Mo Hippa
The Age
Thursday January 8, 2009
Mo Hippa
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen(FHQ/Only Blues) 4.5/5NEW Orleans, home of the blues, is also home to scores of expatriate musicians -including Englishman Jon Cleary, who for the past 30 years has built a reputation as a leading piano-player. In Cleary's rich blend of blues/funk and Afro-Cuban polyrhythms are echoes of greats such as James Booker and Professor Longhair (he heard them firsthand) as well as Fats Domino and the Meters. Of course, Cleary's evolved his own soul-funk style, fronting the Crescent City's Absolute Monster Gentlemen (guitarist Derwin Perkins, drummer Eddie Christmas and bassist/vocalist Cornell Williams) and appearing in festivals worldwide. Australia is a regular destination and last year at Sydney's Vanguard music restaurant, Cleary recorded his first live CD: Mo Hippa. He's made several studio discs, including recording (and touring) with Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Snooks Eaglin, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, but this kind of music is at its best live and his new album bears this out, featuring some stunning playing - notably, killer extended renditions of Professor Longhair's classic Go to the Mardi Gras and Tipitina. Other highlights are Floyd's Groove Me and Cleary's own soul-drenched Help Me Somebody. Jon Cleary is back here on a solo tour and plays at Manchester Lane, Melbourne, tonight. -- MIKE DALY
© 2009 The Age