Barrelhouse Chuck/Detroit Junior/Erwin Helfer/Pinetop Perkins – 8 Hands On 88 Keys – The Sirens Records SR5003

This reviewer has never been shy in his belief that Erwin Helfer and Barrelhouse Chuck were the finest of the modern-day remaining blues and boogie piano players in Chicago.  The came Barrelhouse’s untimely death in 2016.  Helfer endures as the surviving beacon today of the four keyboard masters who gathered to lend their extensive skill sets to this brilliant outing, and for that we should all be joyous.

Erwin Helfer is a long-standing blues, boogie, and jazz piano genius who was shaped via the mentorship of Cripple Clarence Lofton, Sunnyland Slim, and Speckled Red, a man who also supplemented the amazing work of mama Yancey.  Detroit Junior was the impish blues pianist and vocalist behind the blues standards “Call My Job,” “If I Hadn’t Been High,” and “Money Tree.”  He played with the likes of Eddie Boyd, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin’ Wolf.  Pinetop Perkins’ blues legacy is secure if for no more than his long-standing tenure in The Muddy Waters Blues Band, let alone his sterling solo career.  And Barrelhouse Chuck was indeed the future of the Chicago blues piano tradition, someone who was mentored into the blues world by Sunnyland Slim, Little Brother Montgomery, Big Moose Walker, and Pinetop Perkins, along with so many others.

As perhaps corny as this sounds, the faces of all participants on the cover of this splendid CD seem to convey the true sense of joy and camaraderie found amidst this collection, and one listen will certainly convey such sentiment.  The four Chicago keyboard giants assembled here produced a document that, because of the unique style of each participant, takes the listener on a journey within the over-arching blues piano tradition.

Whether these titans are performing solo or in tandem with another, the straightforward nature and depth of feeling that floods each cut is thrilling and highly nourishing.  A tune may be absolutely lowkey, or it may romp with high excitement; no matter, each excursion assigns high anticipation upon the listener for more!

There was intensity and commitment in the souls of the bluesmen here and their performances that sadly is now down to one surviving artist.  The atmosphere created across the panorama of this beautiful Chicago piano document is a marvel to witness.  Thank goodness yet again The Sirens Records label preserved this glimpse into the Chicago piano tradition for us all the relish again and again.

Highly-recommended, indeed!