This Record Store Day release from Deep Digs/Elemental Music is a fitting tribute to a bona fide legend.
B.B. King In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival – Elemental Music/Deep Digs Music DD004 deluxe limited edition 180-gram stereo double vinyl, 83:06 ****1/2:
(B.B. King – guitar, vocals; Walter King – tenor saxophone; Cato Walker III – alto saxophone; Eddie Rowe – trumpet; James Toney – organ; Milton Hopkins – guitar; Joe Turner – bass; Calep Emphrey, Jr. – drums)
Blues has been a foundation for several musical genres, including rock, folk, country and jazz. For decades, blues players were confined to specialty or race labels with little crossover potential. The advent of rock and roll re-introduced this style, and the British rock invasion amplified the connection to these roots. B.B. King was one of the first authentic blues musicians to become accessible to mass audiences with his iconic 1970 hit, “The Thrill Is Gone”. He was embraced by the rock community and received stellar reviews as an opening act, and later headliner. His guitar technique and emotional vocals made him a legend.
In time for Record Store Day, Deep Digs/Elemental Music has issued a previously unreleased live album, B.B. King In France – Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival as a limited edition 180-gram double vinyl. (A 2-CD set will be available on 12/6). This is King operating in his prime electric blues environment, playing in a robust septet. In keeping with the jazz theme, the album opens with a medley of “Blue Monk/Caledonia”. After a down-tempo intro, King and his band transition to high-voltage blues with alto saxophonist Cato Walker cutting loose. King’s self-assured licks and gruff vocals create a muscular, gospel-revival resonance, replete with call and response. Dialing back to gut-wrenching intensity, “Sweet Little Angel” is unadulterated blues with an extended soulful guitar solo. The vocals match the instrumental urgency. “I Like To Live The Love” translates into a classic r & b arrangement with anecdotal chatter. Side B kicks off with an edgy bluesy cover of Brook Benton’s “It’s Just A Matter Of Time”. The augmented septet has guitar solos from King and Milton Hopkins with Sunday-morning organ runs (James Toney).
It wouldn’t be a B.B. King show without a reference to his beloved guitar, “Lucille”. “I Got Some Outside Help (I Don’t Really Need)” is unfiltered, exquisite romantic angst. King’s blistering vocals are a revelation and the ensemble surrounds him without usurping the spotlight. It is quintessential and audacious. King eases into the mega hit “The Thrill Is Gone” with nimble licks. His gritty unrestrained vocals contribute to the live aesthetics. Picking up the pace, “I Need My Baby” is a straight-ahead, furious instrumental that never lets up with an incendiary run by Toney and brass/woodwind punctuation. Blues essence permeates this concert. “Sweet Sixteen” is nasty with passionate vocals. Two very brief numbers (“Blues Instrumental”/Outro Blues Instrumental”) have a soul revue curtain call vibe. An unexpected treat in the encore is a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “To Know You Is To Love You”. King leads the septet in a groove-filled arrangement with more growling vocals and relentless energy. On “When I’m Wrong”, it unfolds like a testimonial with tempo breaks and eventually a sultry and percolating finale. Ending in a pure gospel-blues statement, “Have Faith” is a fitting conclusion to this memorable concert.
Kudos to Zev Feldman and Deep Digs Music for bringing this unreleased performance to modern audiences. The re-mastered sound (Matthew Lutthans/The Mastering Lab) is excellent with crisp tonality and is focused on King’s guitar and voice. The vinyl pressing is top-notch with little surface noise and no discernible hisses or pops.
Highly recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
B.B. King In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival
TrackList:
Side A: Blue Monk/Caledonia; Sweet Little Angel; I Like To Live The Love
Side B: It’s Just A Matter Of Time; Why I Sing The Blues
Side C: I Got Some Outside Help (I Don’t Really Need); The Thrill Is Gone; I Need My Baby
Side D: Sweet Sixteen; Blues Instrumental; To Know You Is To Love You; When I’m Wrong; Have Faith; Outro Blues Instrumental.
