Pinetop Perkins, Michael Parrish: One Heart

Ed Kopp

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Published: December 1, 1999

Boogie-woogie reigns in this collection of piano duets featuring Chicago blues veteran Pinetop Perkins and Bay Area bluesman-turned-rocker Michael Parrish. Inspired by the popular 1930s collaborations of Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons, One Heart showcases two talented blues pianists cooperating on some lively originals and a few old warhorses.

The CD includes no vocal tracks and no additional instruments aside from two Steinway Concert Grands. With the spare setup, fans of blues piano will find plenty to like. From highly embellished slow boogies like "Spacey Blues" and "Blues For Gabriel" to faster-tempo burners like Perkins' "Two Finger Boogie" and Parrish's "BCD," the musicians favor ornate syncopation over full-throttle barrelhouse. But Perkins and Parrish are highly sympatico cats, so much so that they practically sound like one 20-fingered piano man. One heart indeed.

*** (out of ****)

Tracks:CC Blues; F Boogie; Piano Jive; Two Finger Boogie; Got Me Runnin'; BCD; Spacey Blues; Hurts Me Too; Pinetop's Boogie Woogie; Blues For Gabriel; Swampy Boogie; Blues Again

Players:Michael Parrish (Piano); Pinetop Perkins (Piano)

Record Label: Geographic Records
Style: Blues