Michael Messer & Chaz Jankel - Mostly We Drive

Size: 104.7 MB
Time: 45:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Styles: Slide Guitar Blues
Art: Front

01. Runaway Train (4:22)
02. Slow Down Billy (4:05)
03. Mostly We Drive (5:22)
04. It Doesn't Matter (4:02)
05. I Have Seen The Light (3:45)
06. Arcadia (4:18)
07. Music Brings Us Close Together (4:12)
08. Blues Maker (4:38)
09. Bloodline (2:49)
10. Visions Of Hope (4:04)
11. Time Well Spent (3:19)

'Mostly We Drive', the debut album by Michael Messer & Chaz Jankel, sees two of Britain's finest musicians recording together for the first time. Virtuoso slide guitarist, singer-songwriter, Michael Messer and multi-instrumentalist, Chaz Jankel have created an exhilarating and accessible album comprising eleven original songs of mesmerising grooves, with superb slide guitar playing and thought-provoking lyrics that bears comparison with the finest work in either of their garlanded careers.

Throughout his forty year career, Michael Messer's music has remained individual and contemporary. His reputation as an innovator of the blues and master of slide guitar is well known. Messer's album 'King Guitar' topped the US Living Blues chart. Johnny Cash was a fan of Messer's music and wrote the liner notes for his award-winning collaboration album 'Rhythm Oil'.

Mostly We Drive MP3
Mostly We Drive FLAC

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Michael Messer - Second Mind

Year: 2002
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:14
Size: 134,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues, slide guitar blues
Scans: Front

1. Locomotive Skin (4:31)
2. Blue Letters (7:16)
3. Hummingbirds In My Soul (3:55)
4. Big Wind (4:56)
5. Love (4:29)
6. Jinx Alright (3:08)
7. Shine On (5:21)
8. In The Pocket (1:44)
9. Riverboat (4:56)
10. Tail Feather Blues (4:41)
11. Bluer Than Blue (6:25)
12. Painting The Blues (6:45)

Once upon a time, a reviewer would've noted the influence of Chicago blues on the English music scene of the 1960s. Thirty or so years later, it is just as relevant to note the influence of the English blues revival on contemporary players like Michael Messer. His sensibilities, in fact, draw from early Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, and on occasion, the Rolling Stones. This, however, isn't meant to imply that Second Mind is no more than a revival of the revival.

On "Blue Letters" he mixes a brooding guitar with a backtrack of scratching vinyl to carve out a sound reminiscent of Chuck Prophet's later work. It's fascinating, in fact, to find two different artists, one working in America, one in Britain, cross-mixing genres to create fresh sounds. These fresh effects would mean little, however, without good songs, and Second Mind is full of them. Messer had a hand in most of them and the stylistic range is impressive. The infectious, upbeat "Hummingbirds in My Soul" gives way to the atmospheric "Big Wind," which in turn prepares the way for the Stones' rocker "Love."

The production is clean and clear, making sure to keep space between the various guitar parts and tastefully weaving in bits of keyboards and gospel singing. The arrangements, taking advantage of the stylistic range, offer a number of pleasant surprises. Flourishes of accordion adorn "Shine On," while harmonica provides a little something extra on "Tail Feather Blues." All of these elements, along with Messer's fine vocals, make Second Mind a superior release and also a match for his 2001 release, King Guitar. /Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., AllMusic

Second Mind mc
Second Mind zippy

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Various - Blues: S**t My Dad Listened To

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:10
Size: 149.2 MB
Styles: Assorted blues styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Hound Dog Taylor - Rock Me
[2:39] 2. Junior Wells - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
[2:28] 3. John Hammond, Jr. - Seventh Son
[3:18] 4. Kenneth Banks - Blue Man
[5:29] 5. Michael Messer - Robert Johnson's Wake
[4:01] 6. Corey Harris & Henry Butler - King Cotton
[2:18] 7. James Cotton Blues Band - Cotton Crop Blues
[2:34] 8. Howlin' Wolf - Dorothy Mae
[3:13] 9. William Clarke - Fishin' Blues
[3:39] 10. Lil Charlie & The Nightcats - My Money's Green
[5:12] 11. Koko Taylor - The Man Next Door
[5:05] 12. Shemekia Copeland - The Fool You're Looking For
[2:41] 13. Charlie Musselwhite - My Road Lies
[2:32] 14. Kenny Neal - Early One Morning
[3:11] 15. Jimmy Johnson Blues Band - Ain't That Just Like A Woman
[3:01] 16. Luther 'Guitar Junior' Johnson - Just Like Mama Said
[3:48] 17. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Digging New Ground
[2:58] 18. Billy Boy Arnold - Move On Down The Road
[3:07] 19. The Holmes Brothers - Rounding Third

Blues: S**t My Dad Listened To

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Michael Messer’s Mitra - Call Of The Blues

Size: 121,9 MB
Time: 52:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Acoustic Blues, World Fusion
Art: Front

01. You Got To Move (2:37)
02. Anyway The Wind Blows (3:28)
03. Rollin' And Tumblin' (4:48)
04. Bhupali Blues (5:31)
05. You Gonna Be Sorry (6:53)
06. Blue Letters (7:10)
07. Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms (3:37)
08. I Can't Be Satisfied (3:50)
09. Lucky Charms (6:45)
10. Sweetheart Darling (7:48)

Personnel:
Michael Messer - Vocals, slide and lap steel guitar
Manish Pingle - Indian slide guitar (Mohan veena)
Gurdain Rayatt - Tabla

A unique fusion of blues slide guitar, Hindustani classical slide guitar and tabla rhythms.

'Mitra' (pronounced 'meetra') is friends, the Hindu god of friendship and alliance.

Michael Messer's Mitra is a trio comprising British blues innovator and slide guitarist, Michael Messer, Hindustani slide guitar maestro from Mumbai India, Manish Pingle , and London-based tabla player, Gurdain Singh Rayatt.

This is more than another meeting of musicians from different cultures, this is a band with its own unique sound, an exhilarating and highly accessible fusion of blues and Hindustani classical music. With vocals, slide guitars and tabla, these three musicians from opposite sides of the globe create a fascinating musical journey, running from the banks of the Mississippi, via London, to Mumbai and the Ganges Delta.

In 2013 Michael Messer travelled to India to perform at a festival in Mumbai. Just before the trip, he was put in touch with one of the new rising stars of Indian slide guitar, Manish Pingle (pronounced 'Pinglay'). Manish invited Michael to his home in Mumbai and after just a few minutes, the two musicians were jamming on two Mohan veenas (Indian slide guitars). Manish had heard some blues, but not the style of rural blues that Michael was playing that night. The two musicians felt an immediate and natural musical rapport and found that they were able to switch from blues to Hindustani music without really noticing the transitions. It was natural and easy, as if they had known each other's playing for years. Michael Messer left Manish Pingle's home that night, vowing that he would find a way for them to play together again.

Fast forward six months and Manish Pingle landed at Heathrow in September 2013 for a concert with Michael at the Troubadour Club in London. To make the music complete, they added London-based tabla player, Gurdain Rayatt, to create a trio. Regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of his generation outside India, Gurdain had not heard the style of blues that Michael plays, but as with Manish a few months earlier, the combination of their styles was immediate and totally natural. Manish Pingle and Gurdain Rayatt, two masters of Indian classical music, were playing Mississippi delta and hill country blues with Michael Messer, as if they had played together all their lives. All three musicians and the audience at the Troubadour Club that night were completely captivated by this unique fusion of the blues and Hindustani classical music.

Fast forward again to April 2015, and a few days after their first UK tour, Michael Messer's Mitra were at Leif Storm Studio recording their debut album, 'Call Of The Blues'. It took three days to record the ten tracks and except for a double-tracked vocal on one song, the whole album was recorded completely live with no overdubs..

Call Of The Blues

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VA - Tribute To Robert Johnson

Size: 198,3 MB
Time: 83:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. All Star Jam - Sweet Home Chicago (10:29)
02. Tab Benoit - Rambling On My Mind ( 5:09)
03. John Hammond - Crossroads Blues ( 3:04)
04. Chris Thomas King - Come On In My Kitchen ( 4:22)
05. Little Charlie & The Nightcats - Steady Rollin' Man ( 3:19)
06. John Hammond - Hellhound Blues ( 3:35)
07. Michael Messer - Robert Johnson's Wake ( 5:29)
08. The Johnny Shines Blues Band - Dynaflow Blues ( 2:40)
09. John Hammond - Walking Blues ( 2:53)
10. Roy Rogers - 32-20 Blues ( 2:44)
11. Cephas & Wiggins - Last Fair Deal Gone Down ( 3:47)
12. John Hammond - Traveling Riverside Blues (Alternate Version) ( 3:23)
13. Homesick James & His Dusters - Dust My Broom ( 3:20)
14. Chris Thomas King - Stones In My Passway ( 3:45)
15. John Hammond - Me And The Devil Blues ( 2:34)
16. Chris Thomas King - If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day ( 3:08)
17. Roy Rogers - Kindhearted Woman ( 4:26)
18. John Hammond - When You Got A Good Friend ( 4:40)
19. Lights Out By Nine - Feels Like Robert Johnson (Live) ( 4:10)
20. Al Hughes - Feel Like Robert Johnson (Part 2) ( 4:05)
21. John Hammond - Milkcow's Calf Blues ( 2:46)

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937, display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend, including the Faustian myth that he sold his soul at a crossroads to achieve success. As an itinerant performer who played mostly on street corners, in juke joints, and at Saturday night dances, Johnson had little commercial success or public recognition in his lifetime.

Tribute To Robert Johnson

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Various - All Aboard The Blues Train

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:33
Size: 134.1 MB
Styles: Assorted blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:31] 1. Michael Messer - Locomotive Skin
[2:48] 2. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train
[2:46] 3. Muddy Waters - Train Fare Home Blues
[3:24] 4. Mississippi John Hurt - Spike Driver Blues
[3:26] 5. Lights Out By Nine - Mean Ol' Frisco
[7:59] 6. John Lee Hooker - Hobo Blues
[4:42] 7. Ricardo Werther - Folsom Prison Blues
[2:43] 8. John Hammond - So Many Roads So Many Tra
[3:43] 9. Felipe Cazaux - Moving On
[3:42] 10. Jump & Guy - Night-Train
[3:07] 11. Big Gilson - Silver Train
[5:00] 12. Álamo Leal - Two Trains
[2:38] 13. Junior Wells - Mystery Train
[4:27] 14. Skip James - Cherry Ball Blues
[3:31] 15. Mark Selby - Down By The Tracks

All Aboard The Blues Train

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Michael Messer - National Avenue

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 45:21
Size: 103.8 MB
Styles: Slide guitar blues
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[2:53] 1. King Guitar
[3:37] 2. Step Right Up
[4:25] 3. Crow Blues
[3:32] 4. Living In Rhythm
[4:24] 5. Language Of The Blues
[3:38] 6. Moonbeat
[3:54] 7. Rollin' 'n' Tumblin'
[5:54] 8. Riverboat
[4:00] 9. Rising Sun
[5:29] 10. Robert Johnson's Wake
[3:29] 11. Tailfeather Blues

b. 1956, Middlesex, England. Alongside Bob Greenwood and Steve Phillips, Messer is the pre-eminent UK guitarist to incorporate the National steel guitar, as well as slide guitar, into his acoustic performances.

Messer spent some time in Nashville as a young man soaking up the sounds in the home of country music. He returned to England in the late 70s and bought his first National steel guitar in 1979. His work on the UK blues circuit brought him into contact with singer Mike Cooper, resulting in session work for Cooper and Ian A. Anderson’s 1984 release The Continuous Preaching Blues. During this period Messer also began working with rhythm guitarist Ed Genis, a partnership that would endure into the new millennium.

Michael Messer (vocals, guitar, guitars, slide guitar, drum programming); Terry Clarke (vocals, 12-string guitar); Sharon Vanbinsbergen (vocals, tambourine); Andy Crowdy (bass guitar); Simon Price (drums).

Recording information: Hatch Farm Studios, England (1996).

National Avenue mc
National Avenue zippy

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