ZORA YOUNG

 and LITTLE MIKE & THE TORNADOES

Friday Night

ELROB Records

by Liz Mandeville

For Friday Night (the new CD from the Chicago based blues singer) Zora Young joins forces with New Yorkers Little Mike and the Tornadoes for a very satisfying romp through the genre. From the first song, the music comes shuffling out of the speakers with all the authority, joy and passion of a world class act playing live at your local juke joint on a steamy Friday night. These eleven songs showcase Zora’s personable delivery and silky vocal phrasing, encasing her voice in a warm bath of rhythm, horns, keys and judiciously placed harp. The band plays with such taste it allows the singer to milk the pathos and sass from every lyric rather than having to push or strain. It makes for a really good pairing; Friday Night is now my favorite of her several recordings.

Originally from Mississippi, Zora Young has performed for decades on the Chicago and international blues scene. She was a regular featured artist at Chicago’s Kingston Mines club for many years, toured with the Legendary Blues Band in the ‘90s and has toured extensively in Europe, especially in France. Her vocal style is reminiscent of the classic blues singers, like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, who didn’t growl or force the voice, but played their instrument like a saxophone -- the voice moving smoothly up and down the scale letting emotion color the tone in a slow, steady, wail. The effect is soothing, approachable and very appealing yet loaded with passion.

Zora’s previous two CDs were produced by Chris Dussuchaud with her French musical partner Bobby Dirninger and his very able band from Limoges, France. It was a logical choice to record with the guys with whom she’d mounted more than 20 tours over as many years. Those were very eclectic discs, showcasing Zora’s ability to tackle blues, soul, and gospel, folk and pop music, bringing her swooping lyrical style and folksy ad libs to all those forms.

Friday Night, however, is all blues and, wow, does it sound good! Little Mike Markowitz produced this CD and wrote four of the tunes. His harp playing, judiciously peppered throughout the album, is fat and juicy and the songs he wrote for Zora sound like classics. His bandmates are also wonderful, particularly guitarist Tony O’Melio who has a consistently appealing bell-like tone reminiscent of Hubert Sumlin. His guitar riffs complement what Mike is playing like a conversation; neither man playing a note too many. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jim McKaba whose piano prowess makes me think of Otis Spann or Sunnyland Slim. It’s McKaba pounding the ivory that gives their cover of the Howlin’ Wolf classic “44 Blues” its solid groove.

The tunes that round out the recording are chestnuts from the likes of Lucille & Otis Spann (“Country Girl,” “Spann’s Boogie”), Little Walter (“Just Your Fool”), and Howlin’ Wolf, but the song I love the most is Zora’s tribute to the late Bonnie Lee. Like Zora, Bonnie was a transplanted Southern blues woman who sang every Monday night for the last 10 years of her life at Chicago’s “B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted.” “I’m Good,” was Bonnie’s signature song, co-written for her by the late, multiple Handy Award winning bassist and bandleader, Willie Kent. Bonnie sang that song every show. Here Zora does a tribute to her friend and gives the song a danceable rumba flavor with understated horn punches from Gary Smith and Rick Johnson and nice solos from McKaba and Markowitz.

Wrapping up the disc with “Spann’s Boogie,” McKaba gets to show off his monstrous piano chops to the rock solid pocket of Robert Piazza’s drums and Brad Vickers (sounding like he’s playing up-right bass) with the subtle scooping of the bass notes. The CD almost demands to be played again! I hope to hear more from this union of talents. This is one Friday Night that sounds like a really good time!

###