Diversity. It's a mantra preached for our schools, our workplace and our government. Here at "Quickies," though, it's regularly put into action. That's especially true for this installment. We've got the gamut covered from progressive Northeastern American jazz to vintage Northeastern Brazilian jazz. From organic funk to Southern fried blues-rock. Yessir, it's a lineup that looks like America (and a little bit of Brazil).

Recent releases dominate as usual, but there's also a left-field choice from 1995 that deserves to be proselytized. With a lot of exciting fresh CDs out there I'd stuff twenty more records in this column if could. Alas, some of those are going to have to wait for a later episode of "Quickies" and then there's others best left to the more capable pens of others.

For now, though, let's join hands, sing "We Are The World" and partake in these deliciously varied morsels of ear food:


North Mississippi Allstars Hernando (Songs of the South)
On the same day that the Drive-By Truckers unfurled Brighter Than Creation's Dark, that other major Southern rock band of the current scene released theirs to somewhat less fanfare. Hernando marks the North Mississippi Allstars first offering in three years and the first since mentor RJ Burnside has passed away in 2005.

The NMA's station in life has been to provide a heavily amped version of Junior Kimbrough, and you have to wonder if success will cause them to stray from their straightforward but heavy-hitting mission. The name Hernando, their hometown situated about ten miles due south of Memphis, suggests that they won't. The opening "Shake" seems to confirm that they are staying on course, too.

However, things quickly get a little more varied; the following two tracks ("Keep The Devil Down" and "Soldier") employ more of an early Black Sabbath-vibe while conjuring up themes of heaven and hell. Champion Jack Dupree's "I'd Love to Be A Hippy" gets a delightful straight-blues reworking and feature a rare lead vocal by bassist Chris Chew. There's other change-ups: "Mizzup" is a lively jitterbugger while "Blow Up" is straight-up rockabilly. James Mathus lends his vocals for "Come Go With Me" before the album closes out with three tracks that return to the boys' traditional heavy blues-rock strengths.

Through it all, it still sounds like the old NMA, but it's a band stretching out but just a bit. It ain't nothing they can't handle. As a steadier effort than Drive-By Truckers latest, the highs aren't as high as Brighter but the lows aren't as low, either. Hernando is more validation that Southern Rock remains alive and well.

Ryan Blotnick Music Needs You (Songlines)
That 24-year-old jazz guitarist from Maine named Ryan Blotnick is rapidly emerging as a force to be reckoned with. He first got mention on this space a couple of months ago as a member of a really good global party band called Akoya Afrobeat. Right about the same time that P.D.P came out, Blotnick released his own album, his first, and it's equally impressive…but for entirely different reasons.

Of Music Needs You, it's been said that it "contains not only beautiful compositions, but really some deep and honest improvising. I enjoy it very much, and recommend it highly." That's no music critic who wrote such heady praise, that was long-time jazz guitar giant John Abercrombie.

In checking this out for myself, I'd have to say that John's got a point. Blotnick's composing pen puts a welcome emphasis on complex melodic lines that reveal a deep understanding of jazz history far beyond someone that young should be able to comprehend so well. The waltzing "Winter Melt" is a sophistcated use of chromatic scales while "Thinning Air" seems to effortlessly float untethered to any time signature. "Music Needs You" states a beautiful melody that incorporates some classical influences before improvising off of it in advanced bop style. And those are just the first three songs.

Blotnick's approach to his guitar is highly mature as well. He chooses his notes carefully without sounding forced. His warm tone is in the neighborhood of Jim Hall's and Pat Metheny's. As a complement to his songwriting tendencies, Blotnick is always listening closely for the melody when he plays. His backing band of sax, piano, bass, and drums is sympathetic to the reserved, airy sound that's part of Blotnick's vision for his music.

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