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Others can relax and simply regale in the pleasures
uncovered. One of the most gratifying posthumous releases has to
be Portraits. It contains
many never-released versions of well-known tunes from his 8
studio albums, as well as Memphis Dream, a hitherto
unreleased title. The opening cut is Bill Doggett's
classic Rambunctious, and it's a fine example of the
cool R&B sound that Gatton's music often incorporated; it also
features some driving sax from Bill Holliman with
John Previti on bass and Shannon Ford on drums.
These are 3 cats who, along with Top Cat, drove up the
excitement meter on 88 Elmira St and Cruisin' Deuces.
You gotta love how that storming sax responds to Gattons'
licks with exuberant abandon, all the while jacking up the fun
quotient. Chessplayers appeared on Gatton's final
release Relentless, but this slightly more up-tempo
version is keyboard-less, with Holliman's sax replacing
DeFrancesco's B-3. Pretty Blue, which first saw light
of day on Elmira St., is a slower version which
actually delights and amazes even more, elaborating on the
heartbreaking melody, while also including a noticeable quote
from
Chuck Berry's, Deep Feelings. But the pinnacle is
Gatton's beautiful slide solo in response to some honey sax
from Bruce Swaim. Virtually every Gatton release
incorporated a Rockabilly number, and Portraits is no
exception.
Gene Vincent's Lotta Lovin' and Danny's own
Dancing Shoes feature the late Billy Windsor on
vocals, and they're patented thrill-a-second cascades of wired
action. Lotta Lovin' also features a wonderful lap
steel solo as only Gatton could deliver. 7 Come 11 is
the Charlie Christian classic (see Unfinished
Business), but this version is from a live performance at
the Roxy Club in downtown Washington. Most enthusiasts
feel these performances represent the absolute pinnacle of
Gatton's artistry. No arguments here! The hallmark of any
Gatton show is Vince Guaraldi's Linus and Lucy, and
this live performance showcases Gatton's driving flurry of
clean notes played at super-human speed. Ten-minutes of
gravity-defying string bending that segues into a finale based
on the
Johnny Cash country classic Orange Blossom
Special. Gatton
always loved Linus and Lucy, yet he understood that no
studio could capture its fire and drama. This performance--
which also features Danny doing a great turn on bottle
slide--validates his intuitiveness. Portraits is an
excellent launching pad for Danny Gatton neophytes. As
for diehards, well it offers a snapshot-like retrospective of
the majestic sweep of his ouevre.
MP3 -
Lotta Lovin' | |
