Did I ever tell you the one about meeting Ronnie Greer in San Francisco on the way to the Monterrey Jazz festival? Remind me to do so, it’s a good one... I digress from the job in hand.
Live albums are a difficult beast. The task to capture the essence of a live gig experience seems easy but many have tried and failed to bottle the unique experience. So, huge praise to the Ronnie Greer Band on this top-notch effort. Everything about it oozes class, expertise, and talent. What you have here is the premier league of blues playing which could hold its head up upon any stage anywhere in the world.
Building upon natural talent, Ronnie Greer has honed his skills over several decades in the pubs, clubs, theatres, and other assorted other venues across Ireland. Now possibly at the peak of his prowess – although some would argue the man is only getting into his stride – he presents a recording which sees him playing with his core band, Anthony Toner on guitar, Nicky Scott on bass, John McCullough on keys, Peter McKinney on drums, and scorching trumpet and saxophone from Linley Hamilton and Dave Howell. Add to the mix vocals from Ken Haddock, Grainne Duffy, Kyron Bourke, and Gerry McWhinney on bass.
Special mention must also go to the production by Alastair McMillan. One can understand why his credits include U2 and Van Morrison. The mix and clarity of sound is a joy to listen to. And it’s worth getting the hard copy for the nice packaging and photography.
The night kicks off with the Ronnie Greer Band playing ‘That’s All Right’ followed by two more blues standards by John Lee and Leroy Clark. Next up is an original Ronnie Greer number ‘Going Down to Clarksville’. The playing is superb with red-hot piano and organ from John McCullough. Ronnie is a huge Steely Dan fan which accounts for the inclusion of ‘Do It Again’, beautifully sung by Anthony Toner. ‘Nostalgia in Times Square’ features trumpet and sax. Then up step Grainne Duffy, Kyron Bourke, and Ken Haddock. Haddock absolutely nails ‘Tupelo Honey’.
Yes, I really enjoyed this recording. It’s almost as good as being there on the night. Highly recommended, as the man himself would say… buy one get one. ‘Blues Constellation’ is available to buy now on the Ronnie Greer website. You could be locked down with a lot worse.
Now, to get back to San Francisco… Stop me if you have heard this before.