Jimmy Adler: "Swing It Around"

Jimmy Adler has been a Pittsburgh blues guitarist for a couple of decades now, and has become one of the city's best. His big notes can be tough or tender, scorching or swinging. He cuts across blues styles

On his new CD, "Swing It Around" (Bonedog Records), he does all of those, but the emphasis, like the title, is on the swing.

Some highlights for me:

I especially enjoyed the bluesy, "Down In Alabama," surrounded by Adler's fat, liquid  guitar notes and fill with Perry Salati's harp and Sudden Steve's tough piano.

"Liquor Got Loose," a down-home party song, especially with Eric Spaulding's raunchy honking sax jumping through the track.

"Little Less Blue" is a gentle ode to a long-gone lover, but still swings. Here, as elsewhere, Spaulding lends a sax that eloquently speaks the blues, his horn adding just the right swinging or sexy touches.

"Let's You and I Go Out Out Tonight" is a tougher blues, and Adler shows off his considerable slide skills on the traditionally flavored "Get Outa My Kitchen."

"She Won't Dance" has sweet and rollicking old-timey feel with its honky-tonk piano intro, and its tasty sax work.

"Smoke Signals," which opens with sweet guitar notes followed tough sax counterpoint. Very nice.

Adler says that some of this swinging music was inspired by his live shows at Bobby D's Swing City Dances. And BlueNotes is not ashamed to admit that It's easy to see the bodies moving to any of this

Adler has put together a fine album here that showcases his singing, songwriting and guitar skills through a variety of styles. He makes it sound so smooth and easy. Not to mention very good. Most songs are by Adler, with help from Pittsburgh's Mike Sweeney. The rest of the fine local musicians here are: Kenny Crisafio and Kenny Kellner, drums; Harry McCorkle and Mike Sweeney, bass; John Burgh, piano; Sudden Steve, Hammond organ and/or piano; Stephanie Adler, vocals on "Ooh-Wee-Baby." 

Adler will have a CD release party at Natili's in Butler tomorrow night. He says it's his "northern release party, with nothing yet scheduled for down here in the Southland. Look for it.

Jimmy Adler is one of the Burgh's best hard-working blues musicians. Give yourself a break and catch him sometime.

Pittsburgh Blues Festival photos

I had some trouble getting photos out of my camera at the blues festival over the weekend, and didn't illustrate every band like I wanted to. But I've created a photo gallery here with some of those pictures. The only casualty was the photos I took of Nothin' But Trouble, the Delaware band who will represent the Blues Society of Western Pa. at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis next year. My apologies, guys.