Search - Henry Butler :: Pianola Live

Mr Butler's extraordinary piano blues

R. Weinstock | Falls Church, VA USA | 05/31/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The are few musicians that I would call astonishing. New Orleans pianist Henry Butler qualifies to my ears. I remember the first recording of his that I listened to, the marvelous "For All Seasons" on Atlantic. Mostly backed by a trio that included David Holland on bass and Herman Jackson on drums (Steve Turre plays trombone on one track), the album generally is a strong hard bop piano set, but the highpoint is his solo rendition of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," on which his musical explorations bring a truly fresh take on this classic song. After this disc, his recordings have become less jazz-oriented and more blues-r'n'b focused.



His newest recording is "PianoNOLA" on Basin Street Records. Co-produced by George Winston, who produced Butler's "Orleans Inspiration", this disc is a collection of live solo performances that include several instrumentals as well his renditions of several blues and R&B classics. The strength of this recording is his piano playing especially on the marvelous renditions of `Basin Street Blues,', his own tour de force `Orleans Inspiration,' and the late Alvin Batiste's "North American Idiosyncrasies.' As a vocalist, Butler sometimes come off as a bit melodramatic to these ears (explaining the four stars as opposed to four and half or five), but even on such a well-known number as Professor Longhair's `Tipitina,' he radically reworks it in his stunning original solo and the piano and a wordless vocal part lifts up his rendition of the Ernie K-Doe classic, `Mother-in-Law.' While the overwrought vocal on `Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,' is perhaps the low point, the rollicking `Let It Roll,' (originally on the marvelous "VU-DU-Menz" album with Corey Harris) picks things up. If this reviewer finds this uneven, there is no question that there are many inspired moments throughout this disc. Maybe his wonderful "Orleans Inspiration," will be made readily available again."

Four Stars - Warts & All

bluejim | San Leandro, California United States | 06/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not trying to p!ss anyone off or mean disrespect when I write this but this album sounds like a blind man from New Orleans, whose mind overflows with musicality, playing the piano. Hey, what it is. As another reviewer wrote, it had me grinning."

This blows me away.

J. Gibson | Atlanta, GA | 07/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a commercial pianist, and this guy blows me away....incredible command of the instrument, great power and energy. It's that blend of blues and New Orleans piano, along with great pianistic (and very musical) skills that's so appealing. My single-criteria is whether I want to listen to a new CD more than once when I get it, and this one hasn't been out of my office CD player for 2 weeks."