David Maxwell and Friends - Max Attack

The first line of the Blues is repeated a second time.

I said the first line of the Blues is repeated a second time.

And yet, in that limited oeuvre, some artists are able to make their mark.

One such artist is David Maxwell.

On is latest album, the long-time local legend is able to call upon not only years of personal experience, but also a bevy of similarly lauded friends (which is NOT in quotes because the sense of camaraderie on this album is so authentic), among whom are such Blue stars as the Fabulous Kim Wilson, the regal Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl and über-legend Pinetop Perkins (who is tributed in a special heartfelt closing duet). maxwell even enlists award-winning writer Ted Drozdowski to scribe the brief but informative liner notes which rightfully site "Max Attack" as "a true Blues album."

From the traditional riffs of "thanks for All the Women" to the yummy booty-shaker "Sticky Buns" and the sweet and low down "What's the Use of a Broken Heart" to the cleverly innuendoed "Long Distance Driver" and "Handyman" (which includes lines like "I'm headed down your highway, Baby / Headed into you") to the barroom stride of "Twisted Tendons" to the synthetic stax sounds of the title track, Maxwell runs the gamut of Blues-related grooves, all with a calculated sloppiness that makes you feel as if you had just plunked down on the bench next to him to watch the Max-ster at work. And when his flying fingers aren't captivating ears, his husky throaty vocals are drawing them in.

No wonder Maxwell has so many devoted friends!

Matt Robinson (7/13/2006) - www.JazzUSA.com

Max Attack [95 North] by David Maxwell

Originally released on the Blue Max label in 2003 with this 95 North Records version appearing in 2005, the gifted David Maxwell's piano opens this fun and important disc up with the mostly instrumental "Sticky Buns", which drives like a cross between the J Geils Band debut and Traffic during their John Barleycorn Must Die phase. That jazz vs. blues battle continues later on the cd with the majestic and grooving "Moving Out Of His World" which absorbs moods from different genres and delivers true Modern Electric Blues. Picture Jim Morrison sitting at the piano in his sixties (though Maxwell is a good decade younger than Jimbo would've been at the time of this release) assuring the woman that the change in partners is nothing to fret over. "Hip-House Rock" changes things dramatically, an entertaining instrumental with plenty of lively space in between. Producer Tino Gonzales does a superb job keeping things crisp and not getting in the way of David Maxwell's arrangements on this material recorded between July and November of 2005. The piano on "Thanks For All The Women" is bright yet still dark in tone, a nice balance as the guitar answers are separated in the stereo mix. With James Cotton, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Pinetop Perkins, Liane Carroll and the redoubtable Hubert Sumlin as just some of the marquee guests, Max Attack is an engaging follow-up to 1997's Maximum Blues Piano. While "Handyman" is pure blues (not the Del Shannon/James Taylor hit "Handy Man" written by Otis Blackwell and Jimmy "Handyman" Jones - this disc is all Maxwell originals) the title track, "Max Attack", opens jazz with chirping horns before morphing back into a pattern of bluesy showcase - perhaps a nice intro to Buzzy Linhart concerts as Dave Maxwell is also that legend's music director. Liner notes by Ted Drozdowski of The Devil Gods and the latter-day Scissormen make for a very nice package on this hours worth of music by a superb musician deserving of more noteriety.

Joe Viglione

"I will add that David Maxwell is one of the finest blues piano players out there! His a lover of both life and many musical styles"

Big City Rhythm & Blues 2003

"With exuberant cascades of billowing chords and rippling sprays, Maxwell probed the history of blues piano"

The Boston Globe 1999

"Maxwell showcased instrumental virtuosity that remained unmatched the entire evening"

The Boston Blues News 1998

"The clear winner of the festival was David Maxwell whose blistering set galvanized the mid-afternoon crowd with a sustained attack on his keyboard that lasted mroe than an hour"

Middlesex News 1997

"Maxwell caries chorus after chorus, altering mood and tempo in a manner that's at once orthodox and invetntive. Maxwell takes a scenic, air-cushioned speed-ofsound rid over the keyboard, making every other train song you've heard sound like street-car imitations."

Boston Phoenix 1977

"David Maxwell is the best. He is a great player and an important repository of the history of blues and boogie piano (in addition to his many other styles). His performing skills coupled with his knowledge and his ability to share them with his audience make him a national treasure. His two concerts and his workshps here at GDA have been among the best things that have happened at our school, absolutely inspirational and entertaining. Students and teacher just love them. We plan on having him back again and again."

C. Stowens, Chair- Fine Arts, Governor Dummer Academy, Byfield, MA