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Boogie Piano Chicago Style - Erwin Helfer


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Boogie Piano Chicago Style (1975) - Erwin Helfer


    Featuring »

Erwin Helfer

    Tracklisting »

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Side One:
Hallucinating
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 2:57
Rubbish Boogie
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 3:35
Rodez Stomp
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 3:14
Inside
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 2:59
Sneaky Pete
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 1:59
Homage To AA And PJ
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 2:54

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Side Two:
Dirty Dozens
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 2:13
  Comments: Trad. Arr. Erwin Helfer.
Thin & Thirty
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 2:47
Big Joe
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 3:49
Fat City
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 1:42
4 O'Clock Blues
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 3:00
Oysters
  Date Performance: 1972-05-00, Running Time: 2:31
    Guest Appearances »

Bob Brunning, Bob Brunning, Bob (Robert) Hall, Bob (Robert) Hall, John Hunt, John Hunt, Pete Miles

    Released »

1975

    Format »

Import Vinyl/CD Album

    Other Appearances »
John Smyth (Engineer), Bob (Robert) Hall (Songwriter), Erwin Helfer (Songwriter), Speckled Red (Rufus G. Perryman) (Songwriter), Jimmy Yancey (Songwriter), Estelle (Mama) Yancey (Songwriter), Roger Hart (Sleeve Design), John Evans (Photography), Philip Warr (Art Direction), Bob (Robert) Hall (Produced By), Jim Simpson (Produced By), Bob (Robert) Hall (Sleeve Notes By), Roger Hart (Sleeve Illustration)

    Record Label »
Big Bear

    Catalogue Number »

INT 146.401

    Running Time »

33:40

    Liner Notes »

Recorded at Chalk Farm Studios, London.

In the bars and the cafes, the clip-joints and the brothels of Chicago's South Side, piano blues and boogie woogie flourished from its inception (probably soon after the First World War) until the early 1950s. By this time, although the juke-box was already ousting the pianist from many of his favourite haunts and the amplified guitar was taking the place of the piano in the blues bands of the day, many small places still employed pianists who played in the old style. In anyone of these you might have seen a young boy barely out of his teens who would sit by the piano watching intently, listening for hour after hour absorbing the atmosphere of the blues. That boy was Erwin Helfer, now twenty years later one of the finest blues and boogie woogie pianists you could hope to hear. Erwin still lives and works on Chicago's South Side, but his musical horizons have widened considerably since those early days. He went to college and obtained a degree in music and spent three years in New Orleans playing with many of the most famous New Orleans jazz musicians.

At present Erwin teaches music to college students in Chicago, gives performances in venues around the USA and makes occasional visits to Europe for concert tours. Although his interest spans many different types of music his own piano playing is still deeply rooted in the blues and dominated by the music of his friends, the pianists of South Side Chicago. Listen for example to Erwin's superb interpretation of Jimmy Yancey's 'Four O'Clock Blues' and the classic 'Dirty Dozens' played by Speckled Red among others. Erwin is particularly at home with a really low-down slow blues, and this is no more evident than on 'Big Joe' - a number dedicated to his long-time friend and confidant, guitar player Big Joe Williams.

The performances on this album were recorded on Erwin's first visit to England in the spring of 1972 and feature some of his most characteristic compositions. Among these 'Rodez Stomp' is named after a small town in France where he stayed for a while, 'Sneaky Pete' allegedly refers to a friend of his in Chicago although it is also a nickname for a southern brand of liquor, and 'Fat City' is of course Chicago. During the recording session Erwin conceived the idea of performing one or two boogie woogie duets, and so I joined him at the piano for 'Rubbish Boogie', 'Thin & Thirty' and 'Homage to AA and PJ'. The AA and PJ in question are of course the magnificent boogie woogie pianists Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson, who made a number of superb duets together around 1941. To complete the line-up we were very pleased to have the services of veteran bass player Bob Brunning and drummers Pete Miles and John Hunt. Our thanks also to producer Jim Simpson for arranging the sessions and providing this opportunity to hear the unique piano style of Erwin Helfer.

This record is stereo. It can be played with excellent results on most mono players provided they are fitted with a compatible or stereo cartridge wired for mono sound. If in doubt consult your dealer.

All rights of the manufacturer and of the owner of the recorded work reserved. Unauthorized public performance, broadcasting and copying of this record prohibited. Product of Intercord Ton GMBH, Stuttgart.

(C) (P) 1975 Big Bear Records

Printed in West Germany.

LC 3452

GEMA

    Reviews »
Add your review here.

2/5.02/5.02/5.02/5.02/5.0
Bland musically overall style
Review written by John Fitzgerald, November 26th, 2004

An instrumental album of piano led numbers can sound appealing as a whole but it really does work best when you listen to separate songs at a time rather than the whole album in one sitting. This is especially true for side two which has Erwin virtually alone for the whole side save for the "other" musicians on the stumbling closer "Oysters" (which features Bob Brunning on bass) the accompaniment is much needed and is still rather spare on side one but does appear in full (that is, including Brunning) on "Rubbish Boogie" which sounds like one of the faster numbers on the Memphis Slim "Live at Ronnie Scott's" video companion to Slim's "Steppin' out" release that Brunning was involved with. For the most part, the rest of the numbers change between fast ("Fat city") and slow ("Big Joe", "4 O'clock blues") piano key tumblers. I suppose you get what you pay for.

    Last Modified »
2010-08-11
    Tracklisting »
Discography entry submitted by Jeff Kenney & Marty Adelson.