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Johnny Heartsman

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Johnny Heartsman – Hot House Party

Koko Mojo Records – KM-EP 111
Johnny Hartsman Band – One More Time – Eugene Blacknell – Jump Back / Johnnys Houseparty 1 – Johnnys Houseparty 2

Johnny Heartsman - Hot House Party

Heartsman’s first instrumental is good, albeit a tad repetitive. Fans of the Stray Cats would probably be interested in hearing this one. The b-side is occupied by Johnny’s Houseparty parts 1 & 2. This tune sounds like an answer to Honky Tonk with sax, organ and screams provided by The Gaylarks, who happened to be there. Eugene Blacknell and his Savonics complete the set with a groovy number featuring hot sax and dirty guitar. The perfect soundtrack for a crime B-movie.

The Jaguars

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The Jaguars - Rock With the Jaguars

The Jaguars – Rock With the Jaguars

Koko Mojo Records – KM-EP-113
The Jaguars – Rock It Davy Rock It – The Jaguars – The City Zoo (Baby Baby Baby) / The Jaguars with Patty Ross – The Big Bear – Chavez and Chaney – Picadilly Rose

The Jaguars - Rock With the Jaguars

The Jaguars were a vocal group consisting of Herman Chaney (lead), Valeric Poliuto (tenor), Manuel Chavez (baritone) and Charles Middleton (bass). Before being the Jaguars, they went under the name of The Shadows and after that, The Miracles. One of their particularity was to be one of the first interracial bands featuring Hispanic, Afro-American and white (from Italian origins) members.
They performed doo-wop with a strong Rhythm’n’blues feel. Both Rock It, Davy, Rock It and The City Zoo are solid and enjoyable tunes. The band also provided backing vocals for Patty Ross (daughter of big-band trumpeter Bob Ross) on The Big Bear. Finally, in 1959, Chavez and Chaney recorded under the name of Frankie & Johnny for Sabrina and by 1960, under the name Chavez & Chaney (though later reissued as Frankie & Johnny by Liberty). Piccadilly Rose is from that session and is a solid twangy rocker.

Fred “Virgil“ Turgis

Ella Johnson

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Ella Johnson - Bring It Home!

Ella Johnson – Bring It Home!

El Toro ET15141
What a Day! – No More Love / They Don’t Want me to Rock No More – Bring It Home to Me

Ella Johnson - Bring It Home!

The great Ella Johnson, who recorded with her brother Buddy falls right on that blurry line between Rhythm’n’Blues and Jazz with a dose of Rock’n’Roll. The singer possesses a beautiful voice, very clean yet expressive. The tight arrangements remind those of the Big Band era, and there’s plenty of room for soloists to express themselves (superb rocking sax part on They Don’t Want Me to Rock No More). You’ll love this EP if you dig Dinah Washington and Ella Mae Morse.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Teen Queens

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The Teen Queens – Sovereigns of the jukeBox

Koko Mojo Records – KM-EP 115
Let’s Kiss – Just Goofed / Baby Mine – Zig Zag

The Teen Queens - Sovereigns of the jukeBox

The Teen Queens were from Los Angeles and were formed by Betty and Rose Collins. Their brother, who co-wrote their songs, was none other than Aaron Collins of the Cadets and the Jacks. The two sisters had a hit with Eddie My Love when they were still teenagers (respectively 16 and 14) but failed to find success again, and by their majority, they were almost forgotten and considered has-beens. In 1968, Rose died of an overdose, followed three years later by her sister.
Nevertheless, even if success eluded them, they managed to record some good tunes that KokoMojo assembled for this neat EP. The result is four rhythm’n’blues/teen rockers sung in harmonies by the two sisters. Maxwell Davis’ arrangements are pretty good. One will note the hot sax solo on Zig Zag and a scorching guitar part on Let’s Kiss.

Available here.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Starjays

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starjays

The Starjays - Bang! It's the Starjays
The Starjays – Bang! It’s the Starjay

The Starjays – Bang! It’s the Starjays

Rhythm Bomb – RBR5828 {2016}
Who Do You Love The Most? – The Right Girl – Flat Broke – I’ll Wait – Nobody Loves You Like Me – My Wild Girl – Cadillac Of Woman – Keep On Talkin’- One Quick Stop – What’s Gone Wrong? – Turn Down The Lights – Tintarella Di Luna – A Sin Comin’ On – Get Closer

Led by Roy Kay (the Roy Kay trio\Combo, the Margraves) and Angela Tini (Angelatini and the Trebblemakers) and featuring the talents of piano wizard Carl Sonny Leyland, Marshall Scott Warner on drums, Tony Laborie on double bass, Sean Jensen on sax and Mike Geglia on guitar (also from the Roy Kay trio connection), the Starjays are a hot combo that plays rhythm’n’blues and rock’n’roll (and I mean real Rock’n’roll) with, for a song or two, a slight 60’s feel. They reminded me of the Jive Bombers, the excellent and now defunct Austin based band that featured Shaun Young.
Roy Kay and Angela Tini share the vocal duties (solo or in duets) which brings a lot of diversity to this album. As she is probably lesser known than her partner Roy Kay who have quite a few albums under his name, I have to sing here the praise of Miss Tini’s voice who manages to be powerful, subtle and dare I say a bit naughty (Get Closer), all that with a Ruth Brown vibe. Other names come to mind, but it would reduce Tini’s own personnality that is present here from start to finish (understand “she has her own voice and she is no impersonnator”).
All songs but two are originals penned by Kay and Tini. It’s very well produced, recorded, sung (I’ve already said that, but better twice than never) and played, each solist having plenty of room to express himself.
And icing on the cake, it comes in a nicely designed digipack .

The Starjays – Jump With…

starjaysVLV Records [2021]
That’s Love – Tomorrow Will Come – Prove My Love – I Can’t Stop – I’m Stuck – You’re For Me – Late At Night – Say What You Mean – Somehow, Someway – Is It Murder – Makin’ Me Hungry – Calling Out To You

I won’t try to fool you and create fake suspense, The Starjays return with a second album, and it’s as good if not better than the first one. Roy Kay (Roy Kay Trio/Combo, the Margraves, The Ember Brothers) and Angela Tini still lead the band and share the vocal duties, either solo or duet. Kay also plays tenor and baritone saxophone. Having two vocalists brings a lot of diversity, and their voices are very complimentary. Most of all, Kay and Tiny have strong flexibility in their voices. Hence, their repertoire can go from hot Rhythm’n’Blues/early Rock’n’Roll to soulful ballads or pure dancing ditties. They’re helped by a selection of very catchy songs and cleverly mix tempos and moods, from the lighthearted to the very dark.
The rest of the band features Robin Cady (also from the Roy Kay Trio) on bass, Eddie Martinez on drums, John Olufs on guitar, and Robert Lee Mitchell on piano. Each does a terrific job, and together, they constitute a very well-oiled jumpin’ machine.
Jump on this record, then jump with the Starjays!

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Jackson Sloan

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jackson sloan

Jackson Sloan – Let’s Rock

jackson sloanSleazy Records [2021]
Let’s Rock / Let’s Rock (instrumental)

If you want my opinion, the world needs more Rock’n’Roll, like the one that you found in the juke-boxes in the Fifties. Direct and simple music that only goal was to make you dance.
Jackson Sloan (Rent Party, Oo-Bop-Sh’Bam) just recorded a brand new song on which he shares vocals with Graham Fenton of Matchbox fame.
The band consists of Lucky Lacchini (The Good Fellas) on double bass, Ray Relato (Chevalier Brothers, Giants of Jive…) on sax, Vic Collins on guitar and Jay Charles on drums. And if this platter doesn’t make you dance, you must be dead inside. Kicking off with an intro that reminds of Jimi Hendrix’s And the Wind Cries Mary, this single is a lighthearted piece of Rock’n’roll, with doo-wop tinged backing vocals and an irresistible beat.
The B-side is an instrumental version of the song, which allows you to hear Gelato and Collins trade solos.

Jackson Sloan - the Shack Sessions
Jackson Sloan – the Shack Sessions

Jackson Sloan & the Rhythmtones – The Shack Sessions

Shellac Records {2013}
Don’t Run Away From My Love – Can’t Find A way – My Chance has Gone – Same Old Suit – Across The Border – I Forgot To remember – Kickin’ Up The Dust – Big talk – Small Town Girl – No No Don’t Do It – Why Don’t You Let Me Know – Ghost Train.

I’m always more than pleased to find a Jackson Sloan album in my mailbox. The Shack Sessions makes no exception, far from that, it’s the singer’s strongest effort to date (Rent Party and Oop Bop Sh’ Bam included) and his deep voice has never sounded so good. Coupled with his ability to write originals (all songs are from his pen) and that’s it, another killer.
It takes a few bars of “Don’t Run Away From My Love“, featuring the Metrotones on B-vox (they appear on three more) and hear Pete Cook (tenor) and Alex Bland (Baritone) trading licks to agree with me. If you don’t you must be dead, or at least lost for good music. Next are two more slices of juicy Rhythm’n’Blues. “Same Old Suit”  features Laura B. (who had a records by herself on El Toro, check it out) on duet. It is followed by “Across the Border” a latin tinged tune with a Fats Domino groove with West Weston on harmonica (who played with Sloan in Rent Party). “I Forgot to Remeber” is a fine ballad, but “Kickin’ Of Dust” changes the pace and rocks with the welcome addition of a steel guitar (more like that on the next album please!). “Small Town Girl” and  “Why Don’t You Let Me Know?” see the horn section augmented by Graeme Turner (Drifters, Big Town Playboys and the list goes on…) on alto and tenor and you’re in for some sax madness. With Sloan, you can be sure that Big Joe Turner is never very far and “Ghost Train” the last and best track of the Shack sessions, propelled by Dave Raven’s slap bass proves it with class.

Jackson Sloan – Saturday Clothes

Jackson Sloan

Shellac Records -Shellacrecords001
Jumping On The Kansas Line – Take A Chance On Me Baby – Don’t Make Me Love You Again – I’m No Good Without You – Long As I Have You – Midnight Lover – Saturday Clothes – Saratoga Boogie – ‘Til The River Runs Dry – Love x 2 – Temptation – Lover’s Call.

Rent Party was one of the best British R’n’B/Jive act of the mid 80’s. Their singer, Jackson Sloan later moved on the jazz scene but resurfaced a couple of years ago with Oo-Bop-Sh’Bam, and proved he still had his warm voice. He’s now releasing an album under his own name featuring 12 original numbers. It’s rhythm’n’blues at its best, with a bit of boogie too and even a gospel. He’s backed by a terrific combo made of hot musicians namely Mike Thorne (Big Town Playboys), Richard Studholme (Blue Devils), Pete Pritchard (Flying Saucers, Scotty Moore and the list goes on…), Gunter Kurmayr (Ray Gelato) and Ray Gelato in person who also wrote the arrangements.Do I really need to add something after that to convince you? Well I can say that the sax is juicy when it needs to be, mellow on the slow numbers and it screams and honks like no tomorrow when the tempo fastens. The whole album for me is one of Gelato’s finest performances ever. The guitar is gritty just like it needs to be and the rhythm section sets the perfect groove. And on top of all that, like a cherry on top of a giant cake, you have Jackson’s voice, a true lady’s trap. And when Gelato describes him in the liner notes like a “modern day Joe Turner and Wynonie Harris”, you just need to listen to the first few bars of the first song to fully agree with him.
Now the choice is yours: buy it or buy it!

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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