Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jon Cleary: The New Orleans Collection: So Swell

Jon Cleary: The New Orleans Collection: So Swell

By Pierre Giroux
January 14, 2021
View read count

Jon Cleary: The New Orleans Collection: So Swell

Newvelle Records, which was established in 2015, believes that in the digital age there is an opportunity to build a new model for the creating and distributing music. Each year, Newvelle releases a series of six albums, exclusively on vinyl, that pairs musicians with celebrated artists, writers and poets. The New Orleans Collection contains four single sleeve 180-gram clear vinyl albums, each of which was recorded in New Orleans between January and March 2020 at Esplanade Studios, a former church built in the heart of Treme.

The third album in the series is called So Swell. British born pianist and singer

Jon Cleary

guitar and vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Cleary relocated to New Orleans and built a devoted following for his hard-hitting interpretations of New Orleans R&B and funk.

If he were still alive, Stephen Foster might wonder what happened to his classic folk tune when interpreted by Cleary in "Swanee River Boogie." After laying down the four boogie beats to the bar with his left hand, Cleary stretches the keyboard with his brawny command of voicing in his transformation of an American folk classic. In his own composition "Two Wrongs," Cleary swings out in true R&B bar-band style aided by the big tone of saxophonist

James Rivers

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">James Rivers. "I Call It Pretty Music (But The Old Folks Call It The Blues)" was written by Clarence Paul and Berry Gordy and was originally recorded by

Stevie Wonder

vocals
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Stevie Wonder. Cleary delivers the story of the blues in an infectious manner and with a bluesy swagger. "Second Line On Monday" is perfectly apropos New Orleans. Composed by

Chuck Carbo

" data-original-title="" title="">Chuck Carbo, the number celebrates the passing of "the best bartender in the land." In the tradition of that genre, there is a joyful exuberance to the words and music.

Side two's opener, "We're No Exception," was written by

Johnny "Guitar" Watson

guitar, electric
1935 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Conceived as a hurtin' song with lyrics to match, Cleary interprets the number as an instrumental. As he is technically accomplished, he grabs control of the composition with a full two handed approach filled with delicious block chords and cadences. "I Get The Blues When it Rains" was written in 1928 by Harry Stoddard and Marcy Klauber and has been interpreted by the likes of

Big Bill Broonzy

guitar, acoustic
1893 - 1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Big Bill Broonzy,

Peggy Lee

vocals
1920 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Peggy Lee and The Ink Spots among others. Cleary's approach is mischievous, yet stays close to the composers' intentions, and thus is effortlessly rhythmic. The final track is "Since I Don't Have You," which became a hit in 1958 for the doo-wop group The Skyliners. There is still some of that style lurking in Cleary's offering, but he stays away from the cliches associated with it.

In an interview with Britain's The Guardian newspaper in 2016, Cleary offered the following pithy quotation : " Music isn't a choice for me. It's a bodily function."

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Swanee River Boogie; Two Wrongs; I Call It Pretty Music; Just Because; So Swell When You're Well; Second Line On Monday; We're No Exception; I Get The Blues When It Rains; Lottie Mo; Pony Boy; Tuburculucas And The Sinus Blues; Since I Don't Have You.

Personnel

Jon Cleary

guitar and vocals

James Singleton

bass, acoustic

Johnny Vidacovich

drums

James Rivers

saxophone, tenor

Additional Instrumentation

Jon Cleary: keyboards.

Album information

Title: So Swell | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Single Lock

PREVIOUS / NEXT

John
< Previous

Phoenix
Next >

Jon Cleary Concerts

Sep 17 Wed

JON CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN

Jack London Revue
Portland, OR

Oct 24 Fri

Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen (early...

The Bitter End
New York, NY

Oct 24 Fri

Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen (late...

The Bitter End
New York, NY

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.