Congrats to 15 years of The Rhythm Room

Phoenix’s The Rhythm Room as developed a reputation as a blues room in part due to the efforts of Bob Corritore. Blue Witch Records has issued a lively celebration of its 15 years, House Rockin’ and Blues Shoutin’!, with 14 strong live performances for the Rhythm Room’s stage. This is scheduled to be released in September, 2007. Its a nice range of performances that give an indication of the breadth and eclecticism of real deal blues that play there including performances by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Manish Boys, Long John Hunter, Floyd Dixon, Big Pete Pearson, Henry Gray, Sonny Rhodes, Paul Oscher, Chief Shabuttie Gilliame w Johnny Dyer and Henry Gray, Robert Lockwood, Jr, Louisiana Red and Billy Boy Arnold. There are any number of highlights here and no poor tracks. The three Thunderbirds tracks are each with different personnel supporting Kim Wilson including Troy Gonyea’s guitar backing him on Jimmy Rogers’ Goin’ Away Baby, and the Little Walter styled harp romp, Horsin’ Around, while Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher and horns provide support for the New Orleans groove of Rich Woman. Finis Tasby gravelly vocals graces The Manish Boys fine Lonesome Bedroom, while Long John Hunter is heard solo on Long John’s Country Blues. Piano blues will enjoy Floyd Dixon’s jumping Please Don’t Go while Henry Gray’s Henry’s Houserocker is a solid shuffle with Kid Ramos’ guitar helping propel the boogie woogie feature. Sonny Rhodes playing lap steel guitar interprets one of the lesser known Elmore James numbers, My Bleeding Heart, while Paul Oscher is marvelous on guitar, harp and vocals on That’s It. The delightful performances come to a close with Billy Boy Arnold’s take on an old Sonny Boy Williamson recording (which actually dates back to pianist Charlie Spand) which is retitled and credited to Arnold, Two Drinks of Wine. It is the same song junior Wells did as Early in the Morning. One can’t think of a better salute to this blues room than the compilation of fine recordings here and Blue Witch is to be thanked for this collection. May the Rhythm Room celebrate another 15 years.

Kermit Ruffins Lively Night at Vaughan's

From the days when he was probably the most visible member of Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins has been playing his trumpet and singing with the idea that jazz can entertain as well as be art. Having reestablished, after Katrina, his long-standing gig at Vaughan’s in New Orleans, his newest recording was recorded in performance there, Live at Vaughan’s (Basin Street). What can one say except this an exuberant collection of performances that should bring a smile to most as he and his quartet handle standards like World on a String and Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?, along with second line gems like Palm Court Strut and Kermit’s Tremé Second Line, and his jazzifying R&B classics like Sly Stone’s If You Want Me to Stay. Ruffins’ band of Richard Knox on keyboards (he has an excellent organ solo on World on a String); Derrick Freeman on drums and vocals and Kevin Morris on electric bass is augmented on several tracks by Roderick Paulin on saxophone and Corey Henry on trombone (both heard on Kermit’s Drop Me Off in New Orleans), Neshia Ruffins (Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans), and others. The most obvious influence on Ruffins is Louis Armstrong which is reflected throughout his playing and vocals. While there is a traditional jazz base to the performances, they are enlivened by a dose of second-line R&B flavoring making for lively, swinging and danceable performances like the Palm Court Strut or Ruffins’ Hide the Reefer (‘because he comes the creeper’), that frankly will bring a smile to the listener, but after listening it will hit you that Kermit Ruffins can really play, like his very fiery solo on the Sly Stone classic.

Max Roach 1924-2007

The headline in the New York Times website the afternoon of August 16 said it all. As Peter Keepnews' wrote," Max Roach, a founder of modern jazz who rewrote the rules of drumming in the 1940’s and spent the rest of his career breaking musical barriers and defying listeners’ expectations, died early today in Manhattan. He was 83."
Anyone playing drums stands in his musical shadow. An innovator who never stood musically still. As I write this Columbia University's WKCR is doing a Max Roach marathon in his memory thorugh next Wednesday August 22 where you can experience a musical legacy that few in American musical history can equal. You can listen on the internet by visiting WKCR's website is www.wkcr.org. The link for Peter Keepnews obituary is Max Roach.

Fathead Newman's Straightahead "Cityscape"

David ‘Fathead’ Newman has certainly come a long way from his initial appearance on wax, a session by Texas Blues Man, Zuzu Bollin (and Newman played on Bullin’s rediscovery album decades later). Best known for his fat sound while a member of Ray Charles legendary band in the late fifties and early sixties, Newman has had a distinguished career since leaving Charles and continues to perform and record showing little diminution in his music. A relatively recent HighNote release, Cityscape, has him on tenor, alto and flute,leading a septet which includes his rhythm section of David Leonhardt on piano, John Menegon on bass and Yoron Isreal on drums. They are joined by Howard Johnson on baritone, Benny Powell on trombone and Winston Byrd on trumpet and flugelhorn. The notes observe that the septet format recalls the classic Ray Charles band of the fifties that Newman was part of, although a comparison that perhaps raises false expectations as this band is more of a straight Hard Bop aggregation that does not have the tight sound of Charles’ legendary band. There is a nice mix of material including originals as well as standards such as the opening rendition of the theme from the James Bond movie, Goldfinger, Billy Strayhorn’s lovely A Flower is a Lonesome Thing and It Was a Very Good Year, that most associate with Frank Sinatra. Goldfinger is an attractive but hardly startling feature for Newman who sounds stronger on flute with a bit of Mid-Eastern flavor for the lively Pharoah’s Gold, with Howard Johnson providing an arrangement of the 5/4 Claude Johnson theme, while Newman’s tenor caresses the Strayhorn classic with the muted horn riffs of the others adding atmosphere. Bassist Menegon contributed the walking blues, Bu Bop Bass, with Johnson opening with some strong choruses before Fathead takes over on tenor with some insinuating playing. Howard Johnson’s original, Here Comes Sonny Man, has Newman on alto on a number that sounds like it could have been written as a theme for a seventies TV show. Newman returns to tenor on a romantic It Was a Very Good Year, which suggests that in his golden years, Newman still remains an authoritative player. Another flute feature is Newman’s original, Flankin’, dedicated to his wife’s late mom where he is backed just by his rhythm trio. While the septet here perhaps lacks the tightness and authority that Ray Charles Band had, this is a strong set of straight-ahead straight-ahead jazz that should please many.

The Mannish Boys Strong Retro-Blues

Delta Groove has issued a new release from The Mannish Boys, Big Plans. A smorgasbord of blues players and styles, the main featured players are vocalists Finis Tasby and Johnny Dyer with support from the likes of guitarists Frank Goldwasser (Paris Slim), and Kirk Fletcher, pianist Leon Blue, bassist Tom Leavey and drummer Richard Innes with guest appearances from Jody Williams, Rick Holmstrom, Mitch Kashmar, Rob Rio and Larry Taylor. There is a mix of covers and originals that are well played and performed. Certainly its a delight to hear the West Coast blues singing of Tasby whose world-weary sound adds to the appeal of his reworking Long John Hunter’s Border Town Blues, while I Get Worried, is a moody late night T-Bone Walker blues with Kid Ramos laying in crisp T-Bone guitar runs, and Roy Hawkins’ Why Do Things Happen to Me? is a charged rendition of the great West Coast singer who had the original The Thrill is Gone. Chicago singer Bobby Jones handles an original shuffle by bassist Leavey, Mary Jane, with producer Randy Chortkoff adding some Jimmy Reed-ish, high register harp, along with a moody reworking of Howlin’ Wolf’s Memphis recording, California Blues, into a slow-drag blues with Fletcher taking lead on guitar and Kashmar adding some choice harp. Johnny Dyer covers Muddy Waters’ recording, Just to Be With You, and its well played if adding little to the original, while Leon Blue does Homesick James’ Got to Move, with Goldwasser adding solid slide in the Homesick James vein as Leon Blue tinkles the ivories and delivers a strong vocal, again modeled on James’ original, and Jody Williams recreates his Groan My Blues Away, with an amiable if unspectacular vocal, but his vocal on Chortkoff’s Young & Tender, is more compelling against the atmospheric backing he receives. In contrast, Chortkoff’s rendition of his Mine All Mine has too busy an accompaniment and a weak vocal (certainly in comparison to the other performers here). Even if much of this hardly original, it is delight to hear this done so well at a time with bluesy rock is seen by some as an innovation. While hardly essential, few blues lovers will have any complaints to acquiring this disc.

Marie Knight's loving tribute to Rev. Gary Davis

Fans of Sister Rosetta Tharpe may be familiar with the name Marie Knight whose alto could be heard with Tharpe’s soprano and guitar on such records as Up Above My Head, I Hear Music, and Didn’t It Rain. Knight, who had her own gospel hit with Gospel Train, was located and participated in MC Records highly praised tribute to Tharpe, Shout, Sister, Shout, and is now featured on a stunning new MC records release, Let Us Get Together: A Tribute to Reverend Gary Davis. Produced by Larry Campbell, who played lead guitar and other instruments in Bob Dylan’s Band from 1997-2004 but has played with numerous acts such as Paul Simon and Willie Nelson. Campbell in the early 1970’s became obsessed with Rev. Gary Davis’ music and as he shows on this release, is a marvelous guitarist in the Piedmont finger style approach. His guitar is the foundation for Knight who still remains a vigorous vocalist that invests her renditions of Lord I Feel Like Goin' On, I Belong To The Band, Samson & Delilah, I Am The Light Of This World, 12 Gates, and Death Don't Have No Mercy, with such fervor. Perhaps her range is diminished a tad with age but her phrasing and delivery belies her age. Five selections are solo including Lord I Feel Like Goin’ On and Samson and Delilah, while several, including I Am the Light of the World, have a backing band that may get occasionally messy but do not detract from the exuberance and celebration. Catherine Russell contributes an effective backing vocal here while Kim Wilson adds harmonica in addition to the rhythm to Twelve Gates to The City, and Death Don’t Have No Mercy. The latter track is the recording’s longest and Knight is compelling on this spellbinding performance that is perhaps the highlight of a truly excellent disc. In addition, there is a short Quicktime video which gives Marie Knight a chance to tell us about herself and she is as vivacious as in her performances. Gary Davis’ memory is served well by this disc that is also a reminder that the magnificent Ms. Knight is alive and very well. One of the best discs in any genre this writer has heard this year.

Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges

Armadillo Music (England) has issued a new, eponymously titled disc by Texas native, Eugene ‘Hideaway Bridges. Unlike Bridges' earlier albums which had him backed by tight, swinging backing combos, this finds Bridges in a more informal setting of his own guitar with some guests on various tracks. These tracks were recorded at different locations across several different continents. The spare setting perhaps enhances how Bridges evokes Sam Cooke and such songs as Piece of the Mountain. Never Alone, with its gospel flavor makes that Cooke comparison more evident. The Soul Stirrers are evoked with the vocal backing provided on this number. Pedal steel player Lucky Oceans enhances the blues-ballad lament Life has No Meaning, the country-tinged Baby Your Love, and the Latin-flavored In Your Arms Tonight. Special Friend, a tale of infidelity, features nice guitar from Ian Moss with what I would be presumed an overdubbed vocal backing. Look at Me Now is a wonderful ballad with spare backing and a light percussionist effectively framing Bridges’ singing, whereas he plays acoustic guitar and adds foot stomp to Ain’t Got Time, as he sings about having a bad attitude but no time to mess with a lady if her heart ain’t true. With Clayton Doley on the Hammond, Bridges handles a T-Bone Walker-B.B. King vein on Love’s Got the Best of Me. Ray Wylie Hubbard adds slide guitar to I Can’t Wait, a nice song with a Jimmy Reed-flavored groove, while Doley again adds Hammond to the closing Man and His Guitar, once again suggests Walker and King with Bridges singing so soulfully about not having or needing much, just being a man with a guitar. Even with the spare accompaniments heard herein, Bridges establishes how soulful a singer he is with the convincing delivery of these twelve songs. While I would suggest one check out his band albums like the superb Jump the Joint or Man Without a Home, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges is a change of pace to delight fans of this extraordinary blues talent.

Franklin & Baytop "Searching For Frank"

while Rick Franklin and Mike Baytop are two of the most accomplished acoustic blues artists in the Washington DC area. Franklin has been a staple of the area’s acoustic scene for over two decades including a lengthy partnership with Neil Harpe. Baytop was mentored by the late Archie Edwards and became President of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation that still operates out of Archie’s Barbershop, holding the weekly jam sessions that Archie had hosted along with workshops and concerts. He has recorded with DC native Mike Roach on harmonica and recently with projects associated with the Foundation. He has also grown as a guitarist and also plays bones, guitar and mandolin. Franklin & Baytop have partnered for a new disc, Searching For Frank for Patuxent Records, which takes its name from legendary Memphis Bluesman Frank Stokes whose twenties and thirties recordings for Victor and other labels in the company of Dan Sane and others were amongst the finest recordings of the pre-World War 11 era with the intricate interplay between the two and Stokes strongly delivered vocals. The album contains fourteen performances, several directly taken from recordings of Stokes and his associates but transformed so its no simple cover. Their intent was to evoke those classic duo recordings, but not to simply replicate the originals. Furthermore, several tracks have Baytop on harp and/or bones, so while all tracks are duos, not all are guitar duos. They make the music their own as Nobody’s Business transforms the Memphis references of Stokes’ Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do to Washington DC, as well as updates Stokes’ You Shall as You Shall Be Free, a tune that likely came out of the minstrel tradition. Other material includes Blind Blake’s Champagne Charlie, Pink Anderson’s I Got Mine, an adaptation of Furry Lewis’ Judge Harsh Blues (Jail House Blues) and the Mississippi Sheiks’ Stop and Listen Blues. The two play wonderfully and its delightful to hear Memphis in the twenties evoked. While neither are great singers, they both deliver their vocals in unforced, husky, good-natured styles. One can hear in these performances how much they enjoy playing this material and they do not sound like they are too studied or reverent with respect to the material which increases the pleasure of this disc. Also, they avoid over-recorded early blues recordings so thankfully we are spared second rate Robert Johnson covers This release is available from the Patuxent Records website at www.pxrec.com or email Rick Franklin at rick.franklin@onebox.com for information on how to purchase this.

Happy Birthday Louis Armstrong

WKCR-FM, from Columbia University, is celebrating the music of Louis Armstrong until 6:00 AM on August 5. The link is http://www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr/. You can access the internet broadcast on that page.

Without Louis Armstrong, the music of the the United States, even the whole world, would not be the same. Happy Birthday to the great Satchmo.

Essential Albert King

Albert King was one of the most important and influential blues artists from the sixties until his death, and had a number of great recordings including two highly influential albums. One was the Stax release, Born Under a Bad Sign that Fantasy reissued in 2002. This record is still currently available. Here is a review that appeared in the October-November 2002 issue of Jazz & Blues Report.

Fantasy Records which acquired Stax Records sometime ago has reissued the classic Albert King album, Born Under a Bad Sign. This 1967 album was the first album by King for the Memphis label and matched King with a studio band centered around Booker T & the MGs. This was a highly influential recording which, along with Kings mid-seventies album I’ll Play the Blues For You, included a number of songs that became part of the core blues repertoire and shaped how so many artists played the music. Songs include the title track with its great line, “If it wasn’t for bad luck I would not have any luck at all,” the remake of the delta blues Crosscut Saw, with a hot rhythm section and blasting horns, the jaunty The Hunter, with stinging guitar and the bravado line about pretty women being King’s game, the classic blue ballad As the Years Go Passing By, and Personal Manager, where he tells his lady how he would love to manage her affairs. King delivers the vocals and plays some classic guitar mixing long sustained notes with short staccato runs. His sense of phrasing and use of silence is something setting him apart from his many imitators and those influenced by him. The liner notes focus a bit too much on King’s influence on Stevie Ray Vaughan, but the fact is that even as spectacular a guitarist as Otis Rush, who had already made some classic recordings a decade earlier, incorporated elements of King’s style into his own approach. This is an essential disc although much of it might have been previously issued on CD on Atlantic as King of Blues Guitar.

Jimmy 'T-99' Nelson's Rockin' and Shoutin' the Blues

In light of Jimmy 'T-99' Nelson's passing, it is appropriate to remember him in this review from 1999 that appeared in the January-February issue of Jazz & Blues Report.

Big throated shouter Jimmy T-99 Nelson is among the last surviving of the blues shouters that were prevalent during the swing era and up through the emergence of rock and roll. Philadelphia born Nelson found his musical calling in 1941 when he was in San Francisco and saw Harlan Leonard’s Rockets (the liner notes misspell this as Rockers) with whom Big Joe Turner was singing. Turner became his idol and musical idol, and Nelson followed in Turner’s footsteps, performing with him and even writing some songs for him. He also recorded over the years for several labels, the most notable being Modern Records with who he recorded T-99, a reworking of the classic Honeydripper Blues backed by the Peter Rabbit Trio, who repeated the title in the background. It reached #6 in the R&B charts and the next year Nelson scored with a slow blues, Meet Me With Your Black Dress On , which is a totally different song from the Cheatham’s Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On.

Bullseye Blues and Jazz just released a terrific new album by Nelson, Rockin’ and Shoutin’ the Blues. The album brings together some originals along with fine renditions of blues covers. A top-flight band includes Matt McCabe on piano, Clarence Holliman on guitar and the horns of Doug James, Rich Lataille and Carl Querfurth from Roomful of Blues. It is a swinging band with some crisp horn charts. Nelson opens with a medium-tempoed rocker, letting everybody know they are in the House of the Blues. There is a standout rendition of Leroy Carr’s How Long, How Long Blues along with an affecting rendition of the ballad Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying. He rocks the house with his own New Shack Lover while able to croon affably on When You’re Smiling before closing the album with a rocking rendition of one of the numbers from Doc Pomus that Turner made famous, Boogie Woogie Country Girl, as well as a nice version of Sweet Mr. Cleanhead, a song associated with Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson. While I am surprised some of his own early Modern recordings were not redone, everything here is wonderfully sung and played. With far lesser talents being heralded as the latest thing, its good to have a release by this veteran who still shows how it is done right.

Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane & Carnegie Hall

Just a heads-up about the latest video podcast by Bret Primark that can be found at Sonny Rollins website, www.sonnyrollins.com. Like Sonny can be downloaded to play on your video ipod or similar device. Sonny talks about his relationship with John Coltrane along with observations from fellow saxophonists Paul Jeffrey and Percy Heath. Mixing audio clips, video clips and photographic images, their mutual admiration of each other is recounted and their times together remembered. Unfortunately the two only recorded one number, Tenor Madness, together.

Coltrane's Carnegie Hall Concert with Thelonious Monk was well-received. That concert also marked Sonny Rollins first appearance at that legendary venue which he will celebrate September 18 with drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Christian McBride playing the same songs Sonny performed back then in 1957. There will also be a set by his regular band and the material will be issued on CD along with Sonny's performance from 1957. Pretty neat way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the great concert event.

Sonny's website has information on this show and how to order tickets, purchase merchandise as well as a link to the video podcast. Its well worth a visit.

RIP Oliver Morgan and Jimmy 'T-99' Nelson

I spent this past weekend at the Pocono Blues Festival and return home to learn via the net that two more performers of blues and rhythm music have passed.

Sad to hear that Jimmy 'T-99' Nelson died. The blues shouter had been a resident in Houston for half a century. He recorded some wonderful blues for Modern Records in the early fifties including "Meet Me With Your Black Dress on," and "T-99 Blues". The latter number was a reworking of "Honeydripper Blues", best known by Roosevelt Sykes. Nelson was inspired and influenced by Big Joe Turner and in recent years had produced some fine recordings for Bullseye Blues and other labels. I never had the pleasure to see him perform.

Oliver Morgan was known for the recording "Who Shot the La La". A New Orleans singer and entertainer, he was a fixture at JazzFest times and I did have a chance to see him at JazzFestPonderosa Stomp where he did his best known song. Allen Toussaint recorded an album by him that was issued on NYNO in the nineties. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune obituary by Keith Spera, "In nightclubs and at the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he performed with his trademark second-line umbrella. He was among the first to incorporate this jazz funeral accessory into a nightclub act, and never hesitated to lead a parade." He left New Orleans for Atlanta after Katrina destroyed his 9th ward home and had not performed since Katrina. He is pictured at the 2004 Ponderosa Stomp and the guitarist is Irving Bannister, the highly underrated Crescent City string bender

James "Wee Willie" Wayne

Many may be familiar with the song "Junco Partner". The song was written and originally by James Wayne although most are probably familiar from more modern recordings by Professor Longhair, James Booker and Dr. John (On his Gumbo album). He also has another recording Traveling Mood that Snooks Eaglin recorded for Imperial and Black Top (This link to Dan Phillips blog Home of the Groove has a nice label shot of the Imperial 45) and also nicely done by Dr. John on his live recording on Hyena, Right Place, Right Time.

On the post-war blues internet group at yahoo, this interesting link of Wayne's dealings with California judicial and mental health systems was provided and it is worthy of further publicizing. People v. James Douglas Wayne

Thanks to Terence McArdle for posting this link.

Montreal Jazz Festival - Marianne Trudel

I do not see as much live jazz as I wish i did. When I went to the Montreal Jazz Festival I did catch some blues, but discovered a variety of performers who were a total surprise and delight to me. The marvelous music of Marianne Trudel and her Quintet was captivating evoking me the terrific Keith Jarrett European Quartet and the early ECM recordings of the Jan Garbarek Quartet. She is a marvelous composer and her band played so wonderfully together. Her band this day was comprised of Chet Doxas - soprano sax, Jonathan Stewart - tenor sax, Morgan Moore - bass and Kelby MacNayr -drums. Their is slightly different personnel on her wonderful cd, Sands of Time, which has Rob Mosher on soprano sax and oboe and Robbie Kuster on drums. While I do not speak French, her music spoke to the heart and it sang so joyfully. Check out her website, www.mariannetrudel.com for more on her and information on how to purchase Sands of Time, which I heartily recommend.

Baytop & Franklin's Duo Blues

My years with Rick Franklin go back to when we both were on the Board of Directors of the DC Blues Society in the late eighties and also I enjoyed when he performed with Neil Harpe and sometimes Rick Usilton, or by himself. I remember a Black History Program at Northern Virginia Community College where he shared the stage with Archie Edwards & John Jackson. Mike Baytop, head of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, and him have a new recording Searching For Frank, on Patuxent out of Rockville MD. The Frank on this CD is Frank Stokes and imagine an entire acoustic blues CD reviving tunes that deserved to be revived, not simply over familiar mediocre Robert Johnson covers. I have not heard the disc but they performed all the songs from it at a CD party at Paxtuxent's studios today and it was delightful to hear the two guitarists evoking the marvelous sound of Stokes who certainly should be something most of you should be familiar with. Not that was all there was. Baytop played mandolin on a nice Stop and Listen Blues, while harp and bones for other tracks, and on an encore of Jambalaya, Eleanor Ellis joined in on washboard. It was a wonderful evening and if the CD is half as good as the party I will be in for a treat.

While there I discovered Paxtuxent has two new CDs as well. Eleanor Ellis' Comin' a Time (again with no Robert Johnson covers, but plenty of Memphis Minnie and John Estes and others). Eleanor is as good as any acoustic blues woman out there and would be better known if she wasn't such an angel. She has recorded with the late Flora Molton and toured with her and Archie Edwards, putting their interests before her own. She produced the wonder movie Blues HouseParty which recently was issued on DVD. She was also one of the founders of the DC Blues Society and the Archie Edwards Foundation. I have been waiting for years for her to finally have an entire album by herself.

Finally there is a new Warner Williams and Jay Summerour disc, Down'N'Dirty by a most wonderful singer-guitarist, perhaps the word songster best describes Warner. Another DC treasure, but one who will not fly. Anyway, the website is www.pxrec.com and I would eventually expect to see some of this on cdbaby.com

Blues Boss Strong Boogie Woogie Disc

Here is a two year old review of a wonderful disc by a fine musician and gentleman, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne. This disc won the 2006 Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Award

A few years ago I was sent a cd by a West Coast pianist, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne which was a superb disc of hot R&B and jump blues in the vein of such legends as Amos Milburn, Floyd Dixon and Little Willie Littlefield. Subsequently he has started to tour at top festivals and clubs and the Canadian Electro-Fi label has issued Let It Loose, his second disc for the label and I believe fourth overall. The cd opens with a hard rocking Blackberry Wine, yet another tune of many derived musically from Amos Milburn's Chicken Shack Boogie. Milburn is clearly the main influence on Wayne who plays strong jump boogie piano that would have served Milburn proud. Joogie to the Boogie is a nice easy rocking number with some strong tenor from Pat Carey. A trio of songs, Bewildered, Let Me Go Home Whiskey, Memphis Slim's Blue and Lonesome, are a mini-tribute to Milburn who was one of the top selling R&B acts between 1948 and 1953. A more modern tone and a funk groove mark the slow reflective Wishing Well, while the title track is a high-stepping number that should prove irresistible for the swing dancers with its quick but not frenzied tempo. A more contemporary feel also characterizes the closing, Blues Carry Me Home, which is perhaps not as striking as some of the other numbers. Russell Jackson on bass anchors a solid rhythm section that never rushes the tempo and Brandon Isaak plays solid idiomatic guitar to complement Wayne. Wayne also contributed most of the songs here, and his songwriting is like his piano and vocals, first-rate. With all the albums that are supposedly extending the blues, its nice to find a disc whose playing and vocals is rooted in some undeservedly forgotten giants of the music that makes for a generally terrific recording.

John Jackson's Last Performance

John jackson's Last Performance-126
Originally uploaded by NoVARon

I was going through some of my old photos and I discovered I had cd-rom from John Jackson's last performance so I thought many who saw him and loved his music would appreciate seeing these.

John Jackson's Last Performance


A couple of real nice appreciations of John Jackson

Remembering John Jackson

Cascade Blues Obit

Carey Bell's Final Blues

Listening to and watching Carey Bell’s vigorous vocals and harp playing on a new CD/DVD he share with his son Lurrie, Gettin’ Up Live (Delmark), one will be astonished to learn that Carey had suffered a stroke, fell and broke a hip weeks before and yet still appeared at Rosa’s a few days after leaving the hospital. This new recording/ video captures the two at Rosa’s in July, 2006 and at Buddy Guy’s Legend’s in October 2006, along with some intimate performances at Lurrie’s home the day after the Rosa’s performance. With strong supporting musicians for the band sides and the empathy they demonstrate whenever they perform together, the Bells have produced both a strong CD and a delightful DVD. The CD has 4 performances from Rosa’s, Legends, and Lurrie’s home, while the DVD adds two performances from Rosa’s. The band selections are excellent with Roosevelt Purifoy certainly adding solid keyboards in support and the bass drum duos of Bob Stroger & Brian ‘BJ’ Jones or Joe Thomas & Kenny Smith keep things going. Scott Cable joins on guitar on Lurrie’s vocal at Rosa’s (a solid Baby Please Don’t Go) and the Legends’ performances. Carey is first heard on Junior Wells’ What My Mama Told Me, which is appropriate because Bell’s vocals evoke Wells. Gettin’ Up is one of those funky blues Carey was effective at, while at Legends he does a couple of Little Walter numbers along with his Low Down Dirty Shame. In addition to Bell’s vocals and really solid harp, Lurrie is marvelous with his mercurial guitar playing recalling some of Jimmy Dawkins’ equally fiery accompaniments on Carey’s first album over 35 years. Lurrie has really emerged as one of the finest blues guitarists, especially as an accompanist with suggestions of Dawkins and the equally individualistic Hubert Sumlin. Despite the flash and sizzle of his playing, he never overshadows his father’s performances, rather his embellishments and solos strengthen these marvelous performances. Carey handles three vocals at Lurrie’s home in the more intimate setting including John Estes’ Broke and Hungry, and J.T. Brown’s Short Dress Woman, before Lurrie closes things out with a heartfelt traditional gospel number, Stand By Me. The two songs on the DVD not on the CD are older Bell recordings although honestly are a tad bit weaker than those on the CD. The video on the DVD is simple and straightforward and all the more effective for its focus on Carey, Lurrie and their band. No claim that this is the best either has ever done, but this still is a first-rate disc of Chicago Blues that is highly recommended. Enjoy.
This was written prior to Carey's death, and having enjoyed him on disc as well as live over forrty years, I will miss him as will all blues lovers.

A Celebration of Pinetop Perkins

Pianist Joe Willie ‘Pinetop’ Perkins keeps going, seemingly as musically vigorous in his nineties as much younger blues acts. Born in the Honey, The Pinetop Perkins Story is an hour-long bio-documentary produced by Peter Carlson who put together Don’t Start Me Talking: The Junior Wells Story. A narrative provides the details on Pinetop’s life including the circumstances of his youth and later emergence as a star on the blues circuit. Blended in are some stock still pictures of southern plantation, town and juke scenes, some acting to recreate Pinetop’s youth, along with interviews of Pinetop along with his admirers and some performance clips from a variety of shows including King Biscuit Festival, the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and some footage of him with The Nighthawks. Admirers include his colleagues with Muddy’s band such as Paul Oscher, who recalled when Pinetop replaced Otis Spann in Muddy’s band and, guitarist Bob Margolin and drummer Willie Smith. Others talking about Pinetop include Lonnie Brooks, Bobby Rush who tells a hilarious story about Pinetop who had some wisdom for men out on the town, Ike Turner recalling Pinetop’s influence and stature as a pianist, and Kim Wilson. Its an affectionate and loving performance that is as ingratiating as its subject. The DVD does not have any extras and does not seem divided into chapters, for those who that matters. It also comes with a CD of live performances, mostly Chicago performances with one studio track from a Bob Corritore that covers the same ground as his available recordings with versions of Chicken Shack, Mojo, How Long Blues, Ida B and the rollicking Down in Mississippi. Pinetop affably handles the material backed by Little Frank Krokowski on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass and Willie Smith on drums. The packaging erroneously credits Pinetop for Memphis Slim’s Grinder Man Blues, and Magic Sam for Rosco Gordon’s Just a Little Bit, titled here Little Bit of Your Love. Certainly a documentary that fans of the blues, especially Pinetop’s fans, will certainly enjoy.