Chicago-by-way-of-San Francisco harmonica player Al Miller
goes indie for his second outing, a follow-up to 1995's Wild Cards
(Delmark). This time, he's brought back guitarist Dave Specter for several
tracks, and with pianists Barrelhouse Chuck and Ken Saydak, drummers Kenny
Smith and Willie Smith, and a host of other blues veterans, it's a solid
band all around. Hailing initially from Chicago, Miller was a contemporary
of Mike Bloomfield, and the two spent some time in San Francisco in the
late 1960s. There's a bit of West Coast in Miller's music even now, though
his move back to Chicago contributes to the most prevalent sound on
...In Between Time.
For a bandleader, Miller often stays out of the spotlight
here, giving his cohorts a chance to shine; guitarist Billy Flynn even has
his own featured track, "Billy's Boogie," an uptempo instrumental with
noodly guitar lines laid over a high-stepping rhythmic base. Pretty soon
Flynn, Miller, and Saydak are trading leads with the brisk confidence of
people with decades of jamming under their belts, making this selection a
particular pleasure. Other highlights include a cover of Percy Mayfield's
"Bachelor Blues," which unfolds with the wandering, shapely motion of
smoke rising from a cigarette, and "Dead Presidents," which is solidly in
the spirit of Little Walter (who first performed it) and Willie Dixon (who
wrote it). Mention should also be made of "1839," which in Miller's hands
becomes a solid, respectable rendition. Of the originals, the slow,
passionate "Lake Michigan Waters" is far and away the best and most
distinctive, with the tightest performance from Miller's backing band and
the strongest, most expressive performance from Miller himself. Overall,
...In Between Time is a solid entry in the Chicago blues catalog,
and while it may not be seminal, it's definitely enjoyable.
-- Originally appeared in Blues Revue No. 72,
November 2001, pp. 62-3