Wolf

I quatro rusteghi (The Four Curmudgeons, The Four Ruffians, in Edward J. Dent's translation School for Fathers) is a comic opera in three acts, music by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to a text by Luigi Sugana and Giuseppe Pizzolato based on Carlo Goldoni's 18th-century play I rusteghi. The opera is written in Venetian dialect, hence "quatro" instead of "quattro".

A bluesman from Chicago who doesn't perform any covers is a rarity indeed, but John Grimaldi, aka Studebaker John, has stuck to his guns throughout his career, and this 2001 release is a good indication why. While his melodies are serviceable, the guitarist/harpist/singer writes sharp, smart lyrics that are far more provocative than what most contemporary bluesmen churn out. Add tough vocals that place him between Darrell Nulisch and Stevie Ray Vaughan and a sizzling attack that never seems phoned in for a 50-minute set, and you wonder what more it would take for this gutsy, obviously inspired bluesman to get traction, even in a market saturated by talented players. Along with his other talents, Grimaldi also produced this disc, and the stripped-down yet full sound is raw and driven yet accessible. Songs such as the opening "Burned by Love" and "Rich Man" boast melodies that are far more creative and dramatically arranged than the genre exercises most bluesmen work in. He blows serious Little Walter-inspired amplified harp on the "Juke"-styled instrumental "Harpology," and the driving Bo Diddley beat of "Nothing Comes Easy" pushes this disc into the red zone. The slow, sexy grind of "Lock & Chain" gives Grimaldi a chance to display his impressive vocals and a slide guitar tone with Elmore James nuances.

These Charly, UK sets are not easy to find. Their sets are generally made with great care and pride. 151 Chess and Sun recordings- it is entitled "Complete" although it does not contain two very non-essential albums from the period (The Super Super Plus Band from 1967 and the 1968 Cadet album aka "Howlin' Wolf Didn't Like This Album"- and with good reason; both are quite disposable and unnecessary), plus a conversation; this is all from Sun and Chess, his very best stuff, the real essential recordings without a bad track in the lot.