Johnnie Bassett - The Gentleman Is Back

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:16
Size: 124.2 MB
Styles: Urban blues, Soul-blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[5:02] 1. Woman's Got Ways
[3:56] 2. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
[5:41] 3. Nice Guys Finish Last
[5:13] 4. Georgia
[2:48] 5. Real Gitchieegumee
[5:09] 6. Feeling Lucky Baby
[4:39] 7. Meat On Them Bones
[4:59] 8. I'm Lost
[4:55] 9. I Can't See What I Saw In You
[4:24] 10. I Love The Way You Look
[7:24] 11. My Old Flame

Johnnie Bassett has been the most populist bluesman in Detroit for many decades, and his scant few dates for independent labels have been regarded internationally as the best sounding recordings of his peer group. Now with national U.S. distribution from Mack Avenue Records, Bassett has a chance to break out on the commercial scene with a set of contemporary originals that can appeal to a wide range of listeners. His sleek and clean vocal style cannot be mistaken for anything other than what it is, with a sweetness and light that supersede any scolding he might dole out. An economical guitarist who is, to say the least, understated, Bassett keeps a light groove going, punctuated by the equally concise and controlled organ playing of Chris Codish. with his regular trio the Brothers Groove. A small horn section comprising some of the Motor City's best musicians join the band as they strut through this program of simplified, easygoing, no-nonsense current day blues. The bulk of the songs come from Bob Codish. Chris' father, with several of the selections built on current day funky beats surrounding timeless man/woman themes within a traditional urban blues sensibility. On the sillier side is Leonard King's "Your Real Gitchieegumee," while the more serious talking jive warning song "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" -- both sport the swagger and quick witted fervor of Bassett's former bandmate Bill Heid. The slower, contemporary, cautionary tale "A Woman's Got Ways" and fine chick hustle "Nice Guys Finish Last" retain the same kind of confident air, but with different messages. Where one finds Bassett the most austere and genuine, "Meat on Them Bones" is his jazzy big-band, light shuffle swing-fired search for the woman who is not a glamorous stick figure; conversely, the Chicago blues "I Can't See What I Saw in You" is the most downhearted, love is blind track, and the opposite of what he thought he was looking for. The Motor City Horns, led by the excellent Detroit saxophonist Keith Kaminski, stroll though this material easily without a whimper or complaint, and Kaminski shines through individually, whether with the section or as the lone soloist. On "I Love the Way You Look," Kaminski is the star while Bassett is on the prowl, looking for the golden heart inside a perfect image. There's a strait-laced, pleasant, and patient version of the classic "Georgia on My Mind," and the pining tune "My Old Flame," featuring Chris Codish on piano, not at all the standard of the same name, but an original ballad penned by Bob Codish. Where fellow Detroiters would contend the contrary, "I'm Lost" is a wandering blues very similar to "The Thrill Is Gone." Though not the slam bang, rip roaring blues album some might expect from Bassett, the subdued and mellow framework is age appropriate and quite satisfying. If indeed lost and forgotten no more, Johnnie Bassett has indeed found a comfort zone, and can now be enjoyed or ostensibly discovered for the first time by those outside of his native Michigan environs. It's a fine effort worthy of your kind and rapt attention. ~Michael G. Nastos

The Gentleman Is Back mc
The Gentleman Is Back zippy

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Johnnie Bassett - Bassett Hound

Size: 130,7 MB
Time: 55:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Label: Fedora Records
Art: Full

01. Bassett Hound (4:19)
02. Walk My Blues Away (5:02)
03. Ningyo Mambo (4:36)
04. Sweet Potato Pie (4:31)
05. You Little Doll! (5:59)
06. Still Can Boogie (4:27)
07. Years Gone By (5:01)
08. The Mellow Side (4:34)
09. Pick Up The Pieces (5:58)
10. Cold Winter Morning (5:06)
11. Bouncing With Bassett (6:02)

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Johnnie Bassett grew up with blues music all around him in his native Florida. His unique ability to combine jump blues and Delta stylings gave his playing a distinctive sound. The self-taught guitarist recalled seeing Tampa Red, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and other classic blues artists at fish fries in his grandmother's backyard. Bassett cited Aaron "T-Bone" Walker as a major influence, as well as B.B. and Albert King, Tiny Grimes, and Billy Butler.

After Bassett's family moved to Detroit in 1944, he made his debut as a guitarist with Joe Weaver & the Bluenotes, a teenage R&B band. The group won local talent contests and was hired to back up Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and others on their tour stops in Detroit. Bassett went into the Army in 1958 and played in a country & western group while stationed in Washington state.

After returning to Detroit, he found work as a session guitarist for Fortune Records by day and in nightclubs at night. In the studios, he played backup to musicians and groups like Nolan Strong & the Diablos, Andre Williams & the Don Juans, and the Five Dollars. He also played guitar on the first recording by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles while traveling to Chicago to record as a session man for the Chess Records label. During his Detroit days, he also accompanied John Lee Hooker, Eddie Burns, Alberta Adams, Lowell Fulson, and the T.J. Fowler Band at their live shows, as well as Dinah Washington.

In the 1960s, Bassett moved to Seattle, where he backed up Tina Turner, Little Willie John, and others. Jimi Hendrix was a frequent guest at the bluesman's club gigs around Seattle. Before the decade ended, he moved back to Detroit, where he was based for the remainder of his life.

In 1994, Bassett received a lifetime achievement award from the Detroit Blues Society. He later recorded an album for the Dutch Black Magic label, I Gave My Life to the Blues (1996). Bassett and his band, the Blues Insurgents, made several U.S., Canadian, and European tours in support of LPs including 1997's Bassett Hound and 1998's Cadillac Blues. After the turn of the millennium, Bassett released two albums on the Sly Dog imprint of Mack Avenue Records, 2009's The Gentleman Is Back and 2012's I Can Make That Happen. After battling cancer, Johnnie Bassett died in August 2012 at the age of 76. ~by Richard Skelly

Bassett Hound

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Jim McCarty & Friends II - Live From Callahan's

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:53
Size: 164.6 MB
Styles: Rockin blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[ 9:38] 1. Fannie Mae
[11:00] 2. Put The Shoe On The Other Foot
[ 4:55] 3. Let Me Love You Baby
[ 5:19] 4. Jenny Jenny-Good Golly Miss Molly
[11:38] 5. Homesick For My Baby
[ 8:48] 6. Everyday I Have The Blues
[ 8:08] 7. Excello Boogie
[ 7:06] 8. I Got A Mind To Give Up
[ 5:16] 9. Born In Chicago

Detroit’s guitar-legend is back with a brand new CD “JIM McCARTY & Friends II.” The disc is a follow up to the original CD released a few years ago. Like the original CD the disc is a collection of “Live” recordings captured at the club when McCARTY got to jam with his peers. Featured on this disc are TOMMY CASTRO, COCO MONTOYA, JOE LOUIS WALKER, NICK MOSS, JASON RICCI, and the late “Gentleman of the Blues” JOHNNY BASSETT. Peter Jay captured the moment and mixed the disc down with McCARTY.

Live From Callahan's

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Johnnie Bassett & The Blues Insurgents - Party My Blues Away

Size: 116,9 MB
Time: 49:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Big Boss Woman (4:47)
02. Party My Blues Away (3:33)
03. Call Your Mama's Name (5:42)
04. Money Back Guarantee (3:57)
05. Wonderin' Blues (4:54)
06. Good Good Goodies (5:10)
07. Kissin' Me Goodbye (5:51)
08. Real Good Feeling (3:32)
09. Johnnie's Boogaloo (5:28)
10. I'll Get Around To You (3:12)
11. Send You Thru 2000 (3:36)

The years 1994-1999 have seen guitarist/singer Johnnie Bassett become the top blues act from Detroit, and he's bucking for the Midwest, if not all the land. Bassett's leaner-than-B.B. guitar musings and delightfully soulful singing voice, along with help from many talented friends, have catapulted the ex-Fortune Records sessionman into as formidable a blues musician as there is out there today. This is Bassett's fifth CD, done at the Tempermill Studio in Ferndale, MI, and it sounds like it was as much of a joy to make as it is to listen to. Substantial help comes from the Codish family: son Chris is the organist on this date, while father Bob wrote or co-wrote (with Chris) half the disc. Those songs include the sly, non-committal apathy of "I'll Get Around to You," a mortal lock "Money Back Guarantee," and the rather typical "Big Boss Woman." All are legitimate hits. Other goodies include the downtrodden, self-doubting "Wonderin' Blues" with a cameo from founding Insurgent Bill Heid on piano. It's centered around a slinky, low-key tinkling at which Heid is an expert. "Johnnie's Boogaloo" is a straight-ahead groove mongrel, about as good a dance tune as you'll find, while Ron Levy's "Send You Thru 2000" is a shuffle with a "now or never" proposal, featuring saxophonist Keith Kaminski, who is very good on this and other places throughout this set. This group does more than simply jump, jive, and wail on these 11 tracks; they also swing and shuffle with the best. The horn parts are always well crafted. Drummer R.J. Spangler is a judicious leader deserving much credit for Bassett's success, rhythmically and otherwise. The whole band just sounds like they're having a ball making music with their friends. And live in performance, as many can attest, they're just as irresistible and contagious, a fine example of what you can do when you mix equal parts jazz and blues. Highly recommended. ~by Michael G. Nastos

Party My Blues Away

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Joe Weaver & His New Blue Note Orchestra - Baby I Love You So

Size: 122,0 MB
Time: 52:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Detroit Blues
Art: Front

01. Do You Wanna Work Now (3:24)
02. Looka Here Pretty Baby (4:22)
03. Soft Pillow (6:16)
04. I Found A Love (6:22)
05. Tootsie Roll (4:55)
06. I'm On My Merry Way (2:40)
07. Baby I'm In Love With You (3:58)
08. It Hurt So Bad (4:22)
09. Baby I Love You So (3:31)
10. All I Do Is Cry (4:08)
11. What Am I Living For (4:22)
12. It Must Be Love (4:07)

Personnel:
Acoustic Bass – Bob Connor
Backing Vocals – Speck Colden, Terry Thunder, Will Elijah
Drums – R.J. Spangler
Guitar – Johnnie Bassett
Piano – Bill Heid (tracks: 1 to 8 and 10 to 12), Joe Weaver (tracks: 9)
Saxophone [Baritone] – Keith Kaminski
Saxophone [Tenor] – Keith Kaminski
Shaker – R.J. Spangler, Rick Matle
Tambourine – R.J. Spangler

Joe Weaver is a veteran Detroit musician and songwriter whose group Joe Weaver & the Blue Notes served as house band for Fortune Records. Later Weaver was in the house band at the fledging Motown operation, even touring with the Four Tops. He eventually joined the Ford workforce in secure of a more secure financial footing.

As Johnnie Bassett was able to revive his career, he started introducing audiences to some of his friends including Weaver and Weaver joined Bassett at the 1998 Blues Estaffe in the Netherlands. In Spring 1999, with Johnnie Bassett and company in the studio, Joe Weaver & His New Blue Note Orchestra recorded Baby I Love You So for Black Magic. With Bassett leading the way with his swinging guitar, Weaver gets to sing in a most ingratiating manner with Keith Kaminski’s saxophone, Bill Heid’s piano, Bob Connor’s bass and R.J. Spangler’s drums.

Most of the songs here are Weaver originals from the rocking Do You Want To Work, and Soft Pillow, which comes off like Charles Brown in a jump blues vein. Other songs recall the glory days of 50’s R&B such as Looka Here Pretty Baby, and the nice personalized version of Chuck Willis’ What Am I Living For. Weaver may not be able to match the heights Wilson Pickett of the falcons attained on I Found a Love, but in invests plenty of soul in his performance.

There is plenty of wailing and swinging, jumping and jiving to be heard on this blues recording that also shows what swing is all about. ~Ron W

Baby I Love You So

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The Heid-Bassett Blues Insurgents - The Heid-Bassett Blues Insurgents

Size: 114,5 MB
Time: 48:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues
Label: Eastlawn Records
Art: Front

01. Same Old Blues (3:49)
02. Woke Up This Morning (3:46)
03. Milling (4:14)
04. Blowin' The Horn (3:09)
05. Hentai Ni (5:42)
06. Tired Of Waiting (3:26)
07. Pick Up The Pieces (4:26)
08. Mellow Dog (5:10)
09. Years Gone By (4:00)
10. Mal's Boogie (3:11)
11. Sweet Little Angel (3:09)
12. Wonderin' Blues (4:47)

Keyboardist/vocalist Bill Heid was born August 11, 1948, in Pittsburgh, PA. A natural and virtuosic musician who was inspired to play jazz and blues by listening to the radio, he played in both piano and organ groups. His brother is the well-respected drummer and producer George Heid. Originally influenced by Jimmy Smith and Don Patterson, Heid heard the chitlin' circuit greats at the Hurricane Bar, including Smith and Patterson, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. Down the street at the Crawford Grill were the jazz bands led by Freddie Hubbard, Max Roach, Gene Harris, Bobby Timmons, and Wynton Kelly.

On occasion he would sit in with some of these groups and pester them for information. Spending time in Chicago and later in New York, he met and hung out with his mentor, Larry Young, often visiting the family-owned Newark Club in Young's hometown of Newark, NJ. He was also privy to playing with the best organ drummers like Joe Dukes and Billy James. And he heard the local contingent of jazz greats like Ahmad Jamal, Art Blakey, Erroll Garner, George Benson, Eddie Jefferson, Mary Lou Williams, and Stanley Turrentine.

His quest for musical knowledge found him on the road when in 1963, in search of rare 78-rpm rhythm & blues records, he began a journey/career of hitchhiking. He did this in the contiguous 48 states of the U.S.; through Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, and China; and to the Thailand/Cambodia border. His over 400,000 documented miles of thumbing a ride gained Heid a spot in The Guinness Book of World Records. Some of his journeys led him to the so-called chicken houses and organ rooms of major cities, where he interned with Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy Ponder, Sonny Stitt, Grant Green, David "Fathead" Newman, Ira Sullivan, and Mickey Roker, and was a pianist with Don Patterson.

A move to Chicago brought him closer to the urban blues as he worked or recorded with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and especially Son Seals, Koko Taylor, Fenton Robinson, and Roy Buchanan. He also did two LPs and played in the bands of contemporary jazz guitarist Henry Johnson. Moving to Detroit, he spent two decades there playing in his own groups; helping to revive the career of a local legend of blues guitar and vocals, Johnnie Bassett, as the music director of his Blues Insurgents; and backing the veteran singer Alberta Adams. During and since his time in Detroit, Heid could be found making music soundtracks for adult films in Los Angeles, then touring worldwide for the U.S. State Department as a jazz ambassador, particularly on tours of Japan and Vietnam. In August 2003, Heid played more of the Pacific Rim in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. ~AMG

b. 9 October 1934, Marianna, Florida, USA. For many years an unacknowledged talent, Bassett finally emerged from semi-obscurity in 1994 when championed by the drummer and music promoter, R.J. Spangler. Spangler was the midwife to the first line-up of Johnnie Bassett And The Blues Insurgents, (with Spangler on drums, Bill Heid on piano and organ, and Scott Peterson on alto saxophone), the band that would bring Bassett to the prominence he deserved. As a young boy, Bassett played the harmonica and taught himself to play guitar. At school he met other like-minded aspiring musicians with whom he played at local talent contests. He made his professional debut as part of the Detroit, Michigan-based R&B combo, Joe Weaver And Bluenotes, who soon caught the attention of several major artists such as John Lee Hooker and began working with them in local clubs as backing artists. In this informal atmosphere, Bassett rubbed shoulders with the greats and absorbed their artistry. The combo also got regular work with Detroit’s Fortune Records as their studio band. Bassett continued to work steadily as a musician on the lounge circuit, not allowing even national service in the army from 1958-62 to interrupt his career. He moved to Seattle following his service, backing stellar artists such as T.J. Fowler, Eddie Burns, Smokey Robinson And The Miracles and Tina Turner. A young Jimi Hendrix also sought him out for advice. Bassett’s reputation flourished on his return to Detroit, all the way through to the 90s. However, it was only when Bassett and the newly formed Blues Insurgents were featured on a live CD of the Detroit/ Montreux International Jazz Festival that he began to reach an international audience. Bassett’s first studio album I Gave My Life To The Blues was released on the Netherlands label, Black Magic Records. Further albums followed in rapid succession, with Cadillac Blues featuring an especially warm, rich collection of songs. The album featured new additions to the Insurgents, Chris Codish (organ), Keith Kaminski (tenor saxophone), and Dwight Adams (trumpet). Party My Blues Away was the 1999 follow-up. Having won the Detroit Blues Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, Bassett had waited a long time for recognition. It’s with sly satisfaction that he sings, ‘I still got the blues, but now I’ve got them in my Cadillac.’ ~AMG

The Heid-Bassett Blues Insurgents

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Johnnie Bassett & The Blues Insurgents - I Gave My Life To The Blues

Size: 149,2 MB
Time: 63:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1996
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. I'll Get Over You (6:36)
02. Mean Feeling (5:41)
03. Drink Muddy Water (3:17)
04. Blowing The Horn (3:16)
05. I Love A Good Woman (But I Like The Bad One's Too) (3:29)
06. If The Shoe Is On The Other Foot (4:59)
07. Too Hot To Trot (3:02)
08. They Call Me Lucky (4:40)
09. Weed Head Woman (5:22)
10. Same Ol' Blues (5:09)
11. Tired Of Waiting (3:53)
12. Mercedes Woman (5:04)
13. Double Dealing (4:10)
14. I Gave My Life To The Blues (4:57)

An excellent disc all around, available domestically and at domestic prices. The band is in a solid groove with the usual stomps, shuffles, good-time funk and delicious slow blues. During the last few years, Bassett has begun to sound less like '60s-era B.B. King and on this disc he seems to come into full bloom. The band, too, is full of first-class musicians. They draw from disperate sources and concentrate on laying down a tight foundation which lovingly supports Bassett's inventive single-string leads and chordal rhythm guitar work. In this day of gadgets and floor boxes, his sound is refreshingly clean and uncluttered and a pleasure to listen to. If you like straight-ahead electric blues, you can't go wrong with this disc. ~by Sigmund Finman

I Gave My Life To The Blues

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Johnnie Bassett - Bassett Hound / Cadillac Blues

Album: Bassett Hound
Size: 130,7 MB
Time: 55:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Bassett Hound (4:19)
02. Walk My Blues Away (5:02)
03. Ningyo Mambo (4:36)
04. Sweet Potato Pie (4:31)
05. You Little Doll! (5:59)
06. Still Can Boogie (4:27)
07. Years Gone By (5:01)
08. The Mellow Side (4:34)
09. Pick Up The Pieces (5:58)
10. Cold Winter Morning (5:06)
11. Bouncing With Bassett (6:02)

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Johnnie Bassett grew up with blues music all around him in his native Florida. His unique ability to combine jump blues and Delta stylings gave his playing a distinctive sound. The self-taught guitarist recalled seeing Tampa Red, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and other classic blues artists at fish fries in his grandmother's backyard. Bassett cited Aaron "T-Bone" Walker as a major influence, as well as B.B. and Albert King, Tiny Grimes, and Billy Butler.

After Bassett's family moved to Detroit in 1944, he made his debut as a guitarist with Joe Weaver & the Bluenotes, a teenage R&B band. The group won local talent contests and was hired to back up Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and others on their tour stops in Detroit. Bassett went into the Army in 1958 and played in a country & western group while stationed in Washington state.

After returning to Detroit, he found work as a session guitarist for Fortune Records by day and in nightclubs at night. In the studios, he played backup to musicians and groups like Nolan Strong & the Diablos, Andre Williams & the Don Juans, and the Five Dollars. He also played guitar on the first recording by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles while traveling to Chicago to record as a session man for the Chess Records label. During his Detroit days, he also accompanied John Lee Hooker, Eddie Burns, Alberta Adams, Lowell Fulson, and the T.J. Fowler Band at their live shows, as well as Dinah Washington.

In the 1960s, Bassett moved to Seattle, where he backed up Tina Turner, Little Willie John, and others. Jimi Hendrix was a frequent guest at the bluesman's club gigs around Seattle. Before the decade ended, he moved back to Detroit, where he was based for the remainder of his life.

In 1994, Bassett received a lifetime achievement award from the Detroit Blues Society. He later recorded an album for the Dutch Black Magic label, I Gave My Life to the Blues (1996). Bassett and his band, the Blues Insurgents, made several U.S., Canadian, and European tours in support of LPs including 1997's Bassett Hound and 1998's Cadillac Blues. After the turn of the millennium, Bassett released two albums on the Sly Dog imprint of Mack Avenue Records, 2009's The Gentleman Is Back and 2012's I Can Make That Happen. After battling cancer, Johnnie Bassett died in August 2012 at the age of 76. ~by Richard Skelly

Bassett Hound

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Album: Cadillac Blues
Size: 134,4 MB
Time: 57:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. I'm Gonna Do, What I'm Gonna Do (4:11)
02. Cadillac Blues (5:13)
03. Broke In Pieces (5:54)
04. I Can't Get It Together (4:46)
05. That's Fair Play (3:53)
06. Get Over Here Baby (5:50)
07. Raise The Roof, Raise The Rent (4:11)
08. Walk On Baby (4:01)
09. Memories Of Your Perfume (4:38)
10. Cadillac Baby (5:08)
11. Dog House Is My Home (4:29)
12. Dresser Drawers (4:46)

Two in a row for Johnny Bassett and his fine band, the Blues Insurgents. They are the keepers of the flame of straight-ahead, postwar blues. Bassett, musically, is a direct descendant of B.B. King circa 1965, with his pure, clean tone and long, flowing guitar lines uncluttered by electronic devices. Vocally, he sounds like Mose Allison and Johnny Adams in an untrained way. His band is very tight and unusual because, along with trumpet, tenor sax and drums, it includes organ, which also plays the bass parts. If this disc has any faults, it may be that Bassett delivers a couple of the hurting songs with too much positive emotion, which seems at odds with his lyrics. A very satisfying disc of shuffles, down-in-the-alley slow blues and funk. ~by Sigmund Finman

Cadillac Blues

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Johnnie Bassett - I Can Make That Happen

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:22
Size: 101.6 MB
Styles: Detroit blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:21] 1. Proud To Be From Detroit
[3:34] 2. Love Lessons
[3:35] 3. Spike Boy
[4:32] 4. I Can Make That Happen
[4:23] 5. Cry To Me
[4:01] 6. Teach Me To Love
[3:20] 7. Dawging Around
[3:20] 8. Cha'mon!
[7:44] 9. Reconsider Baby
[3:10] 10. Motor City Blues
[3:19] 11. Let's Get Hammered

For all his talent, Bassett has made just a handful of feature albums. The best of the five is his new one, I Can Make That Happen (Sly Dog Records)—its release is cause for celebration. Bassett, even-tempered and polite, says, “My sound and the way I play and tune my guitar is different from anybody. I designed it that way when I was getting into the business. I heard all the other guitarists coming up and they all sounded the same to me— everybody wanted to be B.B. King or T-Bone Walker. I wanted to be different-sounding.” He realized his goal long ago through his open tuning, his impeccable timing, his personal way of bending notes, his mix of playfulness and relaxation in phrasing, and his arsenal of signature licks. Only a few of Bassett’s peers play from the heart as convincingly as he does on his trusty old Gibson, Heritage and Conrad guitars.

The Florida-born septuagenarian turns in fine performances on strong original material for I Can Make That Happen, supported by ace musicians belonging to two popular Detroit bands. Keyboardist Chris Codish, bassist James Simonson and drummer Skeeto Valdez are The Brothers Groove. The Motor City Horns consists of saxophonist Keith Kaminski, trombonist John Rutherford, and trumpeters Bob Jensen and Mark Byerly. (Each of these players also contributed to the success of Bassett’s 2009 Sly Dog release, The Gentleman Is Back.)

“The whole experience was electrifying,” says Bassett about recording the new album. “We rehearsed three days. I like what we got out of that.” Codish, who produced with Kaminski, recalls, “It was a lot of fun. All of us have been playing together for a long time and we were comfortable with each other. And I think we’ve grown as a band since the first record.” So, what’s it like to play with Bassett? "Johnnie's the top of the groove pyramid,' says Chris Codish, "where he sets the time with his playing, it's very natural for the rest of the band to fall in beneath him to support and follow him. He makes it fun."

I Can Make That Happen

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