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B.B. KingOne Kind FavorGEFFEN 11791AAAAOne Kind Favor returnsB.B. King to the studio settingof the ’50s, completewith a true stereo soundand an intimate, first-takeambiance. It’s back-to-thebasicsB.B., and it’s hisbest album in years as King doesn’t have tocompete with an all-star aggregation of specialguests. Instead the spotlight is King’s alone onthe 83-year-old blues icon’s first studio recordingin three years. And he shines brilliantlyunder its illumination, as he revisits his originalinfluences, revitalizing and recasting the musicwith a more musically mature approach than hecommanded in his youth.The core of the album is material from seminalblues giants such as Lonnie Johnson, BillBill Broonzy and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Thecatalog of the vastly overlooked MississippiSheiks, a sort of combined string band and backwoodsvaudeville act, is lovingly showcased,revealing some of the roots of King’s storytellingblues sensibility. It was the music that heheard growing up. King now substitutes a hardwonwisdom for the youthful exuberance ofthose early recordings. Hisvoice isn’t as strong or insistentas it was, but he can domuch more with it, imbuingsimple phrases with thewealth of his life experienceand musical expertiseKing’s guitar, marvelouslyminimal in number of notesand artfully evocative witheach one, every solo, if notevery single-string run, is amaster-class in emotional expression. “I Get SoWeary,” by T-Bone Walker, and “BackwaterBlues,” where he opts for Broonzy’s originaltake instead of Bessie Smith’s hit rendition, arehighlights. But the uniform quality of the entirealbum makes the concept so successful. Themost modern of the material, a nod to Howlin’Wolf and a personalized remake of John LeeHooker’s rendition of Leroy Carr’s “BluesBefore Sunrise,” maintains the thematicapproach in suitable style. —Michael PointOne Kind Favor: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean; I Get SoWeary; Get These Blues Off Me; How Many More Years;Waiting For Your Call; My Love Is Down; The World Is GoneWrong; Blues Before Sunrise; Midnight Blues; BackwaterBlues; Sitting On Top Of The World; Tomorrow Night. (57:09)Personnel: B.B. King, guitar, vocals; Nathan East, acoustic bass;Jim Keltner, drums; Dr. John, piano; horn section.»Ordering info: geffen.comSUBSCRIBE!1-800-554-7470Sonny RollinsIn VienneDOXY/EMARCY DVD0602517675483AAA 1 /2As the saxophonist isin his mid-’70s, noone begrudges thenights when SonnyRollins is merely mortal.Still, everyonewho attends a Rollinsconcert hopes theywill catch him whenthe spirit is upon him, when the cadenzas seemto stretch on forever, and his musical ideas flowlike sweet water.There are flashes of that inspiration duringthis concert DVD from France in 2006—Rollinsis feeling strong—but just as interesting is thelook inside the dynamics of his longtime sextet,with Victor Lewis on drums in this instance.You can see the shine on the face of Rollins’nephew, trombonist Clifton Anderson, when hehears the saxophonist shift into a higher gear,gauge the concentration of Lewis as he navigateschanges, and sense the entire band’s joy atseeing Rollins once again find flight.The video opens with the band already inmotion—grooving hard on “They Say It’sWonderful,” a Rollins concert staple. Lewis andguitarist Bobby Broom take long features,and their solos inspire the directorto select some rapid-fire shots anddizzying cuts that distract from themusic. “Global Warming” has moredizzying camerawork, but Rollins rivetsthe attention, playing from beginningto end over a tempo that is equalparts samba and march. It sounds likea triumphant set-closer, and indeed thescene shifts to dark from dusk as theband digs into the funk vamp of“Sonny, Please,” and more muscularwork from the leader. Such performancesalways create harsh contrastwith pieces like “I See Your Face Before Me,” ashowcase for percussionist Kimati Dinizulu—who always sounds out of place on a ballad—and bassist Bob Cranshaw.Why does Rollins maintain this band, withmusicians who can never match his inspiration?Because they can give him the cushion he needsat the beginning of “Don’t Stop The Carnival,”push him as Anderson does with his solo andride hard with him as they do when he works thecrowd at the lip of the stage. —James HaleIn Vienne: They Say It’s Wonderful; Global Warming; Sonny,Please; I See Your Face Before Me; Don’t Stop The Carnival. (76:48)Personnel: Sonny Rollins, tenor saxophone; Clifton Anderson,trombone; Bobby Broom, guitar; Bob Cranshaw, electric bass;Victor Lewis, drums; Kimati Dinizulu, percussion.»Ordering info: emarcy.com74 DOWNBEAT November 2008