Jimmy Adler - Grease Alley (2015)

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Jimmy Adler - Grease Alley (2015)

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Jimmy plays the blues clean through his amplifier with a swinging sensibility, yet he can also go deep into the soul with stinging sounds and ferocious slide guitar. Always gritty, soulful, and sweet, this Pittsburgh based blues guitarist has become a respected musician in and around the area, yet has expanded his journey where he continues to make new fans and friends along the way.

Jimmy traveled to California to record Grease Alley with the award winning, musical visionary, Kid Andersen at Greaseland Studios. This latest recording features Kid producing and playing both upright and electric bass, as well as drummer extraordinaire June Core, legendary keyboardist Jim Pugh, and superb sax man Eric Spaulding. In addition, Jimmy was honored to have the creative genius of Chris Cain appear on two songs. The end result is a record steeped in the blues tradition where Jimmy surrounds himself with masters of the genre and creates all original songs that are played in a variety of styles ranging from swampy to swing. The themes explored include pleasure, pain, and purpose.

Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studio is a magical place. I had the opportunity to spend some time there in August 2015 making a record. I’ve always been drawn to the sound of the West Coast guitar players, from T Bone Walker, through all of the great guitarists who performed in William Clarke’s band as well as the masterful Charlie Baty. The traditional sound of a clean, unadulterated swinging guitar plugged straight into a tube amplifier sans effects speaks to me and inspires my playing.

Kid Andersen had the courage to leave his home in Norway when he was 21 years old and relocate to the West Coast so that he could be close to the West Coast players. He has earned a premier spot, playing guitar with Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, having taken over the position once held by the phenomenal Charlie Baty. Kid’s dedication to authenticity runs deep and this was obvious upon setting foot into his Greaseland Studio as I made my way past the vast array of guitars, vintage amps and assorted musical instruments. I asked Kid Andersen to produce this recording because I believe that he has an amazing ear and he could help extract the sounds in my head and capture them in the studio. Although Kid is a formidable guitarist, he played thoughtfully crafted and nuanced bass lines on this recording.

June Core manned the drums on this record. He is known for his current work with Charlie Musselwhite and past work with Little Charlie and the Nightcats. This Cleveland native got his start in the blues playing with Robert Jr Lockwood for 8 years. His vast vocabulary of rhythms and steady in the pocket grooves, along with his upbeat demeanor and nose to the grindstone work ethic provided a strong backbone to this recording session.

One of my favorite albums is “Tops” by the great Otis Rush. It was recorded at the San Francisco Blues Festival back in the ‘80’s. As Kid and I were in preproduction for the recording we discussed the possibility of Jim Pugh playing keyboard for the session. I was very familiar with his work as he has toured and recorded with Robert Cray, Tommy Castro and Etta James. As fate would have it, Kid informed me that Jim Pugh was also the keyboard player on “Tops!” This blew my mind! He recently started “Little Village,” that as the site claims, is “a non-profit record label that supports artists from non-traditional backgrounds… and helps connect them to a broader musical community.”
Jim has also produced many records.

I saw Chris Cain for the first time years ago when he was headlining a Bay Area Blues festival. I remember that he broke a string during the first song but he continued to play the whole show without ever changing out the broken string or changing guitars. In my opinion and experience that reveals the true artistry, ingenuity and master craftwork that Chris Cain consistently demonstrates in his fiery playing. I asked him about this when we hung out after the 2014 Pennsylvania Bluesfest after Ronnie Earl, seemingly out of respect to Cain’s genius, carried Cain’s guitar back to the trailer. As I watched Cain perform a few nights later at the Ram’s Head in Annapolis, he broke a skinny B string and never flinched. Even Debbie Davis who opened the show looked on in amazement as he played flawlessly with only 5 strings all night long.

My wife Barb and I were able to drive to Chris Cain’s house and bring him to the studio. He graciously agreed to sing and play on a slow BB King styled song that I had arranged with him in mind. Chris Cain is one of the sweetest and kindest musicians.

Eric Spaulding is well schooled and steeped in the tradition of jump blues. I was lucky enough to have him play saxophone with the Jimmy Adler Band in Pittsburgh during the mid 2000s. Eric Spaulding is a master of the instrument. In my opinion, if he so desired, he could be touring internationally. He has in fact performed with many national acts such as Roomful of Blues and Duke Robillard. Eric is also a sought after session musician. He now lives in the San Jose area and it was great to have him add his soulful horn.

This recording contains all original songs played in a variety of blues styles ranging from swampy to swing. The themes explored include pleasure, pain and purpose. It was an honor to spend time and record with all of these great musicians. The end result is a recording that captures a very special moment in time. I hope that people will enjoy listening to it even half as much as we did creating it!

The CD will be released at Moondog’s on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015 during Thanksgiving weekend. I am thankful for all who helped make it possible and I look forward to performing these songs live.

Jimmy Adler

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Jimmy Adler - Grease Alley (2015)

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Jimmy Adler - Grease Alley (2015)

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