Lurrie Bell & Frank Catalano

Set Me Free

Catalanomusic

Lurrie Bell was born in Chicago in 1958, as a youngster he was surrounded by Blues music as his father was the renowned harmonica player Carey Bell. Lurrie first picked up the guitar at the age of six and polished his playing skills with Big Walter Horton and Eddie Taylor. In 1975, at the age of seventeen Lurrie joined Koko Taylor’s Blues Machine and toured with her for four years. Although Lurrie appeared on one of his fathers album’s and several compilations he didn’t release his own first recording until 1989’s “Everybody Wants To Win” on JSP Records. Lurrie has over twenty Blues Music Award nominations. In 2012 Lurrie won two BMA’s as part of “The Chicago Blues A Living History: The(R)evolution Continues”. In 2014 Lurrie won another BMA for the Song of the Year “Blues in My Soul”. The next year he won again this time as the 2015 Traditional Male Artist of the Year. Lurrie won yet a fifth BMA in 2017 for Traditional Blues Album of The Year. He is also a 5 time nominee for Best Instrumentalist-Guitar.

While just a teenager Frank Catalano signed to Delmark Records and released a string of critically acclaimed recordings with jazz greats Randy Brecker, Ira Sullivan, Willie Pickens and his mentor Von Freeman, his co-led album with Freeman, “You Talking To Me” remains a cult classic to this day. Catalano has also lent his saxophone stylings to some high-profile rock groups including The Smashing Pumpkins and Los Lobos. Catalano has been profiled in the British documentary “Sugar Jazz”. Catalano has been a longtime ambassador for Drambuie Scotch Liqueur, a position one held by Ella Fitzgerald. His albums include “Love Supreme Collective” a tribute to John Coltrane. Catalano is the only saxophonist to perform with Miles Davis, Junior Wells, Stan Getz, and Tony Bennett, while still in high school.

Catalano has ben profiled in Downbeat, as he has been featured on three Grammy-winning and 11 Grammy nominated recordings. Catalano is also the author of the book “Modern Saxophone Techniques” by Hal Leonard Publishing.

This new album opens with Lurrie Bell as he plays guitar and sings “Everyday I have the blues…nobody loves me, nobody seems to care”, Tom Vaitsas is on piano, Aaron Mittner on bass, and Kurt Lubbe, on drums. This is the first time we get to hear Catalano as he takes a fine saxophone solo. “The Sky Is Crying”, is the lowdown and deeply moving song recorded and popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan and others “you know, the sky is crying, look at the tears roll down my face”, once again Vaitsas is on a piano solo before Catalano steps in on his saxophone.

On the title track “Set Me Free” the ensemble picks up the tempo as Lurrie belts “your love is all I think about, can’t get you out of my head”, once again Vaitsas solos before Catalano takes the reigns. “Shaking” a Catalano instrumental follows. “Georgia”, the 1976 Ray Charles classic, is given a slow and sexy interpretation “it’s an old sweet song that keeps Georgia on my mind”, as Catalano takes over with some brilliant saxophone. “Tune Town” is another funky instrumental rave-up with some big beats from the rhythm section of bassist Mutter and drummer Lubbe.

“I’m Ready” is the Muddy Waters classic first recorded in 1978 “I’m ready for you, I hope you’re ready for me”. “Kicking is a third, up tempo instrumental as Catalano once again proves why his playing is so highly regarded. The closer “At Last”, first recorded by Etta James in 1960, is re-imagined by Catalano as Lurrie sings “At Last, my love has come along, my lonely days are over and life is like a song”.

Suffice it to say, the pairing of Lurrie Bell and Frank Catalano, may be the best pairing of recent memory, as it doesn’t get any better than this. To date, this is one of the best albums of the year. Thank you Lurrie Bell and Frank Catalano.

Richard Ludmerer

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