Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Corky Siegel: Corky Siegel
Corky Siegel: Corky Siegel
ByIn the early 1980s, Siegel founded Chamber Blues, casting his harmonica and piano among a string quartet and percussionist. "I envisioned an emotional classical blues blend with the sweet wooden sound and intimacy of a string quartet, he recalls, "and that's how Chamber Blues was born.
This new live recording showcases Siegel's harmonica and vocals with a string quartet and percussionist, plus two additional violinists and guest bassist/vocalist Rollo Radford. Hearing the chamber-blues genre, new and different, creep softly into life between your ears can sound odd. Violin, cello, and harmonica all make familiar sounds, but in this different sort of combinationchamber music and blues music playing togetherthe familiar sounds different.
Some passages of "Serenade, for example, are dominated by strings and sound like chamber music, but in other movements the strings pluck out what on a different instrument and in a different context would be a jaunty rhythm guitar hook behind Siegel's lead harmonica moans. "Manhattan Island sounds like more of a lament backed by howlin' harmonica than a bluesbut what's the difference, really?
The Woofy Girl Stroll builds sort of a line dance from the piano up, as the left hand rocks the "up and down galloping piano chords that one almost automatically associates with movies about "The Old West, while the right hand spins yard upon yard of boogie-woogie blues. Radford plays and sings his own composition "Train, depicting the darkly hilarious monologue of a captured Old West train robber railing against spending time in prison: "I hate to miss the Christmas rush this year, but I will see you in the spring...
Though it can sound archaic at times, Siegel's harmonica wails enough hard and long enough to blow off any dust. You will find a companion document to this CDwith stories, photos and recording detailsat chamberblues.com.
Track Listing
Opus 17.2; Five Planets in Harmonica Convergence; Manhattan Island; Serenade; The Woofy Girl Stroll; Train; Opus 4 (1/2 of Opus 8).
Personnel
Corky Siegel
harmonicaCorky Siegel, harmonica, piano, vocal; Jeff Yang, Mark Agnor, violin; Jill Kaeding, cello; Nell Flanders, Richard Halajian, viola; Frank Donaldson, tabla, percussion; Randy Sabien, jazz violin; Rollo Radford, bass, vocals.
Album information
Title: Corky Siegel | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Alligator Records
< Previous
Jesse Elder Quintet
Next >
These Are Them