Mandolin has a long, if obscure, history with the blues. Some may know blues mandolin from Jim Schwall's work with the
Siegel-Schwall Band in the mid-'60s, or be familiar with long gone Chicago legends
Yank Rachell and
Johnny Young, but today blues mandolin retains its aura of mystery.
Gerry Hundt, part of the
Nick Moss/Blue Bella gang, hopes to change all that.
Hundt is a versatile bluesman, adept on bass, guitar, and harmonica, as well as mandolin, but
Since Way Back it's all about the mandolin. The set includes both full band outings and piano/mandolin duets in the style of the
Johnny Young/
Otis Spann classic "Keep Your Nose Out of My Business." The most remarkable thing about
Hundt's playing here is how he avoids the obvious temptation to play in the style of the older generation to follow his own path.
Hundt's style is as country as it is Chicago, with a laid-back feel on the mandolin that's complemented by his aggressive vocal attack. Backed by
Flip Tops Nick Moss on bass and acoustic guitar, Willie O'Shawny on piano, and drummer Bob Carter as well as lead guitarist Josh Stimmel, and
Barrelhouse Chuck on, what else, piano,
Hundt provides a primer of his own style of mandolin blues. On "Since Way Back" he tunes the mandolin
Rachell style, with the fourth string tuned down a step or two.
Bill Lupkin's forceful harmonica complements the big, chiming sound of
Hundt's mandolin. "That Woman!" is an instrumental that gives the ensemble time to stretch out and features impressive solo work by Stimmel,
Lupkin, O'Shawny, who is particularly impressive, and
Hundt, who moves between slurred notes, rippling arpeggios, and single-note runs. "Burning Fire," an
Otis Spann tune, gets a soulful reworking as a duet with O'Shawny's smoky piano;
Hundt delivers a smoldering vocal and more sterling work on mandolin. "You're the One" has a loose,
Jimmy Rogers-style groove and a nonchalant vocal by
Hundt. "Trying Hard" has a
Howlin' Wolf feel and builds steam with
Hundt and
Lupkin delivering solos that slowly move from relaxed to incendiary. The instrumental duet with
Barrelhouse Chuck on "End of the Bay Blues" demonstrates how two pros can create a remarkably full sound.
Hundt's mandolin dances in and around
Chuck's slow, left hand bass pulse, and his frenetic, rippling right hand, and closes the piece with the pair playing undulating harmonic runs in unison. The cover art is a riff on the classic Blue Note album art of the early '60s, and gives the package a hip, retro feel. ~ j. poet