Review: Terry Marshall ‘Living the Blues’
By Hal Horowitz
Even the deepest, most dedicated blues fans might not recognize the name Terry Marshall, at least as a musician. That’s because at the advanced age of, well, we’re not really sure, he is releasing his first album of music, ‘Living the Blues,’ released Oct. 11.
But the Marshall name has been ubiquitous for decades as the maker of premiere amps used by thousands of musicians from the 60s forward. Terry is the son of Jim Marshall, who invented those iconic devices, and worked alongside his dad. Although he has played saxophone live for years, he has never gotten around to recording… until now.
However, ‘Living the Blues’ is not your ordinary blues set.
Marshall corralled some of the UKs finest, if perhaps not widely known, musicians and vocalists into a studio for four days. “I asked the singers what they wanted to sing…and we’d make an arrangement on the spot and get a take…I didn’t want any rehearsals …And because all the people were jammers, I knew it would work.”
He was correct.
Although a brief glance at the song titles might give some fans pause (do we really need another replay of “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Help Me,” “I’m Ready” or “Smokestack Lightening”?), Marshall and his gang wrestle these warhorses to the ground and come up with, if not something new, lively versions that spontaneously catch fire the way he intended.
You can feel the energy crackling in the room as the band locks into their deep blues groove for a hard funk attack on Koko Taylor’s “Voodoo Woman.” It features stellar work from singers Alice Armstrong and Zoe Schwarz getting tight and tough. Because of the lack of rehearsal, imagine a lot of finger pointing and head nods as solos emerge on the fly. Armstrong even says “Yeah Terry, give me some” as Marshall explodes into his sax.
The outfit chugs along on the Latin rhythms of Peter Green’s “Long Grey Mare,” not an obvious choice, as if they wrote it. Marshall trades licks with one of two guitarists, and singer Robin Bibi drives it home with an energized, soulful attack.
The band pulls out an obscurity with J.C. Johnson’s slow blues “Me and My Gin” helped enormously by scorching slide work (it’s not clear which of the two guitarists is responsible), and solid in-the-pocket playing from the rhythm section of bassist Nick Simper with drummer Paul Gordon White. They make room for Marshall’s growling, sultry sax that slithers and slides like he’s backing strippers doing their thing. At nearly 10 minutes it’s the disc’s longest and most intense performance.
Robert Cray’s “Phone Booth” gets dusted off as Emma Watson caresses the lyrics like the Cowboy Junkies’ Margo Timmins while Marshall shifts his horn from smooth to rugged and back. They also revise the song, bringing nuance and more sensitivity than the original.
Watson bravely takes Aretha’s part on the soul legend’s “Dr. Feelgood” and acquits herself with a smoldering cover of a tune so securely tied to the Queen of Soul, it’s hard to imagine anyone else tackling it. Instead of trying to out-sing, Watson pulls back and infuses steamy undercurrents as Marshall allows her room without stepping on her toes.
Singer/harmonica man Hugh Budden delivers a credible Howlin’ Wolf for the closing “Smokestack Lightning,” wailing and blowing harp with authenticity. He pays tribute to, as opposed to copying, the impossible to replicate original. Marshall’s sax snarls and sneers as the proceedings come to a close.
He might have gotten a late start on a recording career, but Terry Marshall’s ‘Living the Blues’ proves that he has the chops and especially the band, to deliver the Chicago blues with as much, if not more authority than many who have been releasing albums for years.
Pre-order the album HERE
“Voodoo Woman”
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