Big Al
by Ardis Hedrick
The Trail’s End Saloon in Oregon City moved to the intersection of Beale
Street and Motown Avenue for one night only last month. On Friday
the 15th of December, friends, fans and followers gathered
there to celebrate the release of the first CD recorded by Big Al
Carter. Titled Soul Blue, the album’s artwork features street
signs depicting just such an imaginary, idealized intersection; the
musical product itself sounds and feels like that is exactly where
it might have been recorded. This evening, Big Al and friends took
to the stage to deliver the finished product, live and in-person,
and to declare Oregon City the area’s newest crossroads for blues
and soul.
Carter is a recent addition to the
blues entertainment field here in the Pacific Northwest. Calling
himself an escapee from Silicon Valley, he previously sang with cover
bands there, but played no originals. Now Carter, both alone and
in cahoots with local guitar virtuoso Robbie Laws, has penned some
originals and showcases them on the CD and during his live show.
One of the first things that might
be noticed about this interesting performer is that Big Al is a sharp-dressed
man. He’s large and in-charge and onstage he is clearly the consummate
director. The man has a 50,000 watt smile, a manic Cheshire cat grin
that dominates his face whenever he’s on stage. That smile says it
all, really. PE Editor Bonnie Carter made the comment that even if
he couldn’t sing, the man would still be entertaining. He has a knack
of being able to hold the crowd in the palm of his hand with a velvet
touch that grips them in a very intense way.
Big Al Carter is an enigma—a mystery
wrapped in a riddle with a soft, nougat center. Executive by day,
blues shouter extraordinaire by night, this CIO of Logistics for
a $2 billion company has two sides that couldn’t be more diverse,
yet he seems to have merged them into one mind-bogglingly consummate
entertainer.
On how he does it, Carter says he treats
his band like a business, but allows his other side to get down and
have fun with it. It’s completely clear that he is totally in his
element and having the time of his life. Carter consciously hires
the best executives for his company (band), from the key players
on the CD and in his stage band right down to the rest of the staff.
Team Big Al is a family affair: son John worked the sound board and
daughter Natasha was selling his CDs at this gig.
Happily, Big Al’s family spills over
into the community. There to support him and celebrate the CD release
was Cascade Blues Association secretary Kiki (Stephanie) Diaz and
her husband. Both the Diaz’s are obviously rabid fans and Kiki took
it upon herself to provide this writer with a copy of Soul Blue, stating
emphatically that she knew “Big Al would want you to have it.” That’s
just the sort of thing you would expect to happen at a Big Al gig!
For this night’s second set, the group
trotted out that old chestnut Mustang Sally and turned it
into an audience participation number—“ride, Sally, ride!” To say
it was a crowd pleaser would be putting it mildly. T-Bone Shuffle featured
a hot-hot-hot piano from keyboardist Ken Brewer.
Next, blues singer Rae Gordon got up
and did two duets with the band, including the sublime John Prine
tune, Angel from Montgomery, popularized by Bonnie Raitt.
Carter held back and played harmonica and sang the chorus lines with
Gordon, which brought some special moments to the show. It was Goose
Bump City when Gordon cut loose, one of those moments when the phrase “the
crowd went wild” was totally apropos. Gordon is a dimpled diva, referred
to as Sweet Ms. Thang by Robbie Laws who laid down some serious lead
guitar action.
They say that cooking is chemistry
and when this band got to cooking, the results were a very tasty
musical menu. These guys are seasoned pros who play together like
they have done so for ages. Each musician is energized by their righteous
appreciation of the other players’ talents and it shows.
Since it was that time of year, the
band threw in a couple of Christmas tunes including Blue Christmas, made
immortal by Elvis Presley. Man, that was fun! Carter proceeded to
strap on a beautiful acoustic guitar for the oft-covered Stand
by Me. Just when you thought it couldn’t be done again with any
originality, along comes Carter and company with a heartfelt rendition
that sounds just as tight live as it does on his CD.
The Thrill is Gone garnered rapt audience attention.
It featured a keyboard solo by Brewer that caused the audience to
applaud and a lead solo by guitar master Robbie Laws that nearly
brought tears to the crowd’s eyes. Next, Carter again strapped on
his git fiddle (as this writer’s dear-departed daddy would have referred
to the wide-bodied, full-sounding instrument) and got down to a jump
jive number that infected the crowd with dance fever. At the end
of this number, an appreciative fan bellowed out at full volume, “You
guys rock!” This writer couldn’t have said it better.
If you find that you just can’t make
it to a Big Al concert, pick up a copy of Soul Blue. Granted,
you won’t get the full-spectrum effect that you might at one of his
live shows, but you will still have a reasonable facsimile to tide
you over to the next live event. For his debut, Big Al has surrounded
himself with some of the finest blues artists the region has to offer.
The core band includes virtuoso Robbie Laws on lead guitar, Ken Brewer
on keys, drums by Drawback Slim and five-string bass by Sonny Boyardee.
They were all there to back-up Big Al at the Trail’s End CD release
bash. Guest artists on the CD are plentiful and include Paul delay,
Jeff Barnes, Greg Earl and others.
The first cut on the CD is the Robbie
Laws tune Movin’ On, from Laws’ River City Blues
CD. It presents as a mournful number with effective acoustic lead
and slide work. Carter’s harmonica is the perfect addition to the
pure, clear sound of this very personal song.
Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues is
second, with Laws’ great guitar slide work in the tradition of the
master. Guitar, bass, piano and voice are interwoven into a very
tight little blues symphony. As for the vocals, Carter bites into
each syllable and spits it out Big Al-style.
Beale Street Boogie is a sweet little shuffle co-written
by Laws and Carter. If this catchy riff doesn’t make you get up and
dance, it’s time to check your pulse! Hopefully this is just the
start of a songwriting collaboration that will bear plenty of juicy
fruit in the future. In fact, the two plan to write and go back into
the studio together in the next year. Carter respects Laws as a talented
writer and it is obvious that Robbie Laws’ mentorship of Big Al Carter
is spurring the latter musician to new heights in his second career.
He might not be considering quitting his day job yet, but Big Al
Carter is definitely blazing some new trails here.
Wilbur Harrison’s classic number Kansas
City perfectly suits Carter’s style. Upbeat, irreverent, unapologetic—it’s
a welcome addition to this eclectic CD. In Vacant Chair (dedicated
to friend Elijah Matthews), Carter writes of the pain of loss in
a poignant, palpable manner. The exquisite guitar work has the
same quality as the haunting zither from the legendary theme for
the 1940s film The Third Man. The background vocals are
a little overdone and corny, but they suit the subject matter.
The traditional, unaccredited tune Sportin’ Life, another
widely-covered song, features some outstanding acoustic work and
a dynamite piano line. Reminiscent of the folk artist Steve Goodman’s
style, it’s three minutes of sheer ear pleasure. Carter borrows Highway
49 from Howlin’ Wolf, an artist who Big Al seems to be channeling
at times with his unique, gruff voice, his harmonica playing and
his snazzy dress. Well, if you are gonna borrow, why not borrow the
best? This one features an awesome sax accompaniment by George Shinbo.
The all-star musician line-up on the
CD is actually becoming Carter’s regular back-up band. Again, Carter
focuses on hiring the best and the brightest. Robbie Laws’ toe-tappin’ River
City Blues spotlights more sax prominently and is so catchy that
the tune gets stuck in the CD changer of your mind.
Carter says he wants to create his
performances as “events,” not just your average weekly gig. So far
he’s doing a great job of that. Per the promo letter in advance of
this appearance, Carter “puts on a REAL high energy show.” That might
just be the understatement of 2006! Be sure to keep your eyes open
for future bookings for Big Al Carter and friends. You’ll kick yourself
if you miss one. (See ad and Bandstand.)
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