Adam Nussbaum: The Lead Belly Project

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Steven Cardenas (g)
Adam Nussbaum (d)
Ohad Talmore (s)
Nate Radley (g)

Label:

Sunnyside

June/2018

Catalogue Number:

SSC 1500

RecordDate:

27 March 2017

Those that rage against the appropriation of black music by white musicians may look askance at Nussbaum's re-visioning of Huddie Ledbetter's songs: but it's an eternal testament to the blues giant's songs that over the decades they've won a universality that reflects what it is to love, lose, be locked away, and yet dream, dream, dream and be triumphantly free whatever the Man does to beat you down. Not having Lead Belly's 12-string at his disposal, Nussbaum has cunningly hired two six-string axe men, (that adds up to 12 strings, yeah?) and between them they almost equal Lead Belly's primal power. Both get set free on an irascible take on ‘Black Betty’, though it's Nussbaum's outrageously spectacular rolls that upstage the guitarists. He also lays down a voluptuous intro to ‘Goodnight Irene’, now turned into a seducing waltz with Talmore's sax sweet and bitter all at once: watch out, Irene, he's gonna get you…

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