Bob with the Royal Crowns at The Red Hot and Blues Festival in Montréal

Bob with Cindy Cashdollar at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis

Bob and Lonnie Bennett at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis

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This review will feature the 2006 CD release, “Bob Taillefer Y Los Hermanos” and includes excerpts from a phone interview with Bob from his home in Oshawa, Ontario.

“Bob Taillefer Y Los Hermanos” lead by Bob Taillefer saw a marked departure in playing style from country influences such as Conway Twitty’s John Hughey to the Latin jazz stylings of Dizzy Gillespie and Mongo Santamaria.

The CD is conceptual in that it is modelled after a live performance, particularly an Afro-Cuban performance where the band shares the spotlight with the percussion section. Bob explains that the Mexican born timbale player on this CD, Enrique Loyola, explained that in live Latin music concerts “conversations” where the percussion section is featured through out the show, are the norm. He emulates this with exciting Afro-Cuban rhythms between the regular repertoire such as Rumba, Guanguanco and some 6/8 rhythms where all three drummers alternate in delivering explosive solos.

The CD opens with Well You Needn’t a Thelonious Monk tune arranged as a Cha Cha Cha with the baritone sax holding down the bottom. At just over 1 minute in length it acts as a perfect opener leaving the listener wanting more and wondering what’s coming next. There are several jazz standards on this CD, such as Blue Bossa and Minors Aloud, each one treated with a Latin percussion and innovative in its arrangement and sonic simplicity. The latter tune a nod to the player that started the entire pedal steel jazz experimentation over 35 years ago, Mr Buddy Emmons. The pedal steel is a treat to hear in this relatively untouched genre of pedalsteellatinjazz.

While the songs written by other composers and covered by Los Hermanos are creative and interesting, perhaps the highlights of this CD are the 2 original tunes penned by Bob’s brother Michel Taillefer, an excellent composer and guitar player in his own right. One straight ahead jazz called Same Time Same Place and the other a Brazilian infused tune with a very memorable melody called Turn Right Here . They allow brother Bob to really explore the full textures and range of the instrument much to the delight of the listener.

Overall this CD very much worth seeking out and buying and I rate it at [ 4/5 Stars ]

Some background to the making of this CD.
Bob explains that he had been playing Bluegrass (he calls it fiddle tunes) and country music for many years in his home town of Orleans, Ontario when on the road in 1977 he heard Buddy Emmons. This was a pivotal moment in Bob’s life; he reminisces “I didn’t even know you could play jazz on this instrument” From then on he never looked at the pedal steel the same way and began experimenting the way Buddy Emmons and other jazz musicians were doing at the time. A short time after that, a fortunate turn of events (two British sisters) saw Bob and his brother Jean move to Manchester, England and promptly land a job at the BBC. His job? Compose music using the pedal steel as the lead instrument and explore every form of folk music from around the world. Hiring the best musicians and budget were rarely a concern and soon there were many hours of original music being used in their programming with the pedal steel being prominently featured. These sessions will soon be released in CD format and so far are aptly being called “The BBC Sessions”.

Bob Taillefer is a prominent member of Steel Guitar Forum and at 7000+ members it seems that this unique and temperamental instrument is not losing popularity. He also receives requests to travel to Pedal Steel Guitar conferences around North America and enjoyed a nice moment when Paul Franklin of Dire Straits invited him to play and complimented him on the boldness of the new CD.

Vince Maccarone
Humber Music News

Jazz Room – Scotty’s Convention in St Louis (2006) (left to right) Bob T., Jim Stahlhut, Kyle Honeycutt and Bob DeBoo

L’EXPRESS
Dominique Denis

Vous connaissez la boutade? On dit de la guitare pedal steel qu’elle est employée pour nous rappeler, langoureux larmoiements à l’appui, que nous sommes en présence d’une chanson country. C’est peut-être vrai à Nashville, mais il s’agit là d’une vision trompeuse: que ce soit dans la musique hawaïenne (dès les années 1920-30), le western swing (à la Bob Wills) ou encore le sacred steel (veine ultra-jouissive du gospel afro-américain), cela fait des lustres que l’instrument a fait preuve de sa polyvalence.

Avec Bob Taillefer comme évangéliste, le pedal steel poursuit son œuvre œcuménique en investissant le créneau du jazz latin, grâce à Bob Taillefer Y Los Hermanos (autoproduction).

Mais le virtuose originaire d’Ottawa, qui a élu domicile à Oshawa (et qu’on a pu entendre aux côtés de Serge Monette et de Philippe Flahaut) n’est pas du genre à métisser pour métisser.

Hormis la juxtaposition d’instruments (steel, percus et section rythmique cubaine, pour l’essentiel), Bob Taillefer Y Los Hermanos s’en tient aux paramètres d’un jazz latin aussi conventionnel que convivial, qui se savoure tel un mojito bien frais au bord de la piscine.

Un léger bémol, pourtant: si l’on exclut quatre interludes de percussions, cette nouvelle galette frôle à peine la barre des 28 minutes.

Avec des musiciens du calibre d’André Roy (à la guitare) et Sean O’Connor (au saxo), l’ami Bob aurait pu en profiter pour poser sa griffe à quelques classiques du répertoire afro-cubain et s’imposer, pourquoi pas, comme le Chico O’Farrill du pedal steel.

Dominique Denis