Review: Sweet Lu Olutosin ~ Meet Me At The Crossroads
Meet Me At The Crossroads immediately conjured up the myth of Robert Johnson, who stood at that famed intersection awaiting the sale of his soul to the devil. However, experience has taught me not to merely accept the obvious and with Lutalo Olutosin this is far from that legendary tale. Upon listening, the avid jazz devotee will quickly recognize the appropriateness of the title. What is gifted here is more of a convergence than a meeting. This is not a random gathering of songs but a carefully considered compendium. If there is any convention connected to this body of work, it is that this project has touched the soul of wisdom and versatility.
History meets style that goes well beyond this vocalist’s sense of fashion, though he continually pays homage to a time when musicians dressed to kill. The style of which I speak is his choice of compositions and the myriad of genres he presents as he travels through music’s evolution during the last century.
Affectionately known by his stage moniker Sweet Lu, he dives right in with the pacesetter Still Swingin’ that says it all for the tempo but leaves something to be desired in the story as he recognizes the past and reiterates that it ain’t over yet. He immediately switches gears and drops down to an outpouring of love that would melt any heart with a soulful rendition a la Eddie Levert on Love You More Than You Ever Know. I was immediately taken with a Roy Ayers like arrangement of How They Do That telling our stories of great determination and triumph over adversity.
Walking the wooden planks laid end to end across the backwater at the edge of the swamp, Lu’s vocal version of Intimacy of the Blues takes us to a juke joint envisioned in an atmosphere of an Ernie Barnes painting or Harpo’s Place as he belts out Sister Sadie’s Blues and how she turns a head and a heart. It is evident Sadie has been around a few joints in her life and one can imagine the crowd bumping and grinding through a hot and sticky night and singing and hand-clapping to a fervor pitch in church. Skin Game eradicates the lines of color and evens the playing field for humanity’s acceptance of each other. One unlucky traveler is set on the straight and narrow because Granny said it and nobody’s word is more trusting than hers.
Dancea Swing A Nova moves easily through a dream world of a dancer who woos a young man and teaches him about life with a bossa rhythm. Lu bravely embraces the classic Lou Rawl’s tune You’ll Never Find and intuitively arranges it to make it his own, adding a little more jazz to this rhythm and blues mix. Tunji Baby is a mid-tempo groove that hurts so bad with the pain of desire but everything about her is tantalizingly sexy and exquisitely distressful but he refuses to give it up. Where I come from we call that love and happy to be in it.
If one is responsible for his craft then he must delve into the classics and for this outing Sweet Lu respectfully delves into the catalogue of tenor great Joe Henderson and retrieves Recorda Me, pens lyrics, sings and scats his way across the charts of Don’t Forget To Remember. This is just one of the six songs he composed and or penned lyrics for on this project, adding the talents of Kevin Mahogany, Al Kooper, Antonio Ciacca, along with the venerable Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. And for those listeners who enjoy singing, he reprises two sing along tracks of Skin Game and How They Do That.
Let us not be bereft of our responsibility to acknowledge his powerhouse assemblage of musicians that reflects Atlanta’s finest with pianist Tyrone Jackson and Marty Kearns, trumpeter Lester Walker, saxophonist Mace Hibbard, bassist Kevin Smith, drummer Henry Conerway III, and legendary jazz pianist Donald Brown. Adding a little spice to the mix is vocalist Crystal Mone’t who we hear in all her splendor on How They Do That, Skin Game and You’ll Never Find. Not limiting his musicians to simply add their instrumental thoughts to the musical conversation, he collaborated with Tyrone, Antonio, Donald and also enlists the talents of Dwight Andrews to bring fresh arrangements to those borrowed songs and his original compositions.
To call Sweet Lu a griot is an understatement. He is a wise sage imparting age old lessons by deftly infusing our cultural history and family values utilizing a tapestry of blues, gospel and jazz that are pure entertainment from beginning to end. The messages are all too familiar but like that loving elder we all grew up with, he delivers them in different ways for a new generation. There is more here that meets the ear and the eye, so take a listen and your perspective on life may be altered.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | march 5, 2017
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The Jazz Voyager
Located at 56 Gold Street, 94133 this Jazz Voyager is catching a flight to San Francisco, California and looking forward to stepping into Bix Restaurant this weekend to experience going back in time to the opulence of prohibition. Jazz was the soundtrack of the 1920s and it’s the soundtrack of Bix. Situated in the Barbary Coast enclave down an alley, Bix welcomes pianists and vocalists Sunday through Thursdays and jazz trios Friday and Saturday night. This supper club has a swanky 1930s ambiance, live jazz & a dining room serving American-French cuisine. Reservations recommended: opentable.com or 415-433-6300.
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Atlanta Jazz Festival… 1996
It’s an Olympic year in Atlanta and the eyes of the world are on the city as it prepares for the Summer Games that took place some 45 days after the jazz festival. Barbara Bowser has once again spearheaded the Bureau of Cultural Affairs and the Atlanta Jazz Festival took place in three locations this year, Woodruff Park, Justine’s Cafe and Grant Park.
With a small band of sponsors great things were accomplished and our thanks went out to Jazz Times, The Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Justine’s Cafe, Renaissance Atlanta Hotel, WCLK 91.9 FM and WRFG 89.3 FM for their unwavering support.
Over eight days from May 20th to May 27th we heard the talents of Kamal Abdul Allir, The Rick Bell Quintet, Dave Ferguson, Hunab Ku Quartet, Tom Harrell, Kenny Garrett, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Eric Reed, Christian McBride, Vanessa Rubin, Cecil Bridgewater Big Band with Joe Jennings, Stephen Scott, Kuumba Frank Lacy Big Band, Jon Faddis with Jimmy Heath and Slide Hampton, Stanley Clarke and George Duke. #AJF40
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is heading off to the West Coast to hang out with the jazz heads at The Baked Potato at 3787 Cahuenga Boulevard, Studio City, California 91604. For more information 818-980-1615 or to get a preview of the menu visit thebakedpotato.com. Of course, they offers an array of baked potatoes as indicated in its name.
This storied, pint-sized jazz club is a prominent fixture on the boulevard and has been around since 1970 when it was opened by Don Randi. The house band is Don Randi and Quest, and over the years it has hosted many live recordings from jazz fusion artists. So it’s off into the wild blue yonder headed to the rustic digs of a West Coast jazz club to see who I’ll hear.
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Atlanta Jazz Festival… 1995
It’s 1995 and Mayor Campbell’s second year of his first term and Phil Clore, co-founder of SOJA, the Southeastern Organization for Jazz Arts continues its legacy of bringing jazz to elementary schools. Larry Ridley, an early leader of the Festival’s workshops, has established the African-American Jazz Caucus as a part of the International Association of Jazz Educators.
The festival commences on May 20th and runs through May 27th and is sponsored by The Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Coors Brewing Company, Stereo and Video Systems, The Mall at Peachtree Center, WCLK 91.9FM, The Atlanta Marriott Marquis, England Piano & Organ/Young Chang, Catfish Station and Yin Yang Cafe.
The performance lineup is impressive taking the main stages at Woodruff and Grant Parks with the Teddy Adams Quintet, Wes Anderson Quartet featuring Audrey Shakir, Atlanta Youth Ensemble, Azanyah, Glen BarBour, Bazooka Ants, Rick Bell Quintet, Cindy Blackman Quartet, Bluiett’s Barbecue Band, Decoy, Georgia All Star Grammy Jazz Band, GSU Faculty Jazz Band, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Jocelyn Harris & Trio, Vincent Herring, Stanley Jordan, Oliver Lake Quintet, Russell Malone Quartet featuring Javon Jackson & Winard Harper, Chuck Mangione, Milkshake Quartet, Ramon Morris Quartet, Naked Jazz Orchestra, Johnny O’Neal Trio, Jerome Runte, Jimmy Smith, Yohembi, Russell Blake, Richard Brown, Kofi Burbridge, Eddie Davis, Sven Djorsing, William Greene, Louis Heriveaux, Ted Howe, Obie Jessie, Elgin Manson, Tarus Mateen, Ramone Morris, Howard Nicholson, John Ormond, Ramon Pooser, Lil JOhn Roberts, Sherry Scott, Eric Vaughn and Thad Wilson.
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