Mitch Woods' latest, "Club Gumbo," is a tribute to Smiley Lewis and the pioneers of New Orleans R&B, but this is no nostalgia trip. Instead, this is a ready-made party in a jewel box. Every song is guaranteed to get your ass swinging. Mitch Woods is one of the very best boogie-woogie piano players on Earth, and he and the band tear through a slice of the great music from the Big Easy. The immortal Dave Bartholomew wrote most of these songs, and the great singers Smiley Lewis and Fats Domino sang them way back in the day--they must all be smiling to hear this cd. Woods is ably assisted in this tribute project by a great band--the talent on this set is shockingly good. Herb Hardesty on sax--he was Fats Dominos' tenor sax man for over 60 years. Amadee Castenell and Brian "Breeze" Cayolle on baritone and tenor sax--they play horn in Allen Toussaint's band. John Fohl on guitar--he is Dr. John's guitar player. Cornell Williams on bass--he plays with Jon Cleary. Eric Bolivar on drums--he's the drummer for Bonerama. Even a casual fan of New Orleans music will recognize these names--and these guys can ALL flat out play this music. From the first note things are PUMPING and the level never drops off.
I played this cd for my friend, a New Orleans native, and you should have seen the smile on his face. He said "Just like going home again--and cheaper than a bus ticket!" If you love the city of New Orleans, or New Orleans music, or that great 50s style Rhythm & Blues, this cd will make your ears and your heart happy. You need this cd in your collection.
You can buy this cd at http//www.mitchwoods.com
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