Though he was born and raised in England, Jon Cleary is now a New Orleans institution—though it took him the better part of four decades to pull it off. In the process, he’s performed with everyone from B.B. King and Eric Clapton to Eric Burdon and Ryan Adams. His songs have been recorded by Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt and other higher-profile artists, yet he and his Absolute Monster Gentlemen remain a regional and overseas phenomenon, albeit a Grammy-winning one.
Just in time for Mardi Gras, the group unveils “So Damn Good,” the first single from its upcoming LP, The Bywater Sessions (Well Kept Secret), out April 25. Co-produced by Cleary and John Porter (Smiths, Roxy Music) and recorded live to tape at Cleary’s home studio in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood, the album’s 10 tracks draw from a setlist of band favorites.
Originally composed by Cleary as a funk number 23 years ago, “So Damn Good” has since found a new groove. “Lately, we’ve been doing it as a ‘boom-cha’—that furious two-beat, up-tempo frolic you sometimes hear coming out the Southern Baptist churches uptown,” he says. “I had a gig for a while playing in such an establishment behind a gospel singer and bouncer called Joe Cool, a gentle giant who had a record out at the time called Blessed Quietness. Those Sunday services would simmer. But when that boom-cha drum pattern brought things to a boil, it would get the old ladies out of their seats with their tambourines—and that was a wrap. Nothing beats the magic of a congregation when they’re feeling that holy spirit.”
We’re proud to premiere Jon Cleary And The Absolute Monster Gentlemen’s “So Damn Good.”
—Hobart Rowland
See Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen live.
