ROD PIAZZA & MFBQ "ThrillVille" Liner Notes by Art Tipaldi

We live in a world where soul and substance are rapidly being replaced with the flimsy and the fleeting. There are precious few artists who have chosen to remain true to the aesthetic calling.

Rod Piazza is one of those artists.

Decades ago, Rod committed to learning the blues by sitting in on after hours sessions in smoky bars--the tiny places where the blues thrived--with the men and women who were its masters.

Rod learned from the professors of the real blues, like Pee Wee Crayton, whom Rod calls his Godfather, George “Harmonica” Smith, who was Rod’s personal harmonica mentor, and Shakey Jake, who provided Rod the opportunity to play with the Chicago blues men who stayed at Jake’s house. There were late night field trips to ghetto blues jukes deep in the inner city where the smoke hung thick and you bought set-ups and ice for your pints. He began playing at clubs down in Watts like the Chantilly Lace Club, Small’s Paradise, or Smokey Wilson’s Pioneer Club, to an older black crowd who seemed to like his blues.

In many ways, this record is a return to the spontaneity of those lively, fly by the seat of your pants days where soulful music never failed to excite. “There’s music here that’s never been on a Mighty Flyers’ record,” says Rod, “This is the culmination of 40 years of doing this music. It’s the perfect mixture of spirit, enthusiasm, creativity and experience.”

Every Rod Piazza record is one step deeper than the last, and this CD is no exception. What is different here is that for the first time, the Mighty Flyers are a quartet: the Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet, or MFBQ. As always, the band’s classic one-two punch is Rod blowing his seasoned harmonica as his wife, Honey Piazza, lights up the stage with her Chicago Blues and boogie woogie piano. But now, Honey’s left hand doubles as the quartet’s bass player. Honey says, “I had to find a compromise between the pounding left hand of a piano player and the tasteful less-is-more playing of the bass players on the old Chess 45’s. It is a huge challenge for me, but I really love where the bass sits in the music.”

Henry Carvajal continues to expand the power and depth of his guitar work, and drummer Dave Kida is the engine that drives these 14 diverse tunes.

A year ago, Rod and the Mighty Flyers won the Blues Music Award for 2006 Band of the Year. That would make it four times that they’ve received this award. How do you respond to that honor? If you are Rod Piazza, you go into the studio and make another great record. When you combine the expertise of Rod and Honey Piazza, perennial BMA nominees, with Randy Chortkoff and his exciting Delta Groove label, a multi-nominated BMA label, the resulting disc is what Rod calls simply “ThrillVille.”

Armed with an expert mix of artistic spontaneity, exquisite song selection, and the occasional horn work of Johnny Viau and Allen Ortiz on saxes, Rod has produced what is perhaps his finest record. “When I listen to the old Basie Band,” Rod says, “I hear those dominant players playing with a sense of cohesiveness. Whatever they were doing was enhancing whoever’s was out front at that point. That cohesiveness and interplay is really what shines on this record.”

There are enough deep blues tones to thrill every blues lover, but there are also soulful ballads, lively R&B tunes, and even some funky surprises. “When you listen to this record, you’re not gonna hear three songs and think you’ve heard the whole record. It keeps twisting and turning,” says Rod.

Like diatonic bookends, the CD starts and finishes with Rod preachin’ blues truth on two Little Walter tunes. On the opening cut, Rod finds common harmonica ground between Walter’s “Hate To See You Go” and Slim Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips.” The CD closes as so many Mighty Flyers’ shows might, with Rod, Honey and Henry talkin’ an after hours, musical conversation on Walter’s “Sad Hours.” But sandwiched between are a dozen of the MFBQ’s finest.

Two Piazza originals, “Snap Crackle Hop” and “Stranded” are table setters destined to become staples of every Mighty Flyer live show. Listen behind “Get Wise,” a gritty, West Memphis guitar rocker, to hear the command of Dave’s aggressive drums pushing Honey and Henry’s solos.

Other blues highlights include Rod’s dyed in the blues reed work on Junior Wells’ seminal “Hoodoo Man.” Honey’s roller coaster treble runs and Henry’s conversational guitar backing makes this one of the finest covers ever. When Chicago blues legend Billy Boy Arnold recently heard Rod play it, he told Rod, “God damn it, that’s the best ‘Hoodoo Man’ I ever heard. Junior ain’t never played it that good.”

The middle of the record features a powerful track simply entitled “MFBQ,” a funky, James Brown styled instrumental stretch. Honkin’ tenors, chest thumpin’ bass, greasy guitars and Rod’s Mississippi saxophone scream to get up and break out in a cold sweat. Just when you think the band’s straying from its blues comfort zone, they throw down their trademark groove on “Honey Bee,” an elegant finger snappin’ combination of Rod’s tough harp, Honey’s tight piano choruses and Henry’s supercharged soloing.

Because these are four players who play together every night as a cohesive group, Rod feels that this record captures the unique moment when creativity and spontaneous interplay between the talent pool happens. Two instrumentals, “The Civilian” and “Westcoaster,” illustrate that moment. Both began as wide open ideas between these players in Rod’s front room and easily developed into fresh, one-take songs.

The most daring cut is the soulful R&B ballad, “It Can't Be True.” His stylish vocal exposes the unique vocal side of Piazza the singer. Lights low and saxes growling, it’s easy to picture dancers doin’ the stroll at a 1950’s dance party. Rod’s blues keep twisting deeper into the genre with the back porch duet between Rod and Henry on “Stranger Blues,” taken from a down home Sonny Terry-Brownie McGhee recording. All that’s missing is Rod whoopin’ a la Sonny.

After more than 40 years, Rod Piazza has never compromised his blues. He continues to play with an intimate, emotional emphasis born deep within his soul. “Every once in awhile,” says Rod, “the material and artist come together in a seminal event. This record is that event. The players, the tone, the selection of songs, and the maturity of myself and Honey coupled with the energetic fire of Henry and Dave makes me feel that this is one of the toughest and strongest records I’ve ever made.”

- By Art Tipaldi, senior writer Blues Revue and Blues Wax and author of the book, “Children of the Blues,” which profiles 49 current blues musicians including Rod and Honey Piazza.

From Delta Groove C.E.O. Randy Chortkoff
“It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Rod Piazza and his music, and have been for over 30 years. Not only is he one of the greatest living blues harp players, he’s also been a great friend. Rod was one of my biggest influences in blues, freely sharing his incredible knowledge and passion for the real blues back when I was just getting started. So it was a huge thrill co-producing Rod’s last release, the CD/DVD package “For The Chosen Who.” We had a great time, and I was honored that Rod had the faith and confidence to allow me to have input into his creative process. It also seemed like we’d completed a circle that we began back around 1980, when we were first beginning our friendship, and I was leading a horrible little blues band; I paid Rod $100 to drive all the way from Riverside up to Hollywood to produce a little three-song demo tape for my band. Rod was a great producer then, and with all the experience he’s gained since then he’s even better now, so while I was privileged to be involved in his last recording sessions, I felt I should step back and let Rod have complete creative control on this record from the beginning to the end. I physically kept my distance from the studio so he could have complete artistic control of every aspect, from choosing the material, to recording, producing, mixing and sequencing the songs. And the results speak for themselves – this is without question one of the best records Rod has ever done. But don’t take my word for it, just listen to the disc, and you’ll hear the most consummate bandleader, producer, and performer in the blues today.”