10/1/2005

Greg Johnson

You feel it from the very first song on the CD; that distinct New Orleans flair. It repeats itself through several of the songs on this new release from Mary Flower, her first for the Yellow Dog label entitled, "Bywater Dance." Of course, there's a good reason for this. Most of these tunes came out of sessions recoreded in the Crescent City.

As Yelow Dog producer Michael Powers had done with fellow Portlander, Terry Robb in Memphis, he sent Mary to New Orleans and teamed her up with a nice cast consisting of some of The Big Easy's most highly regarded artists. People like Amasa Miller, Dr. Michael White, Jon Cleary and Henry Butler add specific jazzy attitude behind the numbers. With Mary's traditional past, it almost feels natural that she comes across as channeling the legendary Lonnie Johnson with her rhythmic guitar playing alongside these musicians. It is also quite satisfying to hear her reworkings of classics like Leroy Carr's "Papa's On The Housetop" or the traditional piece, "Nobody's Fault But Mine" in this type of setting.

But, before you start thinking that Mary has stepped away from her own brilliant performance as a ragtime or fingerpicking player, just stop in your tracks right there. Songs featured on the disc like "Hudson River Rag" and "Terminal Rag" will dispel any such myth. Both are self-written and she is joined by one of the world's foremost acoustic guitar players, Woody Mann, on the first of these two mentioned.

True to any of Mary's previous recordings, "Bywater Dance" is filled with joyful moments and heartfelt numbers. Perhaps the most poignant piece on the disc may be "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" It cuts deep emotionally in its presentation, backed only by a trio of horns casting about that early blend of New Orleans Jazz and Blues.

"Bywater Dance" fully encompasses the flavor of New Orleans and once again gives the world notice that Mary Flower is one of the best acoustic artists to be reckoned with. Highly recommended!