New Orleans singer, songwriter, pianist, and producer
Eddie Bo is a Big Easy institution, but even though he cut his first side way back in 1955 and has been an extremely prolific artist ever since, he is virtually unknown outside of the Gulf Coast region, a state of affairs that is impossible to fathom, because this guy cooks, plain and simple. This charming set of solo piano tracks (there is light hand drum percussion on a couple of them) from Night Train International is wonderfully intimate, and
Bo pounds the keys hard, mixing
Professor Longhair-type boogies with just a touch of bebop on largely improvised tunes like "Mardi Gras at the Boiler Room," "Havin' Fun in New Orleans," and the explosive "Ticklin' the Blues."
Bo's long history in New Orleans R&B and funk means that these piano pieces aren't exactly representative of his record catalog, but it is this powerful piano style, with its trademark bell-like tone, that underwrites everything he's done, making
New Orleans Solo Piano a wonderful glimpse behind the curtain at a New Orleans master. ~ Steve Leggett