Mitch Woods – Happy Hour

Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88s have been the torchbearers of a great American blues musical heritage for three decades. Taking their inspiration from the great jump n' boogie outfits of the late 40s and early 50s, they breathe fresh life into the music that gave birth to rock n' roll. Woods styled his group after the jumpin' n' jivin', shoutin' n' honkin', pumpin' n' poundin' bands of Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris and more. Adding a healthy dose of New Orleans rhythm and blues, pile drivin' piano, and some of his own playful lyrics, Woods and His Rocket 88s forge their own brand of music they call rock-a-boogie. Born in Brooklyn in 1951, Woods began playing classical piano at eleven, and was putting together bands in Greenwich Village by his mid-teens. He moved to San Francisco in 1970, and for the next five years performed as Mitch Woods and His Red Hot Mama (with singer Gracie Glassman). His next project, Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88s, started in 1980. Their first album, Steady Date (Blind Pig Records, 1984) got hot reviews and led to some prominent appearances. By 1987, Woods was doing a six-country European tour. In 2006, after spending more than twenty five years soaking up the New Orleans sound and performing with many of the Crescent City's musical elite, Woods realized his dream of recording with the founding fathers of New Orleans R&B. He received his first Blues Music Award nomination for Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year in 2007. Woods has performed at some of the world's most prestigious music festivals and venues, including Jazz A Vienne, France; Umbria Jazz Festival, Italy; San Javier International Jazz Festival, Spain; International Boogie Woogie Festival, Lugano, Switzerland; Lionel Hampton Jazz Club at Le Meridien, Paris; Edmonton Blues Festival, Canada; The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise; Taiwan Blues Bash, Taiwan; Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Denmark; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and many, many more.

Happy Hour, Woods' fourteenth album, is a collection of his all-original tunes recorded at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California, with Mitch Woods producing, and Christoffer "Kid" Andersen, engineering and mastering. The resulting music captures the joy that live music brings.  MVD Distribution is handling physical distribution for Happy Hour, with digital distribution by The Orchard.
“Happy Hour was recorded during the time of the Covid Lockdown,” recalls Mitch Woods about the sessions. “The whole world shut down and music stopped. It was an awful time for everyone and musicians really were hurt. I could never imagine after devoting my whole life to making music that it would just stop within two days and last three years!
“We all felt it deeply and people are still rebounding. Fortunately, I was able to gather my Rocket 88s together and - masked and inoculated - we gathered at the legendary Greaseland Studios, manned at the helm by madman and musical genius- Chris “Kid” Andersen who joined us on guitar as well.
 
“It felt so good to be able to play music again, even if it was in a studio with no live audience. I decided to break out my most popular original tunes that I have performed for decades and record them in a new light with new arrangements. We are all so thankful that live music is back and we hope this album captures that spirit.  So pour yourself a tall one, sit back, and enjoy Happy Hour!”

Track Listing:
1. Jukebox Drive - 3:49 -   2. Long, Lean, and Lanky - 3:09 -   3. Broke - 3:53 -   4. Boogie Woogie Bar-B-Q - 3:29 -   5. Cryin’ For My Baby - 5:42 -   6. Shakin’ the Shack - 3:58 -   7. Amber Lee - 4:32 -   8. Mr. Boogie’s Back In Town - 3:09 -   9. Jump For Joy - 5:30 -   10. Hattie Green - 4:57 -   11. Queen Bee - 4:38 -   12. Mojo Mambo - 3:51 -   13. Solid Gold Cadillac - 3:32

Personnel:
Mitch Woods (piano, vocals) , Kid Andersen (guitar) , Larry Vann (drums) , Dave Somers - saxophones , Kedar Roy – bass

Reviews:

1. La Hora Del Blues - 2024.12.03
Excellent piano player, singer and fantastic entertainer, Mitch Woods always communicates joy and fun. If you want to dance, enjoy and forget all your troubles, Mitch Woods is your man. Blues, swing, jump blues, boogie-woogie and even rockabilly have no secrets for this great performer who turns his shows into an unbelievable event and a blaze of rhythm.
This is his fourteenth album and was recorded during the Covid confinement. While everyone was locked up without live music, Mitch decided he should give happiness and joy to all those who need music, because after devoting his whole life to acting and performing, he couldn’t imagine himself not playing for so long. To do so, he gathered his Rocket 88 musicians at the legendary Kid Andersen’s Greaseland studios and, taking all the safety measures, all of them wearing masks and with no contact with people, they managed to record an infectious album that communicates happiness, joy of living and good doses of rhythm.
Mitch selected for the album thirteen of his most popular songs he has performed over the years, recording them with new and different arrangements, which give them a new life, but always framed in blues, 40’s and 50’s jump blues, boogie, New Orleans rhythms and rock and roll.
Together with Mitch Woods on piano and vocals you will find Kid Andersen on guitar, Dave Somers on saxes, Kedar Roy on bass and Larry Vann on drums.
Now that music has come back to our lives, Mitch wants us to enjoy this new recording. Thank you, Mitch! We will do it for sure, will dance to your music, and will celebrate each and every one of your songs.