The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life

The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life
Studio album by
Gary Bartz
Released1996
GenreJazz
LabelAtlantic
ProducerGary Bartz, Eulis Cathey, Don Hillegas
Gary Bartz chronology
Alto Memories
(1995) 		The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life
(1996) 		Live @ the Jazz Standard, Vol. 1: Soulstice
(1999)

The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life is an album by the American musician Gary Bartz, released in 1996.[1][2] It is a concept album about the history of the blues.[3] Bartz supported the album with live dates and festival appearances.[4]

Production

Bartz was backed by James King on bass, Tom Williams on trumpet, George Colligan on piano, and Greg Bandy on drums.[5] Jon Hendricks sang on "Come with Me".[6] Cyrus Chestnut played piano on a few tracks.[7] Russell Malone played guitar on "One Million Blues".[6] Bartz drew on memories of his Baltimore childhood in composing many of the songs.[8] He recorded neighborhood folks for some of the "Hustler's Holler" tracks.[9] "Lively Up Yourself" is a cover of the Bob Marley song.[10] "Miss Otis Regrets" is an interpretation of the Cole Porter song.[11] "And He Called Himself a Messenger" is a tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.[5] "The Song of Loving-Kindness" was inspired by a Buddhist chant.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The Buffalo News[9]
MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide[14]

The Vancouver Sun said that "Bartz, playing mostly alto, burns and moans throughout the record"; the paper later listed The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life as the second best jazz album of 1996.[6][15] The Ottawa Citizen noted that "from funk to rock to down-home blues to reggae to swing, Bartz's band tackles his compositions with across-the-board abandon."[5] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that Bartz has "a big, dense sound and excellent technique [and] can tell a story of some depth—a twister-like, wailing uptempo tale, or a romantic but unsentimental ballad."[16] Entertainment Weekly considered The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life to be one of the best jazz albums of the year.[3]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Come with Me/Hustler's Holler 1" 
2."The Five Dollar Theory" 
3."Makes Me Wanna Moan" 
4."Miss Otis Regrets" 
5."One Million Blues" 
6."Hustler's Holler 2" 
7."And He Called Himself a Messenger" 
8."Band in the U.S.A." 
9."Hustler's Holler 3" 
10."A Looney Tune" 
11."Lively Up Yourself" 
12."Gangsta Jazz" 
13."Passage – Part I" 
14."The Song of Loving-Kindness" 
15."Hustler's Holler (Song of the Streets)" 

References

  1. ^ Levesque, Roger (March 15, 1996). "Reed man doesn't limit himself to jazz genre". Edmonton Journal. p. D4.
  2. ^ The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. 1999. p. 48.
  3. ^ a b Hajdu, David (December 27, 1996). "Best Jazz Albums". Music. Entertainment Weekly.
  4. ^ "Cape May Jazz Fest lineup announced". The Daily Journal. Vineland, New Jersey. November 4, 1996. p. A11.
  5. ^ a b c Hum, Peter (August 17, 1996). "Jazz". The Ottawa Citizen. p. E3.
  6. ^ a b c Andrews, Marke (August 15, 1996). "Gary Bartz The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life". The Vancouver Sun. p. C7.
  7. ^ Kohlhaase, Bill (February 28, 1997). "All That Jazz". Los Angeles Times. p. F14.
  8. ^ Kaltenbach, Chris (November 23, 2017). "Weekend Watch". The Baltimore Sun. p. T2.
  9. ^ a b Simon, Jeff (August 9, 1996). "Jazz". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 44.
  10. ^ Ellerbe, Gary M. (October 12, 1996). "All That Jazz". Afro-American Red Star. p. B4.
  11. ^ Chapman, Geoff (August 24, 1996). "Jazz". Toronto Star. p. J12.
  12. ^ Thomas, Larry Reni (November 15, 1996). "'Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life' Gary Bartz". Preview. The Herald-Sun. Durham, North Caroline. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life Review by Chris Kelsey". AllMusic. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  14. ^ MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 73.
  15. ^ Andrews, Marke (December 28, 1996). "Parker's music beautiful in simplicity". The Vancouver Sun. p. C1.
  16. ^ King, Peter B. (June 13, 1997). "Strangers in the Night". Arts & Entertainment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 17.
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