Review
by Steve Leggett
Lucky Peterson's father was blues guitarist and singer James Peterson, a well-known regional musician who also owned the Governor's Inn, a premier blues nightclub in Buffalo, New York, which means Peterson grew up around his father's friends, who just happened to be touring and recording musicians like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, and Bill Doggett, and he learned from all of them. He became fascinated with the Hammond B-3 organ as a young child, and by the time he was five, he'd proved to be a prodigy on it. Mentored by another of his father's friends, the great songwriter, bassist, arranger, and producer Willie Dixon, Peterson was still only five when he scored an R&B hit with the Dixon-produced "1-2-3-4," the novelty of it all landing him appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and others, and his debut album appeared in 1969. But Peterson had an exploratory nature, and while he could have had quite a career as a keyboard player, he picked up the guitar at the age of eight, and by the time he was a teen, he had developed an emotionally searing guitar style. He could have relaunched his career then, but instead he attended the Buffalo Academy of Performing Arts, and went out on the road as part of the touring bands of Etta James and Otis Rush, spent three years as Little Milton's keyboardist, another three years in Bobby "Blue" Bland's band, and backed jazz stars like Hank Crawford and Abbey Lincoln. He learned blues, jazz, soul, R&B, funk, and gospel, and by the time he made his re-debut as a bandleader with the Bob Greenlee-produced Lucky Strikes! in 1989, Peterson was a triple-threat multi-instrumentalist who managed to fuse R&B, jazz, gospel, funk, and rock with the blues. All of this leads up to this very personal and semi-autobiographical set, and his 18th album as a bandleader. The Son of a Bluesman, aside from being another fine set of Peterson's joyous fusion blues, is also the first of his albums that he has produced himself, and it has a warm, career-summing kind of feel to it. The title track, "The Son of a Bluesman," and the two different versions of the gospel-themed "I'm Still Here," give this album a personal and retrospective feel, as does the striking, and even silly "Joy," a straight-up family home recording featuring a rap interlude. But perhaps the best and most poignant track on an album full of standouts is the lovely instrumental "Nana Jarnell," dedicated to both Peterson's mother and his wife's mother, musician, singer, and songwriter Tamara Stovall-Peterson. Peterson's guitar lead on the track is a marvel of crying, elegantly balanced phrasing, almost horn-like or vocal-like, and it speaks and sings like the marvel it is. This is perhaps Peterson's most well-rounded and personal album yet, and it coheres in a wonderful arc, capturing the blues as an ever-flowing, joyous, and ultimately uplifting thing.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-son-of-a-bluesman-mw0002674115
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Reseña
por Steve Leggett
El padre de Lucky Peterson era el guitarrista y cantante de blues James Peterson, un conocido músico regional que también era propietario del Governor's Inn, un importante club nocturno de blues de Buffalo, Nueva York, lo que significa que Peterson creció rodeado de los amigos de su padre, que casualmente eran músicos de gira y de grabación como Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters y Bill Doggett, y aprendió de todos ellos. De pequeño le fascinó el órgano Hammond B-3 y a los cinco años ya era un prodigio con él. Bajo la tutela de otro amigo de su padre, el gran compositor, bajista, arreglista y productor Willie Dixon, Peterson sólo tenía cinco años cuando consiguió un éxito de R&B con "1-2-3-4", producida por Dixon. La novedad le valió apariciones en The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show y otros programas, y su álbum de debut apareció en 1969. Pero Peterson tenía una naturaleza exploradora y, aunque podría haber hecho carrera como teclista, cogió la guitarra a los ocho años y, cuando era adolescente, ya había desarrollado un estilo de guitarra emocionalmente abrasador. Podría haber relanzado su carrera en ese momento, pero en lugar de eso asistió a la Buffalo Academy of Performing Arts, y salió de gira como parte de las bandas de Etta James y Otis Rush, pasó tres años como teclista de Little Milton, otros tres en la banda de Bobby "Blue" Bland, y acompañó a estrellas del jazz como Hank Crawford y Abbey Lincoln. Aprendió blues, jazz, soul, R&B, funk y gospel, y cuando volvió a debutar como director de orquesta con el álbum Lucky Strikes!, producido por Bob Greenlee en 1989, Peterson era un multiinstrumentista triple que conseguía fusionar R&B, jazz, gospel, funk y rock con el blues. Todo ello desemboca en este disco muy personal y semiautobiográfico, su decimoctavo álbum como director de orquesta. The Son of a Bluesman, además de ser otro buen conjunto de alegres blues de fusión de Peterson, es también el primero de sus álbumes que ha producido él mismo, y tiene una cálida sensación de resumen de carrera. El tema que da título al disco, "The Son of a Bluesman", y las dos versiones diferentes de "I'm Still Here", de tema gospel, dan a este álbum un aire personal y retrospectivo, al igual que la llamativa e incluso tonta "Joy", una grabación casera y familiar con un interludio de rap. Pero quizá el mejor y más conmovedor tema de un álbum repleto de sobresalientes sea el encantador instrumental "Nana Jarnell", dedicado tanto a la madre de Peterson como a la de su esposa, la música, cantante y compositora Tamara Stovall-Peterson. La guitarra solista de Peterson es una maravilla del llanto, un fraseo elegantemente equilibrado, casi como una trompeta o una voz, y habla y canta como la maravilla que es. Este es quizás el álbum más completo y personal de Peterson hasta la fecha, y se articula en un arco maravilloso, capturando el blues como algo siempre fluido, alegre y, en última instancia, edificante.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-son-of-a-bluesman-mw0002674115
www.alligator.com/Lucky-Peterson ...
1 - Blues In My Blood - 5:21
2 - Funky Broadway - 4:41
3 - Nana Jarnell - 5:38
4 - I Pity The Fool - 4:04
5 - Boogie-Woogie Blues Joint Party - 4:28
6 - I'm Still Here - 7:00
7 - The Son Of A Bluesman - 5:01
8 - I Can See Clearly Now - 5:30
9 - Joy - 3:49
10 - You Lucky Dog - 4:14
11 - I'm Still Here (Gospel) - 7:10
Label: Jazzbook Records – JV570035, Jazz Village – JV 570035
Country: France
Released: 2014
Genre: Blues
Style: Chicago Blues
https://www.discogs.com/release/5985175-Lucky-Peterson-The-Son-Of-A-Bluesman
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