I would the first to admit that I was not a fan of Jazz, at
least that was my mindset until I had a chance to listen to Jeff Healey’s last
Jazz studio album, appropriately named , "Last Call". It really
only took a few tracks in to realize that first of all, Jazz ain't all that bad,
and that if you ever needed a modern day introduction to good old Jazz from the
1920's to 1940's, then their probably wasn't anyone more suited for the job than
Jeff Healey.
Jazz and also Swing and Pop, from that era, was really a passion
for Jeff; sure he was great and perhaps better known for his blues and rock
music, but I think that at the end of the day, he would most likely wind down,
by either playing or listening to a little Jazz.
"Last Call" consists of 14 music tracks, which are no
less than a complete homage, to the truly classic Jazz, Swing, and Pop, with
legendary hits such as, "Holding My Honey's Hand", "You Can't Pull The Wool Over My Eyes",
"Hong Kong Blues", and "Pennies From Heaven", to name just a
few, and I do mean just a few. This Album is packed solid with hits from that
era.
As a Bonus, this Album also includes a video of “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and
Write Myself a Letter”, recorded live at
Healey’s Roadhouse in Toronto on July 21, 2007. (Playable on most computers,
with QuickTime). These 2 Videos were a rare treat to view.
"Last Call" is the 3 release since Jeff's sad passing
in 2008. Mess of Blues, won the Blues Award for “Best
Rock/Blues Release” in 2009. Songs from the Road live CD, won the “Recording of the Year” at the 2010 Maple Blues
Awards. Do not be surprised if "Last Call" also receives the same
amount of accolades as Mess Of Blues and Songs From The Road. It is every bit as
good, if not better, than the previous 2 releases.
I am giving "Last Call" my highest rating, 5*****, the
first and perhaps only time I will be doing so for an album in this genre.
Thoroughly enjoyed it... Highly Recommended...
John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Other Info
STONY PLAIN RECORDS ANNOUNCES APRIL 6 RELEASE DATE FOR JEFF
HEALEY’S LAST CALL JAZZ/SWING CD
JEFF HEALEY AND THE JAZZ WIZARDS CONCERT DVD, BEAUTIFUL NOISE,
WILL ALSO BE RELEASED BY STONY PLAIN IN CANADA AND MVD ENTERTAINMENT GROUP IN
THE U.S.
EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces an April 6 release date in the
U.S. and Canada for Jeff Healey’s final jazz studio album, Last Call, which
showcases the beloved legendary musician performing the music that was his true
passion in life: the classic jazz, swing and pop sounds of the 1920s-1940s.
Released with the participation and support of Jeff Healey’s widow, Cristie,
Last Call is a 14-track collection on which Healey plays multi-tracked guitar
parts, trumpet and sings. On several of the songs, he’s accompanied by Ross
Wooldridge on piano and clarinet and Drew Jurecka on violin.
Concurrent with this CD in Canada, Stony Plain will also release, Beautiful
Noise, a concert DVD featuring Jeff Healey and The Jazz Wizards, his regular
jazz performance band, originally recorded for the Toronto-based TV show, “A
Beautiful Noise,” in January, 2006. In the U.S., the Beautiful Noise DVD will
be released on March 23 and distributed by MVD Entertainment Group.
Last Call was Jeff’s last jazz/swing recording before his death in March, 2008
of cancer. Mess of Blues, an album of his fan-favorite blues and roots songs
released shortly after he passed away, won the Blues Award for “Best
Rock/Blues Release” in 2009; and the Songs from the Road live CD, released in
September of 2009, won the “Recording of the Year” at the 2010 Maple Blues
Awards.
Last Call was recorded and mixed by long-time Healey friend and band mate, Alec
Fraser, and the package includes extensive liner notes by Colin Bray. The album
features swing guitar instrumentals first recorded by Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang
and Joe Venuti, to interpretations of songs originally done by Fats Waller,
Sidney Bechet and Hoagy Carmichael. The material ranges from such standards as
“Deep Purple,” “Pennies from Heaven” and “Autumn in New York,” to
more obscure songs from the past, including “I’m Holding My Honey’s
Hand” and “You Can’t Pull the Wool Over My Eyes.”
Jeff Healey even covers some tunes originally heard during the golden age of
cinema, including “Hong Kong Blues” and the haunting them from the motion
picture, “Laura.”
The new CD also includes a bonus video of “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and
Write Myself a Letter” that is playable on most computers, recorded live at
Healey’s Roadhouse in Toronto on July 21, 2007.
The Beautiful Noise concert DVD features 11 tracks with the Jazz Wizards
complete six-piece lineup, none of which are included on Last Call, plus an
additional interview and musical footage. Beautiful Noise was directed by Daniel
K. Berman and produced by Daniel K. Berman and Paul McNulty.
Tracklist
1.Holding My Honey's Hand
2.Time On My Hands
3.The Wild Cat
4.You Can't Pull The Wool Over My Eyes
5.Deep Purple
6.Hong Kong Blues
7.Pennies From Heaven
8.Autumn In New York
9.I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
10.Black And Blue Bottom
11.Guitar Duet Stomp
12.Laura
13.Keeping Myself For You
14.Some Of These Days
15.BONUS VIDEO: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
Jeff Healey, arguably one of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, died today (Sunday March 2, 2008) in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto. He was 41, and leaves his wife, Cristie, daughter Rachel (13) and son Derek (three), as well as his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey, and sisters Laura and Linda.
Robbed of his sight as a baby due to a rare form of cancer, retino blastoma, and he started to play guitar when he was three, holding the instrument unconventionally across his lap. He formed his first band at 17, but soon formed a trio which was named the Jeff Healey Band.
After his appearance in the movie Road House, he was signed to Arista records, and in 1988 released the Grammy-nominated album See the Light, which included a major hit single, Angel Eyes. He earned a Juno Award in 1990 as Entertainer of the Year.
Two more albums emerged on Arista, with lessening success as the ’90s passed. Various “best-of” and live packages were released, and he recorded two more rock albums, before turning to his real love, classic American jazz from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s.
By then, however, Healey was an internationally-known star who had played with dozens of musicians, including B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and recorded with George Harrison. Mark Knopfler and the late blues legend, Jimmy Rogers.
A family man with a three-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter he preferred to stay close to home. “I’ve traveled widely before - been there and done that,” he told friends, determined to avoid the lengthy, exhausting tours that marked his life in his twenties and early thirties.
A long-running CBC Radio series saw him in the role of disc jockey - My Kinda Jazz was a staple for a while, but in recent years he had hosted a programme with a similar name on Jazz-FM in Toronto. A highlight of his broadcasts was always the use of rare — and rarely heard — music from his 30,000-plus collection of 78-rpm records.
As his rock career wound down as the millennium came, he recorded a series of three album of early jazz, playing trumpet as well as acoustic guitar in a band he called Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards. The most recent was It’s Tight Like That, recorded live at Hugh’s Room in Toronto in 2005, with British jazz legend Chris Barber as guest star.
At the time of his death he was about to see the release of his first rock/blues album in eight years, Mess of Blues, which is being released in Europe on March 20, 2008 and in Canada and the U.S. on April 22. The album was the result of a joint agreement between the German label, Ruf Records, and Stony Plain, the independent Edmonton-based label that has released his three jazz CDs.
Mess of Blues was recorded in studios in Toronto, with two cuts recorded at the Jeff Healey’s Roadhouse in Toronto and two at a concert in London England. The backup group on the upcoming CD - the Healey’s House Band - played with him regularly at the downtown Roadhouse, and at a previous club bearing his name in the Queen-Bathurst area.
Early last year, Healey underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his legs, and later from both lungs; aggressive radiation treatments and chemotherapy, however, failed to halt the spread of the disease.
Despite his battle with cancer, he undertook frequent tours across Canada with both his blues-based band and his jazz group; he was set for a major tour in Germany and the U.K. and was to be a guest on the BBC’s famed Jools Holland Show in April.
Remembered by his musicians - and his audiences - for his wry sense of humor
as well as his musical playfulness, Healey was a unique musician who bridged different genres with ease and assurance.
Jeff Healey And The Jazz Wizards - Beautiful Noise
Originally recorded for the Canadian TV show "A Beautiful Noise" (Toronto - January 2006), this program includes additional interview and musical footage. Healey, playing trumpet and guitar, leads his excellent band The Jazz Wizards forward into musical history. As always, he delivers jazz from the past with humor, respect for the tradition, and a contemporary attitude. Healey gained worldwide fame as a stunningly original rock/blues guitarist. His passion, however, was the infectious and joyful music from the classic jazz era - the days when Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke ruled the music world.
Courtesy Of SeeOfSound
