ERNEST LANE
Ernest Lane was the pianist who played with Ike Turner and was his oldest childhood friend. They grew up together in Clarksdale, MS and maintained that friendship all the way to the very end.
The stories that they would tell were hilarious mostly, some dark and incredulous. It was always fun to sit around and listen to them argue too. Lane always kept $500 on him, as he would occasionally come out with "Ike Turner, here's your $500 from such & such"...some long ago debt that he wouldn't let go, and Ike would never thak the money. Or if he did take it would give it back a little while later. Those guys...
We recorded this album in about 2006 up in Los Angeles at Leon Heywood's place off Crenshaw. It was funky through & through. The room we tracked in was the scene of many great albums. One of my heroes James Gadson had tracked in that room so for me it was a spiritual experience.
On another note, I also did the album cover for this; it was my first attempt and I since learned a lot about design and layout. One has to start somewhere!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RIP Ernest Lane - March 16, 1931 to July 8, 2012
Clarksdale, Mississippi native Ernest Lane was a highly respected blues piano player who was perhaps better known by his musical peers than by the general public. Ernest seemed born into blues piano; not only was his father an acomplished player but at an early age Ernest and his childhood buddy Ike Turner studied under fellow Clarksdalean Pinetop Perkins. Ernest will likely be best remembered for stirring piano on the late 1940s Robert Nighthawk session that produced "Sweet Black Angel" and "Anna Lee."
Ernest would also work with Earl Hooker and Houston Stackhouse in the Southern music circuit. He would relocate to California in 1956 where he performed with Jimmy Nolen and George "Harmonica" Smith before becoming a part of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. He also made records with the Monkees and Canned Heat. He quit music for a number of years until once again joining Ike Turner for Ike's musical comeback. Ernest led the band at Ike's 2007 funeral performing classics by his lifelong friend. In recent years Ernest released 2 CD's under his own name. We say goodbye to a true piano great. To hear Ernest Lane playing piano on Robert Nighthawk's "Anna Lee.
With “The Blues Is Back”, fans of piano blues have the opportunity to get to know a very special musician who enjoys the highest acclaim in the scene. Ernest Lane is one of the last surviving veterans of the original Mississippi blues, an artist who easily compares with the likes of Otis Spann and Little Johnny Jones. The remarkable story of his musical career does a great deal to elucidate the man we hear on this album: His father was a barrelhouse pianist, Pinetop Perkins was a friend of the family, he went to school with Ike Turner, his first performances were in Robert Nighthawk’s band. In the early 1960s he was a sideman for Ike & Tina Turner, he played back-up for the Monkees, took part in recordings by Canned Heat (1969, 1971, 1972) and can now be heard on the latest CDs of Ike Turner and Eddie C. Campbell. In 2004 Lane has released a CD under his own name and reveals himself to be both traditional and timeless in the best sense of these words. He is compelling as a pianist with powerful play; as a singer he is rough and ready. No doubt, the blues is back indeed!
Blues piano legend Ernest Lane (Robert Nighthawk, Ike & Tina Turner, The Monkees, Canned Heat) rehearsing in Los Angeles. The classic "After Hours", for all who enjoy the good stuff in life.
● © IF YOU ARE THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OF THIS MATERIAL AND DO NOT WANT IT TO BE FREELY AVAILABLE, we are ready to remove this material from our channel, as well as to discuss the terms of providing this content to users. To do this, you need to send an e-mail to: allenvahyan@gmail.com.
● Tracklist:
01. Ik's Theme
02. Back At The Chicken Shack
03. Boogie At Leon's Place
04. Mercy Mercy Mercy
05. Caledonia
06. Blue And Lonesome
07. I'll Be Watching You
08. Born With The Blues
09. Rocket 88
10. Little Girl, Little Girl
11. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
12. Red Hot Mama
13. What Kind Of Love
14. After Hours
15. What's Wrong Baby
16. Baby Please
17. Slidin
18. I Wanna Take You Higher
● Personnel:
Ernest Lane - piano, vocals
Mack Johnson - trumpet
Ryan Matzinger - alto sax
Leo Dombecki - tenor sax
Seth Blumberg - guitar
Armando Cepeda - bass
Billy Ray - drums
● Ernest Lane & Strength - Jazzwoche Burghausen 2008
Live at 39. Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen, Germany, 2008
▶ Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen - Full Length Concerts - http://bit.ly/1BIsmTc
Comments