2024 – M.C. Records
By Phillip Smith; April 29, 2024
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com
At eighty-five years old, Nick “The Greek” Gravenites is still creating music which sounds great. As a teen in Chicago during the early Sixties his musical brethren consisted of Michael Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Gravenites went on to become lead singer for Electric Flag and wrote songs for Janis Joplin, Pure Prairie League, Tracy Nelson, Roy Buchanan, Howlin’ Wolf and James Cotton. His latest album Rogue Blues contains seven all-original tracks with Gravenites at the mic, Pete Sears on piano/bass and Wally Ingram on drums. Guest musicians on this recording include Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica, Jimmy Vivino on guitar, Lester Chambers (Chambers Brothers) on harmonica and Barry Sless on pedal steel/acoustic rhythm guitar, with Keith Baltz on sousaphone, Willard Dixon on clarinet, and Roy Blumenfeld on drums.
I’m always excited to hear new musical material with Charlie Musselwhite manning the harp. When the album rolls in with “Poor Boy” and I hear that harmonica kick in along with Sears on the ivories, I am in my happy space. It sure emits a feeling of vintage Chicago blues. There’s a sophisticated finesse to “Left Hand Soul”, a beautifully played piano-centric track. Chambers guests on harmonica on this one. Gravenites masterfully creates new blues which belongs to a by-gone era with “Blackberry Jam”. It’s so wonderfully written. Baltz and Dixon on sousaphone and clarinet give the song a pre-war blues sound and it’s cool as hell. Musselwhite and Vivino step in on “Blues Back Off of Me”, and I feel every note sink into my being. Vivino returns for another favorite “Brown Paper Bag”. This country-folk drinking saga features Vivino on mandolin with Sears on piano, according, and bass. I definitely detect some Charles Bukowski inspired wino-energy spilling over. It’s a great song.
Rogue Blues is a one-of-a-kind recording which fans of classic blues will surely love. I like it a lot.
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For more information about Nick Gravenites, visit his website at https://nickgravenites.com/
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