Yes, King Louie & Baby James' new CD, "Around the World; Live At Jimmy Mak's," is finished, and we're very pleased with the final product. It was sent off for manufacture about a week ago, and we should have copies in plenty of time for our November 15 CD release gig @ Jimmy Mak's. Whew!
We've uploaded three sample tracks here at our MySpace page for you to check out. To further whet your appetite, here's the liner note essay, written by Oregonian critic Marty Hughley:
Jimmy Mak's ain't no chicken shack, but it's always cookin'.
Actually, it's a nicely appointed place in Portland's vibrant Pearl District, and the food's mostly Greek. Call it a calamari palace if you prefer -- thought that just doesn't have the same shang-a-lang. Because what makes the club a special place is a funky, down-home feeling that makes your muscles a little looser, your cares a little lighter, your eyes a little brighter.
You want a heavy-duty dose of that feeling? Drop by when King Louis & Baby James are in the house. The joint's full of your friends, whether you've met them yet or not, and the stew of jazz, blues and soul bubbles appetizingly from the very first notes.
Who's doin' the cookin'? The man with the recipe, Louis Pain on the Hammond B-3, locking in on the groove with drummer Micah Kassell. For that flavor to savor, it's Renato Caranto on tenor serving up the depth of the human condition in every solo. Bringing the heat on guitar, that's Eddie Martinez, who, if he weren't so humble, would need an 18-wheeler to carry around his résumé (Mick Jagger, Robert Palmer, and so on). And serving it up with style is the keeper of the flame himself, venerable veteran vocalist Sweet Baby James.
Travel around the world and you won't find many musical experiences that can make you feel like this.
--Marty Hughley, The Oregonian