**************************
OFF THE FLOOR - JEFF WYATT & the
WRECKIN' CREW,
Tomm Harrison Blog Review, Vancouver,
April 30th, 2018 - by Tom Harrison
It
took a long time but I finally was able to hear Jeff Wyatt
And The Wreckin’ Crew’s six song Off The Floor. I’ve always
liked Jeff since I heard his lyrical and sympathetic guitar
playing on a Barry Greenfield album. He’s since
experimented with different genres but seems to come back
to blues. As a player, Wyatt isn’t flashy or as modern as
Walter Trout or Joe Bonamassa but neither is he a purist, a
fact born out by two nuggets, Crossroads and Roll And
Tumble, and two instrumentals Butt Burger Boogie and Bodhi
Surfin’. The blues songs seem augmented by seldom heard
lyrics and personalized arrangements that revive them,
while the instrumentals are what the titles suggest, a
blues shuffle and the latter a surf-rock that probably gets
approved by Dick Dale , king of the surf guitar, and
is as nimble as Wyatt gets. For the album, he opts
for slide, which he plays cleanly (as opposed to the dirty
sound Wyatt has used in the past) and also has grown more
confident as a vocalist. There is more bluster than in the
past. The Wreckin’ Crew is the rhythm section of Phil
Howell and Vince Iormetti, which means there is little lost
in translation. No meandering jazz solos to confuse
matters, no elaborate statements. This is a blues trio,
simple and straightforward, recorded live. Hence Off The
Floor, some glitches and all. If that means it’s honest,
that’s another likeable thing about Jeff
Wyatt.
©
Copyright tomharrison music.com
**************************
MY CHRISTMAS
GUITAR,
Province Review, Vancouver,
December 1st, 2014 - by Tom Harrison
CD
OF THE WEEK:... Too often, something is described as a
labour of love, but once in a while comes something that
truly is. The albums by Jeff Wyatt are a case in point and
his third, My Christmas Guitar, drips in love. The eight
songs are mostly instrumental interpretations of Christmas
standards, but what makes them different is that Wyatt
gives them a bluesy edge — some slide here, bent strings
there — and fills them out with some subtle arrangements.
When he does sing, there is a vulnerability in his voice
that communicates honesty — and indeed this is a labour of
love.
©
Copyright The Province
**************************
MY CHRISTMAS GUITAR,
Rootstime Review, Belgium,
December 3rd, 2014 - by Eric
Schuurmans
English
translation:
Since
1967, the Canadian and native of Saskatchewan, Jeff Wyatt
(guitarist and singer-songwriter), has been influenced by
many musical styles, but it is especially the blues and
blues/rock, that he has always leaned toward. Of the
several instruments he plays, it is his love for the guitar
in all its styles that has always been his focal
instrument.
In the 70’s Wyatt was a member of the popular band "Eden".
Since the 90’s Wyatt has been a fixture in the West Coast
music scene as a musician and songwriter. Wyatt’s first
solo album dates back to 1990 with "Flight of the Hawk". In
1994, followed "The Bullfrog Session", a solo EP of
acoustic songs with only vocals and guitar. In 2005, Wyatt
worked with songwriter Barry Greenfield as "Greenfield
Wyattî. Together they released, in the autumn of the same
year, the album "Songs From The Rothstein". Wyatt brought
in 2011 his fourth solo album "People Do Blues" which even
has a review on our site. Wyatt also currently performs as
a member of the "Wyatt Berne & Howell" blues trio.
"My Christmas Guitar" by Jeff Wyatt is not his first
Christmas release. In his discography we find already in
2013 the single "Oh Holy Night", an earlier instrumental
reworking of this holiday classic by Adolphe Adam in 1847
[to a poem by the French poet Placide Cappeau (1808-1877),
"Minuit, Chretien" / Ed.]. On the new compilation album "My
Christmas Guitar" we find contemporary approaches to
Wyatt's favorite Christmas songs with the guitar in several
styles (electric, acoustic, slide and fingerpicking) and
always as the lead instrument.
The album opens with the classic "Go Tell It On The
Mountain", an old gospel/spiritual song, which was composed
by John Wesley Work Jr. Wyatt's version is an instrumental
electric blues slide guitar approach, with upright bass and
drums. At the end of the album we hear the song again, but
with vocal. Track 2 "What Child Is This" and track 8 "Auld
Lang Syne" are more of a classical/traditional approach
with acoustic fingerpicking. ["Auld Lang Syne" is a poem
and song of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The title can
be translated as "long ago" or "days goneî. In Dutch it has
become known as "I tell you goodbye my friend." / Ed.].
Track 4 "Christmas Guitar Medley" including "Jingle Bells"
is played in an acoustic ragtime blues fingerpicking style,
a la Big Bill Broozy. In track 7 "Silent Night" we hear
again an electric slide guitar. What happens if you have an
electric blues guitar with open tuning combined with a
classic piano ?: Answer: Track 6 "Oh Christmas Tree"; in
which we also recognize the guitar style reminiscent of Ry
Cooder. By contrast, tracks 3 "The First Noel" and 5 "Oh
Holy Night" are very bluesy and very unique due to Wyatt's
performance on a Fender Stratocaster.
The idea for Jeff Wyatt's new Christmas album originated
three years ago, after he arranged some Christmas songs for
a Childrens’ Christmas Concert at the school of his wife
Janice. These arrangements he performed as a "filler"
durning transitions and wait times. Since the arrangements
of the songs were stuck in his head, he recorded the guitar
parts and later, between other projects, "supplemented",
adding additional instrumentation. The album was finally
completed in October 2014. Wyatt dedicated this album to
his parents John and Marianne Wyatt, who in 1958 ordered a
(plastic) guitar from a Christmas Catalogue (for $ 5.00).
Jeff was three years old at the time.
What happened fifty years ago in the life of Jeff Wyatt is
now archived as the Christmas album "My Christmas Guitar".
He presents variations on some beautiful Christmas songs in
a personal way, for everyone to enjoyable in a bluesy way.
- Eric Schuurmans
Album tracks:
1îGo Tell It On the Mountainî (Instrumental) [John Wesley
Work Jr] – 2î What Child Is Thisî [William Chatterton Dix]
– 3îThe First Noelî [Traditional Adaptation] – 4îChristmas
Guitar Medleyî [Traditional Adaptation/Compilation] – 5îOh
Holy Nightî [Adolphe Adam] – 6îOh Christmas Treeî [August
Zarnack, Ernst Gebhard Anschutz] – 7îSilent Night" [Franz
Gruber, Joseph Mohr] – 8îAuld Lang Syneî [Robert Burns] –
9îGo Tell It On the Mountainî [John Wesley Work Jr] - –
Produced by Jeff Wyatt
Line-up:
Jeff Wyatt: vocals, guitars & ?
Discography:
1990 : Flight Of The Hawk
1994 : The Bullfrog Sessions – EP
2005 : Greenfield & Wyatt
2008 : Reflections At Every Corner
2011 : People Do Blues
2011 : Max & the Squirrel - single
2011 : Mind The Time - single
2013 : Oh Holy Night - single
2014 : Wanted – soundtrack to Mike Reilly’s Tumbleweed
2014 : Heaven Knowsî- single
2014
: My Christmas
Guitar
**************************
WYATT BARES HIS FEELINGS,
Province Review, Vancouver,
September 10th, 2011 - by Tom
Harrison
By
day, the Heritage Grill is just another restaurant on New
Westminster's Columbia Street, 447 Columbia to be exact. It
has a small patio, serves coffee and alcohol, the menu
features pasta, burgers and salads. Appetizers range from
wings to the less predictable apple and crab cakes with
avocado salsa and such, plus the wait staff is friendly.
So, it doesn't seem more unusual than any such restaurant.
By night, though, it comes alive with music in its
backroom.
It's not big, but I imagine it's big enough that an act can
build a following, or small enough that an intimate rapport
can be developed.
The monthly roster is diverse, too, being a mix of Celtic,
folk, singer-writers, blues, jazz and country. The roster
varies from night to night, from Marq De Souza (Sept. 20),
a commendable pop-rocker (though I haven't heard his last
album) to the country-rock of the Pernell Reichert Band
(Saturday) to Jeff Wyatt.
Wyatt leads a blues trio, sometimes billed as Wyatt, Berne
and Howell, and has appeared at the Heritage several times.
His latest album, People Do Blues, which must be a year old
by now, is a little swampier and dirtier than expected. My
first hearing of him was as a guitarist briefly
accompanying Barry Green-field and he was more lyrical. His
blues album is both lowdown and sentimental. The lowdown
riffs are gritty but the occasional drift into sentiment
might produce some cringing. At least, Wyatt is being
honest and upfront. There's no guile here. These are real
emotions and he has to be admired for expressing them.
His trio is at Heritage Grill on
Tuesday.
©
Copyright The Province
**************************
PEOPLE DO BLUES was reviewed by Vancouver's veteran music
journalist Tom Harrison.
Tom can easily be referred to as 'The Voice of Independent
West Coast Music'.
PEOPLE DO BLUES,
Province Review, Vancouver,
April 10th, 2011 - by Tom Harrison
Though
Wyatt has taken three years to produce this album, blues
has been around a lot longer and has created traditions and
modes of expression this record only begins to explore.
Wyatt sings and plays with charm and those who favour a
flavourful approach to swampy and slide guitar driven
blues-rock to flashy but sterile blues (the curse of most
contemporary blues) will like this record. The two minor
reservations that prevent the album from being a killer is
that, one, most of the 14 tracks come in at five minutes
each. He could have tightened up the arrangements, done
some editing or dropped a few tracks. The other is that
Wyatt can be sentimental ("That's My Mom") or trite
("Tequila On My Shoes"). However, the honesty is part of
the album's appeal and if you've spent three years on
an album, you grow attached to the tracks as they are.
©
Copyright The Province
**************************
PEOPLE DO BLUES was reviewed by veteran music journalist
Ron Bervoets at the Belgium site
ROOTSTIME.
Ron has had the pleasure of interviewing blues legends who
include Jim Suhler,
Warren Haynes,
Johnny Winter and
John Mayall).
ROOTSTIME is a
non-profit internet music magazine and internet radio
station.
PEOPLE DO BLUES,
Rootstime Review, Belgium,
March 2011 - by Ron Bervoets
English
translation:
Jeff
Wyatt a guitarist and singer from the Canadian west coast
has been in the music business for 40 years, at first
during the 70’s with a band named Eden. In the nineties his
first solo cd, "Flight of the Hawk" and 4 years later "The
Bullfrog Session" (which can downloaded for free from his
site). After that Jeff went quiet on the musical front. In
2004 he met the songwriter, Barry Greenfield, and they
became the Greenfield Wyatt duo and recorded "Songs from
the Rothstein".
It
was in 2008 that I got to know Jeff Wyatt. I got his 3rd
solo cd that was titled: "Reflections at every Corner". His
cd is highly recommended here at Rootstime and today his
latest cd: "People do Blues" gets played a lot on our cd
player. The predecessor was a cd that stood out for it's
variety of styles, with influences from Jeff Beck and even
Celtic sounding songs, but this time Jeff has resolutely
opted for the blues and nothing but the blues...in all
facets, with emphasis on the slide guitar. His main
influencess here are Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Sonny
Landreth and Mark Knopfler and this is very clear on this
cd. His recordings are done in a basement studio aptly
named "Concrete Studios".
What
strikes you from the first time you listen is the crafty,
prominent sounding deep slide sounds in all the songs. A
sound in the opening song "People do Blues" which resembles
Mark Knopfler's "Money for Nothing" and a beautiful
instrumental sound midway in the cd "Bodhi Surfing" is a
similar approach. It is obviously inspired by Mark
Knopfler. In the next track, the beautiful "I just got the
News" he sounds like a mix between Sonny Landreth and
Ry Cooder and he mimics the sound of these 2 top guitar
players effortlessly.
In
Acoustic Delta Blues we can hear his tribute to Robert
Lee Burnside simply called "RL Burnside Blues". TO QUOTE
RL'S OWN WORDS: "Well, well, well". But it gets
better because "Chasing my Tail" surpasses everything prior
effortlessly. Intense deep-sounding slide sounds, topped
with Jeff's deep, warm voice. I know I am
repeating myself but again Ry Cooder's influence is heard
and even more in the next track "Longing by the River" a
beautiful gospel song full of beautiful deep slide sounds.
On the lyrical side you are struck by Jeff’s "tongue in
cheek" humor that brings a regular smile to your face as
you listen to his beautiful slide guitar. The song "Tequila
on my shoes" is good example of
this.
Of
course we are not going to analyze all 14 songs on "People
do Blues" here bit by bit as it will take too long. I am
going to leave it up to you to discover this Joy for
yourself. But we can say that Jeff keeps up this momentum
in the rest of the songs and we can definitely recommend
"Over the Line" where the slide sounds come to play. After
yet another evening of listening to this cd we come to the
conclusion: Some people do blues... some really good!
(Ron)
**************************
PEOPLE DO BLUES,
Bealestreet Review, Belgium,
April 2011 - by Francois Braeken (aka
SWA)
Below is an English translation:
People
Do Blues ...... and those people are always welcome in
Belgium Beale Street. Jeff Wyatt has been around for nearly
a half century in the Canadian music scene but in our
country is still a noble stranger/unknown. Hopefully this
will change with the album "People Do Blues' because not
only was Norbert Theodore Wyatt, just as the undersigned,
born in 1955 - please note, the year rock & roll was
born - but it is a great showcase for Blues Comes in many
styles and with many faces. "People do Blues" has fourteen
self-written (original) songs which are all at home in the
wide range of country blues, Southern rock blues, New
Orleans blues and Chicago blues. People do blues ...... the
title track and the instrumentals "Bodhi Surfing," "Butt
Burger Boogie" might bring to mind Mark Knopfler and
together with Brendan Croker introduce a new lease of life
to The Notting Hillbillies and maybe provide for guitar /
virtuoso Jeff Wyatt a place to provide a guest / support
act .....
That
the man (guitar / slide) knows what he is doing is
underlined with bravado on "I Just Got the News", "Chasing
My Tail" with its beautiful country blues ode to
"Mississippi" RL Burnside and "That's My Mom" (dedicated
to his mother on her 80th birthday). People who swear by
Sonny Landreth, Ry Cooder & David Lindley will probably
change tacks on ( or: change their loyalties to..) Wyatt's
"Swamp Rat Blues", "Give me one more drink, Over The Line"
and "Tequila On My Shoes". "Sing & Play Some Blues" ‡
Jeff Wyatt - supplemented by some "Whistle in the Dark" -
and the world suddenly looks much nicer.
(SWA)
****************************************************
REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER,
Province Review, Vancouver,
March 18th, 2008 - by Tom Harrison
ìHis
guitar playing is attractive and soulful,... his singing...
is not unlike Waylon Jennings..."
"His lyrics, too, have an honesty and sincerity that is
appealing..."
"A song such as 'CORAE CORAE' makes you wonder how good an
album he'd make if he concentrated on blues-rock."
©
Copyright The Province
**************************
GENERAL MUSIC REVIEW,
MicControl Review, New York,
February 23th, 2009 - by Jon Ostrow
When
I first listened to Jeff, his music really surprised me.
The first track I listened to was Part-Time Love, Full-Time
Pain, and I was floored at his ability to mix blues guitar,
jazz bass, furious techno-esk drums (a la David Bowie's
Earthling), and a strong vocal ability that is reminiscent
of Johnny Cash. His music is catchy, but more so than that,
it is powerful, with the ability to keep the sound fresh
from track to track without ever loosing sight of the true
musical nature of his art.
**************************
REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER,
MicControl Review, New York,
March 11th, 2009 - by Jon Ostrow
Jeff
Wyatt’s album
Reflections at Every Corner
achieves what a good album should. It showcases the
well rounded talents of a musician, an artist and a
personality. The first track on the album
Life At Every Station
foreshadows what is to come on the album through a pink
floyd type of track where each song appears to be a
different station of the radio. But that is about the
extent to which Jeff uses production over music. From the
next track on, the entire album is all about the music and
the vocals. However, that is not to overlook the wonderful
production values of the entire album. Every track has been
recorded with a crisp quality (usually associated with jazz
music) that enables the listener to hear the ins and outs
and ups and downs of every instrument.
The songwriting here is quite good. Each song has a very
strong melody and a well written hook. It is clear that
Jeff took the time to meticulously write each chord change
in order to create some contrasting sounds; that is what a
melody needs to be interesting.
As a musician, more specifically a guitarist, Jeff is very
talented. His abilities range from blues to jazz to country
and here and there he plays some latin style licks. Each
track on the album shows his abilities being applied in a
different way, which is what makes the album so solid. It
is very evident that this album was a true artistic outlet
for Jeff, which shows in every powerful solo, melody and
chord change written throughout.
Although I found it hard to dislike a single track on the
album, I did find that certain tracks had more of a
creative spark than others. Tracks such as
Take It From Me,
Saving Grace,
Albania
and
In Her Own Time
all have a driving energy that hits harder than
anything else on the album, but it’s Wyatt’s
piece
Kerala Sunset
that is the highlight of the album. Although it is
fairly simple piece in terms of the entire band, the guitar
playing in
Kerala Sunset
is high and above anything else I have heard from Jeff.
Every pull of the string, hammer on and bluesy slide
allowed Jeff to show off his personality and
emotionality. There are also times on the album where
the varying instruments create a renewed feeling from the
rest, such as
Thank You For Loving Me
where the main focus is the piano and his voice. The
form of the song is beautiful, sweeping in and out of a
verse/chorus style of song with sections written in that
allow Jeff to showcase his abilities on the guitar.
This album also showcases the vocal abilities of Jeff
Wyatt. This is not the first time I have mentioned this,
but Jeff’s abilities to mix jazz, and blues along with a
Johnny Cash-esk style of vocals is uncanny. This album
shows Jeff in top form singing deeply yet very smoothly;
always keeping up with the intensity of the music itself.
There are times when he overdubs his own vocals to create
beautiful harmonies, but for the most part Jeff relies
solely on the very interesting melodies that he has
created.
At
times,
Reflections At Every Corner
may seem like a blues album; at times it may seem like
a jazz album. But there is no question that the originality
and musicianship throughout the entire album will shine
bright onto anyone who will listen to this
album.
**************************
REFLECTIONS AT EVERY CORNER,
Rootstime Review, Belgium
August 2008 - by Ron Bervoets
English translation:
Although
Reflections at Every Corner
is a cd with a diversity that might be considered
detrimental, it is interesting. In as much as the style of
Jeff Beck is difficult to put a label on, this album ranges
from jazz rock tinted guitar numbers, pure blues rock over
calm laid back ballads and country tinted songs, all the
way to folk and world music. Moreover, Jeff did most
everything himself with his own portable studio. A mishmash
one might think, on the contrary, this album presents
itself as a small story incorporating all these musical
styles. The cd begins, for instance quite original. You
hear Jeff seat himself, turn on a cheap transistor radio
and pass the dial through all sorts of radio stations.
Suddenly the sound quality improves, presenting
Take it From Me,
a Celtic seeming song with mandolin. Into this he also
brings a country as well as a folky atmosphere, along with
a voice that is reminiscent of Waylon Jennings. Seamlessly,
this song blends into a long guitar number
Kerala Sunset;
a beautiful, dreamy instrumental which introduces itself
with the sounds of ocean waves and seagulls. This
atmosphere perfectly reproduces that of a sunset on an
Indian beach, where you hear the clear influences of Jeff
Beck; a man who Jeff Wyatt admits to be an admirer of. Jeff
is mainly a guitarist, but he also plays bass guitar, piano
and other instruments. In
Part-time Love, Full-time Pain
he plays a virtuoso bass which is a reminder of another
one of his heroes, Jaco Pastorius, who passed away from us
much too early.
Saving Grace
is an Indian style instrumental with tabla and acoustic
guitar, bringing folk and world music together. The dark,
distinct sounding song
Albania
is delivered with the vocal help of singer songwriter
Camille Miller. This follows with the slow, classical
sounding piano ballads
If She Could Know
and
Thank You For Loving Me Again
which features a beautiful intense guitar solo, with
Jeff delivering all he has. Once again we change the pace
with something very different;
In Her Own Time,
dedicated to a deceased friend, Kasandra. Beginning with a
recording of loose shreds of a conversation with her, this
song features searing slide guitar. The
traditional
Shenandoah
is a beautiful distinct adaptation, following which we
get
Corae Corae
near the cd’s end, sounding much like a blues rock
version of the traditional folksong 'Corinna, Corinna'. The
eleven-minute title track is a kind of symphonic epic,
which brings us to the album’s conclusion. This is indeed a
mixed plate. But for the superior beautiful guitar
contribution, alone, this cd is worth the purchase.
(Ron)
**************************
