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A Canadian Blues Legend for 40 years
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Terry Gillespie, formerly of Detroit, now calls Ottawa, Ontario home. It is certainly Canada’s gain....Terry Gillespie, formerly of Detroit, now calls Ottawa, Ontario home. It is certainly Canada’s gain. The highly regarded critic Tim Holek has called him Canada’s “King of Roots Music.” He has indeed been a bit of a Canadian blues legend for 40 years. Though raised in England, he was born in Edmonton, but it was in Detroit, in the 1950s and '60s, that he cut his musical teeth. He attended MSU to study chemical engineering, but it was musical concoctions that moved his soul. He came up on the local stages and shared space with everyone from John Lee Hooker to Albert Collins, with stops along the way backing Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff. He moved from Detroit to Montreal briefly and made the return to Canada permanent when he took Ottawa for his home in 1967. Brother of the Blues, his first recording in many, many years, is an amalgam of all of the above and more influences picked up along the way. The lead-off title tune reminds of Mark Knopfler with its stunning guitar work. On “Yellow Moon,” there is a heavy footed shuffle and a “chorus” of saxophones from Jody Golnick over Stephen Barry’s deep bass and Gordon Adamson’s snappy drums. “Big Boy” has a slinky groove, “Cold Ground,” with Martin Boodman’s harp comping, is deceptively upbeat. “Yellow Moon” has shades of Van Morrison, both in Gillespie’s vocal presence and in the arrangement. “Carl Nicholson” (aka Van Morrison) is even more so, down to the imagery in the writing. ("I will sing my song along a winding lane/one country to another/we were young/our souls on fire/in 1968 that’s when I met my brother”). Jimmy Reed’s “I’ll Change My Style,” the only cover in the bunch, has a lope that’s infectious. “Rue Guy Boogie” is not a boogie. Whatever it is, it is definitely a toe-tapper of the highest order. It has elements that remind of the Band. Jody Golick’s baritone work is the treat on the cut. “Bath Tub” reflects his affection for Jamaica music, with an almost dub style, and the closer “Kruschev” is a flashback for us of a certain age who remember Nikita and his shoe pounding episode at the UN as the enemy.” Cool harp, big percussive beat, This is most decidedly not your daddy’s blues. www.terrygillespie.ca
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Raise Some Hairs
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Terry Gillespie & the Granary Band
Brother of the Blues
BluesWax Rating: 9 out of 10
Raise ...Terry Gillespie & the Granary Band
Brother of the Blues
BluesWax Rating: 9 out of 10
Raise Some Hairs
Now living in Ottawa, Terry Gillespie previously hailed from Detroit where he opened and played backup for Blues legends Howlin' Wolf, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, and Buddy Guy. He also played with Reggae superstars Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, and Dennis Brown. In 1979 Gillespie formed the band Heaven's Radio, which occasionally still performs.
In 2001 Gillespie began a jam that resulted in the formation of The Granary Blues All-stars. They played The Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2002 and again in 2004. The later was recorded and released as The Granary Blues All-stars Again. Consisting mostly of Blues covers, that album was reviewed in BluesWax in July 2004; the reviewer said, "They raise the hackles on your neck" and "this is a very soulful group that needs to be heard."
Today their music is a sweet tiramisu consisting of liquor-soaked layers of Blues, Reggae, Country, and Jazz. This follow up album consists of eleven songs, ten written by Gillespie. Each of the well-crafted tunes contains a hook, sometimes lyrical, while other times a riff, arrangement, or sentimentality. The band includes Terry Gillespie (guitar, vocals, trumpet), Stepehen Barry (bass), Gordon Adamson (drums, percussion), Peter Measroch (piano, organ), Jody Golick (saxophones), and Martin Boodman (harmonicas).
Opening with "Brother of The Blues," Gillespie writes and sounds like Greg Brown. The surprise here is a funky little beat that powers the song. The careful choice of words and phrasing makes it stick in your head. On "Yellow Moon" the surprise is the Ska sounding horns that join in on the second verse. Jody Golick's saxophone is infectious. "Big Boy" is a Rockabilly treat, "when I grow up I want to have a big band," once again it's the big band-styled horns that pick it up in the middle.
Terry Gillespie's soft trumpet on "Carl Nicholson" begins a Jimmy Cliff-influenced Reggae tribute to Gillespie's musical influences, including Carl Nicholson, Steve Valentine, and Van Morrison. Terry Gillespie sounds like Van Morrison when he sings on "Love Again" and Peter Measroch's piano is perfect. "Cold Ground" is a Hoyt Axton-sounding Country Blues with nice harp playing by Martin Boodman.
"Those Days Are Gone" rollicks and Terry sounds like Bob Dylan. "Change My Style" is the only song on the album not written by Gillespie and he credits it as being "traditional." "Rue Guy Boogie" is the best Blues on the album and once again Jody Golick on saxophone solos nicely. "Bathtub" probably started as a kid's song, but it is so much fun as it Reggaes out, horns and all. "Krushev" at first seems dated, but after several listens one imagines it is also a children's song that has somehow grown up.
Sue Foley plays lead guitar and credits Terry Gillespie as a major influence in her career. Terry Gillespie & The Granary Band possess a magic that seems to occur right in the middle of each song. It's what causes the hairs to rise on the back of your neck.
Richard Ludmerer, Vice President, New York Blues and Jazz Society, is a contributing editor at BluesWax
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Canada’s King of Roots Music
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TERRY GILLESPIE & THE GRANARY BAND
Brother Of The Blues
TEK0612-01
Terry Gillespie may well be ...TERRY GILLESPIE & THE GRANARY BAND
Brother Of The Blues
TEK0612-01
Terry Gillespie may well be Canada’s king of roots music. So where has he been? Or more appropriately, where have we been that we haven’t come across him before? Gillespie was born in Edmonton, grew up in England, and following his father’s career, moved to the United States. While in Detroit, Michigan, Gillespie played with Howlin Wolf, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Junior Wells, and John Lee Hooker. In the late ’60s, he temporarily relocated to Toronto, Ontario before settling in the nation’s capital city of Ottawa. There, he was part of the cultural dissemination of American music into Canada. He was one of the forefathers of that movement because he had previously been a part of the American music culture. After a two decade gap, Gillespie – a guitarist, vocalist, trumpeter, and songwriter – is back with his semi-autobiographical Brother Of The Blues. He is backed by the impressive Granary Band, who are all reputable musicians in their own right.
The rootsy title track is inconspicuously complex yet it is relaxed and calming. Here, Gillespie’s real blues guitar contains elements of many other genres. The lyrics introduce you to the family of the blues; (“Terror is the father of the blues / heartache is the mother”). The basic rhythm of Yellow Moon sounds extracted from the walls of Sun Studios, but horns give it an urban sensibility. More ’50s Memphis rock ‘n’ roll can be found on Change My Style. Among 11 brisk songs, it is the only cover. Love Again has a ’70s feel courtesy of polished production. Sounding like an AM radio hit, it reminds me of the great balladeers of that decade. Fear provided the inspiration for Kruschev. A discussion about the current state of affairs and how it was any different to the cold war era reminded Gillespie of what it was like to be a kid and afraid. When he was a youngster, he recalls the school kids being brought into the gym and being shown pictures of the A-bomb. He had nightmares for years. Carl Nicholson was the first person Gillespie met upon moving to Ottawa. Here, sounding like Van Morrison, Gillespie sings, (“Van Morrison taught me what to do”).
Too many artists bill themselves as blues artists when they are nothing more than rock ‘n’ rollers in disguise. Terry Gillespie is not that type of bluesman. Yes, he is Canadian so his blues aren’t like that of the Delta or Chicago, yet this powerful roots musician has gained the pride of his homeland. This comeback recording is sure to bring 60-year-old Terry Gillespie more respect and admiration than even his past warrants. Yet if he wants to take the music world by storm, he will require more to make him stand out in the crowd. His vocals are articulate, but sound too similar to Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and Mark Knopfler. His blues-based folky rock songs are more memorable. They don’t focus on a blazing guitar or rampant rock energy. Brother Of The Blues is about the songs as a whole. These days that is a joy to encounter.
Tim Holek
Freelance Journalist
www.timholekblues.ca
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Truly One Of The Best
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This CD (Brother of the Blues) is truly one of the best that I have ever reviewed!
All 11 t... This CD (Brother of the Blues) is truly one of the best that I have ever reviewed!
All 11 tracks are what i would dub as 'feature tracks' It is very difficult to pick a favourite.
Mike Graham - OBScene, Ottawa Blues Society (Jul 16, 2007)
