Search - Radam Schwartz :: Blues Citizens

Blues Citizens - A Must-Own CD For Lover's Of Organ Jazz

Mark | East Coast | 04/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

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Blues Citizens is one of those albums that is hard to classify and may take some time to be fully appreciated. I must confess that I took quite a while digesting this album over the past three or four weeks. I have many of Radam Schwartz's albums, though not all of them. But out of all the ones I do own, this is by far my favorite. As a fan, I can honestly say that I never cease to be surprised by Radam.



The album kicks off with a very energetic organ tune, "Dem Philadelphia Organ Blues." This was the first track off the album that I heard played on Jazz radio. The first few bars seem to sound like a throw-back tune, but the song progresses and rounds out very well. The Herbie Hancock tune, "Driftin'," follows up with a very up-tempo arrangement. I really like the organ sectiongs on this tune.



For whatever reason, I find that on the most recent albums I have heard Radam's organ playing goes best when accompanied by saxophonists. The 3rd track, "Grieve But Be Brief," is just a gorgeous ballad where the organ and saxophone parts seem to be perfectly balanced. The standard "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance" is arranged along the same beautiful framework, though there are some wispy moments to it. These tracks reminded me of "Love Conversations" from his most recent release, Magic Tales, with his full band, Conspiracy For Positivity. That one also features some lovely interplay between Radam and a young alto saxophonist, Anthony Ware.



The title track, "Blues Citizens," has some nice ensemble brass with interesting changes. Radam mixes in some standards as well, including Erroll Garner's classic "Misty."



The album's biggest surprise has to be the track "Pay Up" where Radam plays his organ to the spoken word poetry of a Rap artist! There are some great ensemble interludes between the spoken portions, and the guitar soloing and riffing really sound great on this track.



My first thought when I heard this track was that Radam might have gone too far. Yet this is totally in keeping with what I know about his approach. Pretty much every album, he pushes the envelope in some way. Even when he uses standards, he does so in a way that is somehow unique, risky or both. He is definitely not one for playing it safe. Not all Jazz fans are going to like this immediately. While Jazz was once the cutting edge of music experimentation, it has become segmented into different camps of purists. Radam breaks through those barriers, using concepts from Blues, R&B, and every brand of Jazz imaginable. The irony is that this track, while far-out for most Jazz purists, probably has the biggest potential to cross-over and be used in a film or sampled on another album.



There's a tune by Cecil Brooks III included here, "Hangin' With Smooth," and a wonderful guitar and organ duel where Eric Johnson plays the melody, "Steal Away." Once again, I like those smooth sultry tunes, but the album finishes strong with the romp, "Eighth Wonder." There's some staggered organ play on this last track that made my head spin a little. It kind of brings the album full circle from the opener to a kicking finish.



There is clearly a strong Blues influence on this album. But not in the way that most Blues fans might expect. Radam has a way of expanding on the simplest of chord structures and layering complex and beautiful ideas. Within his accompaniment we hear subtle shifts in his organ that really show why there are certain things that can be expressed with an organ that simply cannot be duplicated on another instrument.



One of the things that also comes across on this album is the beautiful clarity of recording. Be warned though: the vibration of the Hammond B3 Organ is very unforgiving on sub-par speakers! I don't know much about the engineer who is credited here, but I definitely plan to do some more research into other albums he has recorded.



CONCLUSION



Now the question you must ask yourself is, what kind of Jazz fan are you? Are you the kind of Jazz fan that likes to hear the same style of Jazz reinterpreted and re-recorded, or do you like new compositions that put you to the test? In other words, do you like to be surprised? If you do, buy this album, think about it for a while, and then decide what you think.



This is a great CD and I recommend it.



Enjoy.

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