Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jay Danley: Robicheaux

4

Jay Danley: Robicheaux

By

Sign in to view read count
Jay Danley: Robicheaux
It is possible to leave the hubbub of the big city behind and still maintain a jazz career. For guitarist Jay Danley that meant pulling up roots in Toronto and relocating to Kaslo, a small village with a population of 1000 in British Columbia, where he built his own recording studio and went about crafting Robicheaux, playing (almost) all of the instrumental parts himself.

The title Robicheaux may ring a bell with fans of crime fiction. Detective Dave Robicheaux is the protagonist of twenty-plus crime novels by James Lee Burke, one of Danley's favorite authors, whose writing inspired him to record this album based on the books. Dave Robicheaux is based in New Orleans. Robicheaux, the music, is too—The Big Easy via Kaslo, British Columbia.

"The Lost Get Back Boogie" opens the set. Hard-driving and infectiously danceable, the tune hints at zydeco via Mark Banks' lilting accordion work, with Danley's wailing guitar licks backed by a sassy Bourbon Street horn section. "Black Cherry Blues" is the title of Burke's third Robicheaux novel; the tune rolls out with a smooth organ trio vibe, with Danley laying down a cool flow of crisp notes. "New Orleans Pub Crawl," featuring Jono Grant on Fender Rhodes, glides on a gumbo of percussion—Danley spent a good deal of time playing Afro-Cuban percussion professionally—with Danley's guitar sounding rich and full-bodied; "The Tin Roof Blow Down" displays the guitarist's skills in playing a wee hours ballad.

The closer, "Take The Cornbread Out Of You Mouth" percolates—again, Danley's Afro-Cuban percussion—on an optimistic vibe, closing out Robicheaux with a smile and a smooth glide across the dance floor.

Track Listing

The Lost Get Back Boogie; Black Cherry Blues; New Iberia Parish; New Orleans Pub Crawl; The Tin Roof Blowdown; Robicheaux; Salt In The Wound; Take The Cornbread Out Of Your Mouth.

Personnel

Jay Danley
guitar
Additional Instrumentation

All instruments played by Jay Danley, except: Michael Banks: accordion (1); Jono Grant: Rhodes (4).

Album information

Title: Robicheaux | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Jay Danley Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.