch tail; a performance artist who creates “milk disguises” under the name Sgt. Milko; a guy who gets off on dressing in a bear suit; and a clown photographer with a paralyzing phobia of...clowns.

Informed sources tell us, however, that Huck is actually a top Nashville club draw who writes crank letters to Victoria’s Secret, Campbell’s Soup, Cracker Barrel, and other companies, then collects the weird responses he gets. It’s pretty much the same trail humorist Don Novello blazed in his cult classic The Lazlo Letters, but “Huck” gets some priceless replies—most notably from a representative of Winchester Cathedral, who explains, with inimitable British reserve, why Huck’s ersatz sci-fi opus will not get to hose down the chapel with slime.

If the idea sounds obnoxious, it’s clear from most of the responses that Huck’s bizarre queries are a bright spot in a boring day. That’s probably how The Sterling Huck Letters will affect anyone who’s ever tangled with a corporate consumer-affairs division. To pick up a copy, try Davis-Kidd or other local booksellers—or ask the folks in Swan Dive if they might have one lying around.

—Jim Ridley

Metal mothers

Keep an eye out for the new ish of Aluminum, the cool new Nashville-based music monthly. Along with features on Jerry Lawler and novelist Harry Crews, there’s a lengthy tribute to Hair composer Galt MacDermot, whose long-out-of-print late-’60s LPs Woman Is Sweeter and Shapes of Rhythm have just been reissued on vinyl by MacDermot’s Kilmarnock label. And there are engaging interviews with Jon Langford, local dub duo Phase Selector Sound, Link Wray, and Vegas Thunder.