Live @ the Jazz Standard, Vol. 1: Soulstice (1999)
The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life is an album by the American musician Gary Bartz, released in 1996.[1][2] It is a concept album about the history of the blues.[3] Bartz supported the album with live dates and festival appearances.[4]
Bartz was backed by James King on bass, Tom Williams on trumpet, George Colligan on piano, and Greg Bandy on drums.[5]Jon Hendricks sang on "Come with Me".[6]Cyrus Chestnut played piano on a few tracks.[7]Russell Malone played guitar on "One Million Blues".[6] Bartz drew on memories of his Baltimore childhood in composing many of the songs.[8] He recorded neighborhood folks for some of the "Hustler's Holler" tracks.[9] "Lively Up Yourself" is a cover of the Bob Marley song.[10] "Miss Otis Regrets" is an interpretation of the Cole Porter song.[11] "And He Called Himself a Messenger" is a tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.[5] "The Song of Loving-Kindness" was inspired by a Buddhist chant.[12]
The Vancouver Sun said that "Bartz, playing mostly alto, burns and moans throughout the record"; the paper later listed The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life as the second best jazz album of 1996.[6][15]The Ottawa Citizen noted that "from funk to rock to down-home blues to reggae to swing, Bartz's band tackles his compositions with across-the-board abandon."[5] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that Bartz has "a big, dense sound and excellent technique [and] can tell a story of some depth—a twister-like, wailing uptempo tale, or a romantic but unsentimental ballad."[16]Entertainment Weekly considered The Blues Chronicles: Tales of Life to be one of the best jazz albums of the year.[3]
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