Showing posts with label Tom Rigney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Rigney. Show all posts

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Tom Rigney & Flambeau - Let The Four Winds Blow

Size: 119,6 MB
Time: 51:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: New Orleans Rhythm & Blues
Art: Front

01. Fais Do Do (3:01)
02. A Certain Girl (3:36)
03. Le Bon Vin Doux (4:00)
04. Stagger Lee (4:17)
05. New Nola Blues (5:04)
06. She's In The Mood (3:32)
07. Halfway To Hooverville (3:55)
08. Let The Four Winds Blow (4:27)
09. Paddy On The Bayou (4:29)
10. Waltz Du Temps Perdu (4:21)
11. New Love Thing (4:46)
12. C'est La Vie (5:54)

From the bayou to New Orleans, a collection of Cajun and New Orleans R&B songs and instrumental pieces featuring original songs by violinist/fiddler Tom Rigney and several classics from the New Orleans R&B songbook.

Tom Rigney has been a part of the San Francisco Bay Area roots music scene for more than thirty-five years. In 2000, after fifteen years as the leader and electrifying violinist of The Sundogs, fiddler/composer Tom Rigney stepped out on his own with a hot new band, Flambeau. The repertoire is original, eclectic, passionate, and filled with a musical and emotional intensity that will come as no surprise to followers of Rigney’s career.

The son of baseball great, Bill Rigney, Tom is a native of the Bay Area. His musical career began after he finished his graduate studies at Harvard University, where he received a Masters degree in Fine Arts.

Tom first rose to prominence in the music scene as the leader/fiddler of the legendary Bluegrass/Western Swing band, Back in the Saddle. He won a Bammie award in 1981 for the band’s debut recording. He also wrote their hit song, “Time and Again”, which rode the country music charts in the Bay Area for many weeks, no small achievement for an independent release.

After the demise of Back in the Saddle, Tom joined Queen Ida’s Bon Temps Zydeco Band and toured the world with the Queen in 1983 and 1984. It was at this time that he developed a love of South Louisiana dance music (Cajun, zydeco, and New Orleans second line grooves). These styles formed a major ingredient in the sound of his next band, The Sundogs. Teaming with songwriter Joe Paquin and slide guitarist T.J. Politzer, Tom and The Sundogs performed and recorded together for fifteen years. They released seven CD’s (and even an LP!), including two on the Rounder label. Their last recording, “Dancing Room Only”, spent eight weeks on the Americana Radio charts nationally. They toured extensively across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, performing at numerous major festivals and concerts and at more dances and nightclubs than anyone cares to remember. Their sound was a scorching blend of Cajun, blues, and roots Rock and Roll–original Americana music that struck a nerve with audiences all over the globe.

And now, with the broadening and deepening of his composing skills, and the refinement of his virtuoso technique on the violin, Tom Rigney steps out as the focal point of Flambeau, and as the creator of most the band’s music. The strong Cajun/zydeco influence is still present, as are the irresistible dance grooves that have been his specialty for twenty years. But there is also a deepening of the emotional range of his music and a concentration on creating moving and memorable melodies in a wide range of styles–he has literally become a “singer” on the violin. The music bursts with the energy of the bayou one minute, turns passionate with a gypsy tune the next; it can raise the roof with a Celtic reel and then touch the heart with a beautiful waltz; it can drive deep into the heart of the Blues or evoke echoes of Eastern Europe or the coast of Spain.

In 1998, Tom released the critically-acclaimed “Chasing the Devil” on the Parhelion label. In 2000, he released Flambeau’s debut CD, “Red Boots and Rice”. Since then, Rigney has recorded and released a new CD (or DVD video) every year–from “Happy to be Here”, Flambeau’s rockin’ 2003 release that spent weeks on the Americana radio chart; to “Metamophosis“, Rigney’s highly eclectic (and highly-acclaimed) all-instrumental album; to the DVD video/CD combination “Live at the Throckmorton Theatre” (2006), to three all-blues CDs–“A Blue Thing” (2007), “Back Porch Blues” (2009), “Don’t Fight It” (2011)–each of which climbed to Number 1 on the XM/Sirius Satellite Radio Bluesville Chart; to the latest Flambeau CD, “You’re the One” (2012),which received serious airplay from Americana programmers all over the country.

There is no question that Rigney has become one of the premier blues and roots music violinists in the world, and continues to be a prolific composer of powerfully compelling music for the violin, music whose influences come from an extremely wide range of musical styles within the broad boundaries of American Roots Music. As a composer, as a violinist, as a band leader, Tom Rigney is a true American original.

Let The Four Winds Blow

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Tom Rigney & Flambeau - Serious Fun

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:11
Size: 140.1 MB
Styles: Cajun, Louisiana blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[3:59] 1. Over The Edge
[3:33] 2. You Say You Love Me
[4:01] 3. The Devil You Know
[4:10] 4. The Yearning Heart
[2:54] 5. Serious Fun
[4:54] 6. Midnight Walk
[3:29] 7. Hey Little Girl
[5:54] 8. C'est La Vie
[4:29] 9. Bring It On Home To Me
[5:20] 10. New World
[4:03] 11. Tonight's A Night
[3:02] 12. Spin
[4:55] 13. The Blackbird
[4:14] 14. The Prisoner's Song
[2:07] 15. Knock On Your Door

Tom Rigney (vocals, violin); Steve Parks (vocals); Danny Caron (guitar); Caroline Dahl (piano); Brent Rampone (drums); Joe Paquin (rub-board).

This disc features eleven original compositions by Tom Rigney, most of them written in 2008, and four fabulous cover tunes–the Sam Cooke/Lou Rawls classic, “Bring It On Home To Me”, Al Rapone’s zydeco masterpiece, “C’est la Vie”, the country classic “The Prisoner’s Song (here given a rollicking New Orleans treatment), and the Eddie Hodges hit, “Knock On Your Door”. Rigney’s new compositions cover a wide range of musical ground, from the rockin’ title tune, “Serious Fun”, to the driving Irish Cajun fiddle tune, “Spin”, to the two heartbreakingly beautiful airs, “The Yearning Heart” and “The Blackbird”. Along the way, Flambeau gets lowdown and bluesy on “You Say You Love Me”, kicks up its collective heels on the new Rigney love songs, “Hey Little Girl” and “Tonight’s a Night”, and turns swingingly dark and atmospheric on “Midnight Walk”.

All the new material showcases Flambeau’s tight ensemble playing and fiery instrumental work. Particularly hot are the deeply grooving rhythm section and virtuosic soloing on the funky instrumental piece, “New World”, and the kick-ass zydeco punch of another new instrumental, “The Devil You Know”. In all, this is unquestionable the rockin’-est CD Flambeau has recorded to date, and is sure to become the party album of 2009. If you love American roots music you owe it to yourself to get some “Serious Fun”!

Serious Fun

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Tom Rigney & Flambeau - You're The One

Size: 118,9 MB
Time: 50:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Louisiana Blues, Cajun, Zydeco
Art: Front

01. Hey Little Dancer (3:45)
02. You're The One (3:37)
03. Swamp Fever (5:08)
04. Catalonia (4:44)
05. Tired Of Cryin' (4:21)
06. Mad Dog (4:29)
07. Happiness (5:05)
08. Dance All Night (3:14)
09. The Lovers' Stroll (2:52)
10. The Bottle Of Bugey (3:18)
11. Consolation (5:08)
12. Iko Iko (5:07)

You're the One is the hot new release from violinist/fiddler/composer Tom Rigney and his band, Flambeau. It is an eclectic mix of original Roots/Americana music-Cajun, zydeco, New Orleans grooves, Tex-Mex, and several of Rigney's beautiful ballads - a high energy combination of infectious grooves, tight ensemble playing, incendiary solos, and catchy songs and instrumental pieces. The disc is a follow-up to 2011's all blues release, Don't Fight It, which climbed all the way to the top of the XM/Sirius Satellite Radio's Bluesville Chart.

You're The One

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Tom Rigney - A Blue Thing / Back Porch Blues

Album: A Blue Thing
Size: 132,7 MB
Time: 56:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2004
Styles: Blues Folk, Louisiana Traditions
Art: Front

01. Lunch With Satan's Grandma (3:49)
02. Blow Away My Blues (3:37)
03. The Blue Hour (4:38)
04. Hold Me Tight (4:12)
05. Deep River Blues (3:44)
06. Gate's On The Heat (4:37)
07. Wayfaring Stranger (5:51)
08. Don And Dewey (4:28)
09. Gator Boy (3:49)
10. House Of The Rising Sun (6:41)
11. That Nasty Swing (3:01)
12. St. Louis Blues (4:33)
13. Baby Please Don't Go (3:54)

Fiddler Tom Rigney has contributed more than a quarter-of-a-century to roots music in San Francisco. After graduating from Harvard with a Masters in fine arts, he went on to play the fiddle for a band named Back in the Saddle. That stint brought him a Bammie (Bay Area Music Award) in the early '80s, thanks to his performance on the group's first album. The band independently issued one of Rigney's compositions, "Time & Again," which became a regional hit. When Back in the Saddle folded, Rigney moved on to Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band. While touring with the group, he came to fully appreciate the music of Louisiana, specifically zydeco, Cajun, and some sounds of New Orleans. He took his new appreciation for Louisiana's music to his next venture, a band called the Sundogs that teamed Rigney with T.J. Politzer and Joe Paquin. Rigney and the Sundogs put out more than half-a-dozen albums and spent more than a dozen years together. They took their mixture of blues, Cajun, and roots music to stages and festivals throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe and Canada. Upon leaving the Sundogs, Rigney pulled together a new outfit, Flambeau. The band consists of guitarist Danny Caron, accordionist and pianist Caroline Dahl, drummer Jimmy Sanchez, and bassist Steve Parks. Rigney composes most of the band's music, but Flambeau also plays several of the old zydeco and Cajun favorites. In addition to recording with his bands, Rigney also has a solo effort to his credit. Chasing the Devil was released in 1998 by Parhelion. Rigney, son of the late San Francisco Giants infielder and manager Bill Rigney, was raised in the Bay Area. ~by Linda Seida

A Blue Thing

Album: A Blue Thing
Size: 117,6 MB
Time: 50:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Blues Folk, Louisiana Traditions
Art: Front

01. Back Porch Blues (3:23)
02. Happy Home (3:55)
03. Shake Rattle And Roll (4:24)
04. Rigo's Blues (4:16)
05. Right Now Blues (3:52)
06. Windowpane Blues (3:42)
07. It's A Blessing (4:53)
08. California Blues (3:16)
09. Solid Gone (3:44)
10. Swamp Beat Boogie (3:11)
11. Drivin' That Thing (4:17)
12. Struttin' It Up (3:52)
13. Back Porch Blues (Reprise) (3:26)

Tom Rigney has not been an easy artist to categorize. The violinist/singer has focused on what is loosely defined as "roots music," but he hasn't embraced one type of roots music specifically -- and along the way, Rigney has played everything from Cajun music to bluegrass. Back Porch Blues, it turns out, favors a mixture of pre-World War II country blues and pre-World War II country (with elements of 1920s and '30s jazz at times). This early 2009 release makes it clear that Rigney has spent a lot of time listening to recordings from the '20s and '30s, and he celebrates that era with inspired performances of material ranging from the Mississippi Sheiks' "Drivin' That Thing" to Jimmie Rodgers' "California Blues" and the Carter Family's "Solid Gone." Country doesn't get much more old-time than Rodgers and the Carter Family -- they were among the giants of country's pre-honky tonk, pre-Hank Williams, pre-Ernest Tubb era -- so the inclusion of those gems is quite appropriate for an album that is so mindful of pre-World War II music. That said, Rigney isn't being a purist when it comes to saluting that time. Charles Calhoun's "Shake Rattle and Roll," another highlight of Back Porch Blues, wasn't written until 1954 -- and the moody instrumental "Rigo's Blues" (a Rigney original) owes a lot to '60s and '70s soul-blues. Further, the fact that Rigney uses acoustic instruments extensively on this album doesn't mean that he uses them exclusively. But none of those things are problematic; actually, Rigney's lack of "purity" is a big part of the fun. Even though Back Porch Blues is, to a large degree, a shout out to the 1920s and 1930s, the fact that Rigney doesn't forget about the '50s, '60s, and '70s adds to the intrigue. Back Porch Blues is an excellent CD that Rigney should be proud to have in his catalog. ~by Alex Henderson

Back Porch Blues

Monday, August 17, 2015

Tom Rigney & Flambeau - Back Streets: A Blues Collection / Swamp Fever: Live At Three Stages

Album: Back Streets: A Blues Collection
Size: 124,4 MB
Time: 52:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Blues, Zydeco, Cajun
Art: Front

01. Tired Of Cryin' (4:21)
02. Over The Edge (3:59)
03. Insomnia (5:21)
04. My Babe (3:43)
05. New World (5:19)
06. Bring It On Home To Me (4:29)
07. You Say You Love Me (3:33)
08. Midnight Walk (4:54)
09. Hey Little Girl (3:29)
10. Milk Cow Blues (4:49)
11. Florida Blues (3:44)
12. Swamp Fever (5:08)

An all-Blues collection from Bay Area violinist/composer Tom Rigney and his band, Flambeau, featuring several brand new tracks and the blues tracks from three previously released Flambeau CDs. The disc showcases Rigney's hot, soulful, electrifying fiddling, infectious grooves, tight ensemble playing, and great contributions from his band mates, particularly guitarist Danny Caron and pianist Caroline Dahl. Back Streets includes several of Rigney's original songs and instrumental pieces, and a few blues classics - a great introduction to the blues side of Tom Rigney and Flambeau.

Back Streets: A Blues Collection

Album: Back Streets: A Blues Collection
Size: 167,8 MB
Time: 72:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues, Cajun, Zydeco, Country
Art: Front

01. Guinness And Gumbo (Live) (5:17)
02. You're The One (Live) (3:56)
03. Le Bal A Chataignier (Live) (4:08)
04. House Of The Rising Sun (Live) (8:14)
05. Iko Iko (Live) (5:45)
06. Swamp Fever (Live) (7:02)
07. Windowpane Blues (Live) (5:06)
08. Caroline's Boogie (Live) (4:03)
09. Adeline Shuffle (Live) (5:41)
10. Serious Fun (Live) (4:09)
11. C'est La Vie (Live) (6:36)
12. Consolation (Live) (5:06)
13. Orange Blossom Special (Live) (6:51)

The new live CD by Tom Rigney and Flambeau, the Bay Area's hottest Cajun/Blues/Roots band. This scorching live set was recorded at Three Stages Center for the Arts in Folsom, CA, in front of a sold out crowd, with the band tearing the place up. This concert is part of the new PBS music series, ""Music Gone Public"", which will be premiering nationally in 2015.

Swamp Fever: Live At Three Stages

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Tom Rigney & Flambeau - Happy To Be Here

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 47:51
Size: 109.5 MB
Styles: Fiddle blues, Louisiana blues
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:59] 1. Maman Rosin
[3:46] 2. Co Fa
[4:11] 3. Boppin' The Blues
[4:30] 4. Jambalaya
[4:49] 5. Milk Cow Blues
[3:14] 6. Party Gras
[3:10] 7. Annie's Reel
[3:37] 8. Firefly Waltz
[4:05] 9. Do The Zydeco
[3:44] 10. Florida Blues
[4:41] 11. Les Flammes D'enfers
[3:59] 12. Orange Blossom Special

This disc features twelve great Flambeau tracks, including many of the most-requested tunes in the live repertoire. The album is a fine showcase for all the members of Flambeau (in its various guises), with stellar performances by Caroline Dahl (piano/accordion), guitarists Danny Caron, Jerry Cortez, and Denny Geyer, drummers Jimmy Sanchez and Ian Hoffman, and bassists Steve Parks, Pat Campbell, and Steve Evans. In addition to these players there are guest appearances by Lloyd Meadows (Zydeco Flames) on rub board, Vince Littleton (Super Diamond) on percussion, Catherine Matovich (Neil Diamond) on violin, and Jim Nunally (John Reischman and the Jaybirds) on acoustic guitar.

The repertoire is a scorching blend of Cajun, zydeco, blues, and New Orleans dance grooves, and includes several new Tom Rigney originals: Party Gras (a smoking New Orleans groove destined to be the dance party hit of the summer), Annie's Reel (an irresitibly infectious fiddle tune written for his daughter), and The Firefly Waltz. But the new disc also contains killer versions of a number of big Flambeau hits: Maman Rosin (a powerhouse Mardi Gras tune), Boppin' the Blues (the Carl Perkins classic), Jambalaya, Milk Cow Blues, and even Tom Rigney's legendary (and long-awaited) version of the fiddle classic, Orange Blossom Special.

Happy To Be Here mc
Happy To Be Here zippy