REVIEW: Largo, Largo (Blue Gorilla / Mercury)
- Bob Gajarsky
When Antonin Dvorak composed "Symphony No. 9 (From The New World)", he became the first European composer to pay homage to American music by writing in the spirit of National American melodies. Nearly 100 years later, a lineup of musicians brought together by Rob Hyman and Rick Chertoff have furthered the spirit which Dvorak pioneered.
Hyman and Chertoff are best known for their work with the Hooters; Hyman as a performer, Chertoff for his production work. Rather than merely serving as a renaming of the Hooters, Largo truly becomes a project bigger than that band.
Some of the Hooters' earlier work foreshadowed Largo. An updated version of Hedy West's traditional folk ballad "500 Miles", with Peter Paul & Mary, and one of the oldest songs known to man, "Greensleeves", was used as their introduction to the live version of "Johnny B". Having graduated from simply the hooter, Hyman and the man of a million sounds and languages, Eric Bazilian, bring out a cornucopia of musical instruments (nyckelharpa, tremolo guitar, mandolin, harp, milk drum, peckhorn and more) for this collection.
"Freedom Ride" has all the hooks of any Bazilian/Hyman collaboration, with Taj Mahal taking the lead on this Harlem meets the Underground Railroad setting; "Gimme A Stone" pairs David Forman up with the Dylan-like Levon Helm as an unlikely co-lead vocalist, but the team works well on this hummable, addictive, David vs Goliath track. "Before The Mountains" has a 50s doo-wop feel in the church setting, as Hyman's organ contrasts nicely with Little Isidore's oldtime vocals. Finger snapping is simulated with the bass pedals and washboard and takes the listener back to another era.
Irish group the Chieftains bookend this album with their version and reprise of Dvorak's "Largo", and perform on the all-star collaboration of Carole King and Joan Osborne on "An Uncommon Love", where the woman who brought us Tapestry produces another writing gem.
While listening to Largo, I could not help but imagine a time gone by, where the citizens would gather in the center of town, performing their musical crafts. No outsiders would be present, but a diverse group of people offering reminders of their past would entertain the townsfolk with an assortment of music including folk, gospel, and whatever else caught someone's fancy. It wasn't to be chic, it wasn't to be hip - it would come from the heart.
In this age of self-pity, trend-setting, and electronica, it takes guts to produce a record such as Largo.
