Lynwood Slim - Last Call
(Delta Groove)
Review by Rick Webb

"Jazz and blues are just different fleas on the same dog" Slim is quoted as saying on the sleeve notes that accompany this, as ever, excellently produced package from Delta Groove. Don't worry though, as you might expect from one of the West Coast's premier blues labels, the 'jazz' here is of the swingin-groovey-west-coasty-easy-for-bluesers-to-dig variety rather than the sheets-of-sound-John-Coltrane malarky, and the 'blues' is of the highest order.

This CD features guitarists Kid Ramos and Kirk Fletcher among others, and it's good to hear them playing some of this softer jazzy stuff. Slim's a proper harmonca player - 'Across the Sea' is a dynamic masterclass in Sonnny Boy style harp - but there can't be too many harp players who can also play flute as well as well as he does on 'I'm Sorry', a late night mellow groove of a song.

A late night mellow groove might well be the best way to describe this whole CD. There's outstanding virtuosity going on throughout, but it's a laid back kind of cool rather than an in-your-face-check-out-my-solo antics that makes it a rare blues record indeed. Not to mention a very welcome one. Well done Mr. Slim. Now lets have a bash at some of that sheets of sound stuff...