1. Cleanhead Blues
2. Pass Out
3. Alimony Blues
4. Cleanhead Is Back
5. Juice Head Baby
6. Old Maid Boogie
7. One O'clock Humph
8. I Needs To Be Be'd Wid
9. Cleanhead Blues (Live)
10. I Had A Dream (Live)
11. Person To Person (Live)
Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson – Vocals, alto sax
Earl Palmer – Drums
David Cohen – Guitar
Joe Pass – Guitar
Artie Butler – Piano, organ
Arthur Wright - Bass
Plas Johnson – tenor sax
Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson might be described as a blues shouter, although his singing often seems more refined than the average loudmouth. He also played
the saxophone yet - even though he was born in Texas - he was not one of the boss tenors that Texas produced but an altoist who avoided the more outrageous
styles of playing. Along with Louis Jordan, he was one of the few alto players who mixed jazz with jump jive and rhythm & blues.
These qualities are audible on this album which was recorded in 1970 for Bob Thiele’s BluesTime label. The eight tracks are augmented with three taken from Super Black Blues Vol. 2, another BluesTime LP. The CD starts with Vinson’s signature tune, Cleanhead Blues, which explains how his lack
of hair doesn’t prevent him from attracting the ladies. Eddie is accompanied by a group which includes two undoubted stars: tenorist Plas Johnson and
guitarist Joe Pass, who ensure a strong input of jazz. Joe composed the second track – Pass Out – a simple blues which features fine solos from
Pass, Vinson and the pianist Artie Butler, all warmly bluesy.
Many of the songs are salted with ironical humour, like Cleanhead Is Back and Juice Head Baby. In the latter, David Cohen’s electric
guitar plays a vital role, providing the introduction and adding punctuation behind Vinson’s vocals. As in many blues songs, the lyrics comment ironically
on women (“She drinks whisky like water, drinks gin like lemonade”). The same applies to Old Maid Boogie, addressed to an “old maid” who is in her
twenties! Plas Johnson and drummer Earl Palmer wrote One O’clock Humph, which at nearly seven minutes gives most of the musicians the chance for
extended solos. Plas Johnson’s gruff tenor makes a splendid backing for Cleanhead’s vocals on I Needs To Be’d Wid.
The last three tracks were recorded live, and have the added attraction of an audience’s warmly enthusiastic responses. The final Person To Person
brings the proceedings to a great climax, with Eddie powerfully manoeuvring a stop-time ending.
At just over 42 minutes, this is a fairly short album but it is vintage Cleanhead, illustrating the man’s ability to bring some subtlety to the often
raucous genre of the blues.
Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk
CD Reviews
Ace CDCHM 1408
