onurblues: Lee Pons - Big Boogie Voodoo (2010)

May 25, 2023

Lee Pons - Big Boogie Voodoo (2010)

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Naw'lins boogie man

The cover shows an old beaten dusty piano that takes you back to old New Orleans keyboard kings like Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe aka Jelly Roll Morton, William Thomas Duprée aka Champion Jack Dupree, Antoine Dominique Domino aka Fats Domino, Huey Pierce Smith aka Huey "Piano" Smith, Henry "Roy" Byrd aka Professor Longhair, or more recently James Carroll Booker III aka Little Booker aka James Booker and Malcolm John Rebennack aka Dr John. All from New Orleans and all playing a pivotal instrument of New Orleans blues : piano.

Lee Pons belongs to that long tradition : “It’s a tradition that came from the birth of blues, in the lumber and turpentine camps of the Delta to the parlors and juke joints. There was a time when the piano was the only instrument, besides the voice, in blues. It was king !”, he explained in an interview on American Blues Scene.

I couldn't find many clear information about the man himself. I understand his real name is Rafael Jesus Pons, he is a Cajun, was born around 1964 probably in New Orleans, and relocated at an unknown date in the St Petersburg area on the Gulf Coast of Florida, not far from Tampa. On the other side of the Gulf is the city that inspires his music so much : New Orleans.

Jelly Roll Morton

He was barely a teenager yet when he decided he would become a musician after watching Dr John perform on a TV program. His father, who had played upright bass with jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Harry Belafonte, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton or Benny Goodman, put him to study classical music and… bass. He earned a full scholarship, and graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School of music in New York with degrees in Performance and Composition.

He started to play and tour as bassist in several rock bands. But his real love was piano. After a tragic personal episode, he turned back to piano and blues, and met James Peterson (Lucky Peterson's father) who became his mentor. When Peterson retired to his native Alabama in the mid-2000s, he gave Pons his blessing and his regular gig.

Professor Longhair

You can hear these long years of practice in his fast powerful fingers running and jumping wildly on the keyboard on the boogie-woogie instrumentals “The Voodoo Boogie”, “Radiate The 88s”, “BoogieRobics” or “I Did It”.

Not considering himself a very good singer, Pons does a lot of instrumentals, five on this album, including “The Gospel According To Lee”. An instrumental gospel, no lyrics, no singing… the man has got nerve ! But on the other five, his powerful rasping voice has an unmistakable catchy texture on a song like “Dr. James” (like James Booker ? Most likely because Pons doesn't hide his sincere admiration for him). Acyally he's a much better vocalist than what he thinks.

James Booker

His vocals even turn deeply soulful on the scorching “Blues For Naw'lins”, a song with a little twist of Ray Charles' “Georgia on My Mind”, or on “Me Minus You”, while Dr John is not very far on “Her Mind Is Gone” and “Buttend Boogie”.

This is Pons debut album. It's original. It's personal. It's quite pleasant to hear if you appreciate piano boogie New Orleans style. If you don't, it might even make you change your mind. ■

Videos

Alas, rather poor and very scarce videos on YT !