Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Clifford Lamb: Blues & Hues New Orleans

Clifford Lamb: Blues & Hues New Orleans

By Kyle Simpler
July 24, 2021
View read count

There are quite a few cities in the world that have an important musical legacy, and in many cases, the city's musical history might be one of the first things people associate with it. Take New Orleans. Commonly known as the birthplace of jazz, it's hard to imagine New Orleans without conjuring up brass bands, jazz clubs and juke joints. San Francisco-based pianist

Clifford Lamb

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifford Lamb explores New Orleans' musical and cultural aspects with Blues & Hues New Orleans by offering musical mashups exploring the Crescent City's legacy.

A mashup is certainly nothing new in music. This is, of course, where an artist takes elements from existing works and synthesizes them into a unique original composition. Musicians have done this to a greater or lesser degree for years in genres such as hip hop and experimental music. However, mashups have also been a growing part of jazz as well. Artists such as

Robert Glasper

piano
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Robert Glasper and

Us3

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Us3 have utilized mashups successfully in their music.

Lamb, who has been a musician since his childhood, began working with mashups on his 2019 recording Blues & Hues (Weber Works). Although he originally studied classical music, he developed an interest in jazz as a teenager and continued his studies at Boston's Berklee College of Music. During his professional career, he's played with some of the top names in jazz, including

Kevin Eubanks

guitar
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Kevin Eubanks,

John Patitucci

bass
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">John Patitucci, and

Tommy Campbell

drums
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Tommy Campbell. By working with mashups, he uses his experience and compositional skills to explore new possibilities in jazz.

With Blues & Hues New Orleans, he takes the mashup concept to a new level. As Lamb describes it, he wants to use the mashups "to embrace the elements of an individual city," and it's not just limited to the uplifting parts of the city's history. He wants listeners to experience each city in its entirety.

New Orleans is the first stop on his musical road trip, which seems appropriate. Lamb is joined here by

Herlin Riley

drums
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Herlin Riley on drums,

Gregg Bissonette

drums
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Gregg Bissonette on drums,

Roland Guerin

bass
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Roland Guerin on bass,

Rhonda Smith

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Rhonda Smith on bass,

Nicholas Payton

trumpet
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Nicholas Payton on trumpet,

Donald Harrison

saxophone, alto
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, and

Justin Klunk

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Justin Klunk on alto saxophone. The album was recorded in New Orleans, and the musicians definitely capture the city's spirit. Whether it's thoughtful melodic pieces like "Unrequited Love" or more funky grooves such as "Mardi Gras," there's an unmistakable New Orleans vibe throughout.

The album, however, wouldn't have the same feel without the mashups. Lamb takes his own songs and fuses them with music by composers such as

Charles Mingus

bass, acoustic
1922 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Mingus,

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner,

Terrence Blanchard

" data-original-title="" title="">Terrence Blanchard, and Max Steiner. The result is something other than a collection of Lamb originals with a few references thrown in. This is true integration of musical compositions, a musical gumbo celebrating New Orleans from its earliest days to the present.

Blues & Hues New Orleans offers more than just an album of good jazz music. It celebrates the power of community and also gives the audience something to think about. Listening to the album will, Lamb hopes, "give people a chance to reflect on their own lives" and by doing so it will give them the chance to not only appreciate the music, but also experience what the music truly has to offer.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Curtain Time; Clench; Voodoo With Hoodoo; Mardi Gras; Unrequited Love; Blues & Hues New Orleans; Final Curtain

Personnel

Clifford Lamb

piano

Herlin Riley

drums

Nicholas Payton

trumpet

Donald Harrison

saxophone, alto

Roland Guerin

bass

Gregg Bissonette

drums

Rhonda Smith

bass

Justin Klunk

saxophone, alto

Album information

Title: Blues & Hues New Orleans | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Webberworks Entertainment Group

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Catching Up with Willie Nelson
< Previous

Beno?t Delbecq, Charles Mingus, Dan...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.