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The Reckless Night Ensemble: Pan Americanos: The Songs of Raymond Scott & Lalo Guerrero
by Chris M. Slawecki
Led by guitarist Skip Heller and bassist Nick Ornelas, The Reckless Night Ensemble on Pan Americanos feature the music of composers Raymond Scott and Lalo Guerrero and simultaneously captures two of Los Angeles' historic sounds in musical daguerreotype. A chameleonic jazz-blues guitarist and small ensemble roots music master, Heller ties several different musical threads together into Pan Americanos. In the early 2000s, he teamed up in Los Angeles with Lalo Guerrero, often called the Father of Chicano music, ...
Continue ReadingSkip Heller: Beyond These Hills: The Skip Heller Anthology 2017-20
by C. Michael Bailey
In terms of national exposure, Fred “Skip" Heller has always hidden in plain sight. Predominantly known in his native Philadelphia and adopted-native Los Angeles, Heller is a musician / composer / producer of note and has been for twenty years. He deserves wider notice if for no other reason than he shares much in common with Randy Newman—he captures the indelible American Spirit in song, warts and all, using the melodic vehicles struck from the heart of America. Heller has ...
Continue ReadingSkip Heller, Birdie Jones, and Carnival of Soul
by C. Michael Bailey
“I have a bluegrass gig tomorrow am. Playing a Link Wray Tribute tomorrow night...seeing the Dead Milkmen tonight." --My most recent text message from Fred “Skip" Heller. For all of the recently revealed foibles of Social Media, perhaps the best thing about it is how it makes a really big world smaller. I do not remember how I originally met Skip Heller (well, I do, it was reviewing his album Homegoing (Innova Records, 2002), but that ...
Continue ReadingNotable and Nearly Missed 2017
by C. Michael Bailey
I am winding down the twentieth year contributing to All About Jazz. I have never had a year where there wasn't too much good music to review (or it got to me too late). This is my attempt to make good before '17 becomes '18. Skip Heller That was Then: Collected Recordings 2008- 2017 Self Produced 2017 In addition to his being a restless music provocateur surveying the landscape of Americana, Skip Heller ...
Continue ReadingSkip Heller: For EP Fans Only
by C. Michael Bailey
Fred “Skip" Heller is, in my estimate, a most undervalued cultural mind. Musically restless by nature, Heller is a two-million candle light, illuminating whatever musical style is intriguing him at the moment. This restlessness has led to Heller's exploration of the organ trio on It's Like That: The organ Trio Anthology 1998--2004 (Jewbilee, 2004) and Fakebook (Hyena, 2004) and a deep descent into the Heart of America. Heller began to sharpen his focus with specialized projects like 2012's ...
Continue ReadingSkip Heller: San Fernando Valley Blues and The Hollywood Blues Destroyers
by C. Michael Bailey
Fred “Skip" Heller. Now there is a rara avis. A musical omnivore as drawn to Glenn Gould as to Roger Miller, Heller's talent and dedication to music and its history deserves so much more than local notoriety in the Los Angeles and Philadelphia areas it enjoys. Then, if I were LA, I would not share him either...he is that special of a person and musician. Heller's personal sound has matured and quickened over his most recent releases, ...
Continue ReadingThe Hollywood Blues Destroyers: Singles Drinking Doubles
by C. Michael Bailey
Avoid the intended seduction of the sexy and dangerous collective called The Hollywood Blues Destroyers for the Oz behind the curtain with his merry band of friends is one Fred Steven “Skip" Heller. AllMusic's Jana Pendragon calls Heller, “America's most confusing country singer." Whatever Heller might be, he is a defender of American Music...all of it. For Heller, music is mot the disposable commodity it has become since 2000. It remains that spiritual idea given life by those special people ...
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