Album Notes

They had come to pay tribute to a Texas legend on his 50th birthday. It was quite a concert! Gloria Edwards, the soul queen of Texas sang one of Guy's songs. Calvin Owens, who was B.B. King's band leader for 30 years, couldn't wait to blow trumpet on one of Guy's 14 chord blues ballads, and was introduced so spontaneously that the local radio jock couldn't get to the stage in time for a proper introduction. E.P. Vallejo, Kool B, Jimmy Deen.... They were all there - rockers, rappers, bluesmen, folkies and every type of musician, entertainer and songwriter one could imagine. Guy Schwartz had worked with them all, and anyone could tell that he was enjoying the party!

Press Reviews

"Calling this outfit a jam band may be accurate, but it's not complete. The multi-faceted Hippies take their cues from the compact disciplined stylings of bands like The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Little Feat and War, in addition to the likes of Phish and The Dead. If anything, call The New Jack Hippies a well-rehearsed jam band! And, as good as this band sounds on disc, it's usually more effective in a live setting - preferably under the sun with a cold beer in hand."
- Bob Ruggiero, New Times Newspapers

"Pulling from the great genre pool, The New Jack Hippies are a unique spin on bluesy, jam-style rock. Eclectic from the very sense of the word, the often large conglomeration of musicians is remarkably creative and cohesive."
-PJ Cooper, Houston Headline

"The New Jack Hippies have busted out of southeast Texas with their blues, rock, funk and tripped-out jams in tow..." -Colorado Springs Independent

"....we have a very eclectic evening of music, and that eclecticism is personified by (The New Jack Hippies). The main core of this band up here, are two of my oldest and dearest friends from Houston, Texas. We grew up playing music together... and the thing about Texas that's great is that you get to play country, you get to play rock & roll, you get to play the blues, and you get to do just about anything you want. These guys play all kinds of music, and now they have morphed into one of Texas most popular blues rock hippie jam bands!" - Billy Block (Western Beat/CMT - Nashville)

Hailing from the Houston area, Bluesguy Schwartz and the New Jack Hippies soundly continue the (Texas) tradition with a CD full of good rocking and low-down blues plus inspired R&B.
-Bruce Coen, Blues Bytes (reviewing 'blue jack hippies' CD)

"Schwartz has been an uncontested guitar wielding presence on the Houston scene for decades...Given the mountain of songs he's written over the years... this Best Songwriter nomination is a belated payment for a long overdue I.O.U." -Houston Press