Sugar Brown - Toronto Bound

Album: Toronto Bound
Size: 154,8 MB
Time: 66:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Front

1. Sell, Steal Or Die (2:55)
2. Bottom Of The Mountain (6:44)
3. Toronto Bound (6:35)
4. Sixteen Shots (5:51)
5. Bad Health, No Wealth (7:03)
6. When We Were In Love (6:26)
7. Grim Reaper (4:55)
8. Mama's Moving On (3:33)
9. You Stay The Same (4:10)
10. Only Son (4:32)
11. Call Mama (3:42)
12. Catfish Attraction (5:52)
13. Queen Of Sounine (4:26)

Sugar Brown's fourth studio album, recorded live-off-the-floor and onto 1" tape. Featuring thirteen original songs by Sugar Brown. The title track, "Toronto Bound", describes Sugar Brown's itinerant life from Ohio, Chicago, Paris, New York, Tokyo and finally to Toronto, where he has resided for over twenty years. An album that brings new rhythms to timeless blues forms, Toronto Bound is Sugar Brown's most imaginative album to date. All songs are composed, arranged and produced by Ken Kawashima (Sugar Brown).

Personnel: Sugar Brown (vocals, harmonica, guitar); Nichol Robertson (guitar); Victor Bateman (bass); Lowell Whitty (drums); Derek Thorne (percussion).

Toronto Bound mc
Toronto Bound gofile

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Sugar Brown - It's A Blues World (Calling All Blues!)

Size: 111,0 MB
Time: 47:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Electric blues
Art: Front

1. Hummingbird (2:40)
2. Love Me Twice (5:41)
3. Lousy Dime (3:33)
4. Sure As The Stars (3:14)
5. It's A Blues World (5:24)
6. Hard To Love (4:10)
7. Frying Pan (3:07)
8. What I Know (4:32)
9. Tide Blues (3:41)
10. Those Things You Said (3:21)
11. Looking For 2 O'clock (2:41)
12. Dew On The Grass (3:02)
13. Brothers (2:27)

As one might expect from a Ph.D. college professor, Toronto-based Sugar Brown’s blues are both deep and eclectic. His journey to this point is rather unusual for a blues artist. He was born Ken Kawashima, to a Japanese father and Korean mother, raised in Bowling Green, OH before migrating to Chicago to pursue his studies. Okay, now you likely figured out that Brown fell in love with blues while in Chicago. Yes, and he went further; playing with Taildragger (who gave him his nickname), Rockin’ Johnny Burgin (who plays extensively on this album), Willie Kent, and many others. Welcome to Sugar Brown’s third album, It’s a Blues World (Calling All Blues!).

These are all Brown (vocals, guitar, harmonica) originals but he’s not at reticent in providing his influences and inspirations for each one. He cites John Lee Hooker and Frankie Lee Sims for the opening “Hummingbird.” Right away, Brown selects a different kind of instrumentation than many blues artists, using Julia Narveson’s (aka Minnie Heart) baritone sax to drive the tune. Other tracks feature fiddle and banjo for example. “Hard to Love” was inspired by the acoustic fingerpicking stylings of Floyd Council and of Kansas Joe McCoy, husband of Memphis Minnie. “Lousy Dime,” an album highlight has the feel of Tom Waits with Nichol Robertson’s banjo and Minnie Heart’s fiddle giving it a country blues vibe. The passionately sung title track is an homage to Little Mack Simmons but the lyrics stem from America’s plight under Trump.

Lonnie Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy echo through “Tide Blues’ and “Love Me Twice’ is based on Bob Dylan’s “it’s Not Too Late” channeled via Chicago’s West Side sound. Brown is mostly old-school, rendering country blues in “Brothers,” boogie in “Lookin’ For Two O’Clock,” jump blues in “Dew On The Grass,” and hints of rock n’ roll with “What I Know.” There’s no doubt that Brown is a rising talent, putting his knowledge and passion together full throttle for this effort. /Jim Hynes

It's A Blues World (Calling All Blues!) mc
It's A Blues World (Calling All Blues!) zippy

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Sugar Brown - Poor Lazarus

Size: 125,9 MB
Time: 53:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Chicago Blues, Rockin' Blues
Art: Front

01. Walkin’ With Frankie (3:08)
02. Meet Me In The Country (3:29)
03. What A Comrade Left Behind (3:33)
04. Get Behind The Mule (3:39)
05. Goin’ Down South (3:25)
06. Poor Lazarus (5:25)
07. Blue Lights Hooker (3:21)
08. Tokyo Nagaremono (4:07)
09. Train Sixty-Four (3:06)
10. The Mad Gardener’s Song, Pt. 1 (3:48)
11. Burn It Down (4:07)
12. The Mad Gardener’s Song, Pt. 2 (3:57)
13. Not Your Backdoor Man (4:47)
14. Weak Brain And Narrow Mind (3:48)

Sugar Brown’s second full-length album, "Poor Lazarus," has morphed beyond Chicago blues and into a more chaotic and wild space shared by the Texas blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Frankie Lee Sims, as well as the trance-like blues of northern Mississippi’s R.L. Burnside. Sugar Brown’s highly anticipated, second studio album, Poor Lazarus, reveals Sugar Brown in his many diverse grooves, shades, and styles, and is the result of three years of performing and collaborating with harmonica maestro, Bharath Rajakumar (Bharath and his Rhythm Four),
drummer extraordinaire, Art Makris (JW-Jones, Kid Ramos), and jug band star, Julia Narveson (Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band). Also on the album is Toronto-based drummer and percussionist, Pat Philips, who added vibes to the mix. Like Sugar Brown’s first album, Poor Lazarus was also recorded live-off-the-floor, full-track mono, and onto tape for that classic analog sound.

Poor Lazarus was inspired by recent events in the USA, namely On August 9, 2014; Michael Brown was fatally shot and murdered by white police officers in Ferguson, Missouri. One month later, Kawashima discovered the 1911 song “Poor Lazarus” in Alan and John Lomax’s Folksongs of the USA, which tells the tragic story of a (white) police officer fatally shooting a black man named Lazarus. How history repeats itself—but always with differences in the present. To give this old song contemporary meaning and relevance, Kawashima composed a driving and swinging ostinato groove, which he imagined with a huge chromatic harp line that Rajakumar would eventually play and record beyond Kawashima’s wildest expectations. The decision to record “Poor Lazarus” in the wake of Ferguson, to not let the moment slip away, was the catalyst to record this singularly unique album.

A mix of originals and boldly crafted and arranged covers, Poor Lazarus features 14 standout tracks that are at once raw, vicious and thought-provoking. From the opening notes of Frankie Lee Sims’ tune “Walking with Frankie”, to the desperate plea for one last chance with a lover on the visceral “Meet Me in the Country,” and finally to ingenious interpretations of Lewis Carroll’s, “The Mad Gardener’s Song” and Tom Waits’ “Get Behind the Mule,” Sugar Brown’s blues is sweet, dark, inconsolable, raw, and wild. Most of all, it’s blues that will make you move and get down!

Poor Lazarus

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VA - International Blues Challenge #33

Size: 119,7 MB
Time: 51:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Electric/Acoustic Blues
Art: Full

01 Dawn Tyler Watson - Shine On (5:11)
02 Johnny Fink - Let's Hear Some Blues (3:49)
03 Randy McQuay - Till I Get To Memphis (3:18)
04 Brody Buster's One Man Band - 2029 (3:55)
05 Al Hill - Don't Dig Today (4:46)
06 Sobo Blues Band - Catfish Boogie (4:22)
07 Ruth Wyand & The Tribe Of One - I Don't Have Proof (2:45)
08 The Souliz Band - Good Lovin' (Hot & Fresh From The Oven) (3:50)
09 Felix Smith - I Hate You Cause I Love You (5:56)
10 Wes Lee - Chains That Bind (3:08)
11 Sam Joyner - Onions (3:26)
12 Rae Gordon & The Backseat Drivers - Elbow Grease (3:23)
13 Sugar Brown - Meet Me In The Country (3:30)

It’s that time of year again, and we don’t necessarily mean the holidays. We’re talking about the exciting compilation CD put together thru a joint effort of The Blues Foundation and the good folks over at Frank Roszak Promotions. Yep–“IBC #33” features fourteen live cuts culled from the hundreds of performances occurring in the week-long festivities during The International Blues Challenge in Memphis back in February of this year. Players from both the Band and Solo/Duo Category are represented, and the songs are all-originals from the players.

First Place Band winner Dawn Tyler Watson leads off by taking us to Blues Church with the powerhouse gospel overtures of “Shine On.” Solo/Duo winner Al Hill plays piano on his “Don’t Dig Today,” but his axe skills also brought home the coveted Solo Division Outstanding Guitarist award.

Those who didn’t win have plenty to offer, tho. Check out Brody Buster’s One Man Band with his apocalyptic tale of what might happen on “September 23, 2029!” Ruth Wyand And The Tribe Of One touches on the topic of a cheatin’ lover with “I Don’t Have Proof,” while The Souliz Band Featuring Sugar And Spice are in it for a down-home good time on “Good Lovin (Hot And Fresh From The Oven).

We had a favorite, too. Likely this one is a crowd-pleaser wherever it is played, as Johnny Fink And The Intrusion dig on every classic riff they can get their frets on, from Freddie to Elmo and everywhere in between with the party anthem, “Let’s Hear Some Blues!”

In about six weeks or so, after the turkey is all eaten and the packages are all unwrapped, the festivities will crank up for the 34TH IBC, and if you’re lucky enough to go, you’ll be in the presence of the most comprehensive gathering of blues talent on the planet. For a taste of what’s coming, grab a shot of what has been with “International Blues Challenge #33!” Until next time…

International Blues Challenge #33

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Sugar Brown - Sugar Brown's Sad Day

Size: 157,8 MB
Time: 63:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Chicago Blues, Country Blues
Art: Front

01. Pickin' The Blues (Fishman's Blues) (3:12)
02. Before The Law (Feat. Bharath Rajakumar & Ben Caissie) (3:47)
03. Sad Day (Feat. Bharath Rajakumar & Ben Caissie) (4:11)
04. Grim Reaper (3:04)
05. Act Like You Love Me (4:41)
06. Volcano Woman (5:01)
07. Stockyard Blues (1:35)
08. 2 O'clock (2:29)
09. Hook-A-Boogie (4:12)
10. Run, Run, Run (5:55)
11. John Henry (4:28)
12. What Are We Gonna Do (3:55)
13. Rollin' And Tumblin' (4:36)
14. It Hurts Me Too (4:01)
15. Boogie For Fuji (7:58)

This beauty is a great mix of older style Chicago, Texas, and Hill Country Blues and it was not only a surprise, but also a rare treat to hear this type of music as newly released music, as this sounds just like the music from greats such as Little Walter, Magic Slim, Muddy Waters, and most notably Tail Dragger. Tail Dragger actually gave Sugar Brown, whom was born Ken Chester Kawashima, his stage name, saying to him "You Ain't Black...But You Sure Ain't White...You're Sugar Brown ." Tail Dragger's association with Sugar Brown, did not stop with just giving him his stage name, as Sugar Brown played blues with Tail Dragger, in addition to Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, the legendary drummer for Muddy Walter's band.

One of the things I was really impressed with, when I started to listen to "Sugar Brown's Sad Day", was the great live feel I got. This live feel comes from the fact that this album was "recorded live-off-the-floor onto a full track mono recorder." This made for a wonderful old time sound, quite reminescent of the Chess recordings during the 50's. Even the cover, back, and additonal photo's inside the CD case, have a old time look to them.

"Sugar Brown's Sad Day" consists of 15 Tracks of great tunes, and is just over 63 minutes in length. Eight of the Tracks are Sugar Brown originals, with the remainder consisting of some mighty fine covers, which included 2 Elmore James tunes "Fishman's Blues" and "It Hurts Me To", Jimmy Rogers "Act Like You Love Me", Velvet Underground's "Run, Run, Run", and Muddy Waters "Rollin' and Tumblin'", to name a few.

In addition to Sugar Brown on Vocals & Guitar, as well as, Harmonica on 2 Tracks, additional performers included playing various instruments on various Tracks, Bharath Rajakumar (Harmonica/Guitar/Maracas/Back-Up Vocals), Ben Caissie (Drums/Upright Bass) and Zak Izbinsky (Guitar). "Sugar Brown's Sad Day" is dedicated to Sugar Brown's late father, Fujiya Kawashima, for whom several songs were written in the wake of his fathers passing, "Sad", "Grim Reaper", and "Two O'Clock". All written in a deeply personal and moving manner, with the most rawly performed being "Two O'Clock", which is just Sugar Brown singing and playing Harmonica.

"Sugar Brown's Sad Day" finishes off with what I am guessing is a little tribute to Sugar Brown's father called "Boogie For Fuji" and as the name implies, it is a great little Boogie number that has the whole band kicking up quite a storm. "Boogie For Fuji" goes for a length of 3:01 and then after about a 20 second pause another song on that Track starts up. Not sure whether it was a hidden or bonus Track, but is was certainly another nice treat to this stellar album.

"Sugar Brown's Sad Day" marked my first intro to Sugar Brown and what an amazing intro it was. I would have never dreamt that this style of fantastic old time blues was still being made and certainly not with such an authentic old time feel. "Sugar Brown's Sad Day" is a must have album for any Blues lover, no questions asked.

5***** for "Sugar Brown's Sad Day" and I which I had a higher rating system, because it certainly deserves it. ~Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)

Sugar Brown's Sad Day

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