Tag Archives: Ricky Nye

Music Review
The Vevay Sessions
Ricky Nye

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Ricky Nye didn’t invent boogie-woogie, he just plays it like he did. I’m really bad at defining musical genre boundaries but even I know that not everything on this album is technically boogie-woogie. On the other hand, boogie-woogie is more than time signatures and bass lines. Like many other musical genres, it is partly attitude. Boogie-woogie is fun. It makes you smile. Maybe tap your toes. Of The Vevay Sessions Nye says, “The objective was to make a fun upbeat party record…” which to me means a record with a boogie-woogie attitude.

The album’s name comes from it being recorded in Vevay, Indiana. Some may need to be told that Vevay is “a small rural river town” but not me. I’m quite familiar with Vevay and the name was actually a big attraction for me. I can vouch for the accuracy of Karen Boyhen’s cover art which I suspect was largely done while standing at the front door of my favorite Vevay bar, Cuzz’s. The toe-tappin’ “Kay-Bee Boogie” that opens the album is named for Boyhen.

Backing Nye’s piano and vocals are Anthony Ray Wright on drums and guitar and Jerry King on bass and Eli Gonzalez adds some really nice saxophone on several tracks. The story goes that Ricky approached Jerry and Anthony about doing something together while at a show where the two performed with their regular group, Jerry King & The Rivertown Ramblers. The Ramblers’ forte is rockabilly and Ricky describes what he had in mind as “something a little rootsier than my previous releases.” I’d already heard the album when I read that and, although the word “rootsier” was a new one for me, I immediately knew what it meant and thought it a pretty good description of what they put together.

I think the tracks are about evenly divided between songs from Nye’s live repertoire and those newly worked up for these sessions. Among the latter group is one by Bob Wills (How’s that for rootsier?) and a couple from King Records. One of those King Records’ songs is an album highlight for me. “Train Kept A-Rollin'” was written by Tiny Bradshaw. He recorded it with his big band (with Philip Paul on drums) in 1951. In 1956, Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio dramatically reworked it into one of the earliest guitar-driven rock and roll songs ever recorded. Since then, The Yardbirds, Aerosmith, and almost every garage band in the world have updated or covered Burnette’s version. Ricky covers Bradshaw’s version and it’s a glorious thing.

The rest of that quote about the objective being “a fun upbeat party record” is “…and I believe we delivered”. And I believe so too.

The Vevay Sessions and other Ricky Nye recordings can be purchased at
rickynye.com/music

The CD is available in Cincinnati at
Everybody’s Records, Shake It Records, and Mole’s Record Exchange.

A digital download is available at
bandcamp/the-vevay-sessions

But the best way to get it is direct from Ricky at one of his upcoming appearances.

Parisians at Play

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Ricky Nye and the Paris Blues BandThough far removed from their natural habitat, these Parisians appear to be well acclimated and enjoying themselves. And so is everybody else. Local boogie woogie master Ricky Nye makes at least one trip to France each year and, for the last three years, these fellows have been returning the favor. Using the name Ricky Nye and the Paris Blues Band, they do a few shows in and around Cincinnati and I’ve managed to catch one of them on each of the visits. The first two years, it was at Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, where they performed Friday night. This year I missed the Rabbit Hash show but saw the group on Saturday at the Big Song Music House. This is the remarkable venue that Marc & Lisa Biales have created near Oxford, Ohio, and which I visited for the first time just about a month ago.

Paris Blues BandThe Paris Blues Band, which doesn’t really exist without Ricky, consists of Simon Boyer on drums, Thibaut Chopin on bass, and Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar. Chopin and Stelmaszack both sing and, as you can see, both play harmonica. Ever hear twin harmonica powered locomotives steam across a stage? Killer!

 

Paris Blues Band with Lisa Biales and Doug HamiltonThe excellent Ville Du Bois, recorded in Paris, is the group’s only studio offering to date. (Wrong! See note below.)
I apologize for being unfamiliar with a collection of live recordings that is also available. They are doing quite a bit of recording while in the States and that includes some with Biales. The songs they recorded together were used as openers for both sets and violinist Doug Hamilton even joined in for a couple of tunes. There will definitely be a new Ricky Nye and the Paris Blues Band studio CD available before too long and I’m sure those tracks with Lisa will appear somewhere somehow someday.

Simon BoyerThibaut ChopinAnthony Stelmaszack

 

 

 

Ricky NyeIt’s a good thing when Ricky pushes himself back from the piano in a move that looks a little like something Jerry Lee Lewis might do. It’s an unintentional signal that some extra hot keyboard action is about to take place and it’s kind of rare. Maybe it was the band or maybe it was the acoustic (rather than electronic) piano but there were three or four of those moments tonight and one that ended with Ricky standing as he joyously worked the keys. Fortunately for those seated just a few feet away, he stopped short of sending the bench sailing as Jerry Lee often does. There’s a little better view of the 1930ish Wurlitzer Butterfly Baby Grand here.

Paris Blues BandI left my camera in the car until intermission so all of the preceding pictures are from the second set. But it was during the first set that Lisa surprised everyone, including Thibaut, by filling in on bass while he played harmonica. In another “If you want a picture really bad, I’ve got a really bad picture” moment, I tried capturing that with my phone.

CORRECTION: I somehow missed a second studio CD but Ricky very politely filled me in. The CD is here and the cover actually looks familiar though some track samples don’t. It shows up at CDBaby with a search for Paris Blues Band though not with a search for Ricky Nye. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it but I’m still sorry and embarrassed.