October 25, 2022

Bob Corritore & Friends - Do The Hip-Shake Baby! (2019)

► The album is available at the usual place...
Do the harp-shake Bob!
Bob Corritore is not only a very talented and appealing harmonicist but he must be a very nice guy judging by the incredible number of friends who accept his invitations to guest on his albums. On this one, from 2019, the list is so long that I won't give it here, it would fill up all the space allowed to me on Blue Dragon ! The main ones are featured in the track-list, and the most interested will find the whole detailed casting here

Corritore is a band-free musician, a solo artist but never alone. Each song of each of his albums sounds like a new experience around his harmonica, with new musicians and new voices. Each of his albums is almost like a compilation of his adventures with his friends. One could say that his friends are his band. But Corritore is no fool, he has a precise idea of whom he wants to join him according to the kind of musical flavor he's planning to give to each of his releases.

This 13-track collection, recorded over a three-year period, between 2016 and 2018, is a good example of his talents for designing a sophisticated musical box to receive his precious harmonica. The album logically starts with a number borrowed from an elder fellow harmonicist, the legendary Louisiana musician Slim Harpo. “Shake Your Hips”  has an irresistible swampy tribal rhythm with a strong Hills Country touch, and “Mighty “Joe Milsap is an ideal singer for such a song. He is backed by his San Diego based band, The Fremonts, who describe themselves as “modern purveyors of Gulf Coast R&B“, and are present on two tracks.

Alabama Mike
Michael A. Benjamin, aka Alabama Mike, seems to be really appreciated by Corritore : he has the privilege to sing four titles. The first one is the rocking blues “Gonna Tell Your Mother”, with a fine L.A. Jones on guitar. The song was officially written by Jimmy McCracklin & Sam Ling aka Saul Bihari, one of the famous four Bihari brothers, wise recording industry businessmen who founded the Modern Records label group. But as they used to claim co-authorship of songs released by their own labels to get extra income from royalties, we're untitled to doubt he really took any part in the songwriting !

The following solid 12-bar blues, Jimmy Reed's “Bitter Seed”, is sung by Oscar Wilson, with Jimi "Primetime" Smith on guitar and Fred Kaplan on piano. A different pianist, the famous Louisiana veteran Henry Gray, is also in charge of the lead vocals on “The Twist”, a retro number that will remind the elder ones an old dance famous in the 1960s.

With Henri Gray
Bill "Howl 'N' Madd" Perry howls the appropriately titled “You Better Slow Down”, a heavy slow blues on which he also plays guitar. Alabama Mike is back to lend his soul voice to “Worried Blues”, a Asie Payton song covered in a very soul mode, with Jimi "Primetime" Smith on guitar. The great John Primer has the privilege to sing and play guitar, seconded by Jimi "Primetime" Smith again, on Muddy Waters' “Love Deep As The Ocean”. No comment needed, it's a great moment.

On “Trying To Make A Living”, Sugaray Rayford is in for the vocals while the guitar is in the expert hands of Junior Watson. Alabama Mike, as soulful as ever, sings the famous Little Junior Parker's soul title “Stand By Me”, backed by Andy T and his band featuring Anson Funderburgh among other musicians.

L to R: Oscar Wilson, Jimi “Primetime”
Smith & Mighty Joe Milsap
A second swampy Slim Harpo's number, “I'm Gonna Keep What I've Got”, sees the return of the nice “Mighty” Joe Milsap and The Fremonts, followed by Jimi "Primetime" Smith' vocals on “I Got The World In A Jug”, a title written by his own mother Johnnie Mae Dunson Smith. Alabama Mike and the Andy T Band are back on the very 1960s-sounding “Few More Days”. Finally, Kid Ramos greasy guitar opens the long Hills Country-tinged “Keep The Lord On With You!” sung by the powerful and earthly Sugaray Rayford : a wise choice because Rayford … wrote the song.

No need to precise that each track is featuring the catchy and varied textures of Corritore's harmonica. The man has the tasteful talent to adapt his sound and playing style to each particular track. He is smart enough not to overshadow his accomplice friends, leaving them with full space to express themselves, a sign a great musical intelligence that explains why he has so many friends and why this album is such a pleasure to listen to. ☺

Live videos... are better than long speeches
Bob Corritore live with some of his many friends...
With Dave Riley
■ With John Primer, Thunderbird Club, Chicago, 2006 : https://youtu.be/i02occoz3tA
■ With Dave Riley, Swamp Blues Festival, Calais, France, 2009 : https://youtu.be/pqrdEi8K7ok
■ With Louisiana Red and Little Victor, Memphis, 2010 : https://youtu.be/KZBlWVNo5j8
■ With Henry Gray & Tail Dragger, Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland, 2011 : https://youtu.be/ToHtqHegkfw
With Taildragger (center) & Henri Gray (ext right)
■ With... his harmonica for an instrumental, Rhythm Room (a club owned by Corritore), Phoenix, AZ, 2011 : https://youtu.be/ewtO9KpWDkI
■ With Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy, Tucson, AZ, 2012 : https://youtu.be/Rn6UIgNKGH0
■ With Mark Wydra (guitar & vocals), Bob Riedy (keyboard) & Jon Hiller (drums), Illinois, 2012 : https://youtu.be/4noFjXOjVcQ
■ Instrumental solo, Jazz & Blues Festival, Poços de Caldas, Brazil, 2013 : https://youtu.be/hmkh-nlbpkk
With Louisiana Red (l.) & Little Victor
■ With Mud Morganfield & Jeff Jensen (guitar), Memphis, 2013 : https://youtu.be/F2jXlf-cP6Y
■ With Tail Dragger, Bruges, Belgium, 2013 : https://youtu.be/ulZr-hvBHIg
■ With Harsh Guitar Mark, Motywy Bluesa Festival, Poland, 2013 : https://youtu.be/IUTwi-UAiKc
■ With Dave Riley, Vache de Blues Festival, France,  2015 : https://youtu.be/3h-tOHPZNjg
■ With Sugaray Rayford, Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland, 2014 : https://youtu.be/RD6D97uY5zw
With Bob Margolin
■ With Sugaray Rayford, Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ, 2016 :
■ With Bob Margolin & Bob Stroger, France, 2016 : https://youtu.be/DT8SsaC5nvs
■ With Henry Gray & Junior Watson, Hondarribia Blues Festival, Spain, 2016 :
■ With Bob Margolin, Hard Rock Cafe, Memphis, TN, 2016 : https://youtu.be/rQKiOKcfvC4
With Junior Watson
■ With Junior Watson & Fred Kaplan, Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ, 2016 : https://youtu.be/Q4pBeqxVwYQ
■ Tribute To Jr Wells with Steve Arvey, Junior Watson, Fred Kaplan, Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ, 2016 : https://youtu.be/WGFzF0L3OxA
■ With Junior Watson & Fred Kaplan, Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ, 2016 : https://youtu.be/mXTpcw0qNZg
■ With Bob Margolin, Las Vegas, NV, 2016 : https://youtu.be/OmDSP9JOwVI
■ With Junior Watson, Hondarribia Blues Festival, Spain, 2016 : https://youtu.be/YNEHSTItoNU
With John Primer
■ With Junior Watson & Fred Kaplan, Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ, 2016 : https://youtu.be/lXZ_mp2zZcE
■ With Tab Benoit, Rhythm Room, Phoenix, AZ, 2018 : https://youtu.be/cgfGB-ipShM
■ With John Primer, Las Vegas, NV, 2018 :
■ Bob Corritore & Friends, Blues Blast Music Awards, Rockford, IL, 2019 : https://youtu.be/II_5PM-cQCo

More friends...
With Koko Taylor











Alabama Mike, Jimi “Primetime” Smith, Willie Buck,
Johnny Rapp, Bob Corritore, Brian Fahey,
Oscar Wilson & Bob Stroger

With Billy Boy Arnold & Lazy Lester

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