Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet
"Soul Monster"
(Delta
Groove Music)
Reviews and Info
Soul Monster is Piazza's 24th album and 3rd release
for Delta Groove. Over the last 44 years of playing music Piazza's
virtuosity on the harmonica and respect for tradition has been celebrated
by fans and critics alike. The Mighty Flyers have taken home the Blues
Music Award for Band of the Year no less than 4 times and Rod himself was
honored with a BMA for Instrumentalist of the Year in '98. Last year band
member Honey Piazza took home her first BMA for the 2008 Pinetop Perkins
Piano Player of the Year. Interplay, spontaneity, and classic chops are
what have kept the Mighty Flyers soaring above...and it's all here! Rest
assured that Piazza & company deliver on a winning formula; a
tantalizing recipe that's been brewing for decades. Amazon.Com
Another Winner from Rod and Miss Honey., July 10, 2009
By peterfromkanata (Kanata, Ontario Canada)
I must admit to some prejudice here. I have been a fan of Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers for a long time. If you like modern blues, Rod, Miss Honey and the Flyers never disappoint, and this set is well up to their usual high standards. Rod is a virtuoso harp player, and he really is on top of his game here. As for Miss Honey--I know I have said this before--if there is a better boogie woogie-style piano player anywhere today, I would be very surprised.
While the blues form the foundation for this band's music, they are also more than capable of playing good rock n' roll, soul/R & B/funk music too. I think I heard some "Stax" influence here and there. The CD has a nice mix of vocals, instrumentals, original material from Rod and Miss Honey, as well as classic blues numbers by masters such as Jimmy Reed and Bill Broonzy.
Bottom line--a fine CD for blues fans and anyone who appreciates excellent musicianship!
WOW!!!, July 25, 2009
By R. C. Evans (West Coast USA)
Once Again, Rod, Miss Honey and the band set the bar for modern blues music. Excellent CD!!
Tracklist
1. Soul Monster 3:54
2. Can't Stand To See You Go 3:36
3. Cheap Wine 5:16
4. Key To The Highway 4:27
5. Sunbird 4:02
6. That's What's Knockin' Me Out 3:22
7. Tell Me About It Sam 5:37
8. Queen Bee 4:08
9. Expression Session 2:54
10. Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) 4:23
11. Talk To Me 4:36
12. You Better Watch Yourself 3:28
About
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet
It’s a common mistake to think of Rod Piazza as one of the “young turks ” or “new generation” of the blues. But at this point in his career, Piazza has been making records longer than his mentor George “Harmonica” Smith did, or Sonny Boy Williamson (either of them!), or Howlin ’ Wolf, or Muddy Waters. He’s been a recording artist for more years than Little Walter was alive.
Piazza is a tried-and-true, dyed-in-the-wool blues veteran with credentials that are second to none. From his first recordings as a leader in 1967 fronting The Dirty Blues Band, through his multiple W.C. Handy award winning releases with his current band The Mighty Flyers, to his countless appearances both live and on record with the most revered names in the blues, Piazza has established himself as one of the most influential living blues harp players. He’s consistently surrounded himself with players who bring out the best he has to offer, and epitomize the very best in blues: fresh, swinging, tasteful, exciting and creative.
The core of The Mighty Flyers has been together for over two decades, and developed the kind of musical telepathy that simply cannot exist without years of experience on the bandstand and in the studio. The Mighty Flyers are a well-oiled machine, with Piazza in the driver’s seat.
Born in 1947, Piazza’s infatuation with blues began at a time when many of the masters were still in their prime years, and in the mid 1960s when the first blues revival was picking up steam, he was in the thick of it. A decade later he’d already released five albums, and was one of the leading lights of the West Coast Blues scene. In the early ‘70s he joined forces with Otis Spann disciple Honey Alexander (now his wife) on piano, and when they formed the Mighty Flyers in the early 1980s, his career really hit its stride. Since then Piazza and the Mighty Flyers have played literally thousands of gigs in every corner of the globe, recorded over a dozen highly acclaimed releases, won or been nominated for almost every major award and honor that can be bestowed upon a blues band, and along the way virtually created a new style of blues – a combination of low-down Chicago grit, suave West Coast swing and jazz, and the rhythmic drive of the best early R&B and rock & roll. Quite simply, Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers are one of the best, most experienced, and most distinctive bands in blues today, and hard is it may be to believe, they’re still getting better.
Piazza has come into his own as a clever and imaginative songwriter, and his vocals have taken on a warmth and personality that can only be won with maturity and decades of experience. It’s not only the fans and music industry mavens who praise Piazza & The Mighty Flyers – some of the strongest words of admiration come from the harshest critics of all: fellow blues musicians. Blues harmonica legends James Cotton and Snooky Pryor both conceded to Piazza at a blues harmonica showdown a few years ago. And none other than B.B. King pointed to his opening act Piazza as the reason he was motivated to play a full hour over his contracted time at a European blues
festival. Fifty years after the pioneers of modern blues enjoyed their days in the sun, blues fans are still talking about them with reverence. There can be little doubt that fifty years from now, blues fans will still be talking about Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers.
“Piazza is a superior diatonic and chromatic harmonica player with style - the elusive quality that combines confidence, presence, control, risk-taking and instinct.” – Down Beat Magazine
“Piazza adds West coast swing and sophistication to traditional Chicago electric roots and the results are right up there with the best of Paul Butterfield or Kim Wilson.” – Blues Matters
“Rod Piazza lights up a blue note 40 years in the making each time he draws and blows through the reeds. Some are sweet, others wail like a train a-comin’. And when he sings, Piazza’s full of tuneful authority.” – Blues Revue
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers live at The
Sierra Nevada Brewery. kevyp
