Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
Timeless
Hightone – 8174
visit Mr. Brown's website
also available on Amazon
On this offering from Hightone, Gatemouth Brown is permitted to display his all-embracing musical interests and accomplishments. This legend has been on the scene from the 1940s, and has won awards from such diverse organizations as; The Blues Foundation, W. C. Handy Awards, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award, The Country Music Association, to name but a few. Any disc of his is probably going to find him roaming a musical palette that ranges from Blues, to Cajun fiddling, to Jump Blues, to Country and whatever else he happens to be into at the moment, This disc has songs by such diverse people as Josef Zawinul, Bobby Charles, Jay McShann, an Ellington/Mercer/Strayhorn composition and a couple of his own tunes. What he does with other composer’s compositions is nothing short of stunning, give a listen to shifts and changes in his version of “Unchained Melody”.
Though his tastes are diverse he is not scattered. Each piece is treated as an individual piece of music and the consistently high level of his band and what he does holds together as a solid whole. Whatever he does, he does well and when you speak to this pipe-smoking individual you will know that you are talking to the man before you and not the creation of anyone else. He is his own man in words and most definitely in music, and most importantly he does everything with a mindfulness that leads back to the man before you; A true American original. On this disc he is allowed the freedom to display his music in his fashion, an extremely satisfying disc in every way worthy of the man.