Robert Walter

The news on Cure All is how different it is from the Stanton Moore Trio, which prominently features soul-jazz organ player Robert Walter as well.

Having seen The Stanton Moore Trio (including old friends Cranston Clements on guitar and organist/keyman David Tarkanowsky) this past May touring in promotion of this new release, it’s great to finally have III spinning in my CD player; this is Moore’s third solo recording. Don’t expect to hear exact replicas of Galactic or Garage A Trois (Skerik guests on Tenor Sax) material from this one, but you can anticipate the familiar invasion of fine bayou funk in every note. Robert Walter (Hammond B3 Organ) and Will Bernard (Guitar) are the other two lead musical personnel on Moore’s organ trio, and while it would have been great to have seen them along for the tour back in May, what’s more impressive is realizing the positions Clements and Tarkanowsky had to fill on stage without much practice time.

The goal of any good music film is to show what it was like to be at the venue when sparks flew from the stage, not necessarily the truth of the moments captured but the essence of the event that transpired. Most celluloid sequences just don’t get the job done—cutaway shots to insignificant visual images, show-offy camera angles that disrupt the flow of the music, short-changed artists with solos edited and brutal slices that choose not to expose the skinned-knee portions of any really good musical set.

One must approach Tribute CDs with extreme levels of caution. There is perhaps no more dangerous bridge to cross as a music buyer. Sometimes it works out OK - pleasant enough jazz and bluegrass tributes have been produced – but it always threatens to wander into the realm of pointlessness. Is there really an audience for A String Quartet Tribute To The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Dub Tribute To Limp Bizkit? What niche of music lovers is so refined and unknown that it deserves A Rockabilly Tribute To AC/DC? It’s hard to take these tributes seriously sometimes, but that’s OK. I like to think that the musicians and producers and listeners aren’t looking for a galvanizing experience, but maybe to witness the whimsical oddity of, say, Coldplay performed bluegrass-style.

Who doesn't love a good mix CD? The folks at Pure Hemp and One Love Entertainment certainly must, and they went above and beyond to bring the 2-disc smorgasbord that is One Love Vol. 1 to life.