Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Corey Harris, Henry Butler: Vu Du Menz

193

Corey Harris, Henry Butler: Vu Du Menz

By

View read count
Corey Harris, Henry Butler: Vu Du Menz
Critics and musicians routinely refer to veteran New Orleans pianist Henry Butler as "a genius." An eclectic virtuoso who’s studied everything from avant-garde jazz to opera to New Orleans R&B, Butler plays piano like he has four hands instead of two. As talented as Butler is, I’ve preferred his jazz and R&B albums to his blues releases, simply because the latter have been too ornate to suit my crude tastes.

Vu-Du Menz is more down-and-dirty than Butler’s past blues albums, no doubt because the pianist is teamed here with Corey Harris, the rootsy young guitarist, singer and blues rejuvenator. Rejuvenation is the word that best describes Vu-Du Menz, a collection of acoustic originals that possess a very traditional blues sound, but with modern lyrics.

All 15 tracks present the duo without any sidemen. Instrumentally, Vu-Du Menz is mostly Butler’s show, and at times his barrelhouse style is amazing. His playing combines a traditional blues approach with New Orleans touches learned at the feet of Professor Longhair and James Booker. (The song "L’Espirit De James" is a tribute to Booker.) Both Butler and Harris sing with gusto, but the latter’s raspy voice is the more appealing.

Corey Harris is one of the most perceptive lyricists in contemporary blues, and he proves it again here. Take "Mulberry Row," the most interesting song on the CD. The tune's subject is the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, and it starts with Harris singing these lines: "Masta Tom do what he please/But he can’t hide his deed/Somethin’ y’all refuse to believe/But the fruit don’t fall far from the tree." Harris also brings history to life on "King Cotton," a country-blues monody that describes the pain and drudgery of a field hand’s life.

There are plenty of upbeat tunes here as well. "Voodoo Man" offers an unbelievable performance by Butler that incorporates blues, New Orleans R&B and jazz idioms. "If You Let a Man Kick You Once" is a fun ragtime number. "Shake What Your Mama Gave You" is one of the few tracks wherein Butler and Harris play off of one another. It’s a delightful tune that even has the duo harmonizing on the chorus. The album closes with a strirring a capella version of the hymn "Why Don’t You Live So God Can Use You?"

Surprisingly Harris and Butler don’t interact much instrumentally, but their collaboration still calls to mind the 1920’s piano/guitar alliances between Tampa Red and Georgia Tom. With its old-timey ambience, Butler’s frilly piano, Harris’ smart lyrics, and a nice mix of good-time tunes and serious numbers, Vu Du Menz has plenty going for it.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Vu Du Menz | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Alligator Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.