A VETERAN NEW ORLEANS-BASED PRODUCER, AND SINGER/SONGWRITER | JAZZ CHILL MUSIC
Carlo Ditta is a renowned label owner, producer, composer, and recording artist in his own right. He is also a philanthropic individual, always willing to record and further the careers of many perhaps lesser-known artists who strive to maintain the authenticity of the vintage sounds of New Orleans, the city and region they all call home.
That is precisely the vibe of Carlo’s second solo outing, entitled “Hungry For Love,” for his own Orleans Records label. Of the ten cuts, two are traditional tunes done up with Carlo’s unique arrangements, three are covers of songs synonymous with some of New Orleans’ famed artists, and five are Carlo’s originals done with the soulful heritage of the Big Easy always in mind.
There are several highlights, fans. Earl Stanley wrote the Sixties’ pop hit, “A Gypsy Woman Told Me,” and plays bass on this version, over Carlo’s lovelorn vocal and Rick Stelma’s organ. Carlo checks in with one of our favorites, the cool Latin groove of the story of that lady, who, “if you wanna play, you got to pay,” “La Muchacha Cha Cha!” The fellows do a fantastic job covering Baton Rouge artists John Fred And The Playboys hit, “Agnes English,” and, yep, Andrew Bernard, who wrote the song as part of that band back in the day, appears here on both tenor sax and Wurlitzer! “Pass The Hatchet,” another of our favorites, is a Carlo original that rides a funky sax-guitar groove, over Carlo’s spoken-word vocal, as he watches a pretty girl from a distance! He closes the set with our final favorite, an organ and sax-heavy arrangement done over Carlo’s raspy vocal, decrying a misspent youth at that iconic place of ill repute, “The House Of The Rising Sun!”
Carlo Ditta is a champion of many veteran artists that perhaps history has overlooked. He brings together many of these storied players and their material mixed in with his own clever originals to produce a set that is sho’ nuff “Hungry For Love!” ~Don Crow/DonAndSherysBluesBlog
Carlo presents himself and the area’s soulful rhythm-and-blues legacy through five originals, colorful remakes of regional R&B and Funk classics, and imaginative interpretations of traditional songs, drawing on his decades of experience producing amazing albums for some of New Orleans’ most powerful if underappreciated talents.
Hungry for Love features performance by saxophonist and keyboardist Andrew Bernard (John Fred and the Playboys); bassist Earl Stanley (Dr. John, Roger and the Gypsies, Earl Stanley and the Stereos); keyboardist Rick Stelma (Dr. Spec’s Optical Illusion); bassist David Hyde; and drummer Chewy “Thunderfoot” Black all of whom appeared on Ditta’s 2014 solo debut What I’m Talkin’ About. Other local legends who contribute to the new album include saxophonists Jerry Jumonville (Captain Beefheart, Bette Miller, Rod Stewart); saxophonist Johnny Pennino (Skip Easterling, Freddy Fender); and drummer Freddy Staehle (Dr. John, Al Hirt, Eric Clapton).
With the album’s title song Carlo and company conjure a hypnotic hoodoo vibe worthy of North Louisiana legend Tony Joe White. The remake of Eddie Powers’ “Gypsy Woman Told Me,” includes bass from Earl Stanley who co-wrote it and played on the 1964 original. He also plays on “Pass the Hatchet,” the local proto-funk hit from 1966 he helped write and recorded with Roger and the Gypsies.
In “La MuChaCha Cha,” another original, Ditta inveigles against an unfaithful lover over seductively warm and grooving Latin rhythms; Spanish guitar and congas reinforce the tropical vibe. “Agnes English” by Baton Rouge hitmakers John Fred and the Playboys, gets a spooky makeover that features Andrew Bernard, an original member of the Playboys and co-writer of the song, playing tenor sax and Wurlitzer keyboards.
Carlo goes full-tilt Soul on “Working So Hard for My Baby’s Love,” an original composition featuring Jumonville’s gutsy sax playing and inventive arranging. In the contemplative, reggae-flavored “Life in Heaven,” Ditta addresses big questions about life and love, singing as low and breathy as late period Leonard Cohen.
All these tracks are deeply steeped in Louisiana’s steamy, soulful rhythm-and-blues heritage which he’s labored to preserve and promote, rediscovering and producing albums for overlooked veteran artists from the region and released them on his Orleans Records label. Following a stint in NYC where he helmed recordings for acts like Willy DeVille, he returned to New Orleans and began recording the likes of Danny Barker, Mighty Sam McClain, Roland Stone, Little Freddie King, Guitar Slim Jr., Coco Robicheaux, Rockie Charles and the Original Pinstripe Brass Band. When he reactivated the label in 2014, one of his first releases was a previously unreleased live concert by New Orleans icon Professor Longhair.
On Hungry for Love, Carlo proves himself a worthy successor to the amazing musicians he championed.