Lozelle Jennings and the Left Coast MoJo Dealers
Racontourism
© 2007 Mojo Dealer Enterprises (789875013628)
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Tales told in Blues, Roots, and Heart Music to Heal the Spirit and Make the Body Dance.
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Singer/Songwriter, musician, poet and raconteur, Dr. Lozelle Jennings will be bringing his brand-new, one-man, blues storytelling and roots music show, in support of his just-released CD, “Racontourism”. He will appear at venues in Oregon and the Northwest in 2007. A performer with 44 years of experience, Jennings is known for a large repertoire of original and cover tunes.
Of his new CD, Jennings says, “‘Racontourism’ is my best songwriting project so far. Though I’m bound to be labeled a boomer, I want my music to be free of the age ghetto, so these are thirteen original tunes written for all people—to heal the spirit and make the body dance.” Asked about the creative titling, he went on to say, “‘Racontourism’ is a guided tour of stories from my life as a musician and inhabitant of the demi-monde, from hippie days to the present, featuring tales of sex, love, violence, place and politics told in blues, Cajun, roots and heart music styles.”
As always, Dr. Lozelle himself does the vocals, accordion and harp but “had the good fortune to be backed by the Left Coast MoJo Dealers, three very fine people and tremendous musicians.” The “Racontourism” project ensemble included Stephen Hodges on drums and percussion, Johnny Bazz on stand-up bass, and George Friend on Dobro and electric guitars. Jennings points out, “Many folks out there might recall Stephen from his work with Tom Waits, John Hammond, Mavis Staples, and others. Johnny Bazz also works with Mavis, Phil Alvin and the Blasters while guitar stylist George Friend was most recently with blues chanteuse Janiva Magness.”
Jennings has recently relocated to Seal Rock, Oregon. About his latest move, he says, “Having pulled up stakes about fifty times, I’m pretty good at relocating and getting along with folks. But I feel a special family bond to Oregon. My great-great grandmother was married to John Henry Clay Jennings, of Medford, New Jersey. Our family history claims that when her husband died in a mill accident shortly after Lincoln’s assassination, she found her way to what would become Medford, Oregon, and remarried, this time to the man who would become the first Governor. So in a way part of my family may already be here.”
For Jennings, his home on Beaver Creek, outside of Seal Rock, is a special, almost sacred place, a place that led to the writing of “Solstice Song,” the final cut on the “Racontourism” project, a song dedicated to Oregonians.
One interesting thing that draws Jennings’ audiences is an unusual format. “Dr. Lozelle” plays accordion, harmonica, and brings a strong vocal presentation to the mix. Snooky Pryor, the great blues harpman, once said he just didn’t see how Jennings could play bass with the left hand, rhythm with the right, plus play the lead through a racked harmonica. “I don’t know,” Jennings says, “I guess it’s a little like juggling cats—if you don’t feel the flow, all you get is scratches, bites, and a lot of yowling.”
Though he was born in San Antonio, Texas, he considers himself a citizen of the world—with forty states and twelve countries under his belt. Jennings has played with Yank Rachell, Albert Macon & Robert Thomas, Precious Bryant, Little Jimmy Reed, Lefty Bates, Jimmy Wilsey and others. His background includes work as an opening act for performers like Chubby Checker, Mark Hodgson, R.J. Mishu, and Curtis Salgado. He performed at the first Daytona Beach Blues Festival fronting the MoJo Dealers out of Tuskegee, Alabama. He was solo guest artist with the Tuskegee University Jazz Band when they won the Andre Ford Jazz Competition. After that, Jennings relocated to southern California, where he spent 20 years of what he calls “hard time in the bar and dive scene.” Much of his recent songwriting has come from that time.
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Racontourism
author: EveI bought this CD simply because I fell in love with "Hoodoo Trespass", heard it a couple of weeks ago for the first time. I'm still loving that song, and am getting to know the rest of the CD; some I'm not too impressed with, but for the most part I am very happy with this artist. Don't know if I'll *buy* more, but since my favorite way to hear music is live, I will definitely be looking out for him to be coming to Corvallis or Eugene. I absolutely love the harmonica, the blues, the voice which reminds me of a gravelly early Jagger.
Racontourism Rocks the Blues
author: Marchelle HammackMoody and sensual, fun and intelligent, “Racontourism” is the best modern incarnation of traditional blues I’ve heard in a long time. Lozelle Jennings has a sly and witty way with words (he rhymes captive with adaptive and fiction with contradiction) that never gets in the way of the beat and wail of his Creole/Cajun crooning. While on the surface it may seem that blues of this sophistication would appeal to a more mature audience, I think this music has universal resonance with its exploration of the intimate relationship between sex and death, consumerism and slavery. Like me, I bet you will find yourself playing this CD again and again – in the car, doing dishes, socializing or just chillin’ on a Sunday afternoon. And did I mention the tasty musicianship of the Left Coast Mojo Dealers? This is a lucky conflagration of chemistry between writer/singer/harmonica player Lozelle Jennings and the boys in the band. And lucky you if you procure this CD of 13 excellent songs – lots of great surprises await you.
Primitive meets sophisticate
author: Stan RainesI like this album. It grows on you. What are we to make of the title, an odd, portmanteau word? One guesses we must be in the land of the storyteller, but a storyteller who maintains the detachment of the tourist. Odd idea. The lyrics contradict it. Most are first- person narratives and filled with emotions, not detached at all. More...The songs are an interesting melange of styles and genres and a good many are obsessed with sex, with which, of course, the music of the people has always been obsessed. "Sugar Bee," for instance, chases a set of sexual metaphors that have been around for a long time, back through Fats Waller and "Honeysuckle Rose." "Baby, What's that Knife" takes a turn at the violence and betrayals that sometimes accompanies sexual obsessions. Even Santa Claus is in on it--"that dirty fat man put his hands right where they should never be/And momma didn't stop him--said his hands were wild and free." Well, there has always been that confusion about who those cookies are for. The music centers around blues. Dr. Jennings is an accomplished harmonica player and his stylings range from sweet to raucous. In "When the Blues Gets Bad," harmonica is an effective second voice to Jennings' plaintive voice. The solos he takes are judicious and if there's a complaint, he doesn't take enough of them. He's accompanied by a competent and worthy group of sidemen. Perhaps we would like to hear guitarist George Friend really cut loose. He certainly has the licks. This isn't a complaint. His work here is competent and, more important, it fits. But my ear heard moments when it sounded like he really would like to wail. We would like to hear that happen. Johnny Bazz on bass and Steven Hodges on percussion provide an excellent set of frames for Jenning's performances. They are masters of their craft. Dr. Jennings--whom I have known in previous shells of the Karmic adventure, when we played together in a little known band in Muncie, Indiana--has evolved into a unique artist. You will do yourself a favor by taking a listen.
A Moving Afair.
author: CarlosIf you're looking for a powerful performance and great musicianship without all the volume and noise this is the album for you. Like a great French dish, all of the individual subtleties come together to pack a hell of a punch. The guitarist doesn't seem to be in any hurry; he has no need to play a million licks a minute. Mr. George Friend really takes his time in order to find the right notes. His rhythm playing is just as great as his leads. In "You Better, Babe," he is not affraid to leave chords behind and play 6ths the entire track. This simplicity is matched, and maybe even superceeded, by Lozelle Jenning's harp and accordian playing. The eerieness of the accordian sitting in the background of "Hoodoo Trespass" and its strength in many of the waltz's really help to carry the tunes. And in tracks like "Sugar Bee" and "You Better, Babe," the harmonica playing is real bluesy and edgy but at some points it's also melodic. The rhythm section is very fresh and inventive but very traditional as well; Mr. Steven Hodges and Mr. Johnny Bazz create a great sense of nostalgia and take the audience so far out to the edge of innovation that it feels like one is going to fall off. Oh yeah... and the lyrical work is pretty damn good too. All in all, this album keeps you on your toes. From deep waltz' like "When the Flesh Burns Down" to blues shuffles like "Sugar Bee" and from get-away music like "Barfight" to seasonal tracks like "Santy Claws Bluz" and "Solstice Song," this compilation of songs brings a lot to the musical table and does not allow its audience to let its guard down. Enjoy.