21 Blue - Live From Heartwood (2019)

Featuring virtuoso performances by Longineu Parsons and Ted Shumate.
Drawing from almost a century of blues history, Live From Heartwood is soulful and entertaining. The selections start way back with Louis Armstrong, stop by Howlin’ Wolf’s place, then pick up a funky hit from Pee Wee Ellis, a veteran of James Brown’s band. Throughout, the 21 Blue ensemble shows the versatility, virtuosity, and confident interpretation to lead the blues idiom into the 21st century for which they’re named. With this album, they’re well on their way to that goal.

The blues don’t wait for nobody.

Was that what Longineu Parsons and Ted Shumate thought when they chose a group of musicians to take the blues into the 21st century? It’s the very source of their ensemble’s name: 21 Blue.

They embraced the challenge to bring this timeless musical style forward while respecting and preserving its essences, then christened the band with the master mix they had in mind--blues, but for a new millennium.

Live From Heartwood is soulful, entertaining evidence of their success. It covers almost a century of blues history and style, from Louis Armstrong to Carlos Santana and onward toward the future.

Throughout the band, performances show energy, style, and deep roots in the blues idiom. The 21 Blue musicians keep a soulful feeling in the singing and playing, emphasizing rhythm and pulse. They include a little wry, worldly humor now and then. ~Harold Fethe