Mike Carr's Blue Note Band Re-visited.

Mention of Mike Carr and the Emcee Five at the Jazz Café on Sunday brought this CD by Mike Carr's Blue Note Band. to mind. I reviewed it a few years back and, upon re-listening, I find it just as captivating as I did then. It's as good as most things, with a few exceptions, that American Blue Note threw at us and, with Carr's groove based Hammond digging in deep, the Brothers Fishwick - true to the idiom - and tenor player Steve Kaldestad rattling through the changes, this is the kind of disc Keith would love to play in "The Caff" to keep the guys up to scratch.

Somehow, the Jazz Café, in its own way, seemed to bring the ambience we associated with The Down Beat, The Agogo, The New Orleans Club, Melbourne Street etc. back to life. Of course Keith was involved with them all so I suppose it isn't surprising. My two favourite organists are from the North-east. Mike Carr, the champ and Gerry Richardson the number one contender - oh yes and there's Mrs. Higgs who plays in the Comrades Club on Saturday, the one-armed fellow who plays in the Ex-Serviceman's and the vicar's wife who does things to the organ on Sunday mornings.

Original review.

Lance.

I hope these notes weren't too blue!