Diogo Brown

JULY2009

The Nouveaux Honkies

Scott Holt Davis & Dow

Eldar Djangirov

Ernie Southern

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WINNING SPINSELLA FITZGERALD AND JOE PASSmay be gone, but they set the bar highregarding vocal-and-guitar duos throughtheir collaborations in the 1970s and 1980s.Successors, like the husband-and-wife duoTuck & Patti, have aspired to those heightsinternationally since then, and Davie-basedduo Davis and Dow have formed the SouthFlorida version since the mid-1990s.

The married tandem of vocalist Julie Davisand guitarist Kelly Dow is becoming increas-ingly less local, though, as demand for theirperformances increases throughout theNortheastern and Southern United States.On June 21, the two performed in front of7,000 people for “Music Under the Stars” atthe Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso,Texas, and also conducted a jazz workshopfor underserved children in the community.

The reason for the couple’s increased noto-riety is its latest self-produced CD, Loverly,which leads off with the Lerner and Loeweshowtune from which it cribs its name. Mostof the disc features a full band playing stan-dards alongside the pair, but the lone original,“Dancing in the Sand,” is an early highlight.Also featuring bassist Don Coffman anddrummer Tony Morello, the song’s bossanova feel is a showcase for Dow’s timing andtechnique, touch and tone.

Two standout live tracks employ the rhythmsection of bassist Paul Shewchuck, drummerLenny Steinberg and rhythm guitarist PatHackett. The Beatles’ “Honey Pie” allowsGypsy-jazz lover Dow, freed up by havingchords played behind him, to display a DjangoReinhardt influence as he coaxes tongue-in-cheek witticisms out of Davis. On the JuanTizol-penned Duke Ellington hit “Caravan,”the guitarist plays a jaw-dropping intro tothe band’s Gypsy-meets-bossa ministrationsand Davis’ Ella-approved scat-singing.

Davis also channels the attitude of BillieHoliday on a Gypsy/bolero arrangement of“You’re My Thrill,” with its stunning solo byviolinist Federico Britos. Saxophonist DaveHubbard guests on “Azure,” which sports a sim-ilar feel, but Morello’s mallet work on the drumshelps approximate the version Fitzgeraldperformed with Ellington’s orchestra.

Britos also leads off the closing take on PatBallard’s “Mr. Sandman” with the melody to“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Then, theviolinist, Davis, Dow, Hackett and Coffman

swing the sans-drums piece into the rare airof Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s HotClub of France band. The versatile, Grammy-winning Britos also shades an otherwise-duoperformance of another Fitzgerald gem, theIrving Berlin ballad “Reaching for the Moon.”

The CD features only two actual duotracks, but neither sounds empty in compar-ison to their full-band counterparts. Onanother Berlin standard, “Stairway to theStars,” Davis displays expert phrasingaccompanied solely by the seven-stringedartistry of Dow, whose Eastman instrumentsounds like a second voice. The other duopiece, “Dedicated to You,” pays tribute to thedefinitive version Johnny Hartman recordedwith John Coltrane. Davis’ pleading vocal andDow’s inspired chords form the couple’s odeto one another, though they avoid soundingcontrived in the process.

With a full band behind them, Davis andDow are practically orchestral. Even in theirfrequent duo performances, the couple is alwaysmore than the sum of its parts. Dow displays

By Bill Meredith

DAVIS & DOW

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great dexterity and impeccable intonation,blending melodies with rhythmic bass lines.And the ever-sassy Davis, whether she’storching a ballad or scatting a rapid-fire phrase,demands audience attention because of whatmight be missed otherwise. That wit and magicis undeniably evident throughout Loverly.

As jazz critic Will Friedwald writes in theliner notes, “Davis and Dow knew what NatKing Cole, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrongknew — that a sense of humor is closelyrelated to a sense of rhythm.”

Davis and Dow will perform from9PM to 1AM on July 3 and 24 at Blue JeanBlues in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-306-6330 or visit Bluejeanblues.net. Theywill also perform from 11:30AM to 3PMon July 12 and 26 for Sunday brunch atthe Setai Hotel in Miami Beach. Call305-520-6000 or visit Setai.com.

WINNING SPINS

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SCOTT HOLTEARL’S HIDEAWAY (SEBASTIAN)/JULY 26Scott Holt vividly remembers the first time he metthe blues. His dad had taken him to see Buddy Guyat a club in Tampa in the 1980s, and the kid wassmitten. The eager protégé and the veteran blues-man struck up a friendship, as Holt followed Guy andhis harmonica-playing partner Junior Wells aroundthe area. After woodshedding with his growingrecord collection and what he’d picked up from Guy,Holt got good enough to jam on-stage with his hero,who invited him to play at the opening of his Chicagoblues club, Legends, in 1989. Holt then became amember of Guy’s band, touring the world with the bluesgiant for 10 years. Out on his own for the past decade,

Holt continues toimpress with hissawtoothed soloingand powerful vocals.But he’s never for-gotten his roots. Onhis 2007 recording,From Lettsworth toLegend: A Tribute toBuddy Guy, Holtputs his considerablechops to his mentor’sremarkable songbook,spanning the Chessyears to the DamnRight, I’ve Got theBlues era. BW

S P O T L I G H TELDAR CORAL GABLES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHJULY 30 It’s too early to predict how successful Russia-bornpianist and composer Eldar Djangirov might eventu-ally become, but not to note the 22-year-old’s earlysuccesses. The latest is his new CD, Virtue (Sony),available next month. Accompanied by bassistArmando Gola, drummer Ludwig Alfonso, guesttrumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonists JoshuaRedman and Felipe Lamoglia, Eldar (who goes by hisfirst name on recordings and stage) navigates manydifferent feels and time signatures—on acousticpiano and electronic keyboards—in ways not unlike a young Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea. Eldar’s

previous release,Re-Imaginat ion ,was a 2008 Grammynominee. The pianistappeared on MarianMcPartland’s PianoJazz radio show atage 12, and signedwith Sony andreleased four CDsbefore he couldlegally order adrink. BM

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Log on to www.bostonsonthebeach.comfor our complete lineup, menus, photos and more!Located on the waterfront in Delray Beach, Boston’s is the ideal place

for casual dining, live music and sports viewing in our first-floor restaurant, The Beach. Or enjoy great cuisine and cocktails

upstairs at our fine dining restaurant, The UpperDeck. And be sure to check out our Back Bay Tiki Bar for a tropical cocktail

while listening to some of the area’s finest musicians on our outdoor stage. Boston’s… something for everyone!

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DIOGO BROWN JAZZ AT MOCA, N MIAMI BEACH/JULY 31 Not many bass players are bandleaders in SouthFlorida. But by relocating to Pompano Beach fromBrazil, and ascending as both a leader and sessionartist, bassist Diogo Brown is thusfar following in therare giant steps of Pennsylvania-born bass titan JacoPastorius. Only 27, the native of Niteroi, Rio deJaneiro is a noted composer, recording artist and pro-ducer. On his self-released 2007 debut Daqui ProMundo, Brown added elements of funk, New Orleansand Cuban music to his samba and bossa nova base,resulting in a fresh form of world jazz. Brown playsboth acoustic and electric basses, as well as guitar andpercussion, and displays a keen sense of both American

and Brazilian jazzhistory on composi-tions like “If CharlieParker Had MetPixinguinha.” BM

S P O T L I G H TERNIE SOUTHERNEARL'S HIDEAWAY/JULY 25 & 28With songs like “I Wanna Kill Somebody” on his latestCD, Every Day is a Fight, one could be concerned forsinger/songwriter Ernie Southern. In truth, the veteranbluesman delivers each tune far less seriously thanthe titles indicate—from concluding chorus of “beforesomebody kills me” to the title track, which resemblesThe Eagles’ rootsy, tongue-in-cheek mid-1970s On theBorder era. Southern has sung in a capella groups inNew York during the ’60s; played bass in psychedelicCalifornia bands in the ’70s, and spent much of thepast 30 years refining his estimable National steelguitar chops in South Florida. He’s been to theInternational Blues Challenge in Memphis during the

decade as both a soloand band performer.BM

THE NOUVEAUX HONKIESby Bill Meredith

IT’S APPROPRIATE THAT ROOTS-MUSICroad warriors The Nouveaux Honkies wouldhave time to talk while doing something theydo most — driving.

“We’re making that long drive out ofFlorida, but there’s pretty good receptionhere near Melbourne,” says vocalist, guitaristand songwriter Tim O’Donnell, calling whiledriving the band 14 hours north to play theninth annual Greenwood Blues Cruise inGreenwood, South Carolina on July 9-11.“Greenwood holds a barbecue festival everyyear with some very good bands.”

Based in Port Salerno, O’Donnell, violin-ist/vocalist Rebecca Dawkins, bassist MikeBurney and drummer Phil Ori play through-out Florida when they aren’t touring aroundthe rest of the Southeastern US. The quartetblends blues, country, swing and bluegrassinto its own unique Americana synthesis.

In February, the four scheduled a briefafternoon recording session at the legendarySun Studios in Memphis before an evening gigalong the city’s famed downtown Beale Streetmusic corridor. The new resulting five-songEP, Live at Sun (Bluzpik Rekerdz), bristles withthe immediacy and energy of a band performingin the moment at a studio where many of itsheroes (Elvis Presley, Howlin’ Wolf, JohnnyCash) recorded close to a half-century ago.

“I didn’t want to lay down separate tracks,”O’Donnell says, “I wanted to do it old-school.We were nervous, but looking at the historicpictures there relaxed us. The engineer putup a few ambient mics; we plugged in, and Isang through an old Shure SM57.”

The recording room at Sun is small, butthe Honkies achieve a big sound from thedownbeat of the introductary “MysteryTrain.” Junior Parker first recorded the tuneat Sun in 1953; Presley covered it there in 1956.The Honkies’ update features a confidentearly solo by Dawkins (who does some of herbest playing on the disc) and Ori’s perfectly-percolating rimshots.

O’Donnell’s originals, “Memphis Bound” andthe instrumental “Sun Boogie,” showcase hisexpert hollow-bodied guitar wizardry, the latteralso featuring solos by the rhythm section.Burney makes his electric bass approximate anacoustic upright on the slow blues of Otis Rush’s“I Can’t Quit You Baby” and the uptempo boo-gie of “Give Me My Money” (which blends thefeel of Muddy Waters’ “Can’t Be Satisfied”with the attitude of The Beatles’ “Taxman”).

“We’re really happy with what we got outof that session,” Dawkins says. “Especially

considering that we had about an hour ofrecording time.”

The group has come a long way sinceDawkins relocated from Myrtle Beach, SC,met O’Donnell at a blues jam, and formed aduo with him in late 2005. By 2007, the four-piece version released a self-titled debut of blues covers that prompted consecutivenominations from the Blues Alliance of theTreasure Coast to play at the annualInternational Blues Challenge in Memphis.

The initial Memphis trip was the Honkies’first outside of Florida, and resulted in syn-chronicity. While at an area restaurant, theyoverheard two gentlemen discussing themusic business in the next booth, so Dawkinshanded them a CD. The two turned out to beMemphis talent agent Dennis Brooks andSouth Florida-based Bluzpik producer JimNestor. The band was quickly signed to thelabel, which has released 2008’s all-originalWhere Do I Go and Live at Sun.

“We would’ve been happy getting one goodtune at Sun,” O’Donnell says. “But we gotsix, and kept one for our next CD.”

With first-time stops in New Hampshire,Rhode Island and New York City in Augustand September, the Honkies’ future is lookingup, literally and figuratively.

The Nouveaux Honkies play at variousFlorida locations through the end of themonth, including July 24 at BroadwalkFriday Fest in Hollywood.