JEFF HEALEY
''AMONG FRIENDS''
2002
65:57
1/I Would Do Anything for You (Hill, Hopkins, Williams)/4:28
2/Bright Eyes (Ahlert, Jerome, Motzan)/3:20
3/Pardon My Southern Accent (Malneck, Mercer)/3:45
4/Out of Nowhere (Green, Heyman)/3:56
5/Lost (Mercer, Ohman, Teetor)/4:43
6/Star Dust (Carmichael, Parish)/4:54
7/Where Are You (Adamson, McHugh)/4:17
8/A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich, And You (Dubin, Meyer, Rose)/4:37
9/Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (Barris, Koehler, Moll)/5:39
10/I Wish I Were Twins (DeLange, Loesser, Meyer)/3:11
11/My Buddy (Donaldson)/6:56
12/Save Your Sorrow for Tomorrow (DeSylva, Sherman)/3:24
13/Midnight Blue (Burke, Leslie)/3:41
14/Limehouse Blues (Braham)/3:33
15/I'll See You in My Dreams (Jones, Kahn)/1:04
16/Blues in Thirds (Hines)/4:29
Jesse Barksdale /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Soloist
Colin Bray /String Bass
John R.T. Davies /Sax (Alto), Cornopean
Jeff Healey /Guitar, Trumpet, Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Tomaz Jardim /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Rhythm)
Reide Kaiser /Piano
Inder Marwah /Guitar (Rhythm)
Chris Plock /Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Roberto Rosenman /Guitar
Jim Shepherd /Trombone
Dick Sudhalter /Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ross Woolridge /Clarinet, Piano
REVIEW
By Thom Jurek
With 2002's Among Friends, Jeff Healey brought his passion for traditional jazz -- the driving dance band blues-based jazz of the 1920s and early '30s -- into the studio. The album was issued in Canada only and was followed by Adventures in Jazzland in 2004 and the live It's Tight Like That with Chris Barber in 2006. Healey, known widely for his burning, lap style brand of electric blues does play electric guitar here, but he plays far differently than on any of his previous recordings. He also plays his second instrument of choice, the trumpet. And while he may not win any Down Beat polls, it hardly matters to him. His passion for this music is lifelong, and one can hear in his delivery as a singer the influences of everyone from Louis Armstrong to Jack Teagarden, though he is way more raggedy and doesn't have his phrasing down at all. But again, that's just fine for what this is. Among Friends also features trumpeter Dick Sudhalter, trombonists Danny Douglas and Jim Shepherd, saxophonist Chris Plock on both soprano and tenor, and John R.T. Davies on alto, Reide Kaiser on piano, and upright bassist Colin Bray. There are differing ensembles here depending on the material, which ranges from the wild and woolly "Bright Eyes," to Frank Loesser's "I Wish I Were Twins," to Gus Kahn and Isham Jones' "I'll See You in My Dreams," to "Limehouse Blues," to Earl Hines' "Blues in Thirds." Healey's not looking for anything but the feel of the music he loves. It's raw, raucous, fun and there's plenty of soul in his delivery as a vocalist. The jazz snobs would decry this, but Healey's not aiming to please; he's enjoying himself and that's obvious here. That said, his intention is made plain to the listener, and one cannot help but feel the infectious joy that comes from these grooves.
BIOGRAPHY
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
What made Jeff Healey different from other blues-rockers was also what kept some listeners from accepting him as anything other than a novelty -- the fact that the blind guitarist played his Fender Stratocaster on his lap, not standing up. With the guitar in his lap, Healey could make unique bends and hammer-ons, making his licks different and more elastic than most of the competition. Unfortunately, his material leaned toward standard AOR blues-rock, which rarely let him cut loose, but when he did, his instrumental prowess could be shocking. 
Healey lost his sight at the age of one, after developing eye cancer. He began playing guitar when he was three years old and began performing with his band Blues Direction at the age of 17. Healey formed the Jeff Healey Band in 1985, featuring bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen. This trio released one single on its own Forte record label, which led to a contract with Arista Records. the Jeff Healey Band released their debut album, See the Light, in 1988 and the guitarist immediately developed a devoted following in blues-rock circles. Featuring the hit single "Angel Eyes," the record went platinum in the U.S. While the Jeff Healey Band's subsequent records were popular, none were as successful as the debut. 
As the 21st century dawned, Healey began to change his direction. He taught himself to play the trumpet and began to lean toward the kind of traditional 1920s and '30s jazz that had always fascinated him. He released two classic jazz albums, 2002's Among Friends and 2004's Adventures in Jazzland, on his own HealeyOphonic label, and a third traditional jazz outing with It's Tight Like That, which appeared on Stony Plain in 2006. And while he continued to do shows in his earlier blues-rock style, he increasingly gigged with his jazz combo, the Jazz Wizards. In 2008, a month before the release of his last studio-recorded blues album, Mess of Blues, Healey died from cancer. Songs from the Road, a collection of live blues-rock performances from 2006 and 2007, was released by the Ruf imprint in 2009, nearly 18 months after Healey's death. His final studio jazz album, Last Call, was issued by Stony Plain in April 2010.
''AMONG FRIENDS''
2002
65:57
1/I Would Do Anything for You (Hill, Hopkins, Williams)/4:28
2/Bright Eyes (Ahlert, Jerome, Motzan)/3:20
3/Pardon My Southern Accent (Malneck, Mercer)/3:45
4/Out of Nowhere (Green, Heyman)/3:56
5/Lost (Mercer, Ohman, Teetor)/4:43
6/Star Dust (Carmichael, Parish)/4:54
7/Where Are You (Adamson, McHugh)/4:17
8/A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich, And You (Dubin, Meyer, Rose)/4:37
9/Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (Barris, Koehler, Moll)/5:39
10/I Wish I Were Twins (DeLange, Loesser, Meyer)/3:11
11/My Buddy (Donaldson)/6:56
12/Save Your Sorrow for Tomorrow (DeSylva, Sherman)/3:24
13/Midnight Blue (Burke, Leslie)/3:41
14/Limehouse Blues (Braham)/3:33
15/I'll See You in My Dreams (Jones, Kahn)/1:04
16/Blues in Thirds (Hines)/4:29
Jesse Barksdale /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Soloist
Colin Bray /String Bass
John R.T. Davies /Sax (Alto), Cornopean
Jeff Healey /Guitar, Trumpet, Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Tomaz Jardim /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Rhythm)
Reide Kaiser /Piano
Inder Marwah /Guitar (Rhythm)
Chris Plock /Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Roberto Rosenman /Guitar
Jim Shepherd /Trombone
Dick Sudhalter /Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ross Woolridge /Clarinet, Piano
REVIEW
By Thom Jurek
With 2002's Among Friends, Jeff Healey brought his passion for traditional jazz -- the driving dance band blues-based jazz of the 1920s and early '30s -- into the studio. The album was issued in Canada only and was followed by Adventures in Jazzland in 2004 and the live It's Tight Like That with Chris Barber in 2006. Healey, known widely for his burning, lap style brand of electric blues does play electric guitar here, but he plays far differently than on any of his previous recordings. He also plays his second instrument of choice, the trumpet. And while he may not win any Down Beat polls, it hardly matters to him. His passion for this music is lifelong, and one can hear in his delivery as a singer the influences of everyone from Louis Armstrong to Jack Teagarden, though he is way more raggedy and doesn't have his phrasing down at all. But again, that's just fine for what this is. Among Friends also features trumpeter Dick Sudhalter, trombonists Danny Douglas and Jim Shepherd, saxophonist Chris Plock on both soprano and tenor, and John R.T. Davies on alto, Reide Kaiser on piano, and upright bassist Colin Bray. There are differing ensembles here depending on the material, which ranges from the wild and woolly "Bright Eyes," to Frank Loesser's "I Wish I Were Twins," to Gus Kahn and Isham Jones' "I'll See You in My Dreams," to "Limehouse Blues," to Earl Hines' "Blues in Thirds." Healey's not looking for anything but the feel of the music he loves. It's raw, raucous, fun and there's plenty of soul in his delivery as a vocalist. The jazz snobs would decry this, but Healey's not aiming to please; he's enjoying himself and that's obvious here. That said, his intention is made plain to the listener, and one cannot help but feel the infectious joy that comes from these grooves.
BIOGRAPHY
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
What made Jeff Healey different from other blues-rockers was also what kept some listeners from accepting him as anything other than a novelty -- the fact that the blind guitarist played his Fender Stratocaster on his lap, not standing up. With the guitar in his lap, Healey could make unique bends and hammer-ons, making his licks different and more elastic than most of the competition. Unfortunately, his material leaned toward standard AOR blues-rock, which rarely let him cut loose, but when he did, his instrumental prowess could be shocking.
Healey lost his sight at the age of one, after developing eye cancer. He began playing guitar when he was three years old and began performing with his band Blues Direction at the age of 17. Healey formed the Jeff Healey Band in 1985, featuring bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen. This trio released one single on its own Forte record label, which led to a contract with Arista Records. the Jeff Healey Band released their debut album, See the Light, in 1988 and the guitarist immediately developed a devoted following in blues-rock circles. Featuring the hit single "Angel Eyes," the record went platinum in the U.S. While the Jeff Healey Band's subsequent records were popular, none were as successful as the debut.
As the 21st century dawned, Healey began to change his direction. He taught himself to play the trumpet and began to lean toward the kind of traditional 1920s and '30s jazz that had always fascinated him. He released two classic jazz albums, 2002's Among Friends and 2004's Adventures in Jazzland, on his own HealeyOphonic label, and a third traditional jazz outing with It's Tight Like That, which appeared on Stony Plain in 2006. And while he continued to do shows in his earlier blues-rock style, he increasingly gigged with his jazz combo, the Jazz Wizards. In 2008, a month before the release of his last studio-recorded blues album, Mess of Blues, Healey died from cancer. Songs from the Road, a collection of live blues-rock performances from 2006 and 2007, was released by the Ruf imprint in 2009, nearly 18 months after Healey's death. His final studio jazz album, Last Call, was issued by Stony Plain in April 2010.
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