STIR FRIED WITH BUDDY CAGE
''LAST OF THE BLUE DIAMOND MINERS''
JUL 2000
55:50
1/Vanessa/Jefferson Kaye, Taylor/4:59
2/Nothin' to Do/Markowski, Sullivan/3:04
3/Blood Brother/Lorenzo, Markowski/8:03
4/West of the Mississippi/Lorenzo, Markowski/3:11
5/Quagmire/Markowski, Markowski/6:47
6/Road Trip to Marist/Kober, Markowski, Pedin/2:37
7/Black Dress/Coyne, Markowski/6:45
8/The Door Is Still Open/Jefferson Kaye/3:35
9/Let It Be Known/Markowski, Sullivan/5:03
10/Sex Machine/Markowski/3:36
11/Last of TH Blue Diamond Miners/markowski, Sullivan/8:10
Buddy Cage/Steel Guitar
Vassar Clements/Fiddle
Dr. John/Fender Rhodes, Piano, Vocals
John Hermann/Piano
Richard Hilton/Piano
Jason Langley/Bass
Tony Trischka/Banjo
Vin Warner/Standup Bass
Bernie Worrell/Clavinet, Hammond Organ
REVIEW
by Stanton Swihart
It's as difficult to describe the music of Stir Fried as it is to find an appropriate place on the music store shelf for their albums. Their music truly is stir-fried: eclectic and spicy, full of flavor, peppered with such an amazing array of colors and textures that it is almost an embarrassment of riches. The second studio effort (and third album overall) from the collective is all of those things, but with the heat increased even a few more notches. Last of the Blue Diamond Miners is freewheeling and playful, organic and rollicking, loose-limbed but tight. The number of elements that are seamlessly incorporated into the music -- bluegrass, funk, boogie-woogie, psychedelia, blues, country, world beat -- is only matched by the serious level of musicianship, which makes the songwriting sound improvisational and the improvisations sound like more than out-and-out jamming. The album and band is the baby of John Markowski, and he uses it not only as a forum for his own stellar songs, but also as a way to honor the undervalued music of his cult songwriting father, the late Thomas Jefferson Kaye. Even more so, it is a way to assemble some of the greatest instrumentalists that popular music has ever born. The fluctuating procession of guest artists includes such monumental names as Vassar Clements, Tony Trischka, Dr. John, and Bernie Worrell, while pedal steel great Buddy Cage is the band's second feature player, turning his instrument into a lead voice on songs like the Cajun-smoked "Nothing to Do" and the Booker T. & the M.G.'s groove of "Blood Brother." A different member of the band, though, stands out on every cut. On "West of the Mississippi," a wonderful balancing act between honky-tonk country, Western swing, and bluegrass, it is Trischka's expert banjo. On "Quagmire" it is the electrifying Hammond runs of Worrell and Markowski's incendiary guitar work. And fiddle legend Clements steals the hayseed jam that breaks out a third of the way into "Black Dress," despite near equal performances from Cage and Trischka. Markowski fronts Stir Fried more than ably. There's a little bit of Dr. John's funky Delta bravado in his voice, as well as some of the whiskey-soaked rasp of Gregg Allman, but it is more often a dead ringer for the great Richard Manuel. But in spite of the virtuosity of its members, Stir Fried is a true band, and the sensitivity and respect that the players show one another throughout the album is as inspiring as the band's extraordinarily distinctive blend of ingredients. The bluesy rhythms and slow, lurching voodoo guitar of "Vanessa" creates the perfect backdrop for Dr. John's inimitable singing, as well as a framework for the swaggering, sweaty interplay of the band. The breezy travelogue "Road Trip to Marist" is downright infectious (with a pedal steel solo from Cage that must be heard to be believed), but it resists any sort of label, especially pop, just as the entire album does. And on the epic ballad title track, the band arrives at a narrative tale that seems to bottle nostalgic impulses of long-gone, wide-open spaces. For musicianship alone, Last of the Blue Diamond Miners merits the highest rating available to it, but it also comes packing a wealth of precious gems in its 11 songs.
''LAST OF THE BLUE DIAMOND MINERS''
JUL 2000
55:50
1/Vanessa/Jefferson Kaye, Taylor/4:59
2/Nothin' to Do/Markowski, Sullivan/3:04
3/Blood Brother/Lorenzo, Markowski/8:03
4/West of the Mississippi/Lorenzo, Markowski/3:11
5/Quagmire/Markowski, Markowski/6:47
6/Road Trip to Marist/Kober, Markowski, Pedin/2:37
7/Black Dress/Coyne, Markowski/6:45
8/The Door Is Still Open/Jefferson Kaye/3:35
9/Let It Be Known/Markowski, Sullivan/5:03
10/Sex Machine/Markowski/3:36
11/Last of TH Blue Diamond Miners/markowski, Sullivan/8:10
Buddy Cage/Steel Guitar
Vassar Clements/Fiddle
Dr. John/Fender Rhodes, Piano, Vocals
John Hermann/Piano
Richard Hilton/Piano
Jason Langley/Bass
Tony Trischka/Banjo
Vin Warner/Standup Bass
Bernie Worrell/Clavinet, Hammond Organ
REVIEW
by Stanton Swihart
It's as difficult to describe the music of Stir Fried as it is to find an appropriate place on the music store shelf for their albums. Their music truly is stir-fried: eclectic and spicy, full of flavor, peppered with such an amazing array of colors and textures that it is almost an embarrassment of riches. The second studio effort (and third album overall) from the collective is all of those things, but with the heat increased even a few more notches. Last of the Blue Diamond Miners is freewheeling and playful, organic and rollicking, loose-limbed but tight. The number of elements that are seamlessly incorporated into the music -- bluegrass, funk, boogie-woogie, psychedelia, blues, country, world beat -- is only matched by the serious level of musicianship, which makes the songwriting sound improvisational and the improvisations sound like more than out-and-out jamming. The album and band is the baby of John Markowski, and he uses it not only as a forum for his own stellar songs, but also as a way to honor the undervalued music of his cult songwriting father, the late Thomas Jefferson Kaye. Even more so, it is a way to assemble some of the greatest instrumentalists that popular music has ever born. The fluctuating procession of guest artists includes such monumental names as Vassar Clements, Tony Trischka, Dr. John, and Bernie Worrell, while pedal steel great Buddy Cage is the band's second feature player, turning his instrument into a lead voice on songs like the Cajun-smoked "Nothing to Do" and the Booker T. & the M.G.'s groove of "Blood Brother." A different member of the band, though, stands out on every cut. On "West of the Mississippi," a wonderful balancing act between honky-tonk country, Western swing, and bluegrass, it is Trischka's expert banjo. On "Quagmire" it is the electrifying Hammond runs of Worrell and Markowski's incendiary guitar work. And fiddle legend Clements steals the hayseed jam that breaks out a third of the way into "Black Dress," despite near equal performances from Cage and Trischka. Markowski fronts Stir Fried more than ably. There's a little bit of Dr. John's funky Delta bravado in his voice, as well as some of the whiskey-soaked rasp of Gregg Allman, but it is more often a dead ringer for the great Richard Manuel. But in spite of the virtuosity of its members, Stir Fried is a true band, and the sensitivity and respect that the players show one another throughout the album is as inspiring as the band's extraordinarily distinctive blend of ingredients. The bluesy rhythms and slow, lurching voodoo guitar of "Vanessa" creates the perfect backdrop for Dr. John's inimitable singing, as well as a framework for the swaggering, sweaty interplay of the band. The breezy travelogue "Road Trip to Marist" is downright infectious (with a pedal steel solo from Cage that must be heard to be believed), but it resists any sort of label, especially pop, just as the entire album does. And on the epic ballad title track, the band arrives at a narrative tale that seems to bottle nostalgic impulses of long-gone, wide-open spaces. For musicianship alone, Last of the Blue Diamond Miners merits the highest rating available to it, but it also comes packing a wealth of precious gems in its 11 songs.
