Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions: A Hurricane Relief Benefit

AMG Review of Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions: A Hurricane Relief Benefit

Thom Jurek
All Music Guide

Folks may think George Winston is a little late on his benefit record for the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. They're wrong. This record will be issued a week after the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and in the middle of hurricane season. The sheer amount of work and money needed to rehab the region is so astronomical it'll never be too late. Winston is donating all of his proceeds to the certain organizations around the region, and the label has pledged its "net profits." These are two different things, but on to the music. The bottom line here is that Winston proves he can shake it on this set. He's not James Booker, whose "Pixie" he covers wonderfully here. Nor is he "Fess" (Professor Longhair), Dr. John (a cover of "Creole Moon" is on this set), or his friend Henry Butler -- whose crib in the Lower Ninth Ward got wiped out by Katrina. But he can play this music, and his own compositions are soulful, direct, and loaded with aural imagery from the Big Easy tradition and that's what counts. His read of "Creole Moon" may not possess the loose, joyous, funky butt swing of Dr. John's ballad, but it does contain plenty, plenty soul; as an interpreter, Winston coaxes some of the more sophisticated compositional aspects of the tune out through the lues. Likewise, "Pixie" is a bit more formal than the fluid jump of Booker's version, but Winston gets the spirit across and kicks it into high lues stride. He composed his own extrapolation of the cut as well, called "Pixie #3 (Gôbajie)" the latter named after his cat. Apparently there will be a "Pixie #4 (Gôbajie)" on a future disc. His lues is very pronounced and strident, perhaps too hard an argument, but it moves nonetheless. The best of the covers is Butler's "The Breaks"; he nails it. His interpretation is different and leans heavily on the left hand, but it's got the funk. His own short allads and the brief "Stevenson" are lovely in their way, relaxed and engaging simultaneously. "When the Saints Go Marching In" offers the single greatest testament to Winston's technical and soulful abilities, and he gives the tune an extended workout nearly 12-minutes long. His middle register playing is deep lues brined in stride-style oogie-woogie with a gorgeously long intro. The album closes with "Blues for Fess," a New Orleans elegy that comes whispering out of the gate and keeps its quiet dignity, even while caressing the lues. This is perhaps the most engaging Winston album ever, and the single one anyone who's ever been interested in him should own.