We all have our musical heroes. The great blues and folk singer Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, was an early inspiration for veteran drummer Adam Nussbaum, who has powered bands led by John Scofield, Dave Liebman, Gil Evans, Art Farmer, and many, many others. While his first sideman credit dates from a 1977 album by pianist Albert Dailey, it wasn’t until Sunnyside released The Lead Belly Project in 2018 that he first recorded as a leader. Now the same terrific quartet of Ohad Talmor on tenor saxophone and Steve Cardenas and Nate Radley on electric guitars is back with Lead Belly Reimagined. After touring with the music for a while, the group is enviably tight. The music is steeped in blues feeling from the first beat of Nussbaum’s drum introduction to Relax Your Mind and the group’s evident simpatico never flags. Rock Island Line, a Lead Belly song that became an improbable British hit by Lonnie Donegan in the early Sixties, is probably the best known song here. The quartet’s recasting of the familiar melody epitomizes their approach, combining an abiding respect for the material with contemporary styles. Using two guitars and no bass gives the music an unusual open ambiance. Each of the musicians has written a short paragraph about the experience of delving into Lead Belly’s music for the CD booklet. Saxophonist Talmor writes “I hope you get to enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed playing it.” Thank you, Ohad, from one listener who is enthusiastic about the disc, and happy to let everyone know how good this music really is. Happily recommended.
Sunnyside SSC1578; Ohad Talmor (ts) Steve Cardenas, Nate Radley (g) Adam Nussbaum (d) Brooklyn, NY, July 16, 2019; Relax Your Mind/ Laura/ Princess Elizabeth/ Rock Island Line/ When I Was a Cowboy/ Shorty George/ If It Wasn’t For Dicky/ Governor Pat Neff; 43:30. sunnysiderecords.com
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