TALES FROM
THE TIKI LOUNGE
Duke Robillard
& Sunny Crownover
hear the samples at dukerobillard.com
DUKE
ROBILLARD AND SUNNY CROWNOVER PAY TRIBUTE TO LES PAUL WITH TALES FROM THE TIKI LOUNGE..
Duke
Robillard and Sunny Crownover's Tales
from the Tiki Lounge is a tribute to the late guitarist and recording
genius Les Paul. It's also a delightful express trip to an era when music was
blithe, elegant, playful and full of romance.
Its 16 tracks shimmer through a
repertoire plucked from the catalog of Paul and his wife, muse and musical foil
Mary Ford as well as rarified, eclectic songs that fall into the "exotica
category, including the Brazilian choro
"Tico Tico" and Mae West's simmering, sensual "Occidental Woman."
While the album - now available at dukerobillard.com - is purposefully retro, its warmth and joy are truly timeless. "I want to
transport people to an age when music had beautiful melodies and a genuine
feel-good quality, Robillard explains. "The optimistic songs of the Depression
and the '50s are full of love and passion. And many of these numbers have lyrics
that are clever and playful, as Les' playing often was, too. You can hear that
on 'Bye Bye Blues,' where in tribute to Les I play the melody and slide all
over the place on the low E string. It's jazz, but more irreverent that
anything a conventional jazz guitarist would ever do.
Robillard is a brilliant musician in his
own right. His discography includes almost 30 solo albums that explore nearly
every aspect of American music - blues, jazz, rock, swing - as well as his
influential recordings with the legendary Roomful of Blues, which he founded,
and discs with the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Ruth Brown. He is also a masterful
producer who has made albums for Brown, Jay McShann, Snooky Prior, Joe Louis
Walker and other blues luminaries.
So it's not surprising that Robillard
was able to reproduce the warm, reverb drenched sweetness of Paul's guitar
approach and conjure the depth, sheen
and ambiance of his classic recordings with Ford, which are multi-layered
marvels of '50s studio technique.
"Even the songs that Les never recorded
are produced in his style, Robillard says. "I used different reverbs and
delays to get the right vibe and close-miked Sunny's vocals so they're warm and
big.
Crownover is as inspiring for
Robillard's vision as Ford was for Paul's. Her flexible, clear-toned
performances bring every melody to gorgeous, nearly three-dimensional life,
from the romantic daydreams of "Smoke Rings to the smoldering fantasia of
"Besame Mucho, another entry from the Paul/Ford catalog.
Tales
from the Tiki Lounge is Robillard's third 2009 collaboration with
Crownover, following Sunny and Her Joy
Boys with Duke Robillard and Robillard's Stomp! The Blues Tonight. They began working together after meeting
at a Harvard University symposium where both were featured performers.
"Sunny sings and phrases beautifully and
naturally, Robillard attests. "I'd been looking for somebody like her to
collaborate with for 35 years. She has the same purity as some of my favorite
female singers, like Mary Ford and (Duke Ellington band vocalist) Ivie
Anderson. Plus, she really enjoys experimenting.
Crownover, who relocated to Robillard's New England
turf after years in the Austin, Texas, blues scene, finds the upbeat guitar and
studio virtuoso equally inspiring. "Duke has so much energy and such high
standards that he constantly motivates me to get inside our music and be my
best, she says. "He's filled my head with all kinds of songs from his amazing
record collection and is constantly coming up with creative ideas.
Of course, no tribute to Paul would be complete
without the guitars that bear his name. So Robillard's two Les Paul Gold Tops,
a '56 reissue with P-90 pickups and a '57 reissue with humbuckers, played a
vital role in the sessions.
"I wanted to reclaim the sound Les
intended these beautiful guitars to make, he says. "A lot of rock players use
overdrive and distortion to get sustain using Les Pauls, but Les designed them
to have those qualities innately. Their weight and resonance give them a rich
horn-like tone and nearly infinite sustain when they're plugged straight into
the soundboard.
"But the real beauty of the music of
Les' era is that it didn't have an agenda, he continues. "Music driven by
politics and green initiatives is important, but so is pure entertainment. When
people listen to Tiki Lounge, I'd
like them to escape the complications of modern life and, at least for the
length of an album, go to a happier place. |
