Year: 2015
Time: 65:30
Size: 154,5 MB
Label: Self Released
Styles: MEB
Art: Full
Tracks Listing:
1. The Warm Up - 7:05
2. Love At First Sight - 5:58
3. Morning Train - 5:25
4. Announcement - 0:23
5. Humbuggin Me - 3:54
6. After All - 4:55
7. Pouring Water On A Drowning Man - 5:33
8. No Use Crying - 4:49
9. Lonely Man - 3:31
10. Love Attack - 6:50
11. I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down - 5:46
12. Dead Love - 4:02
13. What Have I Done Wrong - 7:11
For thirty five years Darrell Nulisch has been one of the premier blues vocalists on the scene. His first national exposure came by way of his work with North Texas native Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets. Their 1981 album on Black Top Records entitled, Talk to You By Hand was the band’s debut album and the first for that New Orleans based label. That recording was followed up by She Knocks Me Out, further cementing in the minds of blues fans Nulisch’s terrific vocal chops.
Since then Nulisch has sung on albums by Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, Hubert Sumlin, Hash Brown’s Texas Blues Revue, Otis Grand and others. Last year alone he appeared on two great recordings; one by German guitarist Kai Straus, the other by The Knickerbockers All-Stars.
Nulisch may be best known for his near twenty year association as the principal vocalist with the James Cotton Band. All the while, Nulisch released a steady stream of first rate solo albums. One Night In Boston is his eighth release and the first live album in his prolific career.
For this outing Nulisch rounded up a band of veteran players from the north east blues music Mecca, New England. They are drummer Mark Texiara from the Duke Robillard Band fame and bassist Marty Ballou who has played with...well everybody. Monster Mike Welch of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones renown handles the guitar duties. Welch continues to emerge, as this album demonstrates, as a versatile talent of the highest order.
The real revelation on this album is the Hammond B3 work of Dave Limina. Limina in recent years can be heard on Ronnie Earl’s albums. It is this jazz organ trio sound that sets the tone and mood for One Night In Boston right out of the shoot. The album’s opening track is an instrumental listed in the CD’s liner notes as simply Warm Up. It is, in fact, a Jimmy Smith number entitled Blues for J. from his early 60’s Verve years which featured guitarist Kenny Burrell. Here Limina and Welch, along with the rhythm section, play in the spirit of those jazz greats. The band flexes their own prodigious chops in that wonderful arena where jazz and blues take a ride on the same swing. By the time the band is done with this tune, which clocks in at just over seven minutes, they are not only warmed up, but played with enough fire to melt all the snow in Massachusetts.
The star of the show then takes to that scorching hot stage for a burning Texas shuffle, via the tune Love at First Site. Welch now turns from some impressive jazz chops to the rhythmic guitar territory that has had dancers doing the “push” in Dallas dance halls and nightclubs for generations.
From there Nulisch goes into Morning Train and visits that soul-blues territory that he has drifted towards over his past several outings. Where others often sound awkward in this blues sub genre, Nulisch, whose voice might put you in mind of Johnny Adams, seems right at home in this setting.
Next we are taken into the Excello swamp with Hum Buggin’ Me. Nulisch is a fine harp player and has the good taste not to play that instrument on every tune. In fact this is the only appearance of the harmonica on One Night In Boston.
The tune After All is a slow blues ballad with a wonderful jazzy feel via the great B3 playing by Limina and a brief, restrained solo by Welch.
The album continues to mine these rich veins of blues gold. This live album has a great sound and features simply stellar accompaniment to go along with the great vocal chops of Darrell Nulisch. This is a very solid, self released, twelve track outing by musicians at the top of their game.
One Night in Boston was recorded back in September of last year in what the rather minimalistic liner notes describes only as “…a small club on an even smaller bandstand.” I would go hear Nulisch and this band play anywhere, anytime, day or night, on any bandstand. I hope they get out this year on the festival circuit and bring this great music to folks outside of Bean Town. In the meantime, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage, kick back and enjoy Darrell Nulisch’s One Night in Boston in your own hometown.?
One Night In Boston
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