Press / Reviews

Lloyd Sachs, No Depression March-April 2006

"The Crescent City may have Dr. John, but for a considerably longer time, the Windy City has had Erwin Helfer, a blues and boogie master whose obscurity masks the great esteem which he is held by his fans and fellow musicians. With a series of fine albums for suburban Chicago label The Sirens, Helfer is chipping away at his cult status as he approaches his 70th birthday. Careless Love is the best of them in terms of its stylistic breadth and the easy elegance with which he connects those dots; among “two-fisted” pianists, he is the most genial as well as the most crafty. The music is lifted by a large-spirited sense of now, ranging from a reading of Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya” on which second-line rhythm meets Caribbean tinge, to a jaunty, staggering “Just A Closer Walk With Thee”, to a languorous, time-lagging treatment of Thelonious Monk’s “Blue Monk”. Even when drummer Avreeayl Ra, who comes from the jazz avant garde, and mainstream jazz bassist John Whitfield aren’t quite on the same page as Helfer, his off-kilter overlapping figures, hammered accents and shrewd hesitations keep your ears pinned."

Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue April/May 2006

"Since (and long before) his 1991 debut I’m Not Hungry But I Like To Eat – Blues!, Chicago’s Erwin Helfer has quietly been creating some of the world’s loveliest, most accomplished piano music. With Careless Love, Helfer continues successfully to pay tribute to (and redefine) blues, barrelhouse, boogie-woogie, and jazz keyboard. This time, he works with his regular rhythm section of jazz players Avreeayl Ra on drums and John Whitfield on bass.

Helfer’s originals are limited to the excellently titled “This Is Better Than I Thought It Was Boogie,” a relentlessly pounding, playful piece in the Albert Ammons-Pete Johnson tradition, and “Paris But I Don’t Know Why,” which straddles classical piano and barrelhouse without ever really resolving in either camp, but which is none the worse for its indecisiveness. Lack of definition isn’t always a bad thing.

Standards hold sway over the remainder of the program. A beautifully syncopated reading of the spiritual “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” leads into the Jimmy and Mama Yancey piece “Make Me a Pallet On the Floor,” embellished with florid right-hand work. Helfer approaches the title track at a leisurely pace, and “Blue Monk” is given a lovely, slow interpretation. Helfer’s reading of “On the Sunny Side of the Street” takes on a jaunty feel, aided by Whitfield’s solo break, while Ellington’s “I’ve Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” displays playfulness that encompasses both meter and melody. “Georgia,” lacking a vocal, is no less soulful than Ray Charles’ version. Helfer’s Professor Longhair stylings (particularly in the breakdown section) and Ra’s second-line drumming give Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya” a New Orleans flavor. With Careless Love, Helfer accomplishes the difficult task of challenging careful ears with music beautiful enough to beguile even casual listeners."

Jon Andrews, Downbeat January 2006

"Erwin Helfer stands out among a dwindling number of practitioners of boogie-woogie piano as he carries on a Chicago barrlehouse tradition. With Careless Love, Helfer blends blues and jazz, spiking the mixture with a healthy dose of boogie. He played behind vocalist Mama Yancey and his fervent, gospel-tinged treatment of Jimmy Yancey’s “Make Me A Pallet On The Floor” is a highlight of the album.

The title track reflects honky-tonk influences as much as gospel and blues. Bassist John Whitfield contributes a solid, almost reverent solo, while freeing the pianist to embellish Handy’s melody. Helfer also impresses with a distinctive interpretation of “I’ve Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good” and a blues variation on “Jambalaya,” complete with second-line drumming from Avreeayl Ra. Helfer varies the mood effectively by complementing rollicking boogie woogie tracks, like “This is Better Than I Thought Boogie” with the introspection of “Georgia” and “Blue Monk”."

David Whiteis, Living Blues, November/December 2005

"Longtime admirers of Chicago-based boogie-woogie pianist Erwin Helfer know what to expect: impeccably executed reprises of vintage-era standards, interspersed with a few originals and seasoned with at lease one or two good-humored surprises.

Even when paying tribute, Helfer finds ways to make the tried-and-true sound fresh. He takes Careless Love to church, infusing that hard-edged ballad of mistreatment with a redemptive sanctified grace. His version of On The Sunny Side Of The Street (a showcase for the late drummer/vocalist Odie Payne when he and Helfer played together) alternates between sepia-tinged nostalgia and eight-to-the-bar raucousness; he also inserts a couple of Monk-like chordal twists and a double-handed workout that sounds based on Professor Longhair or maybe James Booker. Make Me A Pallet On The Floor summons another beloved spirit – the late Estelle “Mama” Yancey, Jimmy’s widow, who used to sing it on her shows as Helfer accompanied her.

Helfer again evokes ‘Fess with a jubilant Jambalaya, a tour de force that demonstrates both his rhythmic dexterity and the understated way in which he unfurls it – no self-indulgent pyrotechnics for him; merely heartfelt musicianship from start to finish. His take on Blue Monk blazes no new trails, but it’s an affectionate tribute that also serves as a reminder that Thelonious Monk, for all his reputation as an iconoclast, was also well-rooted in the stride piano tradition.

A special nod should go to Helfer’s sidemen. Bassist John Whitfield is one of Chicago’s most respected jazz figures; drummer Avreeayl Ra, a musician usually associated with the Windy City’s pioneering avant-garde Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), comports himself flawlessly in this uncharacteristically straight-ahead setting.

Swing, class, rollicking good humor, and musical excellence – you can’t ask for more."

Larry Hollis, Cadence, June 2006

"One thing for sure about Erwin Helfer, he didn’t just fall off the back of some turnip truck. He’s been at it since at least the late fifties and this is his third release for The Sirens label. Musicologist, piano pioneer, researcher, producer and teacher, Helfer is conversant with all strains of early keyboard styles especially those associated with New Orleans and Chicago. On ‘Careless Love’ he surveys slices of the pianistic pie in a trio context with seasoned vets John Whitfield on the doghouse bass and skinman Avreeayl Ra. There are two Helfer scripts heard here; the cleverly-titled opener where Whitfield lays out and the solo piece, “Paris But I Don’t Know Why” which, rest assured, has nothing to do with that Hilton no-talent. Besides hard core boogie woogie, this disc holds standards from fellow keys kings Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Like a jeweler, Helfer brings the emotion of each piece to the surface and polishes each facet with his seemingly effortless touch. The hoary standard and title cut “Careless Love” is caressed for six minutes revealing the sheen below the surface. He also reflects on one of his major influences, Jimmy Yancey, earlier in his career, Helfer backed up Mama Yancey, serving up “Make Me A Pallet On The Floor” which many Jazzers have successfully covered, including a neat rendition from Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Things end with a calypso version of Hank Williams’ “Jambalya” that should put a smile on Professor Longhair wherever he may be. The Sirens continue to bring first rate piano albums to the listener."

William J. Schafer, Mississippi Rag - December 2006

Erwin Helfer is back with his driving boogie and blues and goodtime jump music, and this CD is at least as fine as his award-nominated 2001 CD, I'm Not Hungry But I Like to Eat-Blues!  Helfer is joined by bassist John Whitfield and drummer Avreeayl Ra, who provide solid support for Helfer's rumbling blues.

Helfer is a 50-year veteran of the Chicago blues-and-boogie scene, and he carries on the tradition of original eight-to-the-bar men like Jimmy Yancey and Cripple Clarence Lofton. (He helped promote and record these survivors of the 1920s.) He even bows here to the indestructible Mama Yancey with "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor."  But he is also a convincingly original extender of tradition, and he does not hesitate to reach outside the barrelhouse piano bag for materials and ideas.
Witness here his use of eccentric modern piano master Thelonious Sphere Monk's most popular composition, "Blue Monk."  On Helfer's keyboard it sounds like something straight from Chicago's South Side while still retaining the lyrical poignancy that makes it an enduring pop tune.  Likewise, when Helfer taps Monk's master Ellington for the pop-flavored "I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" (which started life as an instrumental tone poem), he re-injects it with a solid blues feeling closer to Leroy Carr's meditative blues than Ellington's suave piano style.

Helfer's impromptu solo opener ("This Is Better . . .") shows off his skills at extemporaneous boogie, which does indeed turn out well. He also is unaccompanied on a gawky original, "Paris But I Don't Know Why," which seems to ache for lyrics.  On the ancient blues "Careless Love," Helfer squeezes out long lyrical lines from the primordial days of the music, and pop numbers like "Georgia" and "All of Me" become essays in the art of late-night barroom piano, both conventional and interestingly original.  Helfer's quirky and fearless approach to the keyboard keeps any material from sinking into cliché or standardized phrasing.  He often sounds like a man stoked up and on the edge of losing control, which adds a keen tension to his playing and makes any three-minute track a small sonic equivalent of the man on the flying trapeze.

The highlight of the disc for me is the final track, a rip-roaring "Jambalaya" on which Avreeayl Ra's drums (of all sizes and pitches) turn into something like a Balinese orchestra and thrust Helfer along on their own tsunami of impulse.  The whole CD is highly listenable and intense, and it reminds us why boogie piano has survived every change of taste and shift of style in popular culture.  It is as solid and foursquare as an old upright piano in a dusty barrelhouse, waiting to be heard.