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For those of us who pay attention to who's behind the music on hit records, Jelly Roll Johnson is no stranger. His credits over the last 20 years, reads like a who's who of Country Music. So, when Jelly Roll releases a CD with his harmonica playing front and center, it makes me sit up and take notice.

A distinct departure from his last release "Jelly Roll Johnson & A Few Close Friends" which had Jelly Roll doing what he's known for in the business, great backing work with songwriters, this project has the spotlight directed firmly on Jelly Roll.

"Songs From The Record World" is genuine, it's round, it's smoky, it's dark, it's tasteful... it's good! Backed by top-flight players, Chris Brown, Dave Pomeroy, and Pat Bergeson, Jelly Roll pours emotion into every track with all the finesse one would expect of a seasoned musician, but oft times lacking in studio pros.

From the first 30 seconds of "Key To The Highway" you know how good this is going to be. The rhythm section is sparse, but extremely tasteful, providing a great platform for Jelly Roll to convey his message.

Of special note are the following: "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" which displays his command of the 10 hole diatonic. The Duke Ellington song, "In A Sentimental Mood," which showcases his chops on chromatic. And my favorite cut, "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" which is reason enough to buy the CD.

Jelly Roll plays the way all Blues harmonica wanna be's think they sound. Get the CD and see what I'm talking about.

PT Gazell

First, a new CD from Nashville Studio maven, Jelly Roll Johnson. I did review his previous CD were Jelly backed up some of the finest Singer-Songwriters in Nashville, but here is a totally instrumental project. Jelly calls his new CD Songs from the Record World because they are covers of songs most of us are familiar with- ones that inspired his muse. ..

Jelly uses regularly tuned diatonics and chromatics and has a tone that most of us would kill for! Backed by a trio (Bass, Guitar, and Drums) of some of the finest and tastiest players in Nashville, the support work by producer and Guitarist Pat Bergeson is stellar and will not go unnoticed as you listen to the way he and Jelly weave their musical tapestry for the listener.

The CD kicks off with the folk blues favourite "Key to the Highway" but done in a unique light swing shuffle feel and Jelly’s lyricism on the melody really makes this a great rendition of the Broonzy classic. (The Harp is a Bb in Cross).

Jelly’s tenure as the number one cat to backup a singer in Nashville has no doubt allowed him to develop his playing in such as way that now, on his own CD, he is the singer (with his harp) and knows precisely how to lay down a melody with all the phrasing of a great singer. The perk here is that we don’t get your typical harp licks strung together but a beautiful and subtle instrumental that beckons you to sing the words as he plays!

Next up is Percy Mayfield’s huge R&B hit, "Please Send me Someone to Love" and it’s played with all the soul you could ask for on our little instrument. (On this tune, he uses a G+ diatonic in Cross Harp.)

At this point Jelly switches to chromatic and a unique and sparse arrangement by Bergeson and Johnson of Duke Ellington’s ballad. "In a Sentimental Mood". The beauty of hearing him on chromatic is that he brings his rich tone, so richly developed on diatonic, and transfers that “depth” giving him a full bodied sound. (C chromatic in F).

The other chromatic song is the Lil Armstrong ballad "Just for a Thrill" in G and again his lyricism combined with Bergeson’s Guitar interplay give new life to this old chestnut.

The rest of the CD is on diatonic, how can you go wrong with a Brother Ray Gospel tune, lightly swung and played with perfection, on "Hallelujah I Just Love her So" (C harp in Cross).

It’s not easy to play a Mose Allison tune as they are so unique to Mose’s vocals with his quirky phrasing but Jelly is right on it with "Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy" and it speaks well on what sounds like to my ears a low F harp.

Patsy Cline had a hit with "Walkin’ after Midnight" and Jelly’s version on an A cross Harp keeps right in her groove with some tasty soloing and very cools use of overblows. This small band is kickin’ some butt on this lil’ ol country tune.

When Ray Charles sings the Joe Greene ballad "Don’t let the Sun Catch you Cryin" you can’t help feelin’ blue. When Jelly and Pat dig in on this gem, you will get the blues too but hearin’ this reading will leave you with a smile once your Blues leave town. (Ab harp in Cross).

"Busted" is a country classic that I associate with Ray also and Jelly really tells the story and will make you feel broke in a good way! (A harp in Cross).

Jelly Roll decides to end this excursion with a Jazz nugget by the late great bassist Charles Mingus titled "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" which sounds like an Ab harp in Cross. It is amazing how well this melody sits on a diatonic, especially in the hands of a master! Get this record, play along, sing along and just have a harpin’ ball…
I hope to see some of you at my Blood Sweet and Tears concert at the Astoria, London, 17 Sept, 2008.

Rob Paparozzi

This is a rough translation from Italian:
SONGS FROM THE RECORD WORLD
JELLY ROLL JOHNSON
JMJ RECORDS JMJD 1122, 2008
Electric-Acoustic Blues/Jazz /harmonica

author: Fabrizio Poggi

Many friends of mine who usually listen to jazz-blues cds often complain about the boring routine that often is found in west coast modern blues works. These works sometimes are far from the fascinating sounds made by the creators of this style such as T - Bone Walker and George “Harmonica” Smith. Here is a disc that they will certainly like.

A cd of a great harmonica player who is until now little known in Italy. Jelly Roll Johnson is well known in the Nashville music scene. You can listen to his harmonica on many great contemporary country music albums. But Jelly Roll loves not only country, but also blues and vintage jazz.

The disc is all instrumental and brings us back to the days in which the blues was often a "music without words." For bluesmen who performed in the beginning of the last century in juke joints in the southern United States, singing was almost useless. There were no microphones and their voice was too difficult to be heard in those noisy places, where the history of blues was made. But Jelly Roll, with the beautiful sound of his diatonic harmonica, always acoustic and expressive in a extraordinary way, makes up for the lack of vocals.

Johnson really "sings" through his instrument, giving us the same emotions that a great blues singer can give us. To accompany him in this adventure is a stellar trio, with the great Pat Bergeson on guitar, Dave Pomeroy on bass and Chris Brown on drums.

The CD begins with a beautiful version of the classic folk-blues "Key to the Highway" which has a very tasty guitar solo. Following the great Big Bill Bronzy piece is one of the most beautiful songs on the album, "Please Send Me Someone to Love." This song, by the unforgettable Percy Mayfield, is played by Jelly Roll with great lyricism and passion. Johnson dives into classic jazz with a great tribute to Duke Ellington.

"In a Sentimental Mood" has an excellent arrangement and a beautiful chromatic harmonica tone, thousand miles away from the quite boring and not dynamic sound that sometimes this instrument has when not in the hands of greats as Stevie Wonder and Toots Thielemans.

Other songs highly suggested are "Hallelujah I Love Her So", by Ray Charles, "Everybody’s Cryin Mercy" by Mose Allison (with a great job by Johnson on the low register of the harmonica) and "Walkin' After Midnight," an excellent shuffle from the repertoire of Patsy Cline.

The CD closes with a beautiful and essential version of the Charlie Mingus classic "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." This song is a masterpiece of style and heart that alone is worth the purchase of the whole cd. Highly recommended to all those who think that the blues is also poetry!
You can find it at www.jellyrolljohnson.com
Fabrizio Poggi

author: Jim Greenwald

Jelly Roll Johnson's latest CD really is superb - the kind of disc you wouldn't be embarassed to give to a non harp player. I realized I'd listened to 'Songs From The Record Room' a dozen or more times, in every room of the house, for plain musical enjoyment. Really a different response for me - I usually whip out harps and immediately start 'playing along'.

Well, today I jumped in and started 'studying' this beauty. Jelly really puts on a clinic in soulful restraint, fine intonation, and timing. The funny thing is this CD has such a sense of flow and continuity to it, that it's kind of a shock to see what a wide variety of harp 'configurations' he employs. Here's what I've come up with so far.

1 Key To The Highway- F Bb diatonic, 2nd pos.
2 Please Send me Someone To Love- A G diatonic, 3rd pos.
3 In a Sentimental Mood- F C chromatic
4 Hallelujah I Love Her So- G C diatonic, 2nd pos.
5 Everybody's Cryin' Mercy- G Low F diatonic, 3rd pos.
6 Walkin' After Midnight- E A diatonic, 2nd pos.
7 Don't Let The Sun Catch you Cryin'- Eb Ab diatonic, 2nd pos.
8 Just For A Thrill- G C chromatic
9 Busted- E, F A diatonic, B flat diatonic 2nd pos.
10 Goodbye Pork Pie Hat- Eb Ab diatonic, 2nd pos.

I totally agree with all the glowing reviews; this is a must have recording.

Cheers,
Staggerin' Jim
Listen to Roots Harmonica at http://www.live365.com/stations/staggerinjim

author: Rupert Oysler

Jelly is a master.

Quite often becoming a master involves a process of addition: whereby more techniques, skills, qualities, experiences etc. are accumulated and added, enhancing the doer. A lot can be accomplished this way.

Another way involves subtraction: whereby the work is still done, the materials and techniques learned, and rather than adding, they serve to subtract, or remove any blocks, difficulties, preferences etc. so that the material, the song, the music, the feeling -- can emerge pure. Jelly's not a harmonica player, but a human being, who witnesses what that means and enables that to breathe through this tiny instrument- bending, swooping, wistfully twisting, pausing and fluttering....all without a hint of pretense.

http://www.jellyrolljohnson.com/

--
Rupert Oysler
www.seydelusa.com

I received my copy of Jelly Roll Johnson's latest CD "Songs From The Record World" last week, and had the opportunity to listen to the CD straight through 4 times on a long drive. And I enjoyed every minute of all 4 spins.

The CD is basically a jazz quartet recording with Jelly playing acoustic harp (diatonic and chromatic) backed by a trio of electric guitar, bass, and drums. The overall approach is very traditional in every sense, no wild electronics or frenzied atonal explorations. The sound of the recording is warm and seductive, with every instrument speaking clearly in an overall mix that is thoroughly cohesive--classic small-group jazz. In short, the engineer earned his pay.

So did the musicians. The great thrill of this record is hearing four excellent players play to each other in the same room at the same time with a lot of quiet drive and total empathy. The accompaniments are very supportive and swinging, and Jelly's lead work is just great.

I've known for a while that few musicians play melody as well as Jelly. This is the first time I've heard him solo over blues, pop, country, and jazz material at length, and he sounds completely in command at all times. I especially liked the low-register harp sounds on pieces like "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy"-- I suspect Jelly is playing third position major on a low F harmonica. Whatever the instrument is, he's getting some great growling sounds in that bottom octave. I also liked his chromatic work on Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood," my favorite piece of all time, which I covered a cappella on my first CD, "The Act of Being Free in One Act." Jelly's tone on this piece is very diatonic-like and his solo has a lot of blues in it, but you can hear characteristic chromatic harp turns in a number of places. I don't know any other chromatic player who sounds quite like that.

The theme of the CD is Jelly's exposure to a range of blues, country, and jazz classics at the Record World record store in Cleveland, Tennessee in his formative years. There's a picture of the store on the package, there's a dedication to the now-deceased owner, and the sense of time and place remembered is strong in the music. This is a great way to go home again.

You should buy this record, "you" in this case meaning everyone in the world, and especially anyone who enjoys hearing harmonica played brilliantly in front of a great, grooving band.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp

Review from SPAH Harmonica Happenings

Jelly Roll Johnson: Songs From the Record World

I first met Kirk “Jelly Roll” Johnson at a SPAH convention a number of years ago. It was at one of the late night blues jams, and I had no idea who he was, a quiet gentleman with an unassuming manner. Then he tossed off a jaw-dropping solo that was both elegant and soulful, and I nudged the fellow next to me and asked “Who the heck is that guy?” I was informed that he was Mr. Jelly Roll Johnson, a Nashville session player of great renown. Nashville? Isn’t that were they make all that country music? Well, you coulda fooled me. I introduced myself to him later, and in response to my stupid question, he said simply, “yeah, I record with a lot of country artists, but I like all kinds of music.” Always generous with his time and a kind word, I have, over the years, come to admire Jelly on many levels.

So when I heard that Jelly had released his own instrumental CD, Songs from the Record World, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. He did not disappoint. In fact, I stand in awe of his smooth un-amplified delivery and rich tone on both diatonic and chromatic harp. The tracks are all older songs that were originally released on vinyl (the CD itself resembles a 45), and reveals a soft spot for the great Ray Charles. The fine recording fidelity, Jelly’s great playing and intelligent arrangements-with lush, unhurried backup from Pat Bergeson’s very versatile guitar, Dave Pomeroy on bass and Chris Brown on drums-combine to make this a first-rate recording from the first song to the last. This one’s getting a lot of airtime in my house.

There are only two blues tunes, but both are terrific. On the classic Bill Broonzy tune “Key to the Highway,” Jelly delivers a clean, bluesy sound never seeming to show off. But the other blues song, Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love” is one I have long loved ever since I first heard Paul Butterfield cover it way back when. Interestingly, Jelly tackles this tune in 3^rd position rather than 2^nd, the way Butterfield did it. I found myself reaching for my own harp to try and play along. Well, Jelly’s superb control of bends and overblows make it sound easy…but it’s not. Kids, don’t try this at home.

Next comes Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” which he elegantly covers on chromatic with full, rounded tone. His jazzy diatonic rendition of Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah I Love Her So” swings soulfully, just right. With the classic Mose Allison tune, “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy”, Jelly gives a jazzy, smooth, laconic performance that is both sad and just plain cool. On “ Walkin’ After Midnight” Jelly gives a nice, bouncy performance, perfectly serving the mood of the song.

Then, on “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’” Jelly perfectly captures the mood, never straying too far from the lovely melody. Bergeson’s guitar work is stellar here. With “Just for A Thrill” he again turns to Ray Charles (who often performed this Lil Armstrong song), Jelly again picks up his chromatic and tugs effortlessly at our heartstrings. Then, staying with Charles, we get the classic “Busted,” delivered with passion and panache (another not-so-easy song to cover on diatonic). On the last track Jelly gives us a smoky jazz-club rendition of Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” a deceptively simple and very melodic tune that Jelly plays flawlessly in 2^nd position on diatonic harp. Jelly Roll Johnson is a very soulful and melodic player who manages to combine great tone and perfect control with a deep, heartfelt passion that is finely communicated in the service of every song. Highly recommended.

"Great CD!"

author: Joe Filisko

"Jelly Roll is not only a master at the musical understatement, but he also has a powerful way of playing to the strengths of the harmonica while still giving a clear nod to the contemporary playing styles. Hear for yourself why he has long been one of Nashville's top players and one of my personal favorites."