I'm Not Hungry But I Like To Eat - Blues
Pianist Erwin Helfer has been rattling floorboards in the Windy City for decades, plying a tangy mix of blues, boogie-woogie, big-band-era standards, and originals inspired by friends and pet dogs. True to form,I'm Not Hungry but I Like to Eat--Blues!finds Helfer attacking the keys with all the barroom bluster of a Chicago legend, covering songs byJelly Roll Morton("Sweet Substitute"),Percy Mayfield("Please Send Me Someone to Love"), andDuke Ellington, along with some traditionals and a handful of Helfer originals. Tenor sax man John Brumbach adds ballast to four tracks, but this is Helfer's show. And while the opening salvo of "Swanee River Boogie" might suggest this is strictly an old-timers' set, Helfer's playful interpretations and skilled tinkling are bound to find favor with anyone who digs piano music.--Kim Hughes