Terry Hanck — “Grease to Gravy” — Little Village Foundation
The sweet, sassy, soulful saxophone has always been one of my favorite instruments.
It’s been used in a wide variety of music since its invention in 1846, whether it’s sophisticated classical (Debussy wrote a solo sax orchestral piece), sensuous jazz. (Charlie Parker) or raunchy rock ‘n’ roll (Red Prysock).
And when properly used, it also speaks well of the blues and beyond. That’s Terry Hanck. It’s also his latest album, “Grease to Gravy.”
Hanck is one of those old-school guys who learned his trade from some of the masters. He was born in Chicago, and influenced by the blues, soul and jazz of the 1950s and early 1960s — some of its best years. He moved to Los Angeles as a teen in 1965, then later relocated to the San Francisco area and toured with Elvin Bishop before leaving to form his own band.
His influences were seminal players like Fats Domino, Ray Charles, B. B. King, Lee Allen & King Curtis. “I write songs that you think you’ve heard for years,” says Hanck,
In a simple twist of musical fate, Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studio is co-producing the album with Hanck, who brought Andersen from Norway to be his guitarist in 2001. Hanck’s current guitarist is Johnny Soubrand, who has been with the band since Andersen left in 2004 to work with Charlie Musselwhite. Rounding out Hanck’s cast are bassist Tim Wagar and drummer Jon Otis (son of the legendary Johnny Otis), both long-time veterans of the West Coast music scene. Also on the album are Greaseland and Little Village stalwarts, D’Mar, J.P. Soars, Chris Peet, Mitch Woods, Endre Tarczy, Chris Burns, Lisa Leuschner Andersen, Jim Pugh and Andersen himself.
Of this album Hancks says: “There’s a confidence that comes when you’ve done something a long time. “Grease to Gravy” is a culmination of all the styles I’ve played. I’m just old enough to add my own style to songs that I love and feel like I can cover. But really, it’s the music I’ve loved since I was 11. The first record I bought was Fats Domino “Yes, It’s Me and I’m In Love Again” on the Imperial label. 45 rpm records were just coming out and you could buy that on 45 or 78. I bought the 78!”
This mix of covers and originals shows off Hanck’s virtuoso saxmanship and soulful vocal style, which come together in this smartly crafted collection.
The opener is a bright cover of Wilson Pickett’s 1970 “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You,” led by Hanck’s seriously swinging sax and sharp guitar work. Hanck’s vocals are clear and strong, and you can hear the wisdom in his voice. “If A Politician Was a Doctor” is a Hanck original filled with sly wordplay and Soars adding his guitar with a New Orleans vibe.
“Best Years of My Life” is a soulful love song with an easy-flowing rhythm and smooth backup singers. A smoky sax introduces Hanck’s torchy version of Ray Charles’ 1957 “Come Back Baby,” with a sexy sax solo. “Goin’ Way Back Home Tonight” is tight and bright rock ‘n’ roll packed with its throwback raunchy sax, ready for a sock hop ball. Hanck’s hot take on Albert King’s instrumental “Overall Junction” keeps the rock rolling with his sax and Soubrand’s guitar trading tasty licks.
On “Run Baby Run,” Hanck reprises an earlier recording on this feisty, down-home R&B version with more soaring sax. Mitch Woods adds his considerable piano chops to Fats Domino’s 1958 oldie and still rollicking goodie, “Sick and Tired” — Hanck’s swampy vocal and slinky sax complete this authentic Nola take. Hanck updates “St. Louis Jimmy ” Oden’s 1961 “Going Down Slow” blues with a little more rhythm and a lot more sax.
Hanck updates his own “When I Get My Shit Together,” since, as he puts it: “The times called for this again,” with this take driven hard by his swinging sax. “Pins & Needles” add a little Zydeco to the mix, revising a song by Hanck and JoJo Russo. Everything wraps up with another instrumental, “Midnight On The Reef,” an original reggae-flavored track featuring Soars on guitar.
Hanck says he’s been lucky finding musicians young and older “who understand and love those classic rhythm and blues sounds. There’s maturity there—it’s a way of nicely saying I’m an old MF!”
It’s also a way of saying that this great old music, and musical style not only still has legs, but it will keep those legs moving. “Grease to Gravy” is indeed sweet, sassy, soulful saxophone!
Here’s “Come Back Baby” from the album:
Here are Terry Hanck’s thoughts on each song:
1) “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool Ya” – I wanted to do an organ shuffle version of this tune and with Jimmy Pugh, Kid Andersen and Jon Otis I think we got some magic in the first take.
2) “If A Politician Was A Doctor”- An original we did as a second line NOLA street parade groove.
3) “The Best Years Of My Life” – A soul love song I wrote with beautiful production and contributions from Jimmy Pugh, Kid & Lisa Andersen.
4) “Come Back Baby” – A Ray Charles ballad (I know I’ve got to be nuts trying to sing this!)
5) “Going Way Back Home Tonight” – A get-up and go groove and “Home” is where you feel good.
6) “Overall Junction”- A perfect Johnny Cat Soubrand shuffle (a nod to Albert King)
7) “Run Run Baby”- I did this years ago with a jazzy- groove…this is now a dirtier R&B groove.
8) “Sick & Tired”- (Chris Kenner/Dave Bartholomew/Fats Domino )-A classic NOLA R&R tune- from 1956. Mitch Woods on piano.
9) “Goin’ Down Slow” (St. Louis Jimmy Oden) – It’s taken from the grooves of Bobby Bland and Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff’s “River’s Invitation.”
10) “When I Get My Shit Together”- The times called for this again – a new version of my song.
11) “Pins & Needles” – This is a more Zydeco version of a tune written by JoJo Russo and myself that we recorded some years back.
12) “Midnight On The Reef” – An original Latiny, reggae instrumental. So glad I finally was able to include my South Florida homies JP Soars and Chris Peet a on a couple of tunes. We’ve been making music together on and off for over 20 years.
Tracklist & Credits:
1. DON’T LET THE GREEN GRASS FOOL YOU (4:51)
(Jerry Akines, Johnnie Bellmon, Reginald Turner, Victor Drayton, Warner-Tamerlane Pub., BMI)
2. IF A POLITICIAN WAS A DOCTOR (4:04) (Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI*)
3. BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE (5:13) (Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI)
4. COME BACK BABY (3:25) (Ray Charles, Walter Davis, Unichappell Music Inc., BMI)
5. GOIN’ WAY BACK HOME TONIGHT (4:28) (Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI*)
6. OVERALL JUNCTION (4:05) (Albert King, Arc Music, BMI)
7. RUN RUN BABY (4:16) (Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI)
8. SICK AND TIRED (4:28)
(Dave Bartholomew, Chris Kenner, Joe McCoy, EMI Unart Catalog Inc., BMI)
9. GOING DOWN SLOW (6:25) (James B. Oden, aka St. Louis Jimmy, Arc Music, BMI)
10. WHEN I GET MY SHIT TOGETHER (4:04) (Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI)
11. PINS AND NEEDLES (3:57) (JoJo Russo, Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI)
12. MIDNIGHT ON THE REEF (3:46) (Terry Hanck, Old Toby Pub., BMI**)
Personnel:
TERRY HANCK – Vocals: all tracks except 12, Tenor sax: all tracks •
CHRIS KID ANDERSEN – Guitar: tracks 1, 3, 9; slide guitar: track 2; Bass: tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7; Upright bass: tracks 4, 10; B3 organ: track 6 •
JIM PUGH – B3 organ: tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11; ARP string ensemble, Wurlitzer and organ: track 3; Piano: tracks 9, 10 •
JOHNNY CAT SOUBRAND – Guitar: tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 •
LISA LEUSCHNER ANDERSEN – Background vocals: tracks 3, 9 •
J.P. SOARS -Guitars: tracks 2, 12 •
JON OTIS – Drums: tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11; Percussion: tracks 2, 3, 9 •
TIM WAGAR – Bass: tracks 8, 11 •
D’MAR MARTIN – Drums: tracks 6, 9 •
CHRIS PEET – Drums: track 2, 12; Bass: track 12 •
JUNE CORE – Drums: track 4 •
BUTCH COUSINS – Drums: track 8 •
ENDRE TARCZY – Bass: track 9 •
CHRIS BURNS – Piano: track 4 •
MITCH WOODS – Piano: track 8 •
MARK DOYLE – Piano: track 12 Guitars: tracks 2, 12 •
Blues Roadhouse 