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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Mitchell T and The King B’s
Peace and Understanding\r\n(Silver Fox Music)
By Ken Shimamoto
This disc is that rare pleasure, a blues record (and a local one to boot) that’s a rollicking good time from top to bottom. And Mitch Palmer is that rare thing, a blues scholar with a sensahumor. His sly, playful persona infuses all the tunes here, a mix of shuffles, slow blues, and groovin’ R&B, with valuable contributions from the four-piece “King B Horns.”
The basic band is a mix of seasoned pros and youngsters. Palmer’s frequent stage partner Hash Brown provides harp and guitar, and head Prowler Pat Boyack also guests on guitar. But the big news here is the incredible 15-year-old Mason Laird on piano and Hammond B-3, and the solid fretwork of 19-year-old upstart Elliot Sowell from Brown’s band the Browntones. The rhythm section — Jeremy Fuller on bass and either Phillip Law or Keys Lounge regular Kevin Schermerhorn on drums — is also top-notch.
Things get started with a Little Walter-ish harp instrumental, “Hog Jobblins,” featuring a cooking lesson from Palmer á la King Curtis on “Memphis Soul Stew.” Skip James’ venerable “Crow Jane” is recast as a shuffle, while the title track is a horn-laden rumination in the classic Duke-Peacock mold on the theme “Peace and understanding for all mankind.”
“Monkey Biscuit,” the latest in a line of simian-titled blues and R&B tunes dating back to “The Signifying Monkey,” “Can Your Monkey Do the Dog?” and “Too Much Monkey Business,” is a “Green Onions”-styled groove with concise solo statements from Palmer, Brown, and Laird. The “bonus cut,” “My Good Friend,” is an interesting change of pace: a mellow ballad with an uplifting message. It’s a satisfying closer to a great set of blues.
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