New CDs from Berkshire artists: Catfish Blue, Mike Schiffer, Tom Ingersoll, Kripalu Artists
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Jan. 30, 1998) -- This week The Beat surveys a bevy of new CD releases by Berkshire-based artists in blues, folk, jazz and related styles.

On "Stella," North County blues quartet Catfish Blue goes beyond any received notions of the blues to create a work of stunning impact and originality that transcends any limitations of genre or age in a group made up primarily of teen-age musicians. The disk kicks off with "43 South," a dreamy, almost surreal blues powered by twin guitar lines. This song is followed up by "It's the Blues That Keeps Me Sane," an electric blues-rock workout given a jazzy, almost Cream-like flavor by Conor Meehan's funky drum breaks.

It has been noted in this space before that vocalist Todd Stentiford sings with a suggestive growl and passion seemingly far beyond his age and hopefully beyond anything he has directly experienced.

Stentiford and Steve McPherson are fluent, intelligent guitarists, clean of line and economical in their phrasing. Bassist Sean McPherson and drummer Meehan are an agile, versatile rhythm section, with Meehan in particular bringing a sense of musicality to his drum kit far beyond his 16 years.

While a song like "Beth" might recall the Allman Brothers or Marshall Tucker at its best, and "Slink" evokes Jimi Hendrix's psychedelic blues, Catfish Blue always plays with such passion and conviction that even at its most derivative, it sounds original. "Stella" was recorded last July at Derek Studios in Dalton. For more information call 442-5573 or E-mail smcpherson@wesleyan.edu.

"Velvet Heat" (Cadence Jazz) is billed to jazz veterans Pieter Ostrander and Mike Schiffer, and while others perform on the disk, it is very much an intimate duet affair. Between them, tenor saxophonist Ostrander and pianist Schiffer composed all the music except for a version of Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight," and the focus of the songs is very much on the interplay between the two.

The music ranges from the languid, almost new-agey "Brooks' Reverie" and the title track to the more traditional stride-blues of "Blues for June" to the more experimental, almost free-style "January Abstract."

Ostrander takes the lion's share of the melodic duties on the disk, and his chocolate, breathy tone paints emotion in broad, pensive, colorful strokes. Schiffer is a subtle, supportive accompanist on Ostrander workouts like "Deja Dawn," but on numbers such as "Bistro Haze," "January Abstract" and the aptly-titled "Splashes," he demonstrates his own inclination to surprise with jagged edges and splashes of color.

The duo is at its most suggestive when both solo simultaneously, as on "January Abstract" and "In Pursuit of Gigi," a lyrical pas de deux for piano and saxophone on which the musicians wrap lines around each other with the grace of ballet dancers.

The CD was recorded at Sunset Ave. Studio in Lenox between April 1996 and March 1997. In addition to Ostrander and Schiffer, Ram Miles plays bass on a few tracks, and harpist Theresa Mango and drummer Randy Kaye help out on one cut apiece. For more information call 637-2659 or E-mail nfremont@aol.com.

Tom Ingersoll's "Breakfast" (TreeMendous) contains 15 original folk-rock compositions backed by an all-star cast of Berkshire musicians, including guitarists Steve Ide, Don McGrory, David Grover and Bob MacVeety, violinist Rick Tiven, drummer Dave Lincoln, multi- instrumentalist Morgan Rael and banjoist Paul Kleinwald. The CD, co- produced by Ingersoll, Peter Killawee and Ken Story, was recorded in Canaan, Conn., and at Ken Story Studio in Great Barrington.

The rootsy arrangements feature crisp playing by the ensemble that emphasize and underline Ingersoll's catchy melodies without overwhelming his gentle vocals or homespun pieties. A song such as "As You Please" recalls Crosby, Stills and Nash, particularly in its effective use of gospel-influenced, multiple male vocal harmonies. For more information E-mail ingersongs@ingernet.com.

"Music of the Open Sky" is a sampler CD compiling previously recorded songs by artists who have performed in the music series at Kripalu in Lenox. Those represented range from nationally-known talents like David Roth, Linda Worster and the Berkshires' own Bernice Lewis, to lesser known artists including Ronn McFarlane, Sirius Coyote and the Tronzo Trio. Selections range from contemporary folk-pop by Roth, Lewis and Worster (who is at Cafi Qalbi tonight at 6:30 at the Abode of the Message in New Lebanon, N.Y.) to McFarlane's classical guitar to saxophonist Ron Jones' Kenny G-style instrumental pop.

Contemporary harpist Monika Stadler is represented by the shimmering, new-agey "Kolibri," and the Berkshires' own David Grover sings lead vocal on pianist/composer Mark Kelso's "We Need the Children Now." Also on tap is Berkshire folk trio Wintergreen, featuring Alice and Larry Spatz and Jared Polens, performing a medley from their own CD, "Pass It On Down," and Kripalu's own Chaula Hopefisher, who closes the CD with the title track, an enticing bit of world-folk off her own upcoming CD, "The Gift."

While some of the juxtapositions on the stylistically varied CD are a bit jarring, the songs are as one might expect united by a shared spiritual sensibility. For more information call 448-3331 or E-mail chaula@kripalu.org.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Jan. 30, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]