Great News
Ann Rabson | Hartwood, VA USA | 01/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For ages I've complained bitterly to anyone who would listen about the lack of available recordings by the wonderful Chicago piano legend, Erwin Helfer. Now I want to let you know about the release of a wonderful new recording by him. This CD is called "I'm Not Hungry But I Like to Eat Blues" which is the title of one of Erwin's five wonderful originals. Whenever I hear Erwin play his delightful composition "Pooch Piddle", I think,for some reason, how nifty it would sound played by a Mariachi band. Another original Stella, which is a tribute to Estella "Ma" Yancy, is a lovely duet with Saxophonist John Brumbach, whose soulful tender playing graces four tracks. Other than that the CD is ALL Mr. Helfer's delightful piano.In addition to the originals, Erwin covers a variety of tunes. He starts with his take on the rollicking Pete Johnson classic Swanee River Boogie. He makes Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love" sound far more traditional then I could have imagined. Another high point for me is Erwin's take on "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans". I never thought much about that tune 'till I heard the Helfer version. It's so wistful. It feels like missing something lovely, lost and far away. I could go one and on. There are no duds here. There are fifteen numbers in all and each one is a gem. The recording quality is really excellent. The piano sound is very real. I know nothing about recording sound but I hear the clarity, warmth and depth and I love the way the empty spots "sound" like in the tunes Dirty Dozens and See See Rider which have lots of sonic space. I may not be expressing this real well but listen and you'll see what I mean.I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys blues and/or traditional jazz piano, or anyone who doesn't know they do."
Great CD!
Nell Conway | Chicago, IL USA | 02/23/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of Chicago's finest! A great CD! A gem. You will not stop playing it. I play it every day in both my car and home. If you want to know what is happening in the music world, this is it!!"
Excellent Pianist!
deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 03/28/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Erwin Helfer is a 66 year old pianist from Chicago with a sizeable following. On this all instrumental disc, Helfer plays a somewhat mellow and restrained Boogie Woogie style blues. Hefler mainly plays solo on the disc although he is accompanied by able saxophonist John Brumbach on the tunes "Sweet Substitute", "The Sheik of Araby", "Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out" and "Stella". There is nothing new on the CD although, Helfer's performance is pretty good and his mastery of the ivory cannot be denied. This CD is mainly good for those quite times, when relaxing or having a late night meal with that special someone. Jazz has it's "smooth" jazz, so why not a little "smooth" blues."