By Jonathan Tabak
PERCUSSION GURU FREDDY STAEHLE PLAYS ELABORATE "WINGER TREE" INSTRUMENT
wanted to evoke the soul and magic of the New Orleans music he grew up with
in the 1940's and 1950's. "There's a spirit in this music," he explains.
"A spirit of love and freedom. In those days there wasn't a large music
industry here, so music was done more out of innocence, purity, out of
love for the music."
To capture this essence, Miller teamed up with New Orleans native drummer,
Freddy Staehle, who, like Miller, has shared a long musical friendship with
Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack. Staehle is perhaps best known for his work on
Dr. John's 1972 masterpiece, GUMBO. Soon after the Gumbo session, Staehle
began assembling an enormous homemade percussion rig which he calls the
"Winger Tree", containing various drums and cymbals as well as
tambourines, wind chimes, bells, funnels, tree limbs, and other unusual
items. On FONK HORN, Staehle uses this bizarre instrument to maximum effect,
creating an exotic , multi-layered second-line groove which often states
the exuberance of an entire band parading down the street. It also
provides ideal counterpoint to Miller's poignant, yet warm trumpet style,
once described by OffBeat Magazine as "jazzy, Latin-funk tinged
blues that is pure New Orleans."
The two men dance their way through a program of classic, though remarkably
varied, material. "The record companies have many categories to market
music," says Miller. "R&B, Dixieland, modern jazz, Latino... But New Orleans
music is creole, a mixture. We touch on a lot of Latin stuff here, we touch
on old time Dixieland, on R&B, gospel, fonk, 2nd line, nostalgic 19th
century melody."
The album opens with "Just a Closer Strut with Thee," an infectious
interpretation of the old, similarly named spiritual. This theme
resurfaces later on "A Closer Romp with Thee," which has a faster,
romp groove. On "Careless Love," Miller unveils his long hidden vocal
talent, conveying a well-worn, smoky quality which is both tender
and haunting. He also sings on "Didn't He Ramble," "Saints Go Marching In,"
"Let the Rest of the World Go By" and "New Orleans," one of four original
compositions on the record.
For variation from the upbeat, parade-style music, Miller interjects several
serene interludes. These include "Aura Lee" (a 19th century song
which many will recognize as the melody used in "Love Me Tender") and
"Beautiful Dreamer," featuring Miller on flute while Staehle somehow
evokes chirping birds with his "Winger Tree". "Swamp Dawn" and
"Swamp Sunset" are strikingly unusual tracks, with Staehle sounding
like insects and birds rustling in trees while Miller's playing suggests
fog lifting from a bayou. Overall the CD has a uniquely celebratory - yet
very atmospheric and dreamy - quality.
Miller, of course, has enjoyed a long and prestigious music career. He has
benefited from productive stints as Dr. Hohn's musical director and arranger,
Jazz combo instructor at Loyola U, and played with people like
B.B. King, Johnny Adams, Thelonious Monk, Chuck Mangione, Hank Crawford,
Fathead Newman, and others, including having been featured in legendary
Cuban/salsa bands.
But Miller says that FONK HORN enabled him to express a basic essence of his
musical being.
"In my opinion, Freddy plays drums like Mac (Dr. John) plays piano. This
is our childhood music. So when I get around Mac and play music, my spirit
comes alive, and when I get around Freddy with music, my spirit comes
alive, and it brings me back to when I was very young and just playing
pure music."
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