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( t h e m o s t r e a d b l u e s M AG AZIN E IN THE U K !>

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Tel: +44 (0) 1656 743406

Mobile: +44 (0) 7967 517735

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Editorial

Editor

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A ssistant Editor

Darren Howells

C ontributing W riters

Phil Aldridge, Tim Aves, Roy Bainton, Adrian Blacklee, Bob

Bonsey, Steve Bouckley, Paul Button, Tony Burgess,

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(USA), Billy Hutchinson, Mick Martin (USA), 'Big' Nige

Martin, Davy MacFarlane, Michael Mee, Steve Nicholson,

Tony Nightingale, 'Noggin', Martin O'Rourke, 'Ponch', Pete

Sargeant, Dave 'the Bishop' Scott, Graeme Scott

(Scotland), Chris Simmonds, Ashwyn Smyth, Tony

Stickland, Dave 'Stratman' Stone, Al Tait, Paul Tomlinson,

Chris Kerslake, Mike Prendergast, Nigel Rose, David

M. Sumner.

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Production

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P hotography

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A G E N C Y

Westley Leigh

© 2004 Blues M atters!

Original material inthismagazine isOtheauthors. Reproductionmay only

be madewithprior consent of the editor andprovidedthat acknowledgement

isgivenof the sourceandcopysent tothe editorial address. Care is

takentoensurethat thecontentsof thismagazineare accurate but the

publishersdonot accept any responsibilityfor errorsthat may occur or for

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Submissions: Readers are invitedtosubmit

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right toamendany submissions, and

cannot accept responsibilityfor lossor

damage. Advertisements: Whilst reasonablecare

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advertisements, if indoubt readers

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publisher cannot accept responsibility

for any resultingunsatisfactorytransactions.

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I

Is s u e 2 0 - J u n e

ssue 20, Wow, it feels like a landmark!

I'll keep it short this time folks Lots

more goings on at BM towers since

issue 19 and loads to happen before

issue 21 including; more great UK acts

joining the label, BM albums in the

shops, new staff taken on and we are looking

into a Festival/event/launch in Cardiff Bay in

September over the 25/26 weekend to take

in several venues. There is a strong BM artist

presence at the MRA/BM event in Stalham,

Norfolk early July [see later in issue for more details], and good BM

presence too at Maryport this year.

At last our recruitment is under way and we are appointing a new Sales &

Marketing manager, David Hopkins, and IT/Web manager, Miles

Thomas, to the team at HQ thanks to a lot of hard work that has gone

into securing a grant via the Welsh Assembly. They join us in June. Our

contact list will expand as we develop new stationary, phone lines, e-mails

and so on. Our thanks must go to our Accountants. David Cowdrey and

Barry Hitchcock of Business in Focus for the work they put in.

We thank you all for your letters, calls and e-mails which ever encourage

us to greater heights and are looking forward to the addition of the new

team' members so we can spread the load and focus on new opportunities

to build a more comprehensive service for you.

'Blues Matters!' CDs will soon be available in record stores at last. We

feel that we have established a more than credible roster of acts and are

ready to launch them to the world at large. Thank you all once again for

your valued support Good

Blues to ya!

NOTE: A few reports will

appear in next issue due to

virus attack on BMW ’team’

members’ computer not sor

ed in time for this issue

include: London Guitar Shot

Lee Brilleaux Memorial,

George Thorogood, Alvin

Lee The tour hols and pic? at Well Narbeth-Tht here is

a Big BM! Boogie devotee Woogie in sunny Band,

Justice Fuerteventura, Done and he support. got to

the Blues Bar too and met

the staff who posed for

their pic to be taken. Ah

sun, sand and good

Blues at a relaxed

bar......what more can

you want........

Alan ‘D’ Pearce

Editor

editor @bluesma tters. com


iun-jul 2 0 0 4

1 0 BM! MAIL BAG' ^

• S

1 1 NEWS UPDATE

32 ALVIN LEE

J

36 ARTHUR LOUIS

42 CLARENCE BUCARO

s ,

46 DVD REVIEWS

50 CD REVIEWS

65 GUITAR REVIEWS

84 FESTIVAL FEVER .

u

96 GOT WVE

\ \ t

1 05 COMPETITIONS

■J 06 Al/feRNATIVE'BLUES

1 1 D H O STI^yj|R R ITO R Y

115 CLASSIFIEDS

i

116 BLUES DIRECT

BACK TO SCHOOL

Dear BM! Another fabulous

edition of your ever-improving

magazine...! am proud to

j have

magazine from

start and the improvements

from issue to issue can

only be summed up as

staggering. One query;

Guitar Learn feature from

issue 17? I thought it was

going to be a regular feature.

I

Marie Wilkes

Leyland, Preston

BM ! Says: Yes the Guitar Learn feature will be

returning, we expect in time for next issue.

Darren (the learner) has had quite a lot of

changes in his personal life (including moving

home) so his guitar learning has been put on

hold, but he is settled (for the moment at least)

and his learning is back on track.

FALLEN MAN

Dear BM!, thought I must write on your review

of 'Gods' recent tribute to Robert Johnson. I

was bemused how anyone could say this

about our most venerable blues man but you

did...I bought the C D and bugger!!!**!!.......

you were right!!!!!! Peter Green where are you?

Come back to The Splinter Group and Nigel

Watson and get on with what you were put on

this planet to do PLAY THE BLUES LIKE

NO-ONE ELSE BEFORE OR SINCE....

Simon Roberts

BM ! Says: Well it's rare we EVER get a review

wrong at BM! (ahem!...yeah right!).

WHAT A flN D

Dear Alan/Editor, I wonder if you knew just how

good the mag was going to become when you

took young Darren on? Heaps of praise are

deserved to you for starting this wonderful publication

and to Darren for seeing your vision

and helping you to move it forward. I so look

forward to every issue.

Connie & M el Parker

BM! Says: Well we always felt taking Darren

on was going to be good for the magazine but

it’s fair to say we didn't expect him to make

such an impact and take on so many different

responsibilities. The vision is all Darren's and

we have learnt to just let him do what he

wants.

Hopefully the new recruits will

show a similar work ethic and attitude and contribute

a similar impact as Darren (in their own

way).

MATCH MAKER

Hey from the US of A to ya'II at Blues Matters!,

I can only say wow! A fine piece on Robben

Ford by, I noted, your own artist Dr.lka.

Congrats on a fab mag all round....

Mary Stewart

USA

BM ! Says: Imagine a duet between the

two??!!

THE UNDEAD

Dear BM, Just how do you do it? Yet another

packed issue with such diverse Blues talent

interviewed AND a piece on The Zombies to

boot! [nice to see that you remember their

'roots']. A fantastic read, you're worth a lot

more and are a real treasure. Long may you

run.

Pete Worthington

BM ! Says: We are glad you enjoyed the piece

on The Zombies. In fact we are giad you were

able to read it all. There have been many

reports of readers actually collapsing at the

sight of seeing not only one but TWO! interviews

by our very editor (note this issue he has

returned to doing as little as possible again).

YOUTHFUL LOOK

Great to see more younger (North Mississippi

Allstars, Amor) and alternative (Johnny Dowd)

Blues artists in your magazine last time out.

Colin Fletcher

BM! Says: We don't have an age or type

agenda - if it's good music and it's Blues we

want to feature it with us.

pdate

NU BLUES

Young Blues band Nublues have been approached by

Chris Thomas King's label 21st Century Blues for a

Recording Contract in the US. Get the latest news on

the band at www.nublues.com.

STAPLED ON

Alligator Records signs Mavis Staples! A veteran of

the music scene for over 40 years - and a Rock And

Roll Hall Of Fame inductee - Staples (with her family

band The Staple Singers and on her own) is responsible

for blazing a rhythm & blues trail while never relin-

A T T H E

C R O S S R O A D S

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival takes

place over the weekend of Friday June 4th through

to Sunday June 6th. The one-off event is to raise

money to raise money for Crossroads Centre

Antigua, founded in 1997 by Eric Clapton and created

to provide treatment and

education to chemically g

dependent persons, those §,

with other compulsive |

addictive behaviours. |

Musicians provisionally £ f

scheduled to perform at the ?

concert include Doyle

Bramhall II, Larry Carlton,

Eric Clapton, The Robert

Cray Band, Vince Gill

Buddy Guy and ZZ Top.

quishing her gospel roots, influencing

artists from Bob Dylan to

Prince (who dubbed her The epitome

of soul1) in the process. Her

upcoming Alligator album (as yet

untitled) is a stirring collection of uplifting, gospel-rooted

songs deep-seated in Staples’ faith and spirituality.

MONKEY TRAVELS

Robin Davey (of the Davey Brothers) tells BM!: "Hope

all is good with Blues

Matters! We are now

based Stateside

having finalised our

deal with Interscope

Records. We now

also have new management

by

Subhuman

(Marylin

Manson’s

management)

who

are based

here in LA

were I am

now living.

We are currently

getting

everything together for our release over here,

which will be later this year. We have a song

and film on the cover

disc of the next issue if

Spin Magazine (kind of

like Q) and we also

designed the CD sleeve

for that."

STAND

CORRECTED

Images provided for

issue 18 of the Alvin

Lee interview were not

credited, as they should

have been. Unknown to

us at BM! at the time

the image used on the

front cover and inside


(on page 101) should have been credited to Jacky -

Moutaillier.

IN THE DARK

'

After receiving a W.C. Handy Award in 2003 for

Comeback Record of the Year, Jody Williams returns

with a new release through Evidence Records. You

Left Me In The Dark1 includes 10 new Williams compositions...catch

review later this issue...

RIVER RUNS

As usual, RIVERfest - the international festival of music

and the Arts, in Bumham-on-Crouch, Essex, will boast

a fair smattering of blues shows among the 40-odd

events in its calendar. They are: Sunday June 13:

RIVERfest Music Train. An electric blues jam, led by

Tim Aves on a moving train on the Crouch Valley Line

from Wickford to Southminster all afternoon (see website

for running times and details); Thursday June 18:

T W IC K E N H A M

N IG H T S

admission show - come

early, as the venue is very

small!). Saturday July 3:

Festival ROck and Pop

Show, Millfield, Burnham -

eight hours of free live

music, including some

blues acts t.b.c. Sunday

July 4: Community

"Showcase: Millfield,

Burnham - seven hours of

free live music, including

some blues acts t.b.c. plus

headliners THE WILD

CARDS (ex-

Nightporters).

THE

Tw ickenham Nights is a new event as part of the growing

Twickenham Festival. Taking place between 15th and 17th June

at York House (Clarendon Hall), Twickenham. The event kicks

off on Tuesday 15th June with The Ham ish Stuart Band

(Hamish Stuart; vocalist and guitarist with the Average White

Band) supported by Snake Davis and Jim Diamond. Night two

(16th June) is headlined by Jackie McAuley with Celtic country

blues band Poorm outh, with support from Jam ie Marshall. The

final night (17th June) sees The Blues Band return to their

home patch as part of their ’25th Anniversary Tour’, support will

come from Wales' Amy Wadge

with her band, including Dave ----------------

Bronze on Bass. A licensed bar

and quality food will be available.

Tickets for the event are already on

sale and can be obtained from; The

Landmark Arts Centre, Ferry Road,

Teddington. Credit Card ordering

line 020 8977 7558. The

Twickenham Festival has ambitious

plans for 2005. possibly including

blues, jazz and folk roots music,

with the aim of recreating

Richmond Blues and Jazz festivals

of the 60's (which became

Reading).

GEOFF ACHISON AND THE - ~ ~

SOULDIGGERS at the Anchor Hotel

on Burnham Quay.-8J30 pm (Free-

PRODUCER

T w i c k e n h a m

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• STUAfT-f DAKin ’ totvMontacn) i- ' (OUR * ’

DANU WrthuCdHWw* theUK'sNo. t BfwsSfvwVtft

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INDOOR VENUE LIMITED TICKET AV/Mt-ABIUTV

*.». 0Z0 8977 7558 >oiik«• t

White Stripes

front-man,

Jack White,

has produced the new album from country

legend Loretta Lynn. White also plays guitars/organ,

piano, percussion and backing

vocals for the album. The album is entitle

'Van Lear Rose1.

GOING IT ALONE

Billy Jenkins tells BM! there will be a solo

acoustic album out in June and a DVD of

Blues Collective in concert also. One to

certainly look out for.

I'M A BLUES MAN

Johnny Winter releases Tm A

Bluesman' on June 15th through

Virgin. The new release from this

modem Day Blues Rocker is

produced by Dick Shurman

(Robert Cray, Albert Collins) and

Tom Hambridge (Susan

Tedeschi). This 13-track collection

will be Johnny's first new

material in nearly eight years.

WINNING FEELING

Buddy Guy was the big winner

at the 25th Annual W. C. Handy

Blues Awards held on the 29th

April 2004 at downtown's

Cannon Center ballroom in

Chicago. Guy won for 'Album of

the Yeari, 'Acoustic Blues Album'


and 'Contemporary Blues, Male Artist1.

The album awards were for "Blues

Singeri1. There were an unprecedented

number of performers at the event (over

30) these included the likes of Maria

Muldaur, Eric Bibb and Pinetop

Perkins. Some 1,200 people attended

the ceremony paying $100 a ticket for

music and dinner. Key winners include

Marcia Ball, Etta James and Roomful

of Blues. Kim Wilson only picked up

one award (despite six nominations)

’Song of the Yeari for the title track to his

latest album, "Lookin' for Trouble!".

Some 5,000 people voted in this year's

Handys.

AN HONOUR

Rob Tognoni has played at the Rock

n" Royal Festival in Copenhagen on

May 7th, in front of 45,000 people. The

event was to celebrate the nuptials of

Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik to

Mary Donaldson from Hobart, Tasmania. Rob, having

been brought up in Tasmania, was the obvious choice

to appear performed the Australian national anthem

(honest!).

KEEP ROCKIN’ ME

The Rockin’ Armadillos are currently hard at work on

a new CD - the band's first studio recording since

2001 's "Armadillo in the Road" and the first to feature

the twin guitars of talented youngsters Owen Barry

and Alex Hall. It's being recorded at Saint Studios, in

heart of the Crouch Delta, here in Burnham, with Owen

Barry producing and is due out in the early autumn.

Visit www.rockinarmadillos.com for more details.

F E S T IV A L

N E W S

The 1st Shetland Blues Festival is on the last

weekend in June. It appears that a couple of local

guys enjoyed themselves so much at last years'

Orkney Blues Fest that they've decided to put one

on themselves. Line up includes the Spikedrivers.

The dates for this years Dundee Blues Bonanza

are July 3rd & 4th.

The Orkney Blues Festival is on the weekend of

September 24-26 with Connie Lush & Blues

Shouter, the Alan Nimmo Band and Trevor

Burton Band among the confirmed acts.

Buddy Guy and Sherman Robertson are the

headliners at this years' Maryport Blues Festival,

just over the border on the Cumbrian coast. The

organisers have only just secured funding for this

years' event hence the lateness in publicity. Dates

are Friday July 30th - Sunday August 1st.

Gloucester Blues Festival gets ready to roll; The

4th Gloucester International Blues Festival, featuring

Sherman Robertson, the Dave Kelly Band,

Little George, Joe Turner and his Memphis

Blues Caravan, Keith Dunn and Paul Geremia

will be held in venues throughout Gloucester on 26

July -1 August. The main indoor performances will

be held again at the New Olympus Theatre on 30-

31 July, with the free open-air stage at

Gloucester Docks on Sunday 1 August

This year's festival also sees the largest

number of pubs in its history staging

blues during the week. Many of these

events will be free, although a small

door charge may be charged by some

of the pubs. Full details at

www.gloucesterblues.co.uk.

Four Time Grammy Award Winner

Buddy Guy is to headline the 6th

Maryport Bitter and Blues Festival, in

this bigger and better than ever, three

day blues festival on Friday July 30th,

Saturday July 31 st and Sunday Aug

1st.

The Moochers are playing Italian premier

Festival of British Blues at

Bergamo over 18th to 20th June also included are

Lightnin' Willie & The Poorboys.

Depot play at the Castlebar Festival in Ireland

over 4th to 6th June. Check out: wwwmatwalklate.co.uk

for further info and special sale of vintage

harmonica mics.


T E A w i t h M s T E D E S C H I

Pe t c S a r g e a n t t a k e s t i m e o u t f o r a

v e r y p o l i t e l u n c h w i t h h o t s h o t U S

g u i t a r i s t a n d s i n g e r S u s a n T e d e s e h i .

W

i t h c u p s o f t e a f l o w i n g a n d b i s c u i t s

a t t h e r e a d y . ..

The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington is where all manner of

business an entertainment folk meet up in London and this

afternoon / have wrenched a few hours from the day job duties

to scoot up to London and catch up with Susan on her brief

visit to London. She's doing some radio spots in town and talking

to Blues Matters! Before flying back to the States.

",Are you David Sanders?" enquires a suited gentleman as I wait in the

plush hotel entrance hall. ’Yes", I growl "and I've come for the money".

The suit takes one step back.

"Has that ever worked?" he asks earnestly. "Only has the once" I

shrug. He scoots over to the hotel phone booth fumbling with his

diary.

MENU

Today'sSpecial

STARTER

Family affairs

Awards

m a i n c o u r s e

Ladies from PR and management appear and explain that

Ms Tedeschi is slightly behind schedule but en route. She

soon appears, beatific smile and limpid gaze intact. Her

eyes narrow as she tries to place me "Oh it's you " she

ventures. "Borderline showcase gig" I offer.

Susan recalls that I gave her a Danny Gatton tape. Good

memory, as this was at the time of "Just Won't Bum" being released here. It was a powerful

show - slight frame, big voice, stinging guitar and a great set-list. We are left alone to chat in the serene

setting of the upstairs lounge. This reporting lark can be great fun....

I 've been on

a stage since

I was just

five or six!"

BM: Welcome back to London

ST: Thank you. I got in on Sunday morning

BM: I want to talk please about stage presence, because I

believe I'm right in saying that at one time you had some

involvement in the theatre and musicals?

ST: You are correct on that - I've been on a stage since I

was just five or six!

BM: There are a lot of acts here, major stars, who

don't seem to know how to talk to an audience, to

bring a performance alive. You cant buy that skill

off the rack can you?

ST: I guess not. Experience in drama makes you more

comfortable on stage and I'd say it makes you feel the

audience out better, you can tell how they're feeling and

know which way to go with your show

BM: Do you like many of us have numbers in reserve

that will be included if and when the moment comes?

ST: (Brightly) Oh yeah! I have a set-list but then I dont I don't

always stick to it. If I feel like the crowd's going some place else

then I'll just switch it up


BM: The new CD (and second major album, 'Wait For Me' - PS) to me, and bring out the guns here if you

want, is a lot more reflective. Is that from a change of personal circumstances? (Susan has married Derek

Trucks, who by a strange twist of fate I will be speaking to in the US later this same day; they have a son

Charlie who is almost two now - PS)

ST: I think ifs that I had a little more control over the song choices this time around, compared to the first one

BM: And the first album has a fantastic version of 'Angel From Montgomery1(The John Prine composition,

that I have also heard him play live now in the interim since Susan and I last met - PS)

ST: That was my choice on that record. There's only just a few songs on 'Just Wont Bum1 that I wasnt totally thrilled

with, but.. .1was happy with the overall record. But I do feel the newer record is a lot stronger, obviously musicianship

has come further...

BM: And that mustn't happen at the expense of soul

ST: I think it has more feeling and more soul

BM: How do you find time to write?

ST: Sometimes ifs OK and it just comes and other times well I have to get a babysitter! I cant do it with Charlie running

around, ifs a lotta work!

BM: Next question - you're psychic! Where has motherhood taken Susan Tedeschi's head?

ST: Ifs made me more focussed obviously on my family. It has taken me many places, made me more thankful

(Strives to express this exactly) and it makes me realise how blessed I've been, how lucky

BM: Charlie's what now? almost two?

ST: In a week, yes

BM: I have a little present for him, to help his speech development.

..

ST: Ohhh!! Wow! I (I hand our subject something I have just found

on the way to the interview. It's a 'Mr T In Your Pocket' machine.

You press a button and THE Mr T - presumably on royalties -

utters one of his A-Team catchphrases about getting1mad

' I ' m h a l f E n g l i s h . and damn-fools from the miniature speaker. Waiter passing

in the distance looks over suspiciously as he passes, all he

can see is us sitting there but he can hear this aggressive

I h a v e a l o t o f

street-talk growl - PS). Thafs awesome...

BM: Radio and TV play - how do you fare in the States

R o y a l b l o o d o n

on that?

ST: I've had a lot of good luck there with the Triple-A? stations.

Sort of mainstream/adult contemporary. And I really do

o n e s i d e "

feel ifs going in a good direction. But there is still so much

payola...I dont see that so much at all over here. But maybe

afs because I'm at the BBC mostly and they're very straight

ahead i. Ifs nice because you don't have to sign a billion things, I

guess thev / have so many very famous people coming through there that

nothing is gonna shock them (Laughs)

BM: Let me ask you about awards - do they have any real value or are they just icing on the cake?

ST: Icing really - unless you're in a position where you win like five awards then...if you have a lot of Grammy's that

will help you sell a lot of records. They do bring your name out of the pack I would say

BM: To most artists, an award is a full house

ST: What's that?

BM: A Sold Out gig

ST: OK - for me there's not a great deal of pressure to strive for awards, you know what I'm saying?

BM: I do - you do see some people compromising themselves terribly, with an eye on awards (especially

those who know that penning syrup for Disney will route them into Backslapper Central - PS)

ST: They can be very positive in a lot of ways, ifs best not to think about them too much

We reminisce briefly about the Borderline gig, I had taken some people along and they were just knocked out by

the set apd the performance. Susan seems pleased that an impact was made and she generally comes across as

confident but free of egomania hence it is a pleasure to converse with her. She's almost too sweet for the music

business but being grounded in Roots music probably keeps her away from the worst of the Pop World. The band

she had were from Atlanta mainly and she recalls playing with them in Germany, Belgium and Holland.


BM: Guitars - do you still have that signed blue Tele?

ST: Ifs bluish-green, yes with the autographs by everybody.

Usually I don't like Telecasters BUT the one

there the way the pickups are wound it sounds a

little bit warmer. It cuts through when you're

playing live

We discuss sustain, pickups, neck

woods. Derek plays an SG (Gibson) a

lot and Susan really likes the sound

of that. I associate these with

Jorma Kaukonen of the Airplane

and also Tony McPhee of the

early Groundhogs. Susan says

it's Duane that Derek has in

mind and as DT is a current

Allman Brother along with

his dad Butch this makes

sense.

BM: Playing slide - just

to be a guitar anorak

briefly - glass or metal?

ST: I use glass

BM: Full width?

ST: Yeah, ring finger

BM: Higher action?

ST: Yes a little bit higher

We speak about Europe.

ST: I have done some interviews

with an eye on getting

to Italy but as I'm due about

August time (next baby - PS)

.. .but with the new management

set up I do think I will have more

opportunity in the future

BM: There's a good blues audience

in Italy

ST: Thafs what I hear! Having an Italian

name maybe it'll pay off.. .it's funny though, I'm

half English...1have a lot of Royal blood on one

side

BM: We won't hold that against you! (We discuss the

propensity of our Royals to shoot at every living thing

they can get near - stags, pheasants, photographers. Forgive

my personal abhorrence - PS). I was going to ask you about p

in America - you're based where now?

ST: Jacksonville Florida, with Derek. We are actually going to be playing there in April

BM: I associate Florida with one of my heroes Tom Petty

ST: Right - he's at St Augustine

BM: With the wineries?

ST: Yes they do have wineries but really ifs more of an old city, has a lot of history

BM: Have you ever shared a bill with Doctor John?

ST: (Enthusiastic) Yes I have! I love him, he's a sweetheart. Wonderful human being

BM: On his eighth life I think!

ST: (Sighs) He is...like a bunch of other people I have run into on the road


Susan tells me she has just played a cruise along with Taj Mahal

and Little Milton and Walter Wolfman Washington. She won a

thousand bucks playing three-card pokeri

BM: You're on one of Derek's records

ST: 'Joyful Noise1? Yeah - it was almost on 'Soul Serenade'

BM: Another US act I like a lot is Doyle Bramhall

ST: I know Doyle! (They both appear on the Double

Trouble CD - PS) We played Austin City Limits together,

he's really cool

BM: Yes - the Zeppelin song you do on that

'Rock'n'Roll' it hits you like a bucket of cold water

when it comes on

ST: That's funny! it's a first-take song

BM: They're great guys aren't they?

ST: They really are

" t h e r e ' s n o t a

g r e a t d e a l o f

p r e s s u r e t o s t r i v e

f o r a w a r d s "

We have a mutual admiration for

Storyville and ArcAngels who

both included the Double

Trouble rhythm section. But ifs clear that Susan is in awe other

husband Derek's playing.

ST: His musicianship is just amazing...he had a call

from Phil Lesh to play with Grateful Dead and did it

not knowing their songs at all. Learned about a

hundred songs in two days. He really enjoys

being challenged, he's playing with Pat

Metheny in New York at an awards

show. He enjoys having to use his

mind

BM: A lot of his lines sound like

what a sax player would do

ST: Well a lot of his heroes are,

like, Wayne Shorter...

BM: That explains that, then

ST: He loves Sun Ra

BM: I saw Sun Ra and his

InterGalactic Arkestra in

London once, a stunning

show that was, from

another planet!

ST: With Derek - he's gone

to another level on the back

of that stuff - his spectrum is

so broad now - World

Music.. .Afro-Cuban, from

Ghana, India, Pakistan

BM: Next record?

ST: Well we just had a writing

session last week I sat them

down to try to write together as a

band. And we actually came up

with seventeen ideas! Amazing in

three and a half days...

BM: Could be a double here...

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ST: There's five or six songs

that could definitely go on

the next record. There's

two different records I

want to make - one thafs

more of a band effort and

another that won’t be

quite that

BM: Anyone left on

the planet that you'd

still like to play with?

ST: (Chuckles) There

are tons of people I

would love to play with

BM: I would have loved

to hear you play with

the late Nina Simone

ST: (Wistful) I loved Nina

Simone. My husband and I

have been hooked on her

records lately. Ifs funny you

should come up with that. There

are a number of her songs that

really get to me. She puts so mu

emotion into them

BM: She cared more about the story

than her ego, is that it?

ST: She did. Thafs why she moved to

France. To get away from the b-s going down in

America. She was very close with Martin Luther

King, when he was shot she wrote a song about it and

then took off...

We speak about US politics. I cant print this part of the conversation as it

might all repercuss. Suffice to say that Susan thinks things could be a lot better....

BM: Can musicians make any difference to the world?

ST: I think they can. I think a lot of the answers must lie in non-violence...Steve Earle has a new song called

'Jerusalem', ifs a beautiful song and it makes you think about things. There are lot of artists out there like Nina

Simone say or Marvin Gaye who have made records to bring up serious issues.. .Bob Dylan

BM: Gil Scott Heron ?

ST: And Rap on from that - I'm not a huge fan of Rap but I do respect it on a certain level as ifs basically poetry, for

a new generation anyway. To express themselves

Susan speaks in glowing terms about Mahalia Jackson, who she feels connects to everyone

who listens to her properly. I promise to send her Sarah Randle's version of The Sparrow\

which she is itching to hear once I have described the Chris Rea-produced track. Magic

Sam, Freddie King also rock her world. She also mentions Jackie Green as an up

and coming star.

*< # ■

X

Considering the attention that Susan Tedeschi (deservedly) receives

she remains remarkably approachable and is great company. It's no

surprise to this writer that other musicians of all ages are keen to

\ work with her.

\

Pete Sargeant

With thanks to Alison and Claire. Thanks to Neil Blanket for

original images provided.


B lu e s B re a k in '

Bo b " S n a k e s h a k e r " A n g e l l s t a r t e d B l u e s O u t l e t b a c k

i n 1 9 6 6 ( ! ) i n o r d e r t o b l a z e a w a y a t t h e J i m m y R e e d

a n d H o w l i n ' W o l f s o n g b o o k s . I n t h e i n t e r v e n i n g t h r e e

a n d a h a l f d e c a d e s t h e g r o u p h a s t o u r e d w i t h a n d

s u p p o r t e d b l u e s g i a n t s a s d i v e r s e a s M u d d y W a t e r s ,

J a m e s C o t t o n , B o b b y B l a n d , C e D e l l D a v i s , H u b e r t

S u m l i n , J o h n M a y a l l , M i c k T a y l o r , L a z y L e s t e r a n d

c o u n t l e s s o t h e r s . T h e i r 4 5 - r p m s i n g l e s d a t i n g b a c k t o

t h e 7 0 s a n d 8 0 s n o w c h a n g e h a n d s f o r t i d y s u m s a m

o n g

h a r d c o r e L o n d o n b l u e s c o l l e c t o r s .

The new CD "I Feel So Good!" (Wing Chun 60948) is a winner

all the way with W.C. Handy Awardwinners

Duke Robillard, Paul Geremia

and James Montgomery making guest

appearances and adding to the energy.

Thus, since Angell was in town recently promoting

the album, we seized the opportunity

to conduct the following interview.

BM: Your new CD is stirring up a bit of dust

here in the UK. Seems like all the British blues

publications have been doing a quiet rave.

BA: Yes...it's been very gratifying. And Blues

Matters has been a big help. But it's not exactly a

new phenomenon. Our old 45s also sold quite

briskly in London and points north. Hard to say why,

exactly.

BM: On the CD, you produce many different guitar

sounds and styles. And not just the typical

over-the-top stuff one hears all too often these

days.

BA: Thanks. My guitar style (such as it is) is a mishmosh

of all sorts of influences. I've learned the guitar

neck in a very unorthodox way, I guess. But I must

say this: Insofar as I can play any blues guitar whatsoever,

I owe it all to the great Hubed Sumlin. He is the

world's greatest blues guitarist and a great guy. We

toured with him often, and the man's an absolute

genius. So if I ever play a single note that moves

someone, you can be sure I stole it off of Hubert at


some level. I just can't say enough about the man. And he

never plays what you expect. It's always quite different, personal,

individual. That's the great lesson that can be

learned from him.

BM: I'm interested to hear about the cuts you did at

Sun Studio in Memphis-an historical place in blues

and rock 'n' roll history. It just doesn't get any more

iconic.

BA: Man, it's so great just to walk into that room. You can

soak up so much atmosphere just by virtue of actually

being there where perilously heavy feet have trodden in

the past. It's a holy place, really. 1mean, the bench I sat

on was the very same one Jerry Lee used for "Great

Balls of Fire" and that the King slouched on for that

famous Million Dollar Quartet picture. Even the damn

furniture is heavy!! (laughs) Harmonica Robert

Marsella, my longtime harpman, and a lad not easily

impressed, absolutely loved the experience. It made

him want to really dig down and pla-a-y, y'know? We're

definitely going back to record a bunch more stuff in

that studio. It's just too cool!

BM: The whole band is a veteran outfit with some

rather large credentials.

BA: Yeah...Jack Moore played drums with Big Walter

Horton, Otis Rush, Stevie Ray‘Vaughan and lots

more. (Bassist) Chicago Vin...we//...what can you

say? He's the best. They don't call him Chicago Vin

for nothing, you know!! A pretty damn good band

along with...

BM: Kelly Knapp...

BA: Ahh...Kelly. It's just unfair how good she is. An

absolutely gifted singer, wonderfully talented...and

heartstoppingly gorgeous, to boot. You should

check out her recording with Simon Ritt's group

The Darlings - not strictly blues, but a fine country-tinged

effort. If you can mentally picture what Emmylou Harris would sound like after listening

to a large dose of ^Memphis Minnie, you'd be getting pretty close. Kelly's an American blues

I o w e it a ll to th e g

treasure. As ybtf can hear for yourself on the album. I get a fair amount of mail from fans in England,

and they nearly all point to a vocal resemblance between Kelly Knapp and JoAnn Kelly. And I buy

that... it's right on the money, as they say.

BM: How did she come on board?

BA: Aha!! You mean what's Kelly doing with a bunch of high-mileage bluesers like us? (laughs) I'll

tell you the "dream story". I played onstage with Kelly the first day we ever met, and it just clicked

musically right from the git-go. So we made it a point to meet up at blues jams around the Boston

area. One night I had a dream in which I approached Kelly onstage and said "We should record

Trouble in Mind." She was agreeable but worried aloud that she only knew a few verses. I told her I

knew a hundred verses. Next night, we met up on a tiny bandstand ,and I told her about the dream.

She stood wide-eyed in shock. Seems she'd had the very same dream the very same night! Well sir,

B lues M a tte rs!’ page 24

I know an omen when I see one (laughs)

BM: Great story. For an American you seem to move easily into the British Blues scene. It's

clear you have great affection for the Brit bluesmen. You even do a cover of John Mayall's

Don't Kick Me.

BA: Well...not to slight Alexis and all the others,

but it does all come down to John Mayall, doesn't

it? I've always admired the man. He's been

extraordinarily kind to me over the years. And,

trust me, there's no earthly reason for it (laughs).

John's obviously a terrific musician/bandleader

and a great guy. And, of course, his body of work

speaks for itself. He's the man. God bless John

Mayall! Sorry for what I did to your song, John.

(laughs) I take such liberties.

BM: For the record, where does your personal

blues history start?

BA: Well, I'll tell you the truth. Those stentorian

Anglican hymns - great handfuls of foundation-shaking

organ chords. To me, It all starts there. A Mighty

Fortress is Our God, y'know? All the best blues

music came out of the church some kinda way. It’s

just different churches. Yep...seems to me God’s a

blues fan. Muddy always said his singing came

straight from the church. And even Keith Richards

was a choirboy. Of course, that's a little hard to picture

nowadays. Also, though, there was a disc jockey in my

hometown of Providence, Rhode Island (yes...the Red

Rooster State)...a guy called Salty Brine...who would

play Chuck Berry, Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed along

with the How Much is that Doggie in the Window sort of

pop crap of the day. Very Coot!!! And once you've heard

Maybelline, the earth does tend to shudder a bit on its

axis.

BM: Being on a small indie label, I suppose, has its

advantages and disadvantages. Any interest in getting

to the bigger leagues, labelwise?

BA: To me it would be so much hipper and idiomatically

'r' !

e a t H u b e r t S u m l i n

correct to be on a small British blues specialist label than to be on...say CBS/Sony. Fewer lawyers

and accountants to deal with. I'd really much rather have been a Blue Horizon or Purdah artist than

any other I can name. So...where's Mike Vernon when I need him? (laughs) And while we're at it, we

should be putting out 45s and LPs. They just sound so much better than these damnable CDs.

BM: Thanks very much for the chat. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

BA: Thank you and Blues Matters! A fine, fine magazine. And I'm a subscriber!! Hopefully we'll see

you in the spring when we do a short British tour. Is the pub still open?

Thanks to B ob A n g ell for taking his time out to talk to BM!, a great musician and an interesting

man. Thanks also to Ty Davis for supplying the great images to use with this piece

(sorry I didn't get to use them all). . ..D arren How ells

‘Blues Matters!’ page 25

B

l u e s B a n d s t a r D a v e K e l l y t e l l s a l l t o

P e t e S a r g e a n t o n t h e g r o u p ' s 1 5 t h

A n n i v e r s a r y Y e a r .

We are in M r Kelly's current home patch, not far from Kingston Upon Thames to talk

about his music and influences - speaking of which he turns up at the hostelry with a

smile and copy of his own article on H o w lin ' Wolf. As I first saw Dave backing Wolf at the

long-gone Blues Club at Tolworth Toby Jug pub, this is a pretty good start to this particular

meeting.

BM: Touring - is it som ething you still get a kick out of?

DK: Oh yes! Playing live is why we do it. I mean, I love it. You do get fed up with the travelling occasionally,

but...I used to get fed up with the M6 around Birmingham, but there's a new road there now

BM: You were playing for a while in what were Iron Curtain countries weren't you? How did

that come about?

DK: Well we didn't do THAT much - we played in Moscow, a few festivals, Budapest...I I know there's

some gigs in Prague...our experience at these things varies, just like in any countries, some you're

well looked after, some not so clever

BM: Why does Blues and roots music travel so well?

DK: Because that's what it is - Roots music, something that hits people in the soul. It's direct music,

it's negotiable music and if it's not played with feeling, it won't mean a bloody thing. So you either get

it right or you don't, when you do it is going to appeal to people, across all 'language barriers'

BM: Do you like to see audiences dance?

DK: (Immediately) I just LOVE seeing audiences dance. That's my one regret that in the Blues Band

we play mostly theatres, the odd festival and then various odd gigs where there can be a dancing situation.

Now I like the theatres but yes I do like seeing people dance

BM: I thin k Taj Mahal would tell you the same thing

DK: Ten years ago we were doing Guildford Civic (Recently pulled down, readers - PS) sadly gone

now and I said let's try it standing but...(Dave relates how this notion had been tried but in that area

tickets sales were slow when enquirers were advised it wasn't a seated show, underlined by the fact

that the seated upstairs was an early sell-out - PS)

BM: I can't play sitting down (Well it's so much harder to dodge the fruit

and chairs - PS)

DK: (Laughs) And I can't play acoustic standing up, can do it with electric! I did book Eric to open for

us a few years back, just before he really broke through and found his own audience over here. He

did entirely solo and it was absolutely gorgeous and I would go out and play slide along with him on

'Needed Time1and my wife came down to Guildford with the video camera so I have this video of

that...

BM: You lucky b******d!

DK: (Laughs) Lovely guy

BM: Which acts have you seen recently that you have found appealing?

DK: Eric, obviously...it's a bit easier at festivals of course to catch other people playing

We speak about the lack of TV exposure for non-pop acts. Kelly regards one so called flagship music

show Top Of The Pops With Pretension1which just about sums it up!


DK: There is an act Pete that I have noticed and would like to catch

and that's the Mississippi...

BM: North M ississippi Allstars?

DK: (Emphatically) Yes!!

BM: I've recently 'done' them for BM! (see issue 19 - PS) and

they're the sons of Jim Dickinson

DK: They've done the most wonderful version of Fred's 'Shake 'Em

On Down1, which is something I have wanted to do for years

BM: And they do that 14bar thing 'Someday Baby'

DK: (Smiles) Well I was the first to do a 14bar 'Someday Baby'!

BM: They've got Duwayne Burnside - RL's son - in the band now on guitar and vocals. Looks

like one of Bob Marley's sons more though! They rock! but they've grown up in a house full of

instrum ents and roots records. Has there ever been a docum entary about The Blues Band?

DK: There was a 'South Bank Show’ (long-established British commercial TV network Arts programme

- PS) about what 1981. There might be something coming on with Chris Barber later in the

year

BM: Only the current line-up needs to be documented doesn't it?

DK: The people who did the John Mayall documentary are talking to us about doing something: don't

know whether it's going to come off. Hopefully it will and that would be around September. Chris rang

me last year about doing some shows together, I mean we have done gigs together i.e. on the same

bill but this would I think be 'together1, with everyone playing from skiffle days and on from there to

Brassed Up probably

BM: When I interviewed Chris at the 606 Club in Chelsea he told me all about going out in the

earliest days to Muddy's Club in Chicago. Second tim e a giant black policeman came over as

they were unloading the gear and instead of moving them on he com plim ented the band on

their last show at Muddy's and wanted to know time and date for the next appearance! Chris

really liked Pat Hare the guitarist with Muddy

DK: Fie came out of Memphis...he was a mean cat as well!


S A R C E A N T ' S

F A V O U R I T E

D A V E K E L L Y

N O N E N T S . . .

"Georgia Skin Game" - John

Dummer Band - wherein Kelly

invests loser's story with a yearning

vocal and flowing electric slide

"Death Letter" - The Blues Band

- one of the highlights of the

famous 'Official Bootleg' LP in

which the Son House composition

is given a reading that is simultaneously

respectful but imbued

with searing slide guitar and harp

over a stomping beat. In its own

way as impactful as anything on

The Who's 'My Generation' debut

album

"Grits Ain't Groceries" - The

Blues Band on their splendid 'Fat

City' album has perhaps DK's

greatest vocal recording thus far.

The song is also known as 'All

Around The World' and there are

other great versions by Little

Milton AND Chris Youlden era

Savoy Brown, initially lost on a

US Parrot single B-side

"Makin' Whoopee" - Dave Kelly

Band - is an old warhorse of a

barrelhouse tune. Often murdered

by third rate comics on 'Seaside

Special' type TV shows of the

Sixties and Seventies, Dave takes

this number, sandblasts away the

corny Minstrel overtones and reinvests

it with a New Orleanssoaked

rhythm and rocking delivery.

This would make a corpse

shake a tail feather!

BM: The BB Anniversary plans?

DK: Well we have lot of gigs up to June...I think

Lincoln Castle where we try to play is generally a

sort of 'Band fan special' but we have

put aside a gig in

T

nO / 1?

Mansfield as it's

slap bang in the middle of the country

and it's where the man who used to run the Fan

Club now lives

BM: Ah! our Roy

DK: Yes Roy Bainton - so we're going to do that

again this year, which is nice for everyone

BM: Could you have imagined though twenty

five years back that you'd be doing all this?

DK: (Candidly) Not at all! None of us could. We

were astounded when people turned up to the first

gig! And astounded ever since. Especially when you

look at the website forum bit and someone says “I

was taken to see your band last night and I’d never

heard of you but it was absolutely wonderful!" You

wonder where these folk have been but (Grins)

they've made it to you and said nice things...

We speak about radio and in particular a tale I heard

about Little Steven (Miami Steve Van Zandt) who

has somehow got himself a US coast-to-coast syndicated

show playing new and old garage rock, viz

the untidy blasting stuff that Joe Cushley and I

try to include on our Resonance FM shows. A

sixteen year old emailed in to say he was a

Strokes fan but who were these Kinks? They

were awesome and did they play live anywhere?

Clearly a kid growing up in the wrong house for his

leanings, but to me this is fantastic

BM: How old is your son?

DK: Sam? the drummer, he's 28

BM: So very young when Punk was

about...are all your children

musical though?

DK: Yeah...mostly.

Homer - who's 11 - at

Christmas he said he

was in a school performance.

I burned

a CD off to help

him rehearse a

song and so we

went along, didn't

take the camera

though luckily

someone else had

a camera. It's the

whole year all doing their bit. Well the vocal and the

, O H '! o ' stage presence and the dance moves...well the

A \ \ V, V- 0 \ \ ,J\ / i , ’ whole crowd there was cheering every movement. I

„ r ~ / X , V fi t 0 \\ \\ think he may be hooked on the applause now!

\( a \ V p j f c

a n - # “ w i t h e l e c t r i c t

Lookout for thenext part of this

interviewwhenwedelveintoBlues

Bandrecordings, playing

techniques andall manner of

DaveKellyhistory■eventhe

JohnDummer days...

thanks GTA for images

BM: Talk us through some of the tracks

on the CD

AL: It's all pretty straightforward, based on

the boogie, called "Shake it baby” music by

Scotty's girlfriend, Gail. It was Gail who got all

old guitars out and she knew all about

them. She is Scotty's right hand man and if it

wasn't for her I don't think the session would

have ever come together. She helped organise

the whole thing and also treated us to

some Great Southern cooking. I borrowed a

Gibson 335 out there which was a bit risky

but I figured that taking a guitar to Nashville

was a bit like taking coals to Newcastle and I

know this guy out

called Mickey Butler who runs

this great shop called Valley

Arts Guitars with over 600

guitars to choose from and

he told me just to help

myseff.

’Lets Boogie' is a straight

boogie; 'Rock and Roll

Girls' is a good one

because that is about all

the girls like Dizzy Miss

Lizzie, Peggy Sue and

Lucille and how I love

them. I was listening to

Jerry Lee Lewis this morning

and I still love that stuff

as you just cant beat it.

Take my Time' is an interesting

track; Scotty has this ear

problem in that he is deaf in one

ear, which is a terrible thing to happen

to a guitarist because you lose

more than half of your hearing, you lose

about three-quarters of it.

On some tracks he asked to do his guitar later

but he played on that one and boy was it good; we

did some swapping of licks. Tm Gonna Make It' is one of

my favourites, really grooving and one of the live ones on the

album, just as it was recorded; it felt so good I didn't want to stop so I just carried on soloing which you can do with

CDs as it doesnt matter how long it goes on for. It's a Jery Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry type of number, which is

perfect for a double bass, played in front of a mike which gives such an organic sound. In fact, this is the first time I

have recorded with double bass and it is brilliant because the drums dont play solid bass drum. DJ uses a very

light bass drum and he uses the hard bass drum as a push thing like a cymbal crash and then he'll bash the bass


-{the VOICE FOR THE BLUES IN THE UK!)

"...our blues brother from another planet,

Cabrera displays his wailing harmonica licks,

spirited "blusero" vocals and songwriting skills

with various R&B, rock and cuban elements..."

L u i s T a m a r g o , L a t i n B e a t M a g a z i n e .

t h

e b l u e s g e t c u b a n

• FELIX CABRERA / FOR GREEN

*

S i R E C O R D S

AVAILABLE AT CDBABY.COM / FELIXCABRERA.COM


B o b " S n a k e s h a k e r " A n g e l l ' s

I Feel So Good!

( w in g c h u n C D 6 0 9 4 8 )

T h e f i r s t A m e r i c a n - m a d e

B r i t i s h b l u e s a l b u m "

D u k e R o b i l l a r d

ttitar in ■»» hand

,** will open wnw /

wl.v by

‘t.^0rWbein«»“«me

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drum but a lot of the time he is just backpedaling

because the bass is providing a lot

of the percussion through the clicking and

slapping sound they get. I'm Going To

Make It was a pivotal track because I must

have done about 11 solos and that inspired

the other musicians from then on in as they

liked that vibe. Normally, they have songs of a set length of about 3 minutes or less

with clearly defined starts and endings but I said if it sounds good we just keep playing. I don't think Dolly Parton

would like to have a lot of solos on the end of her single but I do! 'Something's Gonna Get You1is a slinky kind of

song, very different with a weird bass line and hardly any drums at all, it’s got a shaker and other percussion such

as maracas that DJ played. Why Did You Do It’ is straight ahead rock and roll. 'Getting Nowhere Fast' is a nice little

song I recorded on acoustic guitar with bass and drums and I put another acoustic on it and other gadgets and

echoes but then I decided that it was best left organic as it was originally recorded. The themes like Take My Time

are very Nashville in that there is not too much rushing around. We could have got a double CD out of the songs I

took there but I intend to go back and record more of a blues/rock album next time. I play much more tasty these

days; I mean you have got guitarists like Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai who are high-speed technical guitarists

and even I am starting to say these guys are too fast and it's daft because you can't tell what they are doing and

after five minutes you have heard it all and there is too much sameness. The more you leam, the more you play

and the more you leam to leave out and so the spaces become more important; you become more simplistic and

go for the essence because once you have the technique anyone can fly up and down the fretboard. Although I

use speed in my arsenal, it is best if you can do the light and shade, something mellow followed by a Tommy gun

type burst has much more effect than playing flat out all the time.

The best Jazz musicians are good at playing it simple and saving the clever bits and chucking them in sparingly

here and there. Tell Me Why' is another basic rocker and 'Lets Get It On’ is another track with Scotty on, a mellow

one on which we swap solos.

The last track is the national anthem Tm Going Home' which I wasn't going to do but Pete the bass player insisted

that we did it as it was one of his favourites. I played them a version of it and they started making notes so I

explained there was no point because I never play it the same ever. Scotty observed, 'Why would anyone want to

play that fast?" and I said that he would and in fact did so on Shake, Rattle and Roll. His response was, "Well that

was a long time ago." You get an adrenaline rush, you want to impress people and that is how you end up playing

fast and it still happens to me even though I tell everyone I am playing cooler these days. The bass playing on

Going Home is brilliant and so is DJ. We did about three takes because I kept changing the arrangement; I never

had it fixed and couldn’t remember it if it was, and it is quite long anyway so I was worried that it might wear them

out, but no way! Those guys can rock!

The album should be out by March on the Repertoire label in Europe and Rainman in the USA/rest of the world.

Strangely, the cover photograph shows me sitting down, as it was taken when we were jamming, whereas in fact I

never sit down when I am recording. I am thinking of putting a disclaimer on the CD cover. "Alvin Lee wishes it

known that at no time during the recording of this album did he sit down to play the guitar."

Copyright Alvin Lee Limited



thanks Dominic JamiesdwMclean foi

p ete Sargeant meets ARTHUR LOUIS,

back into the limelight after six

years away from stage and studio.

Perhaps most acknowledged for his haunting roots arrangement of

Dylan's 'Knocking On Heaven's Doori complete with Eric

Clapton's guitar contribution and way before that song was ritually

slaughtered by Guns'n'Roses among many others,

poet/singer/writer/musician and general enigma Arthur Louis is back in

town and raring to go. He has made a fascinating new album full of rhythmic

and somewhat mysterious songs, which I have been sent for exclusive

pre-release play on my Internet and radio show and I'm itching to

ask Arthur some questions. This afternoon I will get my chance as it

seems likely that I will meet The Man and later see him perform as well. The

label have helped assemble a performing band of stellar experience and quality

and on names and track record these guys are easily in the E

Street or Silver Bullet Band league - they include drummer Blair Cunningham

who has played with McCartney, Shirley Brown. Junior, Phil Manzanera... there

ain't much Blair cant drive along. Guitarist Les Davidson is in the band and

along with Jim Mullen and Elliot Randall this ex East Of Eden player is an

artist's artist. To cap it all my favourite singer in the world is aboard - one Noel

McCalla, again with an amazing track record and presently singer with Manfred

Mann's Earth Band. Why would people of this calibre want to be in this band? Well

the short answer is that Arthur Louis, whilst something of an 'underground' figure

does enjoy a fine reputation amongst the musical community as a true original and

in that sense he could be aligned with Ritchie Havens, Emmylou Harris, Eddie

Harris, Rodney Crowell, Juke Boy Bonner. Others have had more attention, but

quality and artistry is definitely not lacking.

Sargeant Jnr and I are happily watching the soundcheck preparation. Arthur is a

little on edge, they can't quite get the exact guitar tones he needs and are

working on the amp settings. Might this be a good time for a chat whilst

the technicals are sorted? It is deemed that it is and we retire to a

small cafe just off London’s Leicester Square. We order Mr Louis

some tea with honey and lemon and as we converse, he visibly

relaxes and starts to smile. Arthur's background does

explain some of his myriad influences but his inspira

tion must come from within. He can play a

hard rockin' blues original and a second

later swing into an aching ballad of

Nina Simone depth and sardonic

lyricism. In a world

where character

seems to be lacking.

Arthur Louis

is not your average

star

BM: Welcome to

London

AL: Thank you!!

BM: And where do you live now,

Arthur?

AL: I live in Scotland, at the moment

i f y o u c h o o s e

t o b e a m u s i c i a n t h e n

y o u s h o u l d n ' t

b e o n e "


BM: In Scotland?

AL: Yes - but I do have a house in Park Road, Regents Park

(London - PS) but my son has been in Scotland, so I've

been spending some time with him

BM: Now I thought there was an Italian connection

here somewhere - have you spent time in Italy? " m y D a d

AL: Oh yes I have spent time over there

BM: Now you've been very quiet in recent times -

and I'm wondering why this is

s a i d I ' l l g i v e

AL: (Leans back) Well I've been abroad, a lot...kinda

living the High Life! Suddenly I thought I wanted to

leam to cook my own

y o u A N Y t h i n g ,

food...leam howto use

the washing machine

again...I've been going

from New York to

i f y o u . . .

Geneva, y'know...for a

while, and doing some

thinking

BM: Someone I know here, Chris

Rea, if you go to his house there are his

paintings everywhere, so this is someone you have something in common

with...his paintings tend to be abstract and that's how he relaxes

AL: Really? That's very good to hear!

BM: This new record of yours, we received a copy of it

and the range of styles is amazing. We played a couple

of cuts on the Show. Are musicians featured

those who you're playing with tonight?

AL: Some of them, yes - especially Les

BM: Oh yes I know him from East of Eden,

especially, wonderful group

AL: (Emphatically) Les IS fantastic.. .and we have

Blair at the moment

BM: The McCartney/Haircut 100/Blancmange

drummer?

AL: Yes. Richard Bailey sometimes plays with

me but he's in Japan

BM: I was looking at the Who's Who of the

band tonight and virtually every name I

know from following live music - you

even have my favourite singer aboard

Noel McCalla

AL: He did some work on my record,

so. ..(Proudly).. .Noel is part of The Team

BM: You must meet just about everybody

in your travels because you're all over the

world

AL: Yes, I meet quite a lot of people (Laughs)

BM: You're picking up English understatement,

Arthur!! Clapton, Ronnie Wood

AL: Gene Chandler.. .Ginger Baker

BM: Do they know you best as a writer, or a

singer or a player (Arthur is a very nifty guitarist

himself, reminiscent at times of Arthur Lee crossed

with a Waiter - PS)...

AL: A writer...I suppose that's my reputation (Louis wrote

'Someone Like You', a Clapton favourite - PS)

BM: Do you remember how you started writing? Poetry maybe?

AL: I was very young, I know that!

BM: You have the view that creative people can't DECIDE to do things,

they NEED to do them

AL: (Nods and leans forward) I think if you choose to be a musician then you

shouldn't be one - if you HAVE to be, then you should! It must be that kind of

commitment

BM: That's a spiritual/philosophical stance.. .an attachment to the artistry

AL: I believe that Music is a very important art form

BM: Where were you born?

AL: Bom in Jamaica...but I left Jamaica as a young boy

BM: To go where

AL: My Dad moved to New York, the United States.. .and I went to live

with him there...I was five

BM: And what did you hear in New York? Every music...salsa?

AL: (Smiles at the memory) I heard a LOT of music there...everywhere

I went! Soul.. rhythm and blues...jazz

BM: On the radio or at live shows?

AL: I went to live shows.. .for instance Monk played nearby

BM: Thelonius Monk?

AL: Yeah - and I was the only audience! one time...! used to play with

Dexter when I was young

BM: Dexter Gordon? (Like so many musicians, Louis tends to refer to his

friends by first name only. Not to be flash, either. He just knocks around with

them - PS)

We discuss various jazz figures the young Arthur got to see. Miles Davis

lived in NY of course. Louis recalls seeing Wayne Shorter (later with

Weather Report) and he rates onetime Miles bassist Marcus Miler

BM: You have a real affinity for the guitar - can you remember getting

your first one?

AL: (Smiles at recollection) I brought a lot of my mates up on the roof, they

had drums...there was always a keyboard in the house, an organ. My family

were church people. So there I was with all these drumming kids and my

Dad said I'll give you ANYthing, if you DONT keep bringing those drums

back! and your weird friends! and so I thought - what do I want? I said OK

get me a guitar then and he went

straight out and got me a guitar...an

electric one

BM: So.. .then you could

play, say Curtis Mayfield

stuff?

AL: (Laughs and sighs -

we're on to something here,

readers - PS) Curtis Mayfield

is my absolute hero! I ^

LOVE Curtis...

BM: (Pouncing) Well

now Track 4 on this new disc

of yours - 'Blues For You' - it

immediately struck me as Curtis

Mayfield flavoured, inspired...and

Eric's recent records are very much

leaning towards Mayfield in composition

and even vocal timbre

'Blues Matters!’ page 39

AL: Really?...

BM: Oh I think so.. .and Curtis dying has left quite a void...maybe people like you have that standard to

carry, that flame to keep alive

AL: Potentially, yes...

BM: Actually? (Louis laughs but cannot argue! - PS)

AL: OK, Curtis is one of my main mentors in a musical and lyrical sense, you're right there

BM: Throughout the album there are strong jazz influences coming through - the horn charts.. .some

times they have a Creed Taylor /CTI feel

AL: Yusef Lateef? oh yeah

BM: Grover Washington...

AL: You're well-versed in this stuff!

BM: It's just that I like that era, it's good to hear those colours in a new set of songs

AL: Sometimes a song will have...say, a strong reggae feel, to carry the emotion.. .1do feel comfortable including

that sometimes...! met Mariey and Tosh over here, in fact. They were working with Chris...

BM: Chris Blackwell of Island?

AL: That's right

BM: Your new record - it sounds as if you're more concerned about the World

AL: (Sips tea and chuckles) You know - I'm gettin' a bit older.. .the selfishness is going out a little bit. Yes I am thinking

and looking farther afield.. .people, life, living.. .it's a fair comment. I dont know exactly WHY I've gone that way

BM: I suppose you can’t live in the world and travel as much as you without being affected by what you

see...you can either be self-contained and oblivious to everything OR you can soak in what's around you

AL: I try to do that.. .to see what's really going on. Look - you have people still begging in the streets.. .in big cities.

You start to think - does anybody care about this? Things could be better - the only way I can express it is in a song,

or in a line of a song

We talk about the decline of cinema over a long period. The days of stars with character seem to be past, overall.

Arthur has worked on a couple of films. I have raised this because some of his stories in song have an almost

screenplay touch. Arthur says he is an East Coast boy but dreams of the West Coast. But it's 'always dreams'.

AL: Now I'm more a London Boy - theyVe kind of adopted me! So I'm an English bluesman!

BM: Saves us having to bring Bill Withers over doesn't it?

AL: (Laughs) That's what I'm thinkin’l!

BM: Tell me about your guitar playing -

you have a guitar that Jimi gave you

AL: (Modestly) Yes - at the

Speakeasy. I liked Hendrix a

lot, wonderful guy...friend. A

Fender Stratocaster (I

later handle this guitar

and get Arthur to

play it back at

the venue

soundcheck.

Louis

plays righthanded

but if

you flip the guitar

there is still the

hole on the 'bottom'

hom where the strap

button was moved to for

Jimi to use - PS)

BM: You realise you're sitting on a fortune there??

AL: (Shrugs) Pete - I'd rather have the vibes of the guitar than the

money.. .does me more good

BM: Something I MUST ask you about - 1heard a whisper that


you recorded at Manor Studios one time and...

AL: Andrew King used to manage me and we got

some album recording time at Manor. He found

me a bass player and we cut the tracks, first

paying customers there, apparently. My

girlfriend suggested we go to Rome

when the vocals were finished up, so I

told Mike to use my time, to finish off

this silly thing he wanted to put

together. So he said thanks and he

did! (This was Tubular Bells' - PS)

BM: Is there anyone in the musical

world that you would like to

collaborate with?

AL: (Pauses) I

have no

plans in

that

rihur cannot name a favourite song of his own, old or

v. He says they are all Ihis babies' and he likes them all

We come back to 'Blues For You'

direc-

tion really...

BB? that

would be

good...Buddy Guy I like very much

that one in three Continents...took me a lotta time to

write that song. Suddenly though I became that guy! Living right on the

edge...cost me my wife...she went off to Scotland

BM: Not permanently??

AL: (Grins) Oh no, but I'm back from the edge now!

BM: Strange how that one got to me

AL: You picked up what's in there. That's what. There's another one Too Many Lies’, which I think is also a good

song

Louis explains his love of Dylan and how he twists the songs into what he wants to do with them. When he writes

many songs of his own, it is indeed absorbing to hear how he approaches those of others. He wants black audiences

to hear Dylan songs. Self-expression is paramount.

B M : What does painting give you that music doesn't?

AL: It's the opposite to music, very insular. I shouldn't paint TOO much because of that, really. Your head and the

canvas, that's the world for that time

B M : Good luck with the show, we're looking forward to it

AL: Thank you very much, it's great to talk with you

That night Louis and his truly AllStar group take a journey through his song book and deliver one of the best and

most musical evenings I have seen. Songs include a burning 'Fast Cari and the hypnotic Circle'. Also an achingly

beautiful rendition of 'Blues For You’. The guitar/harp/keys/sax interplay is dazzling and the roaring backing vocals

(Noel and Helen Hardy) soar around the room. The Man Is Back and so is more good music

P e te S a r g e a n t

W ith th a n k s t o D o m a n d C a m ille a n d T h e V e n u e s t a f f a n d c re w , e s p e c ia lly s o u n d m a n D a n .

'B lu e s M a tte rs !’ p a g e 41

O L D T U N E S , Y O U N G M A N

BM: Clarence your debut CD "Sweet

Corn" has had great reviews, but

your story doesn't start there.

CB: My story in a short paragraph would be

as follows: As long as I can remember, I have

been singing, and using whatever I could find to

keep my creativity going. As I child, I would

spend hours outside on a picnic table pretending

I was giving concerts with a tennis racquet for a

guitar and entire albums in my head. My older

brother played guitar, which made me want to

play guitar, and my mother pushed reading

very hard on me, which helped me develop a

sense for stories and communication. It was at

age 15, that my brother, a theatre director in

New York City, introduced me to art music.

After that I dove in deeper, and fell in love with

old blues, New Orleans jazz, gospel, Latin and

folk music. The next years I developed an

innate understanding of old music, but it was

the upcoming years, after a 4-month trek on

the Appalachian Trail that I began to develop a

sense of my self in the music and develop my

own style.

BM: At one time it only seemed there was

Catfish Keith flying the flag for Ohio, but

along with yourself I believe there are a few

getting recognition now.

CB: Well, to be truthful, I am not sure I am

aware of many roots musicians from Ohio,

although I am sure there are many wonderful

musicians here. The one Ohio blues musician that blows me away is Patrick Sweany, who does a ragtime thing

perfectly.

BM: Did you purposely record such a diverse album so as not to get press-pigeon-holed from the outset?

CB: No, I did not. However, in my mind I did know it was important that the music on my debut record did reflect my

musical interests as a whole, and not just one style in particular.

BM: I compared you to Taj Mahal; Ry Cooder & Bob Brosman as I felt your music had that kind of musicologist

outlook. Do you think that is a fair analogy?

CB: I am honoured by that analogy, as all three of them are great inspirations to me. I do consider myself to be a

musicologist in that as a musician and as a human, I feel learning about other cultures is imperative. Since I was

young, I have always wanted to leam all about other cultures, and their art, music, and rituals. In my music, I use it

as a student of music, and absorb it into my greater understanding of what it is in music that invokes such emotions,

and I think all in all it is human understanding and communication that leads to such emotions. By the way, I

am currently working with Bob Brozman on a project that is based around the writings of imprisoned Tibetan nuns.

BM: Having fairly recently secured a bachelors degree in Political Science, does this mean you will be juggling

two careers in the future or is one going to be put on a back-burner?

CB: My Political Science degree is not providing me with much use at this point, and I don't expect it ever will. I do

use my understanding of politics in my music, and it will especially be visible with my next album being as it was

written in the midst of a war climate.

BM: Why does Clarence Bucaro a talented young musician, play what some might term archaic music?

CB: I was always very intrigued by old music, where it came from. Perhaps it is a sense of history that I love, which

I guess would make sense with my political science degree. However, I don't feel as though the music that I do now

is archaic, and I feel it is actually very new even if it is based on old music.

BM: Who along the way have been very helpful in creating the sound you produce today?

CB: Musically: Van Morrison, Nina Simone, James Taylor, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Neil Young, Tom Waits,

Townes Van Zandt, Woody Guthrie, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson. Anders Osborne has also been an


inspiration to me, and more so

than anything else he gave me

the confidence musically to do

my own thing.

BM: Another young acoustic

singer/guitarist is prominent at

the moment - David Jacob-Strain.

Have you met up with him?

CB: No, I have not met him and I am

not very familiar with his work, however I

did see him performing a song on a television

program and was blown away by his

guitar playing and showmanship on stage.

Also, I believe he is even younger than me!

BM: Hopefully by the time this interview

comes out you will be embarking on a British

tour via Brazil & Australia. How did that happen

so quickly?

CB: I guess it happened so quickly based on my interest

in bringing my music to other countries to share

and also to leam, mixed with the fact that I

am relentless on the business end with

making sure things happen. Also in

my mind when deciding where

to take my

music, I kept my hopes

x '

to leam and study the-

/ '

atre and art as it is in v V / .

the UK, which as I understand

is extremely important, relative, and daring

and I also booked Brazil with the hopes to leam

flamenco guitar.

BM: Will the various genres you play within prohibit

you from travelling light?

CB: Yes, always. For some shows, I like to break it

down to just a small ensemble like a duo or solo, and

even then between me and my duo partner, we have two

guitars, a mandolin, banjo, ukulele, harmonicas, washboards,

Conga and Bongo drums, and other random instruments,

which you can see is not light. The airline situation here

is a mess right now for musicians, and it is difficult to fly with a lot

of instruments, which makes it very inconvenient to fly to gigs.

With my entire band, we have an upright bass, drums and percussion,

saxes, clarinets, and trumpets, guitars, banjos, and many

other string instruments, so it is very difficult to travel.

BM: What kinds of music and songs are interesting

you at this time?

CB: At the current time, I am interested in

Tibetan folk music: such as the music of

Techung and Nawang, Brazilian jazz

and tropicalia: such as Caetano

Veloso, Flamenco music of Spain,

Mexican music: I have fallen in

love with the artist Lhasa, and I

am still fascinated by Yo Yo

Ma(s the Silk Road, as a historical

study of far east

and middle east

music.

U K -T H E BLUES BAND:

S teppin1Out On Main

Secret Films SEC D V D 126.

It's been a lo ng w a it fo r a live B lu e s B a n d D V D but it’s

b e e n w o rth it. R e c o rd e d in D igital 5.1 s u rro u n d soun d,

h e re 's th e n a tio n 's v e te ra n b lu e s e rs re c o rd e d live in

A p ril 2 0 0 2 a t th e B a rn s ta p le T h e a tre .

T h e re 's a g o o d s e le c tio n o f 14 s o n g s fro m th e ir m a s s iv e

re p e rto ire , a b a la n c e o f s tirrin g c la s s ic s s u c h a s 'D u st

M y B ro o m ' and 'Let T h e G o o d T im es R oll' w ith th e

a d d e d b o n u s o f e v e ry h a rm o n ic a p la y e rs ' u ltim a te c h a l

le n ge - 'F la t F oot S a m ', on w h ic h P aul J o n e s d e m o n

s tra te s th at, in te c h n iq u e a lo n e , h e's still d e c a d e s a h e a d

o f a n y h a rp c o m p e titio n . You g e t a ll th e v ib ra n t a m b i

e n c e o f a B lu e s

B a nd gig, w ith D ave

K e lly p ro v in g yet

a g a in th a t he has

o n e o f th e fin e st

b lu e s v o ic e s in

E u rop e, to say

n o th in g o f b e ing an

e x h ila ra tin g slide

player. G a ry

F le tc h e r ro u n d s th e

w h o le th in g off w ith

his le g e n d a ry

cro w d -ro u se r,

'G re e n S tu ff, and

a s a w e lc o m e

e x tra th e re 's a fa s

c in a tin g e x c lu s iv e

in te rv ie w w ith the

band. All in all, a fin e 117 m in u te s o f R & B e n te rta in m e n t

a t a d e c e n t price w h ich , if you p u m p up th e v o lu m e on

y o u r D V D player, w ill p ro v id e th e e q u iv a le n t o f a g ood

n ig h t o u t in yo u r o w n fro n t room . A fte r 25 y e a rs on th e

road, it's n ice to s e e a g ro u p w h o a re a b o u t re a d y to

p ic k up th e ir b us p a s s e s c a n still in sp ire a y o u n g e r g e n

e ra tio n . A re th e y le g e n d s ? O f c o u rs e th e y a re\. .Roy

Bainton

USA - OTIS RUSH:

M astering Chicago Blues Guitar

Hotlicks VGR181.

In 1976 I w e n t to a tin y b a r on L in co ln & W e lls in d o w n

to w n C h ic a g o , ca lle d 'W is e F o o ls' w h e re O tis R ush w a s

p la y in g w ith a th re e -p ie c e b a cku p band a ll n ig h t fo r tw o-

d rin k m in im u m (you h a d to p u rc h a s e a t le ast tw o d rin k s

- no sw e a t, pal I). N e e d le s s to say it w a s g re a t to see

O tis do his stu ff in h is h o m e to w n , w ith o u t a n y o f th e

h e ro w o rs h ip a n d e x p e c ta tio n s o f le g e n d a ry sta tu s

a c c o rd e d so often to vis itin g b lu e s g re a ts o v e r here.

T h is w a s ju s t o n e o f O tis' e a rn e rs - a lo cal w o rkin g

v e n u e a n d his u n s e lfc o n s c io u s , in fo rm a l but g u t w re n c h

ing p e rfo rm a n c e w a s fa n ta s tic to w itn e ss.

O tis' d iffid e n t p e rs o n a lity w a s v e ry m u ch in e vid e n c e

th a t n ig h t a s it is in th is fa s c in a tin g a c c o u n t o f his life

and tim e s, in flu e n c e s a nd p la y in g te c h n iq u e s . 'I don 't

even k n o w w h a t I'm d oin', I'm n o t a v e ry g o o d m u sicia n

he d is a rm in g ly a d m its a fte r tre a tin g us to se v e ra l b lin d

ing runs. B ut in sa yin g th is he has put his fin g e r on w h a t

m a k e s th e a u th e n tic B lu e s g re a ts tru ly g re a t - th e y don 't

k n o w w h a t th e y 're d o in g ! T h e y d o n ’t th in k a b o u t w h a t

th e y 're d o in g to o m u c h a n d th e y 're n o t a fra id to - sh a rp

in ta k e o f b re a th - M A K E M IS T A K E S ! A rle n R o th, the

a c c o m p lis h e d s lid e m a e stro , w h o put th is to g e th e r and

a c c o m p a n ie s him on s o m e s e le c tio n s and o th e r p la ye rs

c le a rly th in k A L O T a b o u t w h a t th e y 're p la yin g w o u ld do

w e ll, I fe e l, to h e e d th e s e w o rd s a n d ju s t 'le t it flow,

b a b y' a little bit.

A s a le fth a n d e r m yself, O tis' u p s id e -d o w n le fty style is

p a rtic u la rly in te re s tin g a s it w o u ld be to a n y o n e w ho

w a n ts to gain an in s ig h t in to his u n iq u e p la yin g - and his

v o ic e is still p re tty p o w e rfu l too!

It is a g re a t p le a s u re to h a v e th is a ffa b le , m o d e s t g e n iu s

sa v a n t ta lk in g to you a n d d e m o n s tra tin g his o w n a n d th e

sty le s of th e K in g s A lb e rt a n d BB , M u d d y w a te rs, B u ddy

G uy, C h a rle s B ro w n e t al in th e c o m fo rt of y o u r o w n living

ro o m - get it!....Peter Gunn

USA - THE AMERICAN FOLK BLUES

FESTIVAL 1962-1966 Vols. 1+2

HIP-0 Records £16:99 each.

T h e s e D V D 's w o n a "K e e p in g th e B lu e s A liv e " a w a rd

a n d w e re n o m in a te d fo r a G ra m m y fo r a le g itim a te re a

son - th e y are o u ts ta n d in g ! I h a v e to s a y Vol. 1 is m y

fa v o u rite , a n d I d o n 't m in d s a y in g I w a s e m o tio n a lly

m o v e d it ta k e s an a w fu l lot to b rin g a te a r to a m a n 's

e ye - th is d id it.

A s s o o n a s th e film sta rts c re d its c o m e up o v e r h isto ric

fo o ta g e th a t h as you v e x e d th a t it o b s c u re s m a jo r B lu e s

p le a su re . U n lik e s o m e o th e r B lu e s D V D 's th e s e conta in

m o s tly p e rfo rm a n c e s , a n d a re s e t a g a in s t h u g e p h o to

g ra p h ic b a ck d ro p s a n d s ta g e d w o o d e n buildin g s. T-

B o n e W a lk e r is c re d ite d a s th e firs t p e rform e r, but

S h a k e y J a k e d o e s su ch a s p le n d id jo b sin g in g to T-

B o n e 's g u ita r th a t he s h o u ld re a lly g e t to p b illin g here. T-

B o n e is s e e n scre w in g up h is fa c e a s he fe e ls his w a y

th ro u g h th e e m o tio n d ra w in g n o te s, a n d g ives a b e tte r

lin kin g c o m m e n ta ry th a n m o s t herein .

E v e ry th in g is s h o t in b la c k & w h ite , a n d p ro fe s s io n a lly

h a n d le d it is to o. A s B ro w n ie M c G e e & S o n n y Terry play

th e re a re s o m e v e ry c a m e ra -a w a re d a n c e s a ro u nd, and

it c o m e s o v e r like a fo re ru n n e r o f th e o ld "S o ul T ra in " T V


D O Y O U N E E D T O R E N E W ?

M a n y o f y o u w i l l h a u e h a d r e n e w a l f o r m s t h r o u g h b y n o w b u t n o t a ll s u b s c r i p t i o n d a te s

a r e t h e s a m e s in c e w e s t a r t e d t a k in g o n lin e o r d e r s , t h e r e f o r e s u b s c r i p t i o n y e a r s s t a r t a t

d i f f e r e n t i s s u e s lin s t e a d o f h a v i n g a 'b l o c k ' m e m b e r s h i p p e r io d ] , s o t h i s in fo is to e n s u r e

e v e r y o n e k n o w s w h a t 's h a p p e n in g .

N E W R A T E S

U n f o r t u n a t e l y s u b s c r i p t i o n s h a v e h a d t o r is e t h is y e a r a s w e 'v e a b s o r b e d t h r e e p o s t a l

r a t e a n d t w o p a p e r p r ic e i n c r e a s e s w i t h o u t a n y p r e v io u s s u b s c r i p t i o n r is e s .

S u b s c r i p t i o n s f o r th e n e x t s ix is s u e s w i ll n o w b e £ 2 5 a n d t h e c o u e r p r ic e £ 4 .7 5 ...w e h a v e

k e p t th e in c r e a s e to a m in im u m in o r d e r t o r e t a in o u r g r e a t "v a lu e f o r m o n e y " s t a t u s , w i t h

t h e a m o u n t e a c h is s u e p a c k s in !

6 I S S U E S U B S C R I P T I O N T O BLUES MATTERS!:>

£ 2 5 - U K (£4.75 cover price) / 5 0 C - E u r o p e & E ir e / $ 7 0 - U S A & R e s t O f W o r ld

(p ric e s in c lu d e PaP)

T o s u b s c r i b e p le a s e fill in t h e o r d e r fo r m p r o v id e d w i t h t h i s is s u e ( r e t u r n t o B lu e s

M a t t e r s ! P O B o x 1 8 . B r id g e n d . C F 3 3 6 Y W , U K ) . A l t e r n a t iv e ly y o u c a n b u y o n l i n e a t

w w w .b l u e s m a t t e r s .c o m / c a t a l o g o r b y p h o n e : + 4 4 (0 ) 1 0 5 6 7 4 3 4 0 6 .

W H Y R O T H E R ?

J A M - P A C K E D W I T H T H E M U S I C Y O U L O V E

I N T E R V I E W S W I T H L E G E N D A R Y M U S IC I A N S

B R O A D B L U E S M U S IC C O V E R A G E

C O M P R E H E N S I V E C D R E V I E W S E C T IO N

D E T A IL E D L IV E A N D F E S T I V A L R E V IE W S

B L U E S N E W S U P D A T E S

G R E A T V I S U A L S O F Y O U R F A V O U R I T E A R T I S T S

C M ?

E

( the most read blues MAGAZINE IN THE UK!>

S P E C I A L P R IC E J U S T £ 2 0 4

HALF BOARD INCLUSIVE OF VAT PER PERSON

Fri 10th - Mon 13th September 2004

a t N id d H all H is to ric H o te l,

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T h e N i d d H e l l

A superb line-up of blues and R&B from

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S u perb leisure facilities, in clu d in g in d o o r heate d

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and c ro q u e t.

PAUL LAMB & THE KINGSNAKES

Britain's No1 blues harp player Paul Lamb leads his

form idable band through a brilliant set o f W est Coast swing

and Chicago South Side blues. "Simply better than the

opposition." Blues in Britain.

B l u e s W e e k e n d

FEATURING:

ALANN M M O BAND

Raise the roof w ith electrifying blues from singer/guitarist

A la n N lm m o, Alan is a guitarist o f immense stature with

a stunning voice, w ho has been wow ing audiences all

over Europe and Am erica w ith this all-rocking band.

IANPARKH BAND

The Ian Parker Band delivers a powerful and m elodic mix

o f 'blues, soul, gospel and funk', le d by singer/songwriter

and guitar supremo Ian Parker. "The best band I've seen in

a decade" Walter Trout

PA r m iII L BBYRD i n u T(USA)

iP v H f

Reminiscent of BB King and the Memphis/Chicago sound

o f the 60's, Texan Paul Byrd's performance is distinguished

by scintillating guitar, earthy vocals and distinctive original

material. Catch him on his lim ited UK tour!

Iim i SIEVE ft 1HEBUSMESS

High energy rhythm & blues played to perfection by this

dynamic four-piece, fronted by charismatic frontman

U ttle Stevie, with his wicked blues harp and searing vocals.

A great live show!

MO’ BUBO

Singer, songwnter and sensational front man Harry Lang

leads M o ' Indigo through a scintillating mix of contemporary

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get you moving and grooving! "Taste, verve and intuition"

- Blues in Britain

CHRIS P O W E R S

Your MC for th e weekend is blues aficionado, DJ and Colne

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INCLUDING

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Ml bookings are sui^totheteiirts arid conditions as detailed inthe 2004 %mer brochure


-(THE VOICE FOR THE BLUES IN THE UKp

!"show. W h ile S o n n y b lo w s tre m e n d o u s ly his m ike is to o

loud to th a t of

B ro w n ie 's, a n d these

g u ys s h o u ld n eve r

h a ve a tte m p te d vo ca l

h a rm o n ie s.

M e m p h is S lim in tro

d u c e s a m u ch m o re

u rb a n s o u n d w ith a

s o p h is tic a te d ye t no

le ss d e e p B lues

am b ie n ce .

T h e in tro d u c tio n s

a re n e a rly all n e rv

o u s ly p e rfo rm e d,

but th is w a s n 't

B ro a d w a y folks.

W e see Big Joe

W illia m s d o in g his

a u to b io g ra p h ic a l

"M ean O ld S te p fa th e r", c h e c k o u t th e th re e e xtra pegs

he in s ta lle d to m ake up his n in e -s trin g guita r. O tis

R u sh 's so u l w a ilin g , L o n n ie J o h n s o n a lm o s t se rvile

a p p ro a ch to h is g re e tin g h is a u d ie n c e until he hits the

m ike - P ow ! S ip p ie W a lla c e w a s a p o w e rh o u s e s in g e r

w h e re th e B lu e s flo w e d out h e r like a pure born n a tu ra l

fact, a n d w ith B ro th e r M o n tg o m e ry on p iano - u n re al I

tell you.

A m ean lo o kin g J o h n Lee H o o k e r p ro w ls on to the

stage, a n d h its y o u fro n t and c e n tre w ith a g lo rio u s

"H o b o B lu e s" th a t sh o u ld h a v e g a rn e re d him s u c c e s s &

w e a lth w h ile he w a s in his p rim e in ste a d of h a vin g to

gain it th ro u g h 9 0 ’s m a rk e tin g . W h a t a b o u t th e sig h t of

th e d im in u tiv e E d d ie B o yd w ith su ch a huge boom in g

vo ic e fo r a little guy, a lso to o n e sid e a sh a rp and y o u th

ful B u d d y G u y w h o is s w a y in g h is h ead b a ck & forth as

he s q u e e z e s o u t th o s e b e a u tifu l n o te s. J u n io r W e lls

b a cke d by O tis R u sh! F red M c D o w e ll's m u sic is so

re c o g n is a b le lo n g b e fo re th e c a m e ra pans a ro u n d to

him , his m u s ic fa llin g in b e tw e e n B u kka W h ite & Skip

J a m e s in s o u n d. S u n n y la n d S lim plays as e v e ry o th e r

p ia n is t on here brilliantly, ch e c k o u t O tis S p ann th u n d e r

ing aw ay. S o n n y B o y W illia m s o n 11 is an o b v io u s m a s

te r w h o v is u a lly is a p ro to ty p e H u g g y B e a r a nd a m a ste r

s h o w m a n in su ch a re la xe d w a y - w h a t tim in g th is g uy

had. A fin a le B lues ja m to s u c k y o u r e ye so c k e ts out,

Big J o e W illia m s , S o n n y Boy, M u d d y W a te rs, W illie

D ixon, V ic to ria S p iv e y a n d L o n n ie Jo h n s o n .

I h a ve to s a y th a t a lth o u g h M u d d y W a te rs is cla ssy on

here he is v e ry re s tra in e d in his p e rfo rm a n c e s . T h e all-

s ta r s u p e r g ro u p s lo w ly s a s s o ff stage, but th a t is not

th e fin is h a b o n u s a rtist is a d d e d in th e s h a p e o f the

in n o v a tiv e ira s c ib le Earl H o o ker. W e see H o o ke r havin g

a bit o f fu n b a c k s ta g e d o in g a c o u n try song th a t w a s a

p a rt of h is w id e re p e rto ire .

T h in g s g e t w a y s e rio u s a s he h its s ta g e s h o w in g how

he w a s a lin k fro m C h a rle y P a tto n th ro u g h T -B o n e

W a lk e r to H e ndrix, B lo o m fie ld & C la p ton, T h a t's ju s t Vol.

1 fo lks, a n d V o l. 2 h as som e o f th e sam e a rtists on

b o a rd. Lig h tn in ' H o p k in s s e e m s ill a t e a se as he sta rts

off, a nd th e n g e ts in to a g ro o v e w ith th a t d istin ctive

v o ic e a n d g u ita r s ty le th a t w o rk e d m ira c le s w ith in su ch a

n a rro w fra m e w o rk .

I c o u ld n 't h e lp b u t n o tic e h o w V ic to ria S p iv e y 's p h ra sin g

w as so a lik e to S h irle y B a s s e y ’s, p e rh a p s s o m e of

S p ive y's 7 8 's fo u n d th e ir w a y in to T ig e r Bay?

As fo r h ig h lig h ts yo u h a v e to w itn e s s th e u ltim a te

s o p h is tic a te d s h o w m a n s h ip of T -B o n e W a lk e r, w ith his

fa m ilia r s ta n c e of hold in g his g u ita r 90 d e g re e s to his

body. R o o s e v e lt S y k e s to o lo oks v e ry u p -m a rk e t fo r a

B lu esm a n, lo o k in g m o re like th e ja z z g u ys - E llin g to n &

Basie. M a tt "G u ita r" M u rp h y s h o w s th a t he w a s not

yo u r run o f th e m ill 1 2 -b a r B lu e s g u ita rist, b u t h a s th e

g uy a b a d d o s e o f a lo p e c ia a ro u n d b a c k ? V is u a lis e fo r a

m o m e n t th e sig h t o f S u n n y la n d S lim at th e p iano, a b o y

ish H u b e rt S u m lin

and th e m ig h ty fe r

vo u r g ive n o u t by

H o w lin' W o lf - all

p e rfo rm in g to g e th e r!

S o n n y B o y p la ys a

very s h o rt tu n e

b e fo re w a lk in g into

a w o o d e n b u ild in g

to jo in S u n n y la n d ,

S u m lin & D ixon fo r

a b lu e s w o rkou t.

Big M a m a T h o rn to n

is the le a d e r of the

a ll-s ta r ja m b this

tim e a ro u n d , and

it's p a te n tly o b v io u s

th a t she w a s the

b o ss & th e one

sp o rtin g th e b ig g e s t balls too.

T h o rn to n b lo w s s o m e ro u sin g h a rp lin es then g iv e s w a y

to a llo w th e g re a t W a lte r "S h a k e y " H o rton to w e a v e his

m agic. T h e n th e s a m e h a rp is p a sse d in tu rn b e tw e e n J.

B. Lenoir, a fre s h -fa c e d D o c to r R o ss a n d J o h n Lee

H o oker. H o o k e r n o t su rp ris in g is th e w e a k e s t link on th e

gob iron, b u t to s e e W a lte r H o rton h a v in g a ball cu ttin g

a rug is tre m e n d o u s !

T h e b o n u s a rtist on V o l. 2 is M a g ic S a m w h o w e first

see b e in g in te rv ie w e d on a bus w h e re he re c a lls havin g

a w a ll m o u n te d d id d le y -b o w . S a m is th e n s e e n on stage

p layin g his c la s s ic "A ll Y o u r Love " w ith Earl H o o k e r's

b o rro w e d guita r. A n o th e r p e rfo rm a n c e se e s S a m w h u p

up a J o h n Lee H o o k e r sto rm of a boogie , th o u g h s o u n d

ing m o re a kin to th e A llm a n Bros. - w h a t a c ro w d ple a s-

e r and g re a t w a y to go o u t on.

T he jo b o f re s to rin g th e s o und q u a lity is d o w n to m u s i

cia n & p ro d u c e r E d d ie K ram er, a n d in th e c re d its lo a d s

of n a m e s fro m b o th s id e s of th e A tla n tic a re m e n tio n e d

w h o a re m u s ic ia n s & b e h in d th e s c e n e s folk.

T h e p ro m o te rs o f th e g re a t A m e ric a n F o lk B lu e s

F e stiva ls, H o rst L ip p m a n n & Fritz R a u f not o n ly b ro u g h t

o v e r s o m e of th e v e ry b e st B lu e s m u s ic ia n s a t th e tim e,

but w e re th o ro u g h in both re c o rd in g th e m fo r th e ir L& R

R e co rd s a n d had th e m ca p tu re d th e m on h is to ric c e llu

loid. If you are n o t to ta lly e m o tio n a lly e x h a u s te d b y now ,

try a n d s u m m o n up th e e n e rg y to get o u t a nd scoop

th e s e tre a s u re s up.

A p a rt fro m m y e n th u s in g I can g ive no h ig h e r re c o m

m e n d a tio n th a n to te ll y o u th a t I did not re c e iv e th e s e

D V D 's a s p ro m o ite m s, b u t b o u g h t th e m w ith m y o w n

hard e a rn e d ca sh . Billy Hutchinson



USA - OTIS TAYLOR: Double V

Telarc Records. 12 tracks. 41.00 mins.

Otis Taylor the Colorado contem porary blues-based musician

has wasted no time in bringing out another disc - once again on

the Telarc label. The title refers to the African Am erican soldiers

gesturing after W W 11 victory com bined with their own V, which

signified their struggle for the right to vote. O nce again I find his

m usic to be lagging behind the quality of "Respect the Dead,"

which he recorded for Northern Blues Music. In fact folks who

haven't heard his early w ork m ay well be cry "Emperor's new

clothes" due to all the media

hoopla that surrounds

this guy. It's not that

Otis is turning in poor

albums; it's just that the

meteoric rising curve

seem s to have peaked

after 'W hite African" &

"Respect the Dead".

Previously ever present

Kenny Passarelli producer

& bass player &

guitarist Kenny Jones

are absent, with Otis'

daughter Cassie now sitting in on bass, and having a lead vocal

spot for the first time. Ben Sollee is back on cello, but there are

three other cello players in Shaun Diaz, Lara Turner & Marcelo

Sanchez. Instead of telling stories Otis insinuates lyrically rather

than full-blown storytelling, in the sam e basic w ay as he is with

his instrumentation. W hen an interesting lyric, vocal delivery &

well conceived hypnotic rhythm merge then Otis' m usic does triumph

indeed. To note a few tracks - "Please C om e Home

Before it Rains" sounds like a Paul Simon "Graceland "out take

instrumentally, while 'Took Their Land" has a really raw basic

harp to portray American land policies. Cassie’s vocal on "Buy

Myself Some Freedom" is seductive in its sweet slightly funky

sway, though a couple of lines are awkward, and d o n l trip out

too easily. "Plastic Spoon" is a great injustice that should have

been a far more poignant song than it turned out. "505 Train" is

perhaps the album's treasure, an electric driving beat on abuse

in the home. W hen Otis takes up a strong repetitive groove he

takes up ground som ewhere between John Lee Hooker and

Mississippi's Fat Possum hypnotic almost loop like musicians.

O n the whole I prefer this album to Taylor's last for Telarc 'Truth

is not Fiction", but there is a lot of instrument repetition that

needs carefully crafted lyrics to set it up right Billy

Hutchinson

UK - THE BLUES BAND: Be My Guest

BG O CD600. 20 tracks. 75.49 mins.

The Blues Band are now on tour, celebrating their 25th anniversary,

and this album compiles a selection of tracks m ade over

the years with guest m usicians ranging from G eorgie Fame, Nat

Adderiey and Jo Ann Kelly to Charlie Watts and loads more.

Opening track "The Cat" features Ian Stewart on piano and

Dave Kelly's cracking slide guitar and vocals and races along in

fine style. "Big Fine Girt" is a big band swing affair with Paul

Jones on vocals and guests Mick W eaver on organ and The

Rumour Brass powering things along. I'm partial to some zyde-

co and "Hey Hey Little Girl" featuring Rockin' Dopsie on accordion

is an old favourite. W ait a minute, what's this, a track called

"Bad Boy", written by the saintly Paul Jones and said to be

semi-autobiographical- surely not!! Jools Holland tinkles the

ivories on "Let The Good Times Roll" and there are contributions

elsewhere from Mike Sanchez, Katie Webster, Phil May

and everybody seem s to be having a good time. Closing track

is "Resting O n Jesus", a superb version of the trad gospel song

featuring Chris Barber on trom bone and a great way to end this

excellent CD. I'm looking forward to seeing the lads at Luta/orth

Castle on Friday 9th July. Catch them on tour and treat yourself

to this C D Dave Dnjry

UK - ROADHOUSE: No Place To Hide

Blues Matters! Records. BMRCD20O45.10 tracks. 55.04 mins.

As a lover of things Roadhouse, both live and studio, I guess I

start from a positive base. Nevertheless, it has been clear from

gigs during the last six months that the songs new to the band's

repertoire were som e

thing special. Gary

Boner, guitarist / singer,

has already established

a nam e for himself

as a fine songwriter,

but he has

excelled himself this

time. The CD opener

and title track is

already a live favourite

and literally kicks us

off in fine rocking

style. Jules Fothergill has a lovely fluid style

and his slide com bines with Gary to set the tempo. Gary's

vocals then take over with Lom a Reilly in support before Jules

rips into m ore rocking slide. The whole band works in changes

of tem po leading to a storming finish. That description could

give you a typical Roadhouse song, but track two tells you that

this CD doesn't propose to conform to any pattern! Gary's gentle

chords and drum m er Roger Hunt's soft tapping introduce

Slip Away. G ary sings about advancing years, approaching

dem ise and dream s slipping aw ay

a sad subject, but within

the context of a very fine tune. Jules is at his best here, playing

in restrained, but m oving style. A truly wonderful song. Jules cowrote

two tracks with Gary, helping to emphasise the slight

change in style from earlier C D ’s. Lost Along The W ay has latin

tones from both guitarists, gentle grooves from Jules and more

aggressive lead from Gary. Don't Point That Thing At Me is a

funkier tune with a touch of hum our (females using the title in

conversations with males!). The setting of the song is American,

as with m any Roadhouse songs. This no doubt helps the

band's popularity across the water. Anne Campbell takes lead

vocals on the only cover, Brooklyn Blues. This a lovely song

and helps to em phasise the band's versatility. Anne's starring

role on this CD, however, is as co-writer of the final track, Killing

Time. This is quite a departure from the norm. A gentle, but

beautiful, song it features som e metronomic rhythm from Gary,

almost echoing the ticking clock, together with soft vocals from


i THE VOICE FOR THE BLUES IN THE UKl)

Gary and new addition Sue Ballingall. Jules overlays with som e

stunning guitar and the whole effect is superb. O ne of the standout

tracks perversely nods at the band's past with a song from

their first CD. Couldn't Get To Sleep is an epic 8 minute track

and is Roadhouse at their best. Bill Hobley on bass and Roger

Hunt lay the foundations superbly for the front line to treat us to

music of the highest quality. Jules is quite aw esom e with his

slide lead and Gary supremely effective on rhythm. Sue features

with Gary during the first part of the song. After a super solo from

Jules, Lom a gets centre stage with som e of her searing vocals

to bring the track to it's rousing conclusion. Wonderful. The

whole CD is a wonderful and varied collection of songs played to

the highest standard by a group of fine musicians. It deserves to

take the band on to a higher level. I strongly recom mend it

..Alan Harvey

USA - TINSLEY ELLIS: The Hard Way

Telarc.

I think Tinsley Ellis has reached the pinnacle of his career on

The Hard Way. As a recording artist and producer, it does not

seem he could get much better, however he does have many

It is what long time fans are accustomed to hearing, and the

newly initiated will have much more to enjoy in comparison to

the previously released Hell or High W ater (2002), which was a

great album as well, it just did not have as m uch diversity. For

example, on "Let Him Down Easy" you will hear a mellower

vocalist and m ore tasteful guitar player, carefully choosing were

to place the notes between his vocals. This is a well thought out

project with m any facets and directions for the eclectic blues

enthusiast to enjoy. W ithout any fanfare and the typical Tinsley

Ellis workmanlike approach, he has created the album of his

career. Man. what a guitar player this man is! He is in a class all

by himself ©Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

UK - MR. DAVID VINER: This Boy Don't Care

LOOG/Polydor. 16 tracks. 43.50 mins.

You m ay recall BM! featuring Mr. Vineris self-titled debut album

(released on the Dim Mak label) in this very m agazine a few

issues back. His debut album was received with som e disappointment

and when I heard I was receiving his follow-up album

for review I wasn't overly excited. Thankfully Mr. Viner has shaken

off his "Whineri'tendencies and the transformation into classic

Blues songwriter is quite staggering. This far-reaching 16-track

collection of songs shows a massive musical development from

Mr. Viner. The timid vocals and stale tunes that weighed heavy

on his debut album have been replaced by m ore powerful lyrics,

tighter song structures and stronger vocals. The songs featured

are, in the main, Blues/Folk ballads that work to the well-worn

them e of heartbreak

(reflected in some powerful

and bitter lyrics).

W hat stands Viner

apart from most Blues

artists is the wit and

hum our he delivers

through his lyrics and

the classic tunes. 'You

Think It’d Get A Little

Easier (Not So)' is my

personal favourite

track (wonderfully

subtle humour) but each and every track has

something m emorable and engaging to engross the

listener. Darren Howells

UK - THE SEAN WEBSTER BAND:

Long Time Coming

Promo.

Every once in a while a real gem arrives on your desk that

m ore album s left before his career is over. I have always been a

strong advocate of his work, and it is obvious to m e that every

recording that Ellis releases is an improvement upon the last.

That is the way it should be when you are trying to create a legacy

that generation after generation will refer to when it com es to

the best blues-rock music recorded. I think this man is on the

right path. W hile the mixture of styles is eye opening on this outing,

his vocals reminded of B.B. King on the m ore upbeat tracks.

He manages to stay within the realm of blues'rock by varying the

blows you away and that is exactly what this CD did. Sean has

an easy gravel voice along the lines of Bryan Adam s and com

bines a sense of the Blues akin to Amor/Ian Parker/Nimmo

Brothers etc and displays a real new and gutsy feel that got me

going and grooving. This guy is set for the big stages with

superb guitar work generating m ore funk and great guitar

moves than you can shake a stick at but he doesn't overdo it,

he let's you com e up for air between the swells. He'll soon be

bursting out of the Nottingham area now he's found his Blues

tempos of each track and the way he uses his voice. With rockin' angles and got his writing shoes on. Definitely one to watch out

instrumental numbers like "Love Bomb" he reminded me of the for, very tasteful indeed D'.....at this point I played the disc

Jeff Beck W ired era of jazz-rock-fusion. His playing is exemplary,

proving once again that he is the consummate guitar player.

Then there is the straight-ahead ZZ Top like barnburners that are

to our PS for a second opinion but without giving any info over

to him [sorry Pete],..

.. .these three (?) players have som e talent and a gritty straightforward

approach to their material. The opening cut has his trademark such as "12 Pack Poet," that will satisfy the faithful.

choppy,

funky intro and is a close cousin of Stevie W onder's

'Superstition' riff wise. Some neat stops pepper the song and

the dry, raspy vocal has a touch of Johnny Lang about it; there

follows 'W hat W as His Name', a rather bitter song with an

unpredictable chord pattern. Sam e singer and it's striking me

that the delivery is something like that developed by the late

Jim m y Dewar, singer and som etim e bassist with Robin

Trower/Stone The Crows. Though the group do not have quite

as m uch slashing funk in their sound as Steve Salas and his

group Colorcode, they certainly swing and can build from softer

passages to electric waves with apparent ease and skill. So the

nearest thing to this crew is probably Sunset Heights, with

whom Pete Brown once worked to produce a first album with

great m usic [but a horrifically bad CD sleeve booklet, unreadable

in fact], 'Just W alked Away' is an Amor-ish lament and Mr

W ebster is in particularly good vocal form on this cut; piano

chords help 'III Be G one’ stand out from other tracks. The soul

ballad 'Goodbye To all My Yesterdays' has a fine tremelo'd guitar

sound and at this point you tum ble that most of these songs

are about lost love. If autobiographical, this man has known

some utter bm "s! Track 7 has a sinister boogie riff after which

the tender In Another Life' evokes prime period Bob Seger. In

other words it is very, very good. Overall the guitar tones could

be varied a lot more often though there's nothing wrong and

m ost things right with the axemanship. It is refreshing not to

have every space file d with guitar widdling, such a com mon

fault with debut album s and usually down to insecurity. Adding a

‘Blues Matters! page 51

(th e most read blues MAGAZINE IN THE UK!>

)

and

couple of brighter 'glad to be a//Ve'songs would render the deep

ballads all the m ore affecting and improve the album balance but

on this showing - a good little band with muscle and taste who

can write songs. And how bad is that?.... .Pete Sargeant. I think

he liked it too!!..... 'D'

UK - THE CADILLAC KINGS:

Exercisin' Baby EP

Flathead Records FREPV12.

A band whose reputation and standing is growing with every gig

they play, so m uch so that they are now hailed as am ongst the

top bands in the UK, the award winning Cadillac Kings have

been through som e personnel changes since they released the

very successful CD "Lou Ann" and the news that they were in

the studio recording num bers for a new CD was, for this reviewer,

exciting news! However, a slight spanner in the works was

the decision of guitarist Paul Morgan to leave the band late last

year. Wrth studio tim e booked the boys drafted in the versatile

Dexter Shaw to play guitar whilst they sought out the "right" person.

This they have done and the amazingly youthful Oliver

Cheney now carries off guitar duties in a way, which has

changed the band slightly and reinforced their links with the rocking

and swinging W est Coast rh'b of the fifties. This not generally

available EP features four tracks, which will probably feature, in a

re-recorded guise, on the forthcoming CD. The title track, written

by Mike Thomas, the band's singer, is definitely a num ber to

dance to with fine 50's style guitar from Dexter, a in t no sitting out

this one! "Highway 17" is another Mike Thom as num ber and

features the superb award winning harp talents of Gary Potts

is followed by Champion Jack Dupree's "Shake Baby

Shake" which sees keyboard supreme Mike Adcock given an

opportunity to shine whilst Roy W ebber displays his wonderfully

minimal drum ming which is so much part of the CK's sound. T-

Bone Walker's "She's G onna Ruin Me" is a lovely mid-paced

boogie with delightful chorus harmonies from the boys backing

up Mike Thom as' distinctive voice. Orlando Shearer's double

bass underpins this and every number in his own inimrtable

fashion and this track also sees Dexter Shaw demonstrating his

guitar playing versatility. This taster has only served to make m e

hungrier for the new CD and I really look forward to hearing the

finished article. By the way, if you have not caught the CK's live,

don't miss any opportunity you have. You can guarantee that

you will have a great evening © 2004 Ashwyn Smyth

UK - ALVIN LEE: Alvin Lee In Tennessee

REPU K 1029.11 tracks. 55.17 mins.

Alvin Lee in Tennessee is at times m ore m anana than mania,

reflecting both Alvin's Spanish lifestyle and the musical influence

of his guitar hero, Nashville legend Scotty Moore. Certainty,

Take My Time is as laid back as Alvin will ever get: "hear the

rasta man shout, there's

too much rushing about

so I'm gonna take my

time." Similarly, and

sadty the only other

song to feature Scotty

because of his hearing

problems, Let's G et It

On, is gentle rock befitting

the ambience of

the Blueberry Hill studio.

These tracks

remind m e of Alvin's

great guitar duets with George Harrison where two excellent

m usicians in their prime com plemented each other perfectly.

Getting Nowhere Fast is another example of a m ellow Lee:

you got to make it last my friend, how can I make you see" and

"crawling hom e at midnight a in t no way to be." However, don't

think that Alvin has changed too much because a rich seam of

hard, pure rock and roll runs through this album which reaches

a crescendo in the national anthem I'm Going Home, via I'm

Gonna M ake It, How Do You Do It and Tell Me Why. Going

Hom e is a masterpiece, with septuagenarian DJ Fontana succeeding

where much younger drum m ers have failed. Mountain

drum m er Corky Laing (who played on the live Woodstock version)

wrote recentty, "Keeping tim e with Alvin Lee on this number

was like following a runaway train that had PMT!" Apart

from the rock and roll, w e have a touch of (Let's) Boogie and

the eclectic Something's G onna Get You, a reminder that Alvin

continues to push the musical boundaries as he did on the

Road to Freedom. Every Alvin Lee CD boasts at least one

absolute classic and for m e it is Rock and Roll Girts, a tribute to

Long Tall Salty, Boney Moroney, Suzy Q et al; whilst pure Lee

there are tantalising hints of Chuck Berry, Elvis and even

Orbison's Pretty W oman. The small num ber of musical critics

who dismissed Alvin's guitar solos as "all haste and no taste" in

his earty days will be choking on their humble pie when they

hear his latest offering. Jazz influences are increasingty evident

in Lee's playing style, which is overall as technically brilliant

as it ever was but m ore mature, restrained and thoughtful even

if he can, and does still play at 100 mph when the occasion

dem ands it. This maturity extends to the vocals and to the

lyrics, all of which contribute to the maintenance of Lee's status

as the world's best exponent of blues-rock. Mind you, it helps

that Alvin keeps good company; apart from Scotty and DJ, Pete

Pritchard is outstanding on double bass throughout, with veteran

pianist Willie Rainsford also putting in a storming performance.

All in all, the verdict from myself is that everything about

Tennessee is first-rate and this extends to the production, cover

design, artwork and Toni Franklin's impassioned sleeve notes

which could only have been written by a true fan Dave

"The Bishop" Scott

Ok there are three young pretty female stars that are gaining a

lot of recognition, acclaim and record sales who all claim to

either play or have some footing in the Blues.. .Lets investigate

the contenders.

UK - JOSS STONE: Soul Sessions

Relentless Records. 10 tracks.

First up com es the well-lived 17 year old from Kent, Joss

Stone hmmmm....\ just do not get this, this isn l Blues, in fact

this isn't m usic.. .as with Jam ie Cullum (who spins the prize

wheel on Des and Mel) and other current young musicians that

are starting to appear to capitalise on the lack of popular artists

in specific genres (Jazz. Soul, R'n'B. Blues..).. .this is m anufactured

m usic at its worst! Just because Joss Stone has a more

soulful voice than say Gareth Gates doesn't mean the music

and her persona is any m ore fa lse .. .its just the talent com petition

she was on, on TV, was less popular (BBC 1s ...Idon't

know the name but when Bab's Windsor's the judge you know

the quality on offer) and she was picked up by better (and more

"respected") songwriters/producers (you can see some guys

gone to her., "hey we'll wait a few years then people will have

forgotten you were on a talent show then we'll come out you'll

be all serious like you have been a gigging musician and have

learnt your trade and you'll be all respected and we'll make tons


-(the voice for the blues in the ukQ

more cash!").. .yet still has to make her breakthrough with a

cover.. ..at least Gareth and W ill waited until their covers were at

least 30 years old and not 3 years.. ..in a lot of ways I have more

respect for a Gareth Gates say, because at least he knows what

he is and his m usic is honest.. .shit/glossy videos, crap tunes or

old Beatles covers, everything about him is cheap and

quick.. ..Joss tries to make out she is som e kind of Soul Singer -

just because she avoided the Beatles cover (if you’re not overfilling

McCartney's bank balance then you must be creditable)

and went for the (currently very fashionable) White Stripes, and

with a m ore sedated/old-fashioned album sleeve, less TV interviews.

. no appearances on C D :U K - hey this must be the real

deal! Naaaa! Just m ore crap m usic that serves no purpose other

than to make m ore m oney for the labels and her

m anager.. ..besides all those reasons to dislike this album the

m usic is also d u ll.... W e will have an interview with Joss Stone

next issue (yeah right!)...

UK - KATIE MELUA: Call Off The Search

Dramatico Records. 12 tracks. 41.21 mins.

As with Joss, Katie is clearly another m anufactured act to capitalise

on the gap in the m arke t.. .but she holds two positives for

m e - one she w a snt discovered on a TV show (but in a music

college) and secondly she at least h as a few decent tunes. I first

saw Katie at the Brit Awards doing a limp Cure cover with Jamie

Cullum, then I heard the track T he Closest Thing To Crazy'

(which I didn't think much of at the time) but what really made

me want to get a copy of this new release was seeing her m anager

(Mike Batt) on TV, Lorraine Kelly of all places, telling the

'really musically with if Kelly that he actually planned and went

out there in order to find som eone who could sing his Blues

songs and m ake them popular.. .which only led me to think she

is the puppet for som e old fat rich bloke, akin to a Peter

W aterman s a y .. .and all she could talk about was paying tribute

to Eva Cassidy ('Faraway Voice'). So there's the usual covers -

John Mayall's 'Crawling Up A Hill' and Randy Newm an's I think

It's Going To Rain Today' being the strongest of the four. But

don’t dismiss her as one of those other manufactured pop acts

<atie writes her own

longs as well just to

show how much of a

"real" artist she is, providing

an EXTENSIVE

two numbers (about

16% of the album) and

then her trusty m anager

provides the rest. This

is one of the worst

album s I have had to

review. How it m anaged

to get to the

num ber one spot I have no

idea whatsoever, it's slow and dreary to be kind. Katie's voice is

hardly anything special (at least Joss had a good set of lungs on

her)..there is nothing here to stand her apart from anything else I

have heard, there are far far far supenor British Blues-

based/influenced acts not getting any kind of recognition or success

and you get a businessm an with a plan picking up a pretty

face and clearing u p ....puke....

USA - NORAH JONES: Feels Like Home

Pariophone Records/Blue Note. 13 tracks. 46.26 mins.

Funnily enough, the one I expected to like least when I decided

to cover these three ladies is actually the only one who com es

out of it positively. I must say I never listened to the first album.

Despite all the awards and num ber one status in the charts etc

etc I never saw the want, or need, to have a listen. This despite

my girlfriend owning a copy (I tend to go by the motto that if she

owns an album I wont

like it.. .hey! her record

collections got the likes

ofJamelia, Christina

Aguilera. Dixie Chicks.

Kate Bush... what do

you expect!).. .but after

this CD arrived for

review I decided to give

the first one a listen

through first. . . I was

right to avoid.. .a few

nice tunes but it was

lacking any inspiration shall w e say. Hence my surprise

when I started listening to 'Feels Like H o m e'.. .hardly a

massive shift in musical direction but the songs have developed

ten fold and there is a warm th and m eaning to the songs that

the previous two artists didnt have. These are songs that draw

you in and m ake y o u .. .well hum (believe me I am not the humming

type). There's a quality and strength through all 13 tracks

that has an appeal and allows you to forgive the lack of imagination

and diversity. Wholesome homely listening... Darren

Howells

UK - PETER GREEN: Man Of The World

(Anthology 1968-1988)

Sanctuary. SMEDD014. CD1 78.30 mins. CD2 79.58 mins.

Nothing-new here, nothing un-released or different versions just

a neat concise re-issue in a convenient package. Good notes

by the studious Neil Slaven [as ever!] I find it very sad that there

is so much fuss going on over this Blues enigm a w ho has

‘gone missing’, nasty stories in the press, court actions, Splinter

Group fall outs, Gov't body involvem ent.. ..why couldn't folks let

well enough alone and let the man cany on what was [as far as

the public can see] a well guarded recovery period after such a

long trauma. So m any have said that each time they'd seen

him live he w a s getting better and better and his eyes showed a

spark more frequently

clearly [so we the public thought] the

music was acting as the recovery vehicle for a man w ho is a living

legend and mystery, a fragile man w ho needed care and

carries so much respect it's almost like he's a myth if we hadn't

seen him or touched him [like he has touched so many] you'd

believe he w as just that - a myth. A neatly produced double set

but nothing new except the packaging and notes Caleb

UK - WILLIE LOGAN:

House Of The Rising Sun Blues

Pickwick 751222.14 tracks. 71.52 mins.

Mmmm. I have not seen the Pickwick label nam e in a long

tim e so whafs this? Branching into the Blues are they?

Well it seem s that this is a full release from this Scotsman on a

label where full price is only £5.991! I tell you what this is a bargain

then. Willie displays som e fine guitar m oments throughout,

has a voice in need of som e Blues, a bit too smooth. He gives

the title track a new treatment and carries som e nice fills in his

trad, arr.11gather that Willie has made several album s for

Pickwick in fact selling over 70,000 copies.. ..of album s where

he does guitar treatments of popular songs

sounds to me

kind of like hiding your goodies under the proverbial barrel. He's

cutting his Blues chops going out with a tape machine when he

(



has to and gigging with a band when he can. 'W eekend Man"

has a good commercial feel to it, "Blam e G am e" has good guitar

m oments and could have been an epic but is treated a little too

lightly, the 1.49 "Natalie" is a lovely acoustic number. I enjoyed

this outing. Lots of promise here but will he be taken seriously at

Pickwick? Shell out your £5.99 and tell us Ponch

USA - BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS:

Crimes of Passion

BIG/Sanctuary SANCD259.

W hen an experienced band suddenly creates a great batch of

new material and can utilise available studio dynamics to make

the songs really com e to life, this reviewer's ears tune in pretty

rapidly. W hen Quite Great suggested I give this a listen I found

myself instantly hooked on the whole set and in fact not since

The Melt debut album of last year have I found an album so

consistently entertaining as this one. The band are currently

opening for one George Thorogood on various dates including

two in London where I caught up with them and hence I will run

an interview with them; turns out the blonde girl on the cover is

Mrs. Big Head Todd, or Janelle Park M ohr to be exact. No wonder

he smiles all the tim e ... Right from the sw am p croak drone

and biting boogie guitar on the opener ’Dirty Juice’ the bands

addictive rhythmic drive will hook you. And what a singer! Deep,

m ean and sometimes tender Todd Park M ohr is an authoritative

vocalist to put it mildly. The second num ber 'Beauty Queen' is a

complete change of style and mood, pulled off with style and

supporting Todd's concession to m e that he is a storyteller and

happy to be so. 'Conquistadori has punch and great stops; ifs

not the Procol song by the way. The bass and drum patterns are

ever changing and the guitar tones com e in all colours, with

solo's tending to be brief and hard-hitting for m axim um impact.

The more I hear the CD the less important the reference points

seem to become but look, if you took the best elements of ZZ

Top's ’Eliminator", the wistful mysteries of Led Zep 3 and nodded

to Dylan's 'Highway 61 Revisited' for its swagger and drive, you'd

be a little of the way to taking the impact of this record aboard.

Hell, on 'Drought of 2013' (a Dustbowl Ballad for the 21st

Century, no less) and even m ore so on the haunting 'Lost Child

Astronaut', Todd's vocals are virtually Robert Plant without the

screeching. None of the mentions of other acts are to be taken

as a dent in the originality displayed here and in bassist (and

Mike Mills look-alike) Rob Squires and drum m er Brian Nevin,

Big Head Todd has musical partners who make these fine songs

happen - in sonic 3-D. Forgive m e now while I cue up funk/rock

nugget 'Come On' one m ore time. Pete Sargeant

USA - JIMMY DAWKINS: Tell Me Baby

Fedora FCD 5032.10 tracks. 56.11 mins.

Jim m y Dawkins West-side Chicago blues takes you back to the

50's / 60's and artists like Jim m y Rogers, Magic Sam and Otis

Rush with his no frills approach and intense, inventive guitar

work. He is backed here by the crack Fedora house band

including fine contributions from John Suhr on organ. Jimmy's

guitar is sparse but biting and he roars out his vocals with a conviction

and intensity that m atches and is instantly recognisable.

Opening track 'Tell M e Baby" is a funky thing featuring trademark

guitar from Jim m y and an excellent organ solo. "Falling

Tears" is a slow brooding blues, which weighs in at over six minutes

but never lets up in its intensity. "Kotten Field Jum p” is an

instrumental that steam s along franticalty harking back to

Jimmy's nickname of "Fast Fingers. Tired of Krying" borrows a

riff from Freddy King's "Going Down" and the band plays up a

storm. This album is the real deal and never flags throughout,

with great ensemble playing from all concerned. As Dawkins

proclaims on "Gitar King", 2.m y nam e is trouble and pain....low-

down blues and trouble, the blues is m y name". Am en to that,

despite the spelling of som e of the track titles.. ..Dave Drury

UK - ERIC BURDEN & THE ANIMALS:

Winds of Change

Repertoire. REPUK1003.11 tracks (+4 bonus).

Oh yes, thank you Repertoire for this one!! Featuring the title

track [naming Blues & Jazz greats in ifs hippie-sounding sitar

laden drift]. Paint It Black, San Franciscan Nights, Good Times

[and the mono single versions of the last two], Burden's 'tribute'

to pal Jimi Hendrix called "Yes, I'm Experienced". The there's

the gigantic [mono] "Gratefully Dead" to end this super set of

East Coast ganga sounding laden R&B that leaves you in no

doubt that this was one of the voices of the 60's

takes me

back, where’s my flairs and just where did I leave m y rolling

papers son?.... Ponch

USA - CHARLIE MUSSLEWHITE: Sanctuary

Real World Records. 12 tracks. 46:14 mins.

Charlie Musslewhite's career has spanned 40 at times turbulent

years, and within that time he has recorded 33 album s of decidedly

different quality. These days Charlie is a wise old veteran

who is a storyteller with a warm mellowness about himself.

Here M emphis Charlie has gone for a som bre low-key affair

than usual, and mostly talking lyrics. Charlie Sexton who has

been Bob Dylan's preferred guitarist for the past two years is on

board along with

Michael Jerom e (Blind

Boys of Alabama,

Richard Thompson &

The Pleasure Club) on

drum s and Jared

Nickerson on bass.

The producer John

Chelew has a Blind

Boys of Alabam a connection

too in having

produced their last

two G ram m y winning

albums; add to that his work on

Richard Thom pson & John Hiatt albums. Am ongst Charlie's

own four tunes are songs by Sonny Landreth, Ben Harper,

Townes Van Zandt, Randy Newman, Savoy Brown, Eddie

Hams & guest guitarist Charlie Sexton. The sparse acoustic

accom panim ent of "Homeless Child" kicks things off, pulsated

by Ben Harpers slashing slide. W e are plugged in next with

Charlie on a deep (almost bullet sounding mike); Charlie

Sexton doesn't overcrowd his playing either. Charlie's vocals on

"Let's Bum down the Cornfield" are so laborious you can't see

the guy having the list to get the matches out his pocket. Savoy

Brown's 'Train to Nowhere" is also going nowhere, even with

Michael Jerom e's chugging skins. "Shootin1for the Moon" is a

highlight, Charlie's vocals are used better, and his harp weaves

& wails, Sexton's guitar is dirty & m ean while Jerom e pops

upfront beats. Mr. Musslewhite's instrumental "Shadow People"

is almost a film score affair, one of those compositions that isn't

up for genre labelling. "Snake Song" is another strong song in a

strong Southern way. Charlie Sexton's song has a Peter Gunn

styled back beat with an echoing lead on top; it is also one of

the better-penned & listenable tracks too. "Alicia" has our harp-


-( the voice for the blues in the ukQ

ster squeezing out aching controlled notes in a melancholy

instrumental, yeah another solid track! The title track benefits

from Ben Harper's other run out, on a bluesed-up spiritual that is

only let down by Charlie's barely serviceable vocal.

Autobiographical "I Had Troubles" is full of Charlie s life, and

because the singer/writer documentation is rich in content.

Charlie does what Charlie does best; he plays out with wonderfully

phrased harp that tantalises in its brevity of just over the

minute mark. "Sanctuary" as Charlie's recent work isn't a Blues

only project, and I feel that if at least three tracks had guest

singers appearing; then this would have been a much finer

album .... Billy Hutchinson

UK - THE PRETTY THINGS:

The Very Best Of....

Repertoire. REP4990. 26 tracks. 78.13 mins.

This set takes us on the Pretties journey from 1964 to 1976

switching labels from Fontana to Harvest to Swan Song and

changing trends on the

way. I still love them best

for the rousing material

pre S.F. Sorrow. You'll

not hear anything new or

un-released here but

m aybe it will be in a

more com pact version to

play that suits and save

on the pre-selections on

your CD

player

nicely presented,

these guys at

Repertoire always do

com e up with good packaging still love this and if you're a

Pretties fan you'll want it in your collection Caleb

USA - ALAN LOMAX: Blues Songbook

Rounder 82161 -1866. 2 x 2CD set.

W e re talking roots here. Deep roots. 41 slabs of pure blues history

with a 40-page leaflet written by John Cowley, Ph.D and an

introduction penned by none other than that doyen of film directors,

Martin Scorsese. The blues world ow es an inestimable debt

to Alan Lom ax and his father, John A. Lomax, who began their

audio documentation of the blues as long ago as 1933 for the

Library of Congress. The Lom ax's 1985 film The Land W here

The Blues Began was a triumphant collection of all kinds of

m usic which the African Am erican com munity had brought forward

from the 19th into the 20th century. Lom ax is more than a

m ere collector. He is a genuine enthusiast for his subject, and

through his radio shows, his writing and numerous album releases

m anaged to constantly remind us over the decades that in

this rich cultural soil the roots of what we now know as rock'n'roll

were nurtured. Those of us of a certain age in Britain can give

thanks that Lom ax actually lived in Britain in the 1950s and during

that time anyone looking for real folk-blues inspiration whilst

struggling to leam the guitar at least had the authenticity of

Lom ax's m usic books to rely upon. W ithout Lomax's work in this

field - and he collected m any other kinds of folk m usic - the

careers of people like the late Lonnie Donegan and Van

Morrison would have had a much slower start. So on this 2-CD

set all the raw, down-hom e excitement Lomax must have felt

when wandering around Mississippi with his often-primitive

recording equipm ent is as tangible as ever. Here's Mississippi

Fred McDowell, Skip Jam es, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy,

Howlin' W olf and Hubert Sumlin, and m any others, som e less

familiar. There is an unrehearsed, utterly organic feel to these

splendid aural documents. I challenge anyone to listen to

Tangle Eye (Walter Jackson) singing the unaccompanied

Tangle Eye Blues' or Jelly Roll Morton's 'I Hate A Man Like You'

without the hair standing up on your neck like the spines on a

porcupine. Y ou want Leadbelly? He’s here. So is Skip James,

Sonny Terry, brownie McGhee. And listen to all those ancient,

inspirational riffs, you young bluesers - these are the recordings

from which everything evolved. An essential set to sit on the

shelf of any real blues fan - 1ca n t recommend it eno ugh.. Roy

Bainton

USA-B. B. KING:

Midnight Believer/Take It Home

BGO Records. 16 tracks. 65.29 mins.

This is one of a series of re-releases by BG O and pairs two

album s that B. B. m ade with The Crusaders in the late 70's.

The material is all original and penned by The Crusaders, so

expect plenty of jazz-funk and classy ballads. Although essentially

a record com pany pairing the partnership worked well and

gave B. B. King's career a welcom e boost. The opening double

punch of "W hen It All Com es Down" and "Midnight Believer"

sets things up nicely- the band lays down som e funky grooves

and B. B. floats his silky vocals and classy guitar on top- superb

stuff. "Hold On" is a lush ballad, complete with strings and backing

vocals but generally things never stray too far from greasy,

slippery funk. Personally I loved B. B. King and The Crusaders

so I am pleased to replace m y vinyl copies with this excellent

CD. Buy with confidence- you won't be able to stop your feet

tapping. This m ay not be his bluesiest album but it is surely his

funkiest Dave Drury

UK - WEST WESTON'S BIG RHYTHM:

Rockin' Rhythm & Blues

Preview CD.

Essex's W est W eston is quite rightly regarded as one of the

UK's best exponents of Chicago Blues harp and boogie woogie

piano and has for a num ber of years been wowing audiences

far and wide with his appearances with the Brothers G rim m and

The Big Town Playboys as well as his own Bluesonics featuring

the excellent Chris "Kid" Corcoran on guitar, Matt Radford on

double bass and Jonathan Lee on drums. W est has now fulfilled

one of his burning ambitions by creating a big band to

recreate the wonderful rh'b sound of the 40's & 50's and to his

regular line-up he has added two superb sax players, Graeme

Turner (tenor) and Lee Badau (baritone) and in so doing created

the Big Rhythm. Already proving incredibly popular at dancing

venues like Mojo Boogie at the 100 Club in London, this

line-up recreates superbly those fat sounds of a bygone era.

This CD collection contains just five tracks, "Go O n Fool" which

starts of with a drum pattern that reminds m e of Chubby

Checker! A great rocking num ber I defy you not to find your feet

moving along to the stomping rhythm, "Don't Touch M e Baby" is

a lovely slow to mid pace num ber which gives Chris plenty of

opportunity to display his wonderfully restrained guitar style

which is so right and so in keeping. Next up is "M ad at You", a

num ber which is straight out of the Bill Haley school and is

shored up by a stonking double bass line, very sparse drum

ming, great sax dose harmonies and W est's vocals and piano.

I can almost smell the Brylcream and see the full skirts swirling

giving a glimpse of stocking tops as couples jive till they drop.

Fabulous.



A rollicking instrumental follows with the two saxes sounding

m ore like a big band. Both saxes have the opportunity to solo

and oh how I love that big dirty sound that the baritone gives.

This is great. Called "Big Boy" I would like to say it is dedicated

to m e but alas no. It is, however, a great num ber and, as with

everything else here, great to dance to. Final track is the very

familiar "Be M y Guest" which rocks along with a great bounce

wrth the saxes underpinning the whole thing to great effect. The

100 Club described this new line up as having 'the style and

power of Roomful of Blues combined with the energy of the

early Big Town Playboys" which is a pretty accurate sum ming

up in m y book. M y one disappointment is that w e do not get the

chance to hear West's superb harp talents but having seen the

band live, their set does include som e num bers where he

entrances the audience with his harp playing. The CD which I

have is not available generally but is, instead, a taster of a soon

to be released CD. I for one really look forward to its release

with unbridled anticipation. Catch W est W eston's Big Rhythm if

they play near you and m ake sure you put on your dancing

shoes! ©2004Ashwyn Smyth

USA-VARIOUS:

The Black and White Roots of Rock 'n' Roll

Indigo. IGODCD. 2 CDs. 50 tracks.

This 2C D set puts forward the case that rock 'n' roll w a s n l

ripped off black blues and R&B music as popularly supposed,

but actually evolved from a free and equal flow of ideas

between the minority R&B, country and jazzy markets. This set

represents an equal num ber of black blues and R&B singers

copying hillbillies as it does white singers copying bluesmen

and R&B vocal groups. Songs like "House of Blue Lights",

"Good Rockin' Tonight", "Rocket 88" and "Crazy Man Crazy"

are all included here in two different versions. A great idea,

which also works well in practice. Particular favourites are

"House of Blue Lights" by Merrill Moore, with another version by

Ella M ae Morse, and Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88" which has

a lacklustre version by Bill Haley. This is fascinating stuff with a

touch of country & western, a smidgeon of western swing,

som e jump-blues and vocal groups all thrown into the mix. A

stonking "Hound Dog” by Big M am a Thornton kicks off CD2

and is also covered by Tom m y Duncan in a surprisingly jazzy

style. "Crazy Man Crazy" w as a Bill Haley original but also gets

a cover here by Leonard "Lucky" Enois, an R&B singer featuring

great wailing saxophone. I really enjoyed this set which features

som e great rootsy and fun m usic Dave Drury

UK - JON AMOR: Brave As You Are EP

ManHatOn Records. 4 tracks.

Jon tells me that this release is bringing in varying opinions.

Clearly he is not trying to divide or alienate the group's following

and I suspect is simply broadening his songwrifing and influences

as a form of

expression and to avoid

Repeatsville. Acoustic

guitar figures big on

these selections and

add to this the styles on

display and we are a

long long way from

Hoax in sound and

impact; the latter

ranges from wistful on

the lead track 'Brave

As You Are' to edge-of-anger by closer '1999' - not the Prince

song by the way. If Am or did attempt a Purple Pixie song my

m oney would be on 'I Could Never Take the Place Of Your

Man' or 'If I W as Your Girlfriend'. Some of the electric guitar

work is pretty close to but not an imitation of Doyle Bramhall 11,

which I heartily approve of as Doyle has strong Blues roots but

lets his writing go all over the place as long as the intended feel

is captured. Each song here has its own vibe or mood. This is

fine by m e but as Jon is well aware is not the easy route to

instant acceptance by Blues diehards - whose grandfathers

would of course rather have had Chuck Berry continue to play

T-Bone W alker songs than try stuff he wrote himself. This band

has endless guitar tone and style variation, individual songs,

and distinctive and very natural-sounding vocal work. So gkre

this CD a listen. Other blues-based acts are available.. Pete

Sargeant

UK - TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

Album Preview EP.

Based in South-W est Essex, Too Close For Comfort are a five-

piece band comprising "Little Stevie" King on guitar & vocals,

"Mad Mike" Abram ov on violin, Phil "Dr Philistein” Bowles on

sax, Pete "Powerful Pierre" Moutell on drums and Jeff "Junior"

Beaufoy on bass. This is a com ing together of a num ber of seasoned

and experienced m usicians from various backgrounds,

which contributes to an unusual and very individual sound. Let's

face it there are not too m any blues bands that feature a violin,

which som etim es does the harp bit, sometimes takes the lead

and som etim es just provides background. Until about six

m onths or so ago the band was a four piece but the addition of

sax has brought a further dimension and depth. This EP offers

a taster of a forthcoming CD with all the tracks being penned by

Little Stevie whose vocals are delivered in that great gravelly

style blues voice of his. Track 1 is an up tempo "Dimples" style

num ber called "Under Surveillance" and shows why Little Stevie

is in dem and as a guest guitarist at local jams, often joined by

Mad Mike whose violin playing lives up to his reputation and

ah/vays reminds m e of the Sixties CBS band Flock who did a

fabulous version of the Kinks "So Tired of Waiting", but I

digress! Track 2, "Mean 2 Me Blues" is a slow blues, which

opens with a soulful and almost ethereal violin floating over

bass, guitar and drums before Little Stevie breaks into full voice.

Lovely! Track 3 is "No Pain No Gain", a mid tempo tune which

features a fine sax solo from Phil, as well as som e funky guitar

stuff from Little Stevie. The EP rounds off with "Brand New

Day", a num ber that romps along in fine style and is impossible

to sit still to, it is also great live! I believe that this is the band's

first all original offering and I look forward to hearing more. It is

always great to hear a band that sounds a bit different and the

inclusion of a violin in a line up that already includes sax

ensures that this is the case. I look forward to the full CD and

would recom mend you catch these guys if they are playing

near you © 2004Ashwyn Smyth

UK - SIMON DUPREE & THE BIG SOUND:

Part of my Past

EMI. 593 7272. Double CD of 55 tracks.

I remember this band for "Reservations" which I first heard on

the old 'pirate' radio stations and then the huge hit "Kites" then it

was where did they go after that as the second album never

materialised. O riginal^ form ed by the three brothers Shulm an in

1964 on the wave of R&B and beat bands they transformed

into Simon Dupree [fictitional] then ended as The Moles ['We


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DIGITALLY REMASTERED WITH

EXTENSIVE SLEEVENOTES

Recorded in

5.1 Surround Sound

includes

exclusive interview

SHAKEDOWN

RECORDS

R E L E A S E D 7 J U N E

—

featu rin g Louis Jordan, Percy M a y fie ld ,

T-Bone W alker, Joe Turner, Fats D om ino

...and many more

JOHN MAYALL - 2CD & DVD

Inte rvie w Disc Box Set.

private collection. Covers the years

1972 - 1982. Disc two recreates a

great Bluesbreakers line up including

John McVie and Mick Taylor. Disc Three

is a DVD interview with John, filmed

during his 2003 UK tour.

\i

loneyHqney','Milk Cow

37jjidre greafsongs. The third

t, _^,.sTrom 1957.

mthjpreEordinfis, the artists, and an

ivis’ time in tfie studios with his version.

DOWN HOME BLUES CLASSIC - 4CD BOX SET

IQOlrSCKfof Juke dtpHmtes. Music that propelled thousands

ot Saturday nigjjjsof dancing till the sweat bursts out in bubbles.

Let Howling WoltrJohn lee Hooker, Lightning Hopkins and

dozens of others lead you through a magical tour of ‘down home

blues' from: Disc 1- Texas: Disc 2 - New York and the East Coast

States; Disc 3 - Chicago & Detroit: Disc 4 - Memphis

and the South.

AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD RECORD SHOPS

DISTRIBUTED BY CADIZ/PINNACLE

For more information on all our releases visit www.secretrecordslimited.com

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T H E T R A V E L E R G U IT A R

FCN sent out a press release in February 2004 for

their new gurtar series. The press release stated "FCN

Music is proud to present the Ultimate Travelling Guitar"'.

E S C A P E M O D E L

The introduction read "Leon Cox was fed up with having to leave his good quality guitars at home, being too

impractical to take on his travels. With this in mind he developed the Traveler Guitar, a guitar specifically developed

for the rigours of the open road".

There were three models available The Pro-Series, Escape and Speedstar. Each with their individual

strengths and capabilities and each with a recommended retails price of £399.

An Escape model guitar was sent down to Blues Matters! for review. The Escape version had the benefits of

providing an on-board headphone pre amp and headphones (supplied) allowing the user to be able to create

music on the move (without the confines of a studio) and also allowing budding musicians to create whilst not

annoying others.

The first thing that strikes you about the guitar is the ingenious design. It's almost like holding a unique piece

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The guitar has also been designed to cater for all types of guitarists being in both nylon (for classical

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The Traveler Escape comes complete with a custom carry case and headphones

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If you find it hard to stay in the same spot for too long then this equipment is perfect

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Traveler guitars are distribted by FCN Music

For further inform ation c o n ta c t: sales@fcnmusic.co.uk

( the most read blues magazine IN THE UK!~>

Are The Moles.. .and we live in our holes........go on bet you

remember and even sang along back then parts 1 & 2']

shortly after Syd Barrett let it slip at the Top of The Pops studio

that the Moles were in fact Simon Dupree before the brothers

returned as Gentle Giant in the 70's. O K they m oved into the

Paisley pop/Mellotron laden sounds of the 7 0 's but they have a

certain affection due over several areas of popular m usic and it

is a sham e that they could not outlive "Kites". An interesting collection...

Caleb

UK - THE ZOMBIES: Live at The BBC

Repertoire REP4790.29 tracks. 76.32 mins.

The editor has stuck m e on 6 0 s duty Simon Dupree then

The Zom bies good Job I like these guys!! This is The

Zom bies kicking in with their R&B heavy Road Runner, Early

O ne Morning, there are som e interview clips left in with Brian

Matthew and others from the well spoken BBC, Brian introduces

the band at track 8 For You M y Love and Colin

Blunstone sounds like a cross between John Mayall's high pitch

and Paul Jones. I like this set because of the songs that the

band did on radio but never recorded and for the interview bits

and look out there is a great sequence at the end with Kenny

Everett, chat, m adness ["what is that you're wearing?" It looks

like a large rat, they're coming back into fashion folks!"].... well

what did you expect!! love it Caleb

UK - THE TROGGS: From Nowhere

Repertoire. REPUK1010. 20 tracks. 50.31 mins.

Okay, Okay ifs 6 0 s still.. The anthem ic Wild Thing kicks this

one off and is the original album plus 5 bonus tracks. The

Troggs first recording was a dem o of The Kinks "You Really Got

Me" sent to Kinks m anager Larry Page who liked it and signed

th e m .. .okay file under pop if you will but these were heady

days of inventiveness in the 6 0 s and the great melting pot that

w as the UK was transforming world musical ideas and trends.

There's R&B in here in reasonable measure [a fair bit of Reg

Presley's tongue in cheek humour for good measure], some

distinctly Yardbirds sounds, a dirty/grungy "Louie Louie".. ..ifs

not Blues as w e know it Jim but ifs history that doesn't sound

so bad today Caleb

USA - SUSAN TEDESCHI: Wait For Me

Artemis RecordVRykodisc. 11 tracks. 45.39 mins.

Another lady in for review .. .following on from m y earlier reviews

(Joss Stone, Katie Melua and Norah Jones) and Susan

Tedeschi outshines them all. A G ram m y nominated album that

is actually any good (there's the real surprise), Susan opens

with 'Alone' (which sounds uncannily like an early Christine

McVie Fleetwood Mac number). W hat's refreshing about this

short 11-track collection

is the quality of the

song-writing and the

soulful delivery that is so

often lacking in too

many Blues releases.

The album clearly

showcases Tedeschis

talent for working and

producing music in a

variety of different

styles (throwing in the

odd weepy pop ballad

'Wrapped In The Arms Of Another"... that could easily be a

future Christina Aguilera single) and on the whole it makes for a

very enjoyable listening experience. M y only problem would be

that the glossy production and pop sheen som ewhat overshadow

s the Blues at tim es to the point where ifs no longer there

anym ore ('In The Garden') only several tracks ('Hampmotized'

and T h e Feeling M usic Brings') show the Rockin Blues chick in

full gusto the rest, while passing the highest quality tests, rarely

ventures above mid-pace Darren Howells

USA - ROY BUCHANNAN: Live In Japan

Repertoire. REPUK1002.8 tracks. 42.30 mins.

O h yes when I saw that our Ed had given m e this to review I

got moist at the thought of hearing what had been a treasured

album all those years ago that som eone nicked at a party, and

now after all this time I get to hear his 9 minutes plus of Hey Joe

ending with Foxy Lady. Since You've Been Gone was transform

ed into Blues Otani for this album and followed here by My

Baby Says She's Gonna Leave M e which drives along before

the close with Sweet Dreams. Did m e good to hear this after so

long and I'll be playing it again very soon when I've finished

these off. A master album by a 'master" w ho died so soon and

tragically hanging himself in a Police cell after being arrested for

drink driving Caleb

USA - BILLY GIBSON: Memphis Tone

Inside Sounds. 8 tracks. 63:44 mins.

Mississippi bom harmonica player Billy Gibson m oved up to

Mem phis in his early 20's, he became a part of the recognised

Beale Street. He added his Blues studies to the studying of

Jazz harmonica great Pete Pederson. W ith some TV appearances

coming his way, a guest appearance on Michael Burke s

"I Smell Smoke" disc; and twice being the recipient of the

National Academ y of Recording Arts and Sciences' Premier

Player Award for outstanding harmonica - he is well set up.

O ther recordings include 1998 &1999 releases with the

Junkyardmen, a self-titled 1996 solo effort, and a 2001 jazz

release. This album was actually recorded mostly in 1997, and

has been re-released with an extra track. W orthy of mention is

that the recording was mastered by Larry Nix at the famous

Ardent a u d io s in

M emphis. This disc is

m uch m ore a jazz

album, and has Billy's

m entor Pete Pederson

on one selection

where he plays some

nifty chromatic in a

Toots Thielsman way.

Gibson plays both

chrom atic & diatonic

harp, and has Charlie

W ood playing luscious

Memphis organ

on five cuts. The opener is Jim m y Smith's "Chicken Shack"

taken to over 13 minutes, and gorgeous it is too. "Body and

Soul" m akes e recall those B&W French movies - no not the

sm utty types, keep out the Parisian gutters please! There is a

funky swinging groove going on in "Shortenin'" that has to be a

live favourite I'm sure. Billy gets a real m eaty tone out of a diatonic

harp, while his chromatic workflows weaving and bobbing

throughout. "Give Me Five" is the bluesiest track weighing in at

over nine minutes, a slow drawn out affair that chills and burst

into harp breaks from tim e to time. K's Waltz" is almost a Sam

Spade soundtrack with a Tom Waits beatnik jazz to it. Very little


{ the voice for the blues in the UK!)

I

»

Blues music, but great music and harp you will love no matter

your genre preferences. Billy Hutchinson

USA - VARIOUS: Roll And Tumble Blues

Indigo IGOTCD 2548.3CD box Set. 78 tracks.

This set covers 1929 to 1999 and features lots of well-known

nam es like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Leadbelly,

Big Joe Williams, M uddy W aters etc., etc., but also som e more

obscure artists. Sylvester Weaver's "Guitar Rag" is a superb

instrumental lovely picking and sliding, and the sound quality is

excellent. CD1 also features "Jack O'Diamonds", "Mother's

Children Have a Hard Time". "Nappy Head Blues" and a

superb "Worried Blues" from Frank Hutchinson. The technique

shown here, playing simultaneous rhythm and lead slide is

absolutely staggering- check out "Frisco Blues" by Bayless

Rose which opens CD2. This disc also features Tampa Red,

Robert Johnson, Kokom o Arnold and Cliff Carlisle, one of the

few white artists. CD3 opens with M uddy W aters "I Be's

Troubled" an early solo version of "I Can't Be Satisfied". This

last CD moves into electric bands and Robert Nighthawk's

"Sweet Black Angel" is a superb example. Elmore's "Dust My

Broom" is included here, along with a rough and ready "My

Baby's Coming Home" by Hound Dog Taylor. Jerem y Spencer

belts out 'Talk To Me Baby" and the Blues Band close the show

with "Rollin’ & Tumblin"1. Ik/e always enjoyed slide guitar and

there's plenty of good stuff here, ranging from solo acoustic to

full on electric bands Dave Drury

UK - GEORGE SHOVLIN AND STEAM

ROOM: True Stories

EP 20 minutes from ianhamilton@ignibonsales.com.

Just as John Mayall is universally regarded as the Father of the

British Blues, G eorge Shovlin is the undisputed Father of the

North East Blues Scene. George started his long musical

career in Sunderland in the 60s where he quickly became an

ambassador for the folk/blues tradition as both a solo artist and

in a duet with a local harp player. It was relatively late in life

when he joined forces with ex-rock musos George Lamb. Stew

Burlison and Ian Hamilton. The band's first album, Got Blues If

You W ant It was highly acclaimed, taking the blues of Hopkins,

Walters and W itherspoon and reinventing them for the 21 st

century. My review at the time concluded, "George has a vocal

range: passion and integrity which often surpasses the quality of

the American legends he emulates. "O ver the past five years

the band has taken the blues scene by storm, building up a

loyal and passionate fan base. The most recent addition on

keyboards, Paul Grieveson is the final piece in the jigsaw as he

adds a new depth and variation to the sound, which was great

anyw ay but is even better now. True Stories is a landmark EP

as it com prises outstanding original compositions and takes the

band onto a different plane, which will give them the national

and international recognition they deserve. New Day Blues is

real rockabilly, shake it baby blues and a superb showcase for

George's mellow, gravelly voice. The Other Side, a slow ballad,

proves that this guy can croon with the best of them, som e

where between Leonard Cohen and Ray Charles, with classical

piano from Paul. The temperature and tem po rise with W oman

I Know, a funky num ber with clever rhythms and drum/bass

patterns courtesy of Ian and Stew. For me, the highlight is the

climactic Crusin1C om e Sundown with George Lam b producing

a high octane performance on lead guitar and proving that big

city blues are not just the preserve of New York or Chicago. All

in all, True Stories is a turning point in that it proves that George

Shovlin and Steam Room have the creativity, energy and talent

to push those musical boundaries as far as they want

to Dave "The Bishop" Scott

USA-JODY WILLIAMS:

You Left Me in the Dark

Evidence Music. 14 tracks. 60 mins.

"Jody Williams - an underrated chess player who bided his time

to come back, and checkmate them all". It has been said that

Jody never played his guitar for the full thirty years it lay under

his bed. o r for that m atter does he listen to other guitarists. This

explains why he plays what to the uninitiated m ay seem in a

retro vein, the thing is Jody started where he finished. I had the

great pleasure to m eet Jody for the first time as m any others did

at the Burnley festival, I found him to be a quite man who was

proud to have been married to the sam e lady for 40 years. For

those w ho are unfamiliar with Jody's sound - think of a cross

between Otis Rush & Freddie King. Here Jody proves that his

all did not go into his Handy winning com eback album, and

though he still has som e impressive guest artists he plays the

majority of guitar herein.

The guest musicians

include Jody's

buddy Robert Jr.

Lockwood playing guitar

& vocals on two

tracks as does Lonnie

Brooks. Billy Flynn

who is a very traditional

guitarist and ex-

Mississippi Heat plays

guitar on all but four

tracks. The rest of the

band has Chris Jam es guitar on one cut and throughout

Rob Walters: organ & piano, Patrick Rynn: electric bass and

Willie Hayes: drums & percussion. To complete the picture

three horn players play on four tracks, with Jocfys m anager -

Dick Shurman producing. The title track is first out of the blocks,

and finds a deep voiced Mr. W illiams over a reverb shimmering

semi-solid guitar (Red Lightnin1) plus lovely organ. W ith a classic

24 carat start Jody kicks in with a swift shuffle cum swing num

ber that has Robert Lockwood helping out vocally, and supplying

12-stringed guitar. The glorious horns com e out for the storytelling

"Don’t Get Caught Sleeping in My Bed". Here Jody's

tone is dynamite in a T-Bone W alker to B.B. King vintage kind

of way. Jody and Lonnie Brooks get to trade licks and vocals in

an upbeat funky fashion - yeah more tasty guitar work. The

steady loping drum beats of "I'll Be There" is a much better

pace for Robert Lockwood's voice to shine against Jody's, then

the huge almost Albert King Stax horns sets up a storming

soul/blues of award winning stature. Before this becom es an

epic of "W ar and Peace" proportions there are m ore catchy

lyrics & guitar to com e including a topper remake of Jody's

"Hideout" replete with a "Donkey Serenade" segment. "Young

Men Don't Know" is another album standout.. ..oh just go out

and pick it up so I can listen to the rest on my o w n .. Billy

Hutchinson

USA - BETTYE LAVETTE: A Woman Like Me

Blues ExpressJRandM RAMPRCD8.

That Ms Lavette should be better known should be an accepted

fact, going by this release. Eleven tracks of real feeling, with

a quality band that would not be out of place on an Al Green or



Ann Peebles disc and the artist telling intimate stories is a husky

knowing voice rather than a screamfest. It is a fair bet that as a

w om an in the musk; business, Bettye Lavette has seen just

about everything, all the highs and all the lows. Just think about

the fads and era's that have com e and gone during her 40-year

career. That producer Dennis W alker understands this music

and how to put it over is also beyond a rg u m e n t; he seem s to

simply assem ble whatever m akes the particular song (they're

stories, really) happen. The singer's phrasing is jazzy, ultrapersonal

and above all else believable. At no point does Ms

Lavette seem to be going through the motions or coasting, a

talent readily recognised by Huey Lewis and Bonnie Raitt.

Personal favourites - Thinkin' Bout Y o u ', the hom-specked T h e

Forecast1, the Temptations-like deep bass on 'Right Next Door"

and throughout the record. W ith a chart full of flat sounding

female vocalists selling trillions, what a relief to hear soulful

vocal performances, biting guitar solo's, lively drum ming and

sharp production on quality material. A w arm glow of a

record Pete Sargeant

AUS - MARK EASTON LIMOUSINE: Greener

This CD was released in February 2004 although I was fortunate

enough to receive an advance copy and so enjoyed it over

Christmas. M ark Easton Limousine hail from Bondi Beach in

Australia and this is, I believe, Mark's second CD and it came

about after Mark had played four gigs with a dep drum m er with

whom he gelled so well that he sacked his band and m ore or

less immediately went into the studio with Tony Georgeson to

put down the 11 tracks which are on the CD. The result is an

excellent collection displaying a great variety from the hard rocking

rock blues of the title track to the delicious "Butterfly" which

features som e slide guitar to die for. "Long Gone" is one of the

tracks that features guests with som e nicely controlled harmonica

from Chris Gould, a form er surfing buddy of Mark's. The

track also includes som e more of Mark's delicious guitar playing.

As if to dem onstrate the variety, the mournful and haunting

"Prison Cell Blues" starts off very much a semi-acoustic num ber

and grows to feature som e more lovely slide guitar as well as

straight guitar picking. This is a really good track as is 'Tom cat

Blues" which features Mark playing bass, guitars and doing the

vocals with loads of reverb and through a harp mike or similar.

Very moody. "Spiritual M an" has a distinctly eastern feel to it

with the two-minute instrumental introduction leaving me

expecting som e Indian o r Egyptian dancers! Studio engineer

Michael Petrou gets the bass playing credit here. As Mark tells

it, "he loved the song so much, he wanted to be part of it!" A

total contrast is the acoustic "Fall From Grace" which again features

som e lovely slide from Mark and guest Bob Baird on

bass. This varied collection has something for everyone and is

m ost enjoyable even if I was knocked out by every track. I have

com e back to the CD time & time again and found something

new each time. I really enjoy it and congratulate Mark on producing

a dam n fine C D ....©2004 Ashwyn Smyth

USA - WARNER WILLIAMS: Blues Highway

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 14 tracks. 43:15 mins.

These Piedmont Blues practitioners play/played very m uch in

the way Sonny Terry & Brownie M cGee did, you can add a M e

smattering of John Jackson in there too particularly in the songster

material. These guys along with the m uch wider known

Cephas & W igans are keeping alive the African Am erican blues

tradition of acoustic country blues guitar & harmonica. I have

several tim es used the observation that this kind of performance

is honest & culturally vital, but it holds water. The performances

mostly consisted

of well known blues

songs along with

bygone popular material;

with the exception is

the last tune that was

written by harp player

Summerour. Williams

has a very characterful

clipped singing voice

that is perfect for this

sub-genre of Blues.

The serious sized

accompanying booklet reveals these

recordings were m ade between 1993-95, and loads of background

info. I recom mend you step back, chill a bit and put

aside that swathe of electric blues/rock CD's for a spell. You will

be rewarded with the sim ple pleasure of porch styled acoustic

blues, albeit with a taped on mic in this case. . ..Billy

Hutchinson

USA - NINA SIMONE: Sings The Blues

RC A 82876 596192. 11 tracks. 32.48 mins.

This re-issue of the 1967 RCA album com es with what can

either be seen as a classic reproduction of the original LP or a

cheapo cardboard sleeve, depending on your viewpoint. Never

mind, ifs the m usic that counts and very good it is too, although

by m odem standards ifs a bit short. Re-mastering from the original

tapes has ensured excellent sound quality. The excellent

backing group includes Eric Gale on guitar and Bernard Purdie

on drums, but the album is naturally dominated by Miss

Simone's intense vocals and piano playing. "I Want a Little

Sugar In M y Bowl" is a suggestive little tune, full of double

entendres, featuring jazzy sm oky piano and tenor sax from

Buddy Lucas. "Backlash Blues" is a scathing social com m entary

of the tim es (1967) and is a prime example of the protest

song that Simone became closely associated with. "House Of

The Rising Sun" flies along with a light, rhythmic jazzy touch

and the album closes with "Blues For Mama", an atmospheric

slow blues with Simone pleading and crying in very personal

style. This is a superb collection which shows this very indMdual

artist at her best in a small band setting Dave Drury

UK - MO' INDIGO: Are We There Yet?

Blues Matters! BMRCD20032.11 tracks. 48.21 mins.

W hen people s a y 1Ah Blues Matters they're supporting British

blues, right?' then w e simply have to nod in the affirmative and

point them in the direction of BM's growing catalogue. This

reviewer isn't a Blues Matters em ployee - just a freelance scribe

who loves his blues, so

believe me, if I thought

the BM label had made

a bum decision in signing

an act, then rest

assured I'd let rip. Yet

they will keep on signing

class ads, and

Mo'lndigo are up there

with the best. They've

toured three times

with Sherman

Robertson, and that


{ the VOICE FOR THE BLUES IN THE UK!)

i

alone ought to prove their ability. They are a choice band

favoured as backing artists by several visiting blues and soul

artists from across the pond. Here's a great line-up with som e

fine Ham m ond organ and piano from Anthony Cooper, the

ebullient and confident vocals of Harry Lang. Spot-on bass lines

are supplied by John Bulpitt, solid drum s from Styx Nixon and,

of course, way above average guitar from Robin Carr. Their

reading of Little Red Rooster casts a nod not in the direction of

Wolf, but Sam Cooke and Billy Preston. They have a penchant

for reworking som e interesting material, such as Downhome

Blues' and Al Greene's 'Never Found A Girl', and on this showing

they promise much as a live act. Direct, well-played blues

with passion and soul. You can't ask for m ore Roy Bainton

UK - MIKE HARRISON:

Mike Harrison & Smokestack Lightnin'

Repertoire. PMS7043-WP & REPUK1015.

UK - GARY WRIGHT: Extraction

Repertoire REPUK1011.

I asked if we could squeeze these in as I loved these guys back

in the 70s/80s and still play the music and keep checking for

som e of it on C D so when I got these, boy was I chuffed and

plumptiously delighted. Mike Harrison was a 'surprise' hit at the

Colne Fest in 2002 and is apparently re-forming Spooky Tooth

with G ary W right and Mike Kellie for a couple of prestigious

Germ an dates that will be recorded for DVD and CD release.. I

wish I could be there, the m agic of their voices together. I am in

no doubt that Spooky were years ahead of their time. Anyway

to the CDs to hand [and ear]th e Mike Harrison CDs are both

enjoyable and pretty timeless to m y mind with Smokestack

being the more endurable of the two. G ary Wrights' first solo

venture is well set out [as Repertoire always manage to do] and

together I've just had a trip down that ole m em ory lane to college

gig nights in abundance seeing quality bands in their raw

days and formative years Ponch

UK-WISHBONE ASH:

Almighty Blues/London and Beyond

Classic Rock Productions.

W ishbone Ash is back in a big way with an incredibly powerful

performance on this live SACD Almighty Blues: London and

Beyond. It seem s like a perfectly suitable title for this album, with

a stress on the "Almighty." This band paid their dues long ago,

and to see that they are still pumping out vital and invigorating

blues-prog-rock m akes my heart smile. Those of you that are

fortunate enough to have a surround system are in for a real

treat! The sound for a live performance is quite simply, amazing.

I felt like I was right there with everyone in the audience watching

them play. After hearing this performance, I decided to look

into their entire back catalog. I already had Time Was: The

W ishbone Ash Collection set but never sought out any of their

previous releases. That is going to change. I received this

album at the beginning of the week and I have not stopped listening

yet. I am completely enthralled with their rockin' bluesy

progressive sound. My favorite tracks, as well as all the others,

not only rock they have a definite Celtic atmosphere swirling

about them, particularly 'W arrior" and "Come Rain, Com e

Shine." W hether that is intentional or not it sure makes their

sound unique and interesting. I think it's the right combination of

Andy Powell's voice (English accent) and their overall sound

that gives them that definitive Celtic edge. Powell and Ben

Granfelt also perfect the double guitar attack nicely; they are an

awesom e one-two punch completely in sync with each other.

Ray W eston (drums) and Bob Skeat (bassArocals) are the

backbone of the band that the two lead guitar players depend

upon to take their music to the next level, and believe m e they

have no problem doing so. O h yes, W ishbone Ash is back, and

stronger than ever! Since they are one of the true pioneers of

the double guitar attack, it is only appropriate that such a

dynamic live show was committed to tape for their longtime

fans and all of the newly initiated com ing onboard to discover

what great blues-rock is all about. Enjoy!. © Keith

"MuzikMan" Hannaleck

UK - VARIOUS ARTISTS: Lovin' Time Blues

El Toro Rhythm & Blues. (Available via Proper records).

No wailing guitars, soulful harps and not a wah-wah pedal in

sight. Every one of these cuts is over 50 years old, and they're

as vibrantly uplifting today as they were in the dark days they

were laid down. This is big band and com bo R&B and jum p

music, all fronted by vocal duets by over fifty once famous

names, many of which have faded into obscurity over the

decades, but oh, what joy they still possess. Yes, there are a

few legends - Jackie Brenston. Jim m y Witherspoon, Little

Esther and Joe Liggins, am ong others. Yet on the whole this

isn't an album about status - it's a record about fun. There's a

strong element of that chitlin circuit naughtiness running through

such numbers as Dolores Brown and Big John Greer's You

Played on My Piano’ and Agnes Riley & Harry Crafton's Big Fat

Hot Dog1and after playing these 27 jaunty, fatly recorded tracks,

all I wanted to do was start all over again. G et your zoot suit

down from the wardrobe, get som e beer in the fndge, som e fish

frying, and roll back the rug. Long before techno, house and

garage, these genuinely musical people knew how to enjoy

themselves, and with this collection, so will you. Roy Bainton

USA - WATERMELON SLIM:

Up Close & Personal

Southern Records. 16 tracks {+2 bonus). 73:32 mins.

While W atermelon's last CD "Big Shoes to Fill" was predom i

nantly up tempo, and with the Fned O kra band in tow, his latest

is mostly a solo affair and delta raw. Talking of the Fried Okra

band the beat keepers of that band are featured here too - the

brothers Kyle & Adam Enevoldsen on percussion & bass. W hat

is on offer is slashing slide, heartfelt harp and uncomm on lyrics.

This is indeed a departure from his last CD, but with only that to

go by, m y knowledge of this distinctive is growing; in a positive

way I might add. The cheeky chappy that is John Adam s is the

man who is bringing W atermelon over, and though I do not

know the guy o r have any vested interest in his business affairs;

what I know that by investigating the musicians he puts on he

digs the real deal. To

the m usic before I loose

your interest - even

though this disc is on

the whole delta styled

take track nine

"Bridgebuilder" that

com es over with a

kind of a hom em ade

xylophone sound,

which I take it must be

the Kalimba in the

liner notes. The

Kalim ba apparently is an adaptation of the

South African Mbira by one Hugh Tracy - down culture vultures!



Though this is mostly an unplugged affair there is the odd electric

tracks that I find lighten the proceedings. W e are treated to

m odem day field hollering, albeit with technological studio knob

twiddling, and it's the stopping you in the tracks type stuff. Apart

from Sonny Boy W illiamson's lesser known "I D o nt Care Know

More" the other covers are dog-eared - "Smokestack Ljghtnin",

"Highway 61 1and 'T w o Trains Running", but to be fair they

have been modified. The odd nod to Robert Leroy Johnson

surfaces and throughout Slim tells how it is - first hand (14 original

penned numbers). O f the two bonus tracks the first is

almost a ten minute opus, and has Bill taking on the plight of

Jonah in a whale's belly. Here he describes in detail his

thoughts & observations, and although the accom panim ent is

basic the story draws your attention. The last bonus track has

Slim plugging in, and with only him & his electric slide he only

just achieves audibility up against his Mason-Dixon slide guitar,

but yet another cut succeeds. Slim proves that you can assimilate

without wearing a hat or shades. N.B. Some songwriters

deserve their lyrics to be reproduced in the CD liner, thee who is

responsible take heed1.... Billy Hutchinson

UK - BLUESLINE: Things Change

Blues Matters! BM RCD 20035.10 tracks.

M ore from the flourishing BM label. Bluesline are unusual for a

band in one respect - they dare to put their individual ages in

the liner notes. That's vanity out of the way, then. So, ranging

from 34 to 49, in oldey-timey blues term s they're all still Spring

chickens. Apart from good vocals by the experienced Tommy

Carter, what makes

Bluesline stand out is

\ the superb guitar work

\ of both Chris Roach

I

and Tony Burgess.

/ Here you've got some

im passioned slow

blues such as 'Baby's

Gone Away' and the

fiery, stinging

'Overboard'. The

refreshing aspect to all

this is that, apart from

track 4, Mike Morgan's

moody 'You Did M e A Favour" the remaining five songs are all

original Bluesline compositions, and dam ned good they are,

too. O ne of the m any ways UK artists can lay valid claim to taking

the blues forward is by displaying a bit of originality in material,

and Bluesline have it by the truckload. This is hefty, substantial

blues by an outfit who obviously enjoy what they're doing,

and if they're playing live in your neck of the woods then you

ought to do yourself a favour and buy a ticket.. Roy Bainton

USA - JOHN GAAR: Bittersweet Success

Jango Bleaux Records. 10 tracks. 49:41 mins.

John G aar is brother of Burton G aar who's CD "Home of the

Blues" has been gathering fine reviews. The Louisiana brothers

were both in Rockin' Sidney's band, and John had a long stint

in Chubby Carrier's band, but Zydeco m usic is only a part of his

arsenal. Billboard m agazine awarded John an honourable

mention for being one of the best new songwriters of last year,

the song is the initial song on this album. The first thing I

realised was this is a disc that revs, and benefits a high stereo

volume. Things kick off very FM radio like with John's Billboard

merited "Memphis", hook laden, wide appeal. The Southern biting

guitar lines introduces

a Hamilton

Loomis cum Jonny

Lang kind of tune, the

pace continues with the

soul & rockin' blues of

the title track. This guy

is stinging & solid on

guitar, above well average

singer and lyrically

very sound. Its track

four before he allows

things to sim m er down

with a tune that has a nice hard edge set

around a soulful tale. "Played the Fool" is fuelled by a riff som e

where between Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker” & "Killing Floor", and

is rock/blues. M ore riff-based rock/blues unfurf before a slow

burner in a soul to rock to blues way balances the disc once

again. A country angled tune waltzes along in its lament before

it gives over to a Z.Z. Top/Bob Seger weighted rocker. John

Gaar wrote either alone or in collaboration, and every one of

these tracks that have a very early 70's basing to them. He

leaves it until the last selection to betray his zydeco roots with

an unaccredited accordion player. Nothing hear you haven't

heard before, but it is played very well & devoid of

w eakness.. Billy Hutchinson

USA - VARIOUS ARTISTS:

South Side Chicago Blues

Delmark (DD - 912). 10 Tracks. 38.54 mins.

USA - VARIOUS ARTISTS:

Wild About That thing/Ladies Sing the Blues

DelmarkfDD -913). 16 Tracks. 52.14 mins.

TW O more fine compilations, released as part of the celebrations

to mark 50 years of blues and jazz releases by the great

Chicago-based Delm ark label. Over the past half-century,

Delm ark has recorded som e of the best-known nam es on the

C h kago blues scene - as well as som e excellent lesser performers.

It's the w ay Delmark mixes the familiar and the less so

that gkres these com pilations much of their charm - especially in

the case of the longer of these two CDs, which showcases

som e of Delmark's female vocal talent down the years. The

selection spans a period wider still than Delmark's 50-year

tenure, bringing together recordings from 1944 to the present

day and showcasing famous nam es like Dinah W ashington

alongside relatively obscure, but no less worthy performers. A

huge variety of styles is on offer, too, from the sick, soulful funk

of Shirley Johnson's "Not for the Love of You" and the smooth

modem blues of Zora Young's "Brain Damage" to what

am ounts to old-fashioned Dixieland jazz from Karen Carroll

("Confessin1the Blues") and Gran Louise ("You W ere a Good

Ole Wagon"). This kind of variety m ay well, I fear, be rather too

much for many contem porary blues fans to stomach in anything

other than very small doses. I for instance, can certainly

appreciate the quality of som e of the older vocalists, but retain

have to a strong aversion to hearing quite so m any clarinets

and banjos on a blues record! For a m ore consistent set of

songs and performers, turn to the other CD under scrutiny here

- one that showcases great South Side performers such as

Junior Wells, Sunnyland Slim, Little W alter and Jim m y Rogers.

Again, the material spans a broad period - from Rogers's 1949

cut, "I'm In Love" and Little Walters' 1950 version of "Just Keep


( THE VOICE FOR THE BLUES IN THE UKp

Lovin1H e f to a 2000 contribution by the only perform er to

appear on both these CDs. Big Time Sarah. All ten tracks

reveal a consistent thread that is unmisakeably Chicago blues -

and for the most part. Chicago blues of the first order. JB Hutto's

instrumental, "Slidewinderf1, might be a tad tinny and directionless

in comparison to stronger tracks like Lurrie Bell's mighty

version of "All O ver Again" but overall, this is a very enjoyable,

blues compilation. Long m ay Delmark continue to record and

release great blues like this! Tim Aves

USA - BILLIE HOLIDAY: Good Morning Blues

C o m p le te C o lu m b ia R e cord in g s (1933-1950)

Comet Records. CD Boxed Set (9 C Ds 230 Tracks).

Nine CDs and nine days, it sounds like something Biblical does-

n l it? Well, that is how long it took m e to listen to this entire

boxed set. Billie Holiday/Good Morning Blues: Complete

Colum bia Recordings (1933-1950) is an enorm ous tribute to

the art of Billie Holiday, the most infamous blues-jazz-torch

singer since the advent of recorded music. Billie Holiday had a

hard life from the time she was a little girt. Her misery carried

into her adult life in the form of drug addiction and arrests before

she finally succumbed to her disease. Before Holiday cashed in

her chips for good, she recorded a trem endous wealth of

music, which is the focus of this generous career spanning set.

Two hundred and thirty tracks of prime Lady Day from 1933 to

1950 encompass this wonderful collection along with a booklet

that gives you a short biography of her life and career. I have

never delved that far into this singer's career, or any artists'

career for that matter. Her voice was so full of emotion and pain

that I felt I was listening to a story unfold page by page every

day I listened to another CD. Som e of the CDs have as many

as 26 tracks, including outtakes and rarities. I could not possibly

ever give this excellent set its due with mere words; all I can say

is that it is something that all music lovers should experience.

This woman's legacy can only grow with the passing of time.

Her influence is far reaching and will continue to be as long as

people want to hear emotionally drenched vocals that move

and inspire. This boxed set is an absolute must and a great

investment to make in your collection © Keith "MuzikMan"

Hannaleck

UK - SWAMPNOBS: The Toilets Are Massive

Blues Matters! BM RCD 20034.17 tracks.

G ood heavens - where do they all keep coming from? Another

extremely interesting BM act, this time a duo, Galen and Dr.

Pete. I love a sense of hum our in music and the Swam pnobs

stand out in this respect - the blues, by ifs very nature, apart

from being thrilling, can often be simultaneously dour som e

times. So an album cover with a small girt sitting on the bog

which includes a song containing the line "You got to 50 and

you're fat" (Fat Man's

Lament) plus the suspicious

information on the

traditional track 'Ground

Hog' that th e finest of

old mountain banjos

can be made with the

hide of a groundhog'

already m akes these

two talented wags into

a talking point. The

m ood is set by the

eerie, opening instrumental,

'Bayou Dawn' and then shifts around from atmospheric

acoustic offerings such as 'Lonely Mile' to a self-proclaimed

attempt to write 'a musical graphic novel' - 'Humphrey Bogart

Evening'. As a duo the Sw am pnobs m ust be very portable and

therefore have a better choice of venues to play at than an electric

band with a van-load of gear. I'll bet they're a cracking act in

a smaller club environment, so keep your eye open. The

Swam pnobs have a real feel for Am ericana - mix this with their

innate British sense of hum our and you've got a winning formula.

Fascinating stuff - and nice to think that BM have given them

the chance to get all this down in the studio Roy Bainton

UK - DEL BROMHAM: Devil s Highway

Trigger Happy Music.

This solo offering from Del Brom ham is the latest step in an

attempt to bring one of the long lost UK rock/blues guitarists

back to public recognition. Del form ed Stray in 1969 and, as far

as I know, they never really split up and still exist, having toured

with both Mountain and Iron Maiden last year. Brom ham is currently

out on tour with Leslie W est and presumably airing this

new material, and dates are being booked for his new band -

The Devils - later in the year. But back to Devil s Highway: 9

hom egrown numbers and two covers - Lonnie Johnson's

Careless Love and Arthur Crudup's That's Alright M am a -

recorded in a semi-electric, self-recorded way. And there's

som e good songs here, especially the opening title track and

The W ell's Run Dry. Bass, drum s and piano all rattle away on

the jaunty Ain't Love A W onderful Thing, whilst House Of Love

reminds m e of the Spencer Davis Group. Ifs a mixed bag of

styles with the bluesiest outings being on Train and the reprise

of Devil's Highway. Not a bad effort at all and I look forward to

hearing these songs worked up to full band status when they

tour in Scotland in November. Chris Simmonds

USA - SHRIMP CITY SLIM:

Highway 17/ Lowcounty Blues Live

Erwin Music. 11 tracks (+ 1 bonus). 59:30 mins.

American/ltalian/Polish Gary Erwin (Shrimp City Slim) brought

out a remarkable CD on W anda Johnson, and has found time

to bring out a super CD with his own band. These live recordngs

were m ade in venues

in North & South

Carolina, Georgia &

Italy. W ith a line-up that

includes Shrimp City

Slim: vocals, keyboards,

Silent Eddie

Phillips: guitars, Chuck

"The Cat" Morris: harmonica,

vocals

(#5&8), Jon

Etheridge: drums,

backing vocals (#1).

G ary Erwin wrote all the tracks barring one traditional

cut, one by Morris and one other as a collaboration with

Morris. This is gig promo disc as features Shrimp's regular band

recorded straight to disc, and is fun Lowcountry dancing blues

even though the content isn't good news. There are songs covering

Shrimps mixed fortune with women, feeling like hitting the

road, a political knock within the title track on the state of

Highway 17 and a train song. The m usic ranges from swam p

influenced, jivin1swing, a few slow burners, a bit of funk, a shuffle

and a New Orleans styled opening track with a calypso inter-



lude. G ary Erwin som etim es reminds m e of Mike Bloomfield in

his sing voice, m aybe he was bom in the sam e part of Chicago

as Bloomfield. There are a lot of stories within the interesting

lyrics keeping your interest throughout. Apart from the websfte

m entioned CD baby, Am azon & CD Street stocks this disc, and

recom mended by yours truly to those who like upbeat

blues!.... Billy Hutchinson

USA - GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE

DESTROYERS: Greatest Hits

Capitol.

It is hard to believe that George Thorogood has been spinning

a yam and rockin' audiences for over 30 years now. It seem s

like only yesterday that the blistering riffs from "Bad To The

Bone" were blasting out of everyone's speakers. I guess I cannot

flatter myself because it really has been that long. M usic like

Thorogood’s keeps m e young inside, all music does, and that is

why I feel like I am only 18 inside. George Thorogood & the

Destroyers Greatest Hits: 30 Years of Rock covers a long

stretch of successes. He continues on to this very day with new

studio recordings and endless touring. I know his back catalog

is hefty at this point and many fans will ask were certain songs

are, this is when the inevitable adage com es into play - you

cannot please everyone. I honestly believe that for one CD, this

collection does a great job of highlighting the career of an

Am erican music legend. Sixteen tracks of sm okin1rockin' blues

fun shows just what the Thorogood style has been all about all

these years and why he has been so successful, just listen to

the songs, ft tells the story. W ho could forget the line from "Get

a Haircut" - Get a haircut and get a real job, clean up your act

and donft be a slob, get ft together like your big brother B o b .. .or

the tongue in cheek "I Drink Alone" - Ya know when I drink

alone, I prefer to be by myself. These are classic lines from one

of the very best storytellers, guftar players and vocalist rock

m usic has ever had onstage or in the recording studio, period.

To add a little spice to the pot som e live tracks and remixes

m ake for a complete George Thorogood experience. This is not

a bad package for one C D I m ust say. As much as people

shake their fist at corporate Am erica and major labels at times,

and that includes yours truly, you cannot deny how you appreciate

great CDs like this. G o ahead.. .tell m e you won't buy this

CD if you are a real blues-rock fan! Who do you love?

"American Made" George Thorogood that's w h o .. ..© Keith

"MuzikMan" Hannaleck

USA - WANDA JOHNSON:

Call Me Miss Wanda

Erwin Music. 12 tracks. 45:54 mins.

W anda Johnson was bom in Anderson, South Carolina in

1963. An unknown to n

an uncomm on singer

who although sings

Blues has a voice that

is m ore geared up for

jazz and balladry. This

project is the product

of G ary Erwin (aka)

Shrimp City Slim -

musician, record label

owner, festival promoter,

producer and radio

host. The album cover

has a retro look to it,

r, but W anda is

and it reminded be of those Bluesville album sleeves. W anda

has the voice that dem ands a night club lounge setting, and

you don't talk when this lady sings. This CD is bonafide grower

in that it you are accessing m ore and m ore pleasure in every

play. W anda's clipped voice starts off wfth a Blues from the pen

of G ary Erwin (the song credits are shared equally between

Johnson & Erwin), one the m any very well written tunes to follow.

A Johnson gospel tinged soul/blues, T h e Rft/er" - a top

tune! An old-fashioned crooning ballad gives way to an easygoing

soul/blues that is reminiscent as few herein wfth the band

Mississippi Heat. "I Need You" is a weary tale that could have

com e from the pen of a young Tom Waits. "Finally Home" has a

great slant on the Bo Diddley beat, but the role call of great

Blues & Blues related artists com es off very contrived though it

would have fit on the film "Grease". A slow regretful lament to

Erwin's chinking repeating piano figures then an acoustic honky

tonkin' farewell in "Airport Road". "A Bad Case of the Blues" is in

actual fact a bluesy jazz ballad, so sweet in Wanda's beautiful

diction. Miss W anda then takes an assertive stance in a wry

swing number, another disc highlight. The real cherry on the top

follows, "Switch M e Over" has classic proportions: when W anda

hangs on to the notes she is in total control of the listener's

em otions - few songs or singers have this gift! To follow that is a

major task, but the barrel-housing piano of Gary Erwin allows

W anda to stomp. "Call M e Miss W anda" should be given air

play; indeed the track "Switch Me Over" dem ands it in billboard

sized letters! .Billy Hutchinson

UK - HEY NEGRITA!: Kathmandu /

Hooked On You

Fat Fox. CD Single.

This song worked on the debut album and if anything it sounds

better here. Felix' songs have different levels of m eaning but

w hat I hear is a bittersweet tale of regret and faux bravery.

Som e mentholated electric piano and rich wah wah guitar float

the song along. It's catchy, ifs different. It doesnft sound like

Keane. Ifs also very English though quite why is not so easy to

pin down - there’s certainly no attempt to Americanise or even

globalise the song or delivery. Hooked on you' is a more uptem

po affair and worth hearing. The third track is a remix of

Kathmandu'..er Felix - Kathmandont!.......Pete Sargeant

UK - PAUL ROSE BAND: Half Alive

It has to be said that up until the last couple of years, Paul Rose

had been a serial under achiever. Feted by the late great Rory

Gallagher at an early age, he got priceless publicity but failed to

fulfill the promise. Now, however, the ferociously talented Mr

Rose is a serious contender. And this new release; part studio;

part live (hence the title), will further his reputation as an outstanding

talent no end. Now there are those who will construe

this as guitar wank, and ft you don 't like your guitar playing as

over the top as this then you're likely to hate this CD. I am the

first to admit that there are times when I think fewer notes would

have been m ore welcome, but when Paul and his now stable

line up of Paul Bangash on bass and Richard Newm an on

drum s show the kind of form live that they do here, they are

unstoppable. Bob Dylan's All Along Thw e W atchtower starts

things off. Of course ft leans m ore to the Jimi Hendrix version,

but you knew that already. W ith both Red House and Hey Joe

also included there is a danger, as som etim es with the live

show, of ft turning into one big Hendrix tribute. Paul does

Hendrix well but ft should never be allowed to shade other

aspects of his playing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: his


•ACITY!

w i i i l \

i i ‘J i i a l i

imyth (Phoei

Co. fromthis Top Dutch band.

( the most read blues MAGAZINE IN THE UKf}


{ the VOICE FOR THE BLUES IN THE UK!)

version of M uddy W aters' Rollin' & Tumblin' is the most original

and wildly exciting version of the song I have heard, and it s

recorded here in full glory as one of the live tracks from East

Grange Loft. The remainder of the material is self-penned with

the exception of Roy Buchanan's Cajun. It's great to hear

som eone playing, and doing justice to, Buchanan's (and Danny

Gatton s) work. Of Paul's own 4 numbers, three are instrumentals

of stunning feel and playing, with som e great double

tracked guitar, especially on Con Trick, whilst Change is the

only one with lyrics. This is a grand recording and one that will

hopefully see Paul Rose move a few notches up the blues ladder.

You'll get a chance to see the band in Scotland in July and

you will want to buy this C D Chris Simmonds

CAN - JOHN AND THE SISTERS:

John And The Sisters

NorthemBlues Music. 17 tracks 78:47 mins.

This is the band Kevin Breit (guitarist to Norah Jones,

Cassandra Wilson & collaborator with Harry Manx on "Jubilee")

plays in for sheer enjoyment. The Sisters Euclid being - Kevin

Breit: guitar & vocal, Ian Desoura: bass & shovel, Rob Gusevs:

keyboards and G ary Taylor: drums, percussion & vocal - yeah

male sisters? They are joined here by Toronto singer/harpist

John Vickie along with Kenny Kirkwood: on saxes, Susie

Vinnick on three cuts, several of the Breit clan & numerous others.

Breit being Breit this is no ordinary endeavour, but an

album of m any twists & turns in quirkiness. As all promo info the

big nam e associates are pushed for all its worth, and as in this

case the guy has the credentials to back up the accompanying

nam e dropping. Though a lot is made

of the disc's brash

edginess, and contemporary

blues-

based form at there is

a lot of tried & tested

musical ideas that

stops it from being a

runaway freight train.

The first wave that

com es over you is that

it's often nonconformity

is a refreshing change

to the swathe that's out there blueswise. John Dickie of whom

previously I had never com e across has a powerful crusty larynx,

and is in marked contrast to the sweet dulcet tones of

Susie Vinnick. Kevin Breit handles the Production with

Executive Producing, som e of the photography & the favoured

am ber coloured layout & design of one - Michael Wrycraft. This

album m ay well be remembered for its sonic onslaught with its

gentler moments sadly forgotten. This kind of fare has an eclecticism

that is most unusual within Blues music, so here is an

opportunity to extend our Blues appreciation. Am ongst the overall

blues feeling is rock elements. There is an interesting lyric on

the effects of m oney on a person's behaviour, while "Good Day"

has an almost mechanical fairground musical background to

the scattered thoughts in a Bob Dylan way. "Penguin Walk" is a

rock ’n' boogie in a head-banging stance. There is an instrumental

track that has you believing that a gentle soul vocal is

about to unwrap - nope! "Gun" is a super track that has a guitar-

m anipulated sound that apes a steel guitar, and another standout

track is the vocal riff following "L.A.". The young Breit children's

spoken intros are inspired. Roadhousing rock come

Howlin' W olf sits side by side with musical mayhem which gives

this album a collage feel, like walking into a very bohemian

household and taking in all the differing objects at hand. Italians

have a way of creating a workable society with flair out of

chaos; such is "John and the Sisters".. Billy Hutchinson

USA - TOM PRINCIPATO: House On Fire

Voodoo Records

I swear that if this CD sleeve didn't have Tom Principato's

nam e on it you would think to yourself: 'What is Ian Botham

doing with that Telecaster?' The resemblance is uncanny. But

whereas Beefy Botham was fam ed for his dem o tio n with bat

and ball, Tom Principato is m ore likely to slay you with 6-strings.

Voodoo Records is sublet through Dixie Frog so Principato now

finds himself with Popa Chubby, Duke Robillard, Tom m y Castro

and the criminally underrated Bill Perry as stable mates. A noted

Tele player, he is equally happy with or without words and it

m akes for a good mix of songs and instrumentals here. The

opening number, Till I Get W hat I C am e Here For, is followed

by a stunning take on Roy Buchannan's Done Your Daddy

Dirty. Good choice. The band is a basic trio, with John Peny

and Joe W ells in the engine room and Tommy Lepson filling out

the background with Ham m ond organ. Kevin M cKendree contributes

som e jumping piano to Willie Dixon's Crazy Mixed Up

W orld and Principato s guitar soars off into the distance o r lays

out striking fills accordingly. He is one of m y favourite players

and he doesn't disappoint on this collection. He m ay not be the

worlds' greatest singer but the arrangements are top class. The

9-minute Very Blue takes you back to the territory of his allinstrumental

album s of a couple of years back and is quite

exquisite, whilst Break Out! Is a great jazz instrumental. There's

a bit of something for everybody here, including a run through

of I Hear You Knockin . Tom Principato's house is very much

on fire Chris Simmonds

USA - TONY FURTADO & THE AMERICAN

GYPSIES: Live Gypsy

Dualtone.

I first stumbled across ace guitarist and banjo player Tony

Furtado when he and his band were supporting the Derek

Trucks Band at Antone's in Austin last year. W hat I heard made

m e curse not being in earlier to catch m ore of their set. But now,

I can revel in what I heard (and what I missed) with this stunning

live CD. Furtado's guitars rise above a great band consisting

of Myron Dove on bass, Tom Brechtlein on drums, John R.

Bun- on keys and Paul McCandless on horns and flute. The

m usic is a mixture of Furtado's songs and traditional pieces

given a good seeing to. T here's an American folkiness underlying

much of this, especially on False Hearted Lover's Blues,

Rueben's Train and Stageriee, but that's no real surprise as

Furtado com es from a traditional banjo playing background.

The set-opening False Hearted Lover builds up with Furtado's

slide guitar to the front until McCandless (often found in the

company of the great Bela Fleck) adds a soaring soprano sax

solo, taking everyone higher. And this is only Track 11Furtado's

stunning slide work is all over this recording and it's particularly

impressive on the swamp-like Ghost of Blind W illie Johnson

and Fatfry On The Hog Farm. The rest of the band plays

sparse, funky or jazzy - whatever is required of them and it

gives the set a refreshing and eclectic feel. The banjo comes

out for Hartford and there's a great banjo/piano juxtaposition on

St. Johns Fire. There is m uch beauty too, on Michael Nesm ith's

Som e Of Shelly's Blues and on the sweet flowing instrumental

Bottle Of Hope. Oh Berta Berta could have com e from any of


( the most read blues magazine in the ukT)

the North Mississippi Allstars albums, whilst the closing (and

studio recorded) Waiting For Guiteau is a total joy in 13/7 time

(orsomething like that!). If you've never heard Tony Furtado

then this is a good place to start your musical

education Chris Simmonds

CAN - HARRY MANX: West Eats Meet

Dog My Cat Records. 12 tracks. 43:58 mins.

N ew product by the Delhi cum Della slide man, and ifs on his

own label too. The guy that visu al^ looks like an intrepid explorer

has woefully never found his way to these shores, even

though his genre juggling albums have im pressed many. Wrth

his vocals, Lap slide guitar, Mohan Veena, 6 string banjo, harmonica

& tamboura Hany sings out his own songs, along with

his own takes on Blues classics - "Flelp Me" & "Sitting on Top of

the World". W hat Harry achieves is to sweeten out the Blues

without loosing its m elancholy or world-weariness. W hile “Help

Me" isn't a radically different arrangement it very m uch has the

Manx-ed sound. He

then hits pay-dirt with

the next, a poetic series

of lines with Emily

Braden's gospel to folk

vocals icing the celebratory

cake. Harry

himsetf told m e he had

veered more to India

than Indianola with this

release, but it still has

a slice of blues with

singer-songwriting

much in evidence.

Staying on the fringes of Blues rather from solidly from within he

is able to weave a much richer tapestry, which is full of intricacies.

Although Mr. Manx does not sing in a gospel vein here he

does from tim e to time add gospel-backing singers on this project

- Australians! The use of banjo gives a slow walking horse's

hooves effect, while the Mohan Veena & tabla instil exotic

Eastern flavours. Here is a "Sitting on Top of the W orld" like no

other, gospel backline that is like having Ravi Shankar sitting in.

All the lyrics have been included within the liner booklet where

you can follow a man trying to out run the grim reaper, and lines

like "In for a penny, down for a dime your head hangs high for

the very first time". 'T h e W ays of Love" has a George Harrison

guise, and I'm sure with their passion for India a cracking album

could have been m ade by the two. I'm glad Harry is using his

trademarked repeating of the last part of the syllable a little less

now. I missed out being sent a copy of Harry's "Road Raga's" a

live CD that was recorded in Canada. US, Europe & Australia,

which includes som e previously unrecorded works. Not a great

deal of Blues this time, but as ever Harry M anx works better

than Radox for me. . Billy Hutchinson

USA - CODE BLUE: Turnaround Time

Quasi Communications.

Atlanta-based Code Blue first cam e to m y attention through

their bass player Dave Miner (who toured the UK a couple of

years back with the Sue G Wilkinson Band). They are a blues

band but no ordinary blues band as they mesh together songs

by guitarist Clark Vreeland with numbers well known and not

SO by other bluesmen. The overall result is a kind of 60s psychedelic

soul blues sound, especially evident on their cover of

Berry Gordy s Seven Day Fool. Some of V re e la n d s numbers -

Secrets O f Your Heart; From You - sound like they could have

been recorded in the 1960s - and that's a compliment. The

band is completed by W ayne W ahl on vocals, harmonica and

mandolin, Denton Perry on guitar and drum m er Eric Reed. It's

not really until the third num ber - a cover of Messin' Around -

that a discernible blues sound appears. Thereafter, Willie Dixon

gets covered three tim es on The Sam e Thing, Evil and Love,

Life & M oney and seven minutes are well spent on the gorgeous

Damn Your Eyes. T he re's an intriguing WahlA/reeland

composrtion about fishing called Zipper T rout.. .well I think it's

about fishing! So, a mixed bag of m odem day psychedelic

blues delights. There is word of European dates in the Fall. I'll

let you know Chris Simmonds

USA - GREG PICCOLO: Homage

EDM10007.

So this is the deal: Greg Piccolo covers som e of the music originally

created by his favourite musical m entors whilst trying to

stay m ore or less tare to the source recordings that first inspired

him. A selection of players w ho kickstarted him towards the

tenor saxophone, his chosen instrument (although he also

plays electric guitar on this recording) reads: Illinois Jacquet,

Lester Young, Ben Webster, Red Prysock (with whom Greg

used to play in Alan Freed's Big Band during the evolutionary

years of Rock'n’Floll) and Joe Houston. O ne name not m entioned

in the very nformative liner notes is that of Earl Bostic

and Piccolo's raspy style im mediately brings him to

m in d .. .Greg's band here is hot and it includes SRV keys man

Reese W ynans! Constructive criticism is dtfficult with this project.

The purpose/agenda as previously explained is achieved

but I wish Greg and colleagues had gone out on a limb more,

played with abit m ore freedom and chutzpah! but that's Plan B

and this is Plan A, performed with aplom b and musical dexterity.

There's not a duff track and I pray that som eone wakes up

Helen M ayhew (Jazz FM) long enough for her to include 'You

Left M e All Alone1, a sm ouldering slow B lues.. David M

Sumner

USA - MARY FLOWER: Ragtime Gal

Bluesette Records. 12 tracks. 48:03 mins.

M ary Flower is a top acoustic guitarist who has recorded five

solo albums, contributed to four compilations, brought out two -

soon to be three instructional videos/DVD's and has taught guitar

at Augusta, Port Townsend & W oody Mann's International

Guitar Seminars. O n hearing this album M ary com es across as

a blues revivalist even on her own compositions. Seven of the

selections are Flower

originals, which

includes collaboration

with Pat Donohue in

both the writing and its

making. Mary's music

sounds as though it

cam e out of the

Kicking M ule stable,

as ifs so highly crafted

in a deaned-up

folk/blues way. With

that in mind the nearest

artist I can associate

with Mary's style is Rory Block, but log on to her website and

you will hear the differences too. W hile I am comparing, a rude

statement is som etim es used about seriously good female gui


■{the voice for the blues in theTik!)

tarists such as Mary, Bonnie Raitt, Rory Bock and Janis Ian.

",She plays just like a man"; as with the other artists mentioned

Mary's talent is also of the stereotype gender-busting variety.

Almost m useum quality guitars (Gibsons1914 & 1934's)are

used by M ary in conjunction to great accompanists that doesn't

fall into the three-parts through acoustic singer/guitarist yawning

zone. Am ongst ragtime, blues, Tin Pan Alley & a little jazz

Mary's crystal clear diction rings out. "Ragtime Gal" alternates

between instrumentals that abound with Mary's finger-picking

and lap-styled slide guitar, and her fine vocal tracks. Covers

include Ellington's "Mood Indigo", Blind Willie Johnson's "Keep

Your Lam p Trim m ed and Burning"; Mississippi John Hurts

"M onday Morning Blues" with an old Tin Pan Alley tune & a

take on the old slavery tune "Dink's Song". Sousaphone, accordion,

washboard, m andola and baritone guitar are not the most

widely used instruments within this kind of music, but their inclusion

are m ore than substantiated in there respective contexts. A

lesser man might say, "Mary Flower is in full bloom on "Ragtime

Gal" or 'This flower has been in the shade too long, bring Mary

into the sunshine of your love".... would I stoop to that?. Billy

Hutchinson

UK - HARVEY WILLIAMS BAND: Saved

Independent. 12 tracks. 57.24 mins.

The Harvey W illiams Band (no relation!) are a soul blues band

from Chelmsford. Named from Jam ie W illiams (vocals) and Jed

Harvey (bass) the band also compnses Ian W oolway on guitar,

Dave Mosley (keyboards) and Sean Collyer on drums. As a

rule I normally prefer the rockier side of blues, but this a group

of excellent musicians fronted by a very distinctive and talented

singer. Jam ie is also the principle writer on this CD of all originals.

That in itself is a brave move for a band who are forced to

play covers at m any of their gigs. Hopefully though this will persuade

venues to be braver in their requirements! The CD itself

has good variety of sounds and m oods ranging from the

superbly soulful Hold Out For Love to the jaunty Damned Fool.

The latter is co-written by Ian who also contributes the lively

instrumental Flatfeet. Jam ie has the ability to vary his tone

according to the mood of the song and all the musicians

deserve great credit for som e lovely arrangements. For me the

highlight is undoubtedly the title track. A brilliant song on a fine

album, this is sheer class. Written by Jam ie and literally sung

from the heart about finding love and friendship he gets beautifully

sensitive support, especially from Ian's guitar. In a way the

quality of this song in particular is a sad reminder that we fans of

blues, and other music outside the mainstream, are actually

very privileged to be able to listen to songs which are far better

than most of that which m akes money. Perhaps that's why ifs

called the blues!!... Alan Harvey

USA - BACK PORCH MARY: BPM

Dry Gulch Records.

W hen I saw Austin-based rockers Back Porch Mary on a triple

bill with The Riptones and Lee Rocker in Chicago earlier this

year, they blew m e away. Two guitars, upright bass and drums,

bucketloads of attitude and a fine line in heavy rock and rockabilly;

big choruses and BIG fun. And it s a joy to report that

they've captured their live sound on this studio recording. Right

from Rollin' In Low at the top to Prison Music at the end, this

rocks. The crashing guitars com e courtesy of Mike Krug and

Slim. Joe Miller slaps the bass like the devil himself and Taxi on

drum s could be the bastard son of Keith Moon. And this could

be that elusive great album that Jason & The Scorchers always

threatened to make. T he re's so m any highpoints here it would

be im possible to list them all. Twelve tracks of energetic country

rock cross-dressed with rockabilly and big riffs aplenty. If pushed

I'd have to go for Mitch, Trash Truck, with it's slashing slide guitar,

Busted Town. W hiskey and S he's Crying as the pick of a

prime crop. This really is raw and exciting in extremis.

If they ever cross the Big P o nd.. .you know what to

do! Chris Simmonds

USA - DOROTHY MOORE:

Getting Down Live

Farish Street Records (FSR1004). 15 Tracks. 72.28 mins.

DOW N the years, soul singer Dorothy Moore, has been in the

habit of recording her live shows for her own appraisal. That

much she tells us in the sleeve notes to this attractive, song-

packed live package. W eighing in at a mighty 72 minutes-plus,

it features performances, spanning six years, in four countries,

with four different bands - and very fine performances they are,

too. Moore's on cracking vocal form and the bands are all topdrawer

material (the UK shows feature, among others, the

great Sam Kelly on drums). It's a great sham e then, that the

audio quality of these recordings is so uniformly poor. Yes, the

sound is plenty good enough for their original purpose - allowing

Moore to assess her own performance. But it remains a country

mile from what would generally be considered master-quali-

ty. A s a result, this CD sounds for all the world as if the mic was

actually in the room next door - which is a shame, because the

room where the band was playing must have been a mighty

fine place to be on the nights in question! Listen hard and

through the mush you'll m ake out M oore belting out old

favourites such as "Dr Feelgood", "Misty Blue" and "He Thinks I

Still Care" (transforming country ballads into soul classics was a

long-standing Moore trademark). She also shares the stage

with the great Eddie Floyd for one of my personal all-time soul

favourites, Sam and Dave's 'W hen Something is W rong With

My Baby" and m akes it her own. On the strength of this set, I

reckon a properly-recorded CD of Dorothy Moore's live act

would be a marvellous thing to have and hold. Sadly, this CD

isn't it. O ne for fans and completists only. TimAves

UK - DAVE BERRY:

Memphis In The Meantime

Blues Matters. BM RCD 20037.11 tracks. 41.50 mins.

Everyone of a certain age has a Dave Berry memory. In 1961 -2

to those of us in Hull's fledgling R&B fraternity w ho sought dramatic

musical inspiration, a trip to the Gondola Club in Little

Queen Street to catch this unique artist was a regular pilgrimage.

He would rise like a leather-clad praying mantis from

behind the shiny chrom e Gaggia coffee machine, slide over the

bar and hit us with 90 minutes of sheer erotic musical joy.

Congratulations, BM. for pulling this one off - definitely the best

in the batch of recent deals. Here the old smoothie is backed

stunningly by the Junkyard Angels, featuring the stirring slide

guitar of Julian Piper. Berry knows his blues and ah/vays chooses

material perfectly suited to his laconic, laid-back vocal style.

The secret of Dave Berry is his restraint. Let's put behind us

T h e Crying Game' - this latest album, featuring songs by J. J.

Cale, John Hiatt, Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup and others lays

Berry's tare blues heart wide open, and what w e get is a passion

which has remained unsullied over almost five decades.

Not just one of Sheffield's best - Berry is a national treasure,

and this is an album to prove it, a fact which Bill W ym an's opening

sleeve note acknowledges Roy Bainton


S N A P P E R

In late March, all those involved in the

Scorsese and friends The Blues' Series

gathered at London's 100 Club for the

Launch Party for the DVD releases, organised

by those good folk at the Snapper label

(Tony Tom, Johnny and Daniel to name but

four of the prime movers).

The 100 Club has a long association with

Blues /R&B/Roots acts and was decked out

for the occasion with the distinctive orange

and electric blue artwork selected for the

Series promotion. Besides food and drink for

the night's celebrations, Snapper had made

the effort to organise live music for the

guests to enjoy and furthermore a stellar

guest-list had been put together (with input

from your magazine's team) so that scene

figures as diverse as Shakey Vick, Chris

Youlden, Billy Jenkins, Mick Clarke, Pete

Gunn and Arthur Louis were present as

well as Radio and publishing people from all

over. The PR experts (Peggy, Sara etal)

had ensured that this was to be An Event.

Best of all though, it was Fun....

For the most part, the live music was uptempo

stuff in party vein. From the off Kartel the Blues DJ kept the

rhythmic patterns going along with live sax contributions from Elliott

Shand and then The Kids appeared and grabbed everyone's

attention. Of tender years but full of confidence, they impressed

the throng with their evident feel for the music and 'we mean

business' approach, helped somewhat by Dick Taylor joining the

instrumentalists.

John Evans plays a mean acoustic and swept through a miniset

of classic songs such as 'Down In The Bottom’ hammering

out notes and chords with an experienced vitality. This is living

music for the here and now, in these hands anyway. American

rocker Sid Griffin sat and played his heart out, throwing in 6/8

tempo's and wry comments about life on the road; his accompa-

DVDLADNCHPARTY

PETE SARGEANT

nist on electric bass was shockhaired Pat

McGarvey, a man I know better as guitarist and

frontman with the intriguing Incredibly Strange

Film Music Band, maybe the best party band

ever and well worth catching at Half Moon Putney

or elsewhere.

Marcus Mac appeared and also Xan and Sarah

aka Modern Blues Project a piano-based

soul/blues act and a great addition to the bill.

Because Arthur Louis was able to come along and

because he was in the mood to perform, I and the

other members of My Blue Heaven invited him to

sing and play with us. Hence we were able to

revisit his hit reggae version of 'Heaven's Door'

and then his rousing hard rock song 'Fast Car1for

which we requested our drummer John Freebrey

to cease taking pictures and join us on stage to

play drums. Arthur performed with his usual

panache nodding Dave Sumner and yours truly to

take harp and guitar solo's as he played the chugging

rhythm on his borrowed acoustic. That and

being introduced by Phil May no less quite made

my night, though my son was perhaps more

enchanted by May's alluring daughter and her

pals, who had made the mistake of complimenting

the lad on his shirt.

May calls me The Sergeant Major'; I call him THE great Brit R&B

singer and it was a pleasure to watch him, Dick Taylor, John

Povey and Mark St John, a man who has stepped out of a vintage

Cavalier painting and picked up some drumsticks. The

Pretty Things playing 'I Can't Be Satisfied' is a wondrous

thing. Creating 'Parachute' and 'SF Sorrow' has never diminished

their ability to revisit and jumpstart Blues material. To ice

the cake Arthur Brown joined them and when they left the

stage we had a pumping and quirky set from Little Barrie and

his band.

Here we are in 2004 with Blues for everyone to

experience...thanks Snapper! Pete Sargeant

S corsese 'The B lu es' s e rie s has

I been e xtre m e ly w e ll-s e rv e d for B ritis h

p ro m o tion and p re sentatio n .

In our initial piece on the series, we welcomed this set of films and maybe even

more so the excellent career overview audio sets eg the Taj Mahal and Sevie

Ray CDs which give such a good insight into those artists' work and appeal. OK

we can all quibble - surely the delicious The Cuckoo' with its rallying call harp

intro ought to be included on ANY worthwhile Taj retrospective album. But there

is nothing to stop any purchaser delving deeper and I believe this to be the

point: what Scorsese is saying is 'Look I grew up with, started to search out and

found myself loving these artists and their songs and playing - share this with

me!" By getting other directors to make films from their perspective the next

message is clear - these songs and these acts are what you want them to be.

It's personal music, get personal with it! Whether one film is 'better1than another

could be discussed forever. I personally consider 'Godfathers & Sons' to be a

gem, cocky rappers put in a position where they truly understand what they

have freely used and savouring the good-humoured dignity of the veteran players.

I have been collared by people who 'dont know much about Blues' but

want to discuss how great was Lulu singing the Ray Charles song, asking how

come Tom Jones knows Jeff Beck, is Bobby Rush related to that Otis Rush

bloke etc.,

A store manager of my acquaintance tells me that as soon as the individual films

began to be shown on BBC3, customers came into the store impatient for more,

inquisitive. The power of TV cannot be overestimated, friends. Last Friday I saw

Robert Randolph and crew playing on Jools Holland's 'Lateri show on BBC2,

wiping the floor with the anaemic bunch making up the rest of the bill and galvanising

the audience with electric roots music. As I say over and over - people

can ONLY take to what they get to HEAR!!!

All the directors funded by this project have an evident love for and understanding

of Blues music and Mike Figgis got the job of recording the British taking to

ItL ar'fci.Ji S c o r s e s e *>*•«•*»!


the form and the development of our own Blues scene, RED

WHITE & BLUES what Figgis has done is secure related comments

from the likes of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, John Mayall,

Tom Jones and others; you have to concede that these are among

the right people to talk to for this theme. Van Morrison appears,

Wolf, Rufus Thomas and many m ore...

singing and playing

various instruments

and this is quite a

coup given his legendary

curmudgeonly temperament and attitude. The calibre of players assembled seems to encourage him to

contribute and yes he's very much in blues mood here. Jeff Beck backs quite a few of the artists with his fox-inthe-woods

approach to musical arrangements - he will play subtle background lines for a few bars and then let rip

with a stinging sneer of notes, measured around the vocal delivery. That Beck should perform with Tom Jones

comes as no great surprise to me, surely we have always known that Jones has it in him to make a great

RockBlues album but was sidetracked into singing about pussycats and young New Mexican Puppeteers (??!!). If

there can be a criticism of this film it is that it has a historical feel, all dark hues and solemn comments; to balance

this they should have had at least some footage of current

acts - say Amor or Lister or even Alabama 3? -

just to say that you can hear this music here and now.

But certainly for anyone looking into the history of this

scene (Hi Felix!) this is a great think piece.

Wim Wenders whose films include "Buena Vista

Social Club", "Paris, Texas" & "Wings of Desire" tackles

THE SOUL OF A MAN. Wender's film has a lot

Chuck D (P ublic Enemy).

players unite to produce

of cutting back & forth between re-enacted historical

scenes, old concert footage, archival newsreels and

present day artists playing old blues songs. Wenders

cut between songs to show social history within old

newsreels to highlight that the blues is the common

mans commentary on the world affecting him or her.

There were too many contemporary non-blues musicians

covering songs for my taste, though their higher


Tin Scorsese presents

profile & wider appeal was probably the reason for their inclusion their presence excludes many performers who

have added to the genre, rather than merely taken from it. The film sets out with the space ship Voyager taking off,

with a narrator who assumes the role of Blind Willie Johnson - the spiritual slide guitarist whose classic "Dark is

the flight, Cold is the Ground". Johnson's classic is one of the items recorded on the ships video disc left on board

in case alien life was out there, could understand it, could possibly play the thing and wouldn't be freaked out by

the compilation of different languages, sounds and images. Rap to traditional blues musician Chris Thomas King

is cpfnpelling as Blind Willie Johnson, shot in B&W as a kind of time travelled live video.

The thing you have to get your head around is that King and Keith B. Brown (who portrays Skip James wonderfully

too), mime to the original 78 recordings. If you are aware of King and Brown’s work then this can be unnerving

seeing them lip-synching. Alvin Youngblood Hart steals the prize of best contemporary blues artist with his

totally compelling rendition of Skip James' "Illinois Blues". The subject of how the blues became universally known

is tackled via the appreciation of J.B. Lenoir by Brit blueser John Mayall, and two Austrian amateur filmmakers.

The Film Noir technique is used wonderfully in transporting you back to the world of Blind Willie Johnson & Skip

James, the blufes is deep and this only scratches though admirably at its veneer.

THE ROAD TO MEMPHIS is one of the best films in the Series so all credit to Richard Pearce and Robert

Kenner. Watching this makes you want to go and play the records these artists made, which I offer as a sincere

compliment.

We see Bobby Rush out . . . . . . .

v z s & ' s r Rare historical acts, interview s and

l a y Charles.

busker) and this includes fine

footage of his stage act, big girl's

booty'n'all. Rush is a canny soul

- in the disco boom he made

sure he put records out to keep

himself in work and he also

made sure he threw in phrases

like 'Make it happen, Bobby

Rush!' to keep his name current.

He is a good musician and

singer but an even better entertainer,

just watch him work the

crowd and inject good humour

into his show.

We see B B King on tour and

graciously accepting kind comments

from those he meets and

has affected as he walks through

hotel lobbies. And to his credit he

acknowledges the recognition he

had from the hippies who caught


onto his musical skill and soul back in the Sixties.

Appearing on big-venue bills with Quicksilver and Big

Brother helped him gain a whole additional audience BUT without compromising his music, they came to him.

That Memphis is a key place for Roots music is well-established by this film; glimpses of Howlin' Wolf and Roscoe

Gordon serve to tantalise the viewer and maybe this edition best of all shows how Blues can affect and interest listeners.

And hopefully always will.

What matters most about this series is what the younger audience get out of it and I sense that in some

instances, they are really intrigued and tickled by the mostly gimmick-free, character filled entertainment that the

„ QC|S such QS correy Harris and Keb' Mo.

I find it hard to

imagine what it must be like to hear Howlin' Wolf for the first time in 2004 - 1know what it did to me when I heard

him play 'Smokestack Lightnin' at a tender age, it totally changed my life. I am not alone in this, so fair play to

Marlin the Music Fan, a man whose name I can now spell....

Pete Sargeant (Main Text), Billy Hutchinson (Additional Text). Thanks Snapper for original images.


(A sort of diary of events by BM! writers Di Gillard and Big Nige Martin)

I m ade good tim e on m y trek from Portsmouth, arriving at Skeggy about two thirty. After checking in to my chalet, I decided to prepare

for the first night by getting a couple of hours kip. Feeling fully refreshed and ready for anything, I seek out a suitable eating

establishment. After meeting up with som e of the BM! team, I set about the task of selecting which venue to start in. Some bands

play in both venues, making it slightly easier, you still have an element of pick and choose though. I select Reds, as this gives me

the opportunity to see Cliff Stocker's Slack Alice twice in the one night.

I adm it here and now as to not really paying much attention or time to the first night entertainment for the reasons I have just

explained. I only caught a snippet of the bands that night. The only ones that redeemed the night for m e were, of course, Cliff

Stockers1Slack Alice. What would we do without these fine lads? I found the others reasonably good quality pub bands but lack lustre

in comparison to Slack Alice. Maybe it was travel -lag on m y behalf but I did not get the "buzz"on the first night.

Victor Bronx Blues Train open the proceedings. It takes m e a little while to get into ft but the band grow on me. After six o r seven

num bers Victor's daughter joins him on stage. Not only does she have a fine voice, she plays clarinet. Her appearance on stage

seem s to bring that width that was missing, producing a much fuller exciting sound. Next up Slack Alice, Cliff is up on stage doing

things that artists have to and I'm getting excited. A new line up as well, som e familiar faces though. I feel like a child that's wafting for

his parents to wake up on Christmas day, well it's been three years since I've seen them. After a few technical problems (which

should have been sorted before the bands got here) and the timing of the sm oke machine being turned on. Slack Alice take control.

They sound fantastic, it’s as if they have

been reborn (I suppose they have really).

As m uch as I respect Jerry

Donahue's talent, I can't miss the

chance to see Cliff and the lads again

so I change venues. Centre Stage is

packed and the band rise to the fact. A

slight variation on the set, plus the fact

that the band seem s tighter m ade the

exercise worthwhile. After the show Cliff

told m e that it was the young drum

mer's 'Lee Davis' first gig, unbelievable.

I retire to my pit knackered but unbeliev-

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I was beginning to worry again on Saturday as the afternoon set came and went without m e putting in appearance at the "Rock

Special". I was seriously impressed last year when Len Tucky’s Legend band played and as I had reported favourably on them in

the next edition of B.M! I chose to do m y stint on the BM! stand that session. What was wrong with me? I was beginning to get worried

about m y lack of enthusiasm! Was my age catching up with me? I was after all to celebrate my, er, well a birthday later in the

week but - no - I've never let that interfere with m y enjoyment. W as I suffering "Blues Fatigue Syndrome"or what? I need not have

feared. Laurie, Rob and myself took ourselves into see The Downliners Sect. A s recom mended by Laurie herself on the recom mendation

of her ex husband who is a R&B band front man and should know a good band when he hears one. His opinion waS faultless.

They lifted the festival flavour and m y awakening to the weekend. The Climax Blues Band were also stimulating and encouraging.

I did give the Steve Gibbons Band a miss as did Steve Gibbons himself as he was stranded at Stockholm airport. I had recently

seen them in Cardiff whereas I had not seen either of the other two bands

I m anage to make breakfast a walk around the cam p (well some of it) and take in the first band of the afternoon, I must be running

on adrenalin. I'm glad I did because Len Tuckey's legend took m e back a few years, rocking at lunch time should be compulsory. I

missed Saxon (going by the fact there were more people coming out than going in I did the right thing), I preferred to stand at the

BM stall having a good chat and helping out an overworked Editor and his wife.

Then cam e the real cliff hanger moment that weekend - On dashing round to the main stage ("Centre Stage") in the mall w e found

ourselves barred from entry as the venue had reached capacity FULL levels and H&S rules were applied and we were only allowed

in as other's left the place! There were som e very irate people there I can tell you! (Myself being one!). I had a feeling that this years

line-up and scheduling was not as good as others and this I wondered to myself m ay be the reason for my partial apathy to the

whole w/e? Well w e got into see NBZ (Nine Below Zero) for the only set they were to do for this w/e (in the past major bands have

had the privilege not to mention hard toil of doing two venues in one night at these Butlins extravaganzas). The hall was packed to

the rafters and NBZ went ballistic as the whole place was rocking and the audience response and rapport was every bands dream.

NBZ was It is probably on the strength of these two bands and inexpensive accommodation that m ake these events so popular and

well attended.

I decide to start off in Reds again for Saturday night. The Downliners were not bad, nothing outstanding but a good opening band.

Trevor Burton was quite enjoyable; I would like to see him again without looking forward to Nine Below and The Climax Blues Band.

I found it hard to concentrate, so pass unfair judgement, across to The Centre Stage for The Climax Blues Band, what do you mean

it’s full. No point in arguing with the bouncer and a very long queue, so I sneak in through the stage door. Inspired reporting I call it as

Colin from Climax is standing there and w e have a good chat. Climax are a reliable band, you know you will always get a good

show. Tonight is no exception. Nine Below love the fact that the dance floor is jumping, producing a fantastic show. The is no doubt

these guys are very n e a tth e top.qf the tree, their ability to adapt and lift any crowd a higher plain than they where on, is stunning. A

quick jog back to Reds (all this exetdse Sbnt be good lor me), just in tim e to see Colin and the others for a second time. I even


manage a quick chat with Colin and G eorge before they start; Colin reveals he has fronted the band for thirty six or seven years.

How could they denigrate The Feelgoods to the poky little Jak's club on the last night? Well there seem s that so much protest and

anger was voiced to m anagement that on Sunday lunch tim e all Butlins senior site m anagement were called in and after an hour or

so deliberation cam e to the decisiorvto abandon the Jaks club venue and to open up the Reds club venue which was to have

closed after the Saturday night gig.

It was telly texted to each chalet and public address systems and electronic mail used to let everyone know that the power of the

people had prevailed and a riot (not the one in ceil block number nine) was averted!!!

Good - now we could go ahead and enjoy the final days

entertainment! I did a few m ore houis on the BM stand

and once again m et som e great people - ordinary punters

and BM readers and writers etc., exchanged information,

got invites to gigs and clubs.

I did duck out and go and see Roadhouse and Lights

Out By Nine. I was surprised by Roadhouse as I saw

them at The W arner Isle of W ight w/e and thought they

were O K but this session at Skeggy with a bigger stage

and a far livelier m ore animated and vociferous audience

w as spectacular! I wondered what the editor was

raving about when he signed them to the label as their

performance at W am eris was good but not "groin grabbing".

Here at Skeggy ft was another matter -an

astoundingly good performance with the two lead guitarists

duelling it out coupled with the brilliant female

vocals had m any blown aw ay and I believe CD sales

were brisk after the set. Lights out By Nine were totally

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new to m e and judging by the response the audience

gave this big band (complete with brass section) will go

on to bigger and better things. I loved the brass sound

they produced as it was impressive but not intrusive -

subtle but at the sam e tim e m ade an impact without the

blasting that som e other bands often produce to overkill.

Sunday afternoon and I m ust adm it ft is becoming a

struggle; I m ake a late breakfast (well lunch really) and

make myseft visit the venue. Roadhouse soon lifted my

spirits, I've never seen them before and I like what I

hear. I like the sound of a large band and I'm soon forgetting

my fatigue. I'd heard so much about Lights Out

By Nine, so I was looking forward to seeing them. I had

tried to see them on their hom e ground in Scotland,

when I was there thought they were som ewhere else. I

was not disappointed. A nice big sound from nine guys

dressed in black and out to enjoy themselves. A s is so often the case when the band is enjoying themselves, the audience cant

help but do the same.

The scheduling had been rearranged as the venues had altered as stated earlier but now that Steve Gibbons had turned up he and

the band were given a slot on the Sunday night tool! Sadly I missed that set as well! It went really well according to the folks w ho did

manage to there! I did catch- luckily -as he went on earlier than the program m e stated the fantastic Danny Bryant and RedEyeBand.

Last year here he m ade his debut at § k K jg y and was allotted a late afternoon place on the schedule and ft w as a very well received

performance. He obviously fiiSated a-favourable im pression as he was back again and this tim e slotted into the evening pro-


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'B lu e s M a tte r s !’ p a g e 87

( t h e m o s t r e a d b l u e s m a g a z i n e in t h e u k Q-

J W - -

O R K N E Y IS L A N D S

Blues Festival

S e p t e m b e r 2 4 t h *

i \

2 6 t h 2 6 0 4

Featuring:-Award Winning Beers, Stunning Scenery, WW2Relics, Highland Park Whisky, Award WinningBeers,

Stone Circles, Pictish Brochs, Concerts, Gigs, Pub Sessions &Workshops, Award Winning Beers,

anMforgeftig WE VERY BEST OF UK f f l y n n m E S u *

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f f

I H E I R E m B U R T O H B A H D > \ f f / . E n w e

T H E A U H I m o m W I m r w S 5 <

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B IL E S

A p o te n t b lend o j concerts, p u b g igs, open sessions a n d m u sic w o rksh o p s fe a tu r in g legendary

in te r n a tio n a l p e rfo rm e rs, O rk n e y B lu e s is a h ig h lig h t o f the m u sic fe s t iv a l c a le n d a r”

by (lieway, did we mention theAward Winning Beers?

F o r t i c k e t p r i c e s a n d a c c o m m o d a t i o n d e a l s p l e a s e v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e a t : -

www.orkneybluesfestival.co.uk

E - m a i l : e n q u i r i e s @ o r k n e y b l u e s f e s t i v a l . c o . u k

‘ B lu e s M a tte rs !’ p a g e 88

gramme! The audience just lapped up every blue, bent and

blasted note out into the full arena. The apron dance area was

scattered with a dozen or so of us punters at first - by the end

of the set it was packed full as some of us set about gyrating

to the grooves pushed out by this gifted band and others

(mostly men) stood mouths gaping in astonishment and admiration

at the mesmerising performance of young Danny and

RedEye.

Missed John Fiddler, got into The Centre Stage just in time to

see Danny Bryants RedEyeBand. God this young man is

good. The guy next to me said we were watching the future of

British Blues. I am sure he will influence some young people

to enter this wide ranging genre. The Animals next and a very

big decision. The Feelgoods and The Flamsters or nostalgia. I

pick nostalgia, purely out of a need to pay some sort of

respect to the late Ian Drury. The Animals never disappoint,

banging out all the old favourites and a few new ones. The

Blockheads on the other hand was sad. Dont get me wrong

they are fine individual musicians, they had the courage not to

replace Ian but to take turns for lead vocals themselves. On

the new numbers it was fine, they could not march the indivld-

“M B Q B H M i J dJJJil iM i J J j <1 u r s e l v e s i n t o

w h e n t h e v ^

M 3 i d © s m j © a n a ? il e n g t h y e i K i

S M M lI © 0 K B © M ill jfijQ

s t o p . . "

uality of Ian's voice though. Nor should they try. It did take me

a long time to get used to seeing someone other than Lee

fronting the Feelgoods, so maybe with time I will do the same

with the Blockheads. I leave just over half way through the set.

I managed a few moments with The Animals set afterwards

but had to abandon their nostalgic repertoire in order to gain

access to Reds Night Club as the fantastic Feelgoods were

about to go on! Many came with me but equally as many

remained to get the whole Animal experience. They were

singing along tidily to one of their anthems as I left the Centre

Stage. I confess here and now to admit to not seeing the

Blockheads who followed The Animals. The magnetism that

The Dr. Feelgoods have and powerful hold they exert on me

is such that I cannot resist the temptation to go see them at every opportunity I get!!! Prior to this I caught a chunk of The Rocking

Rodents - namely The Flamsters. They are as popular as ever and continue to produce a fine packaged helping of raunchy rocking

'drollin' medley that is forever the Flamsters way.

Dr.Feelgoods! You would not believe that the boys had just driven up to Skeggy after being in Germany on tour till the Saturday

night. They came on and did the business. Yes - we all know what to expect in the set list but that is one of the reasons for their popularity

as what they do is so Gaddam (fee/jgood! W e danced and sang ourselves into near oblivion and even when they left the

stage after the lengthy encore several of us could not stop and bopped away merrily to the fine selection of discs the clever DJ

popped on the turn table post concert! W hy is it that the very dying hours of a festival produces the vibrant and electric almost orgasmic

emotions in us?

Up at three thirty for the drive back to Portsmouth and work. As I leave the camp I make a mental note to make the effort next year.

The seven hour trip (M25 flowing well as usual) give me time to reflect and listen to some of the great CD's I bought. I smile all the

way home, thinking of all the wonderful music I've heard and all the really nice people I've met over the week-end. If it was next

week-end I would be there, even with the long trip fresh in my mind. Thanks Butlins it was good.

Am I going next year? YouTjet I am. Gannot miss it even though it has its faults they are outweighed by the great bands and fun we

have., here's to next year!

‘ B lu e s M a tte r s !’ p a g e 89

Thirty eight bluesy, R'n'B, bands, w here am I, Burnley National Blues Festival? Nope. Tw enty-eight jazzy combos,

w here am I, Wigan International Jazz Festival? Nope. Half a dozen rock orientated... well I'll tell ya... it's the 8th

Nantwich Jazz, Blues & M usic Festival and proceedings w ere already two nights old as I arrived at my first gig.

Mapping out the four days of activities beforehand revealed a jazzy/soul feel to the Festival front end with m ajor contributions

from G eno W ashington, the Foundations and T h e British Kings of Swing but my focus w as on the core

blues activity which effectively started on Saturday night with The Blues Band at the Civic Hall and Lou Pride/M o

Indigo at the Crown Hotel. Despite the white stretch limo I had seen at the traffic lights, (which I suspect contained

Messrs Jones and Co), I m ade my w ay to the Crow n Hotel, the spiritual centre for the w eekends events and specifically

the 'Blues M atters Stage' which w as stacked with g ear from nearby Larden G reen Studio. No white stretch limo

for M o ’ Indigo just a 'Fleetwood C adillac1and 'Seven Nights in Mem phis'. T h e guys m ixed a w icked repertoire including

'Every Night In T h e W eek', ’Leaving This Old Town’ and ’My B a be1all from their latest Blues Matters C D , ’Are W e

y h e re Yet? 1A solo bass run from John Bulpitt brought in the rest of the band for the well crafted At The End O f the

D a y’, co-written by lead singer Harry Lang and Sherm an Robertson and probably casually put together in som e

anonym ous dressing room on one of his UK tours, as you do! Robin C arr created som e atm ospheric guitar work

while keyboarder Frazier W igg subliminally controlled the overall emotional feel of the piece. After the interval, M o 1

Indigo took the supporting role for Lou Pride w ho casually acknowledged the crowd as he strolled into the steady

rollin' 'Beware'. Pride dom inated the stage for 'Your Love Is Fading’ and his own composition 'Love For My Baby1. Mo'

Indigo m ore than m ade up for a brass section with Styx Nixon brightening up the pace with som e spacey on-beat rim

shots. I note from Diane 'Sister Feelgood's' review of Mo Indigo in B M f 9 that the lads had been including som e of

Lou's repertoire in their recent gigs; 'She Spread H er W ings', 'H ad A Talk' and Delbert M cClinton's ballad 'You W ere

Never Mine' w ere all m entioned and perform ed on the night. Pride told it like it was in 'Living A Lie' but intriguingly

refused to elucidate on the song's central them e during his introduction. T he packed audience sat attentively until

pent up tension w as spectacularly released when Lou sang the opening stanza of his northern soul classic 'I Com'un

H om e In The Morn'un' and suddenly there w as m ass dancing hysteria. Lou Pride's perform ance m oved authoritatively

between blues, R'n'B and Soul, even as far as Northern Soul, without alienating any of his audience. M ore than

half the stuff he did w as self-written and his aw esom e stage presence, easy audience, ra p p o ita n d infectious passion

for his music confirmed Lou Pride's status. W h en I got a copy of Lou's latest C D Fie w arned m e not to crack the C D


r

case when I rem oved the plastic wrapper, spooky th a fb e c a u s e the album is called 'W ords Of Warning'!

Sunday afternoon and an opportunity to explore som e of the eighteen Hotels and Pubs around the Town which had

devoted their w eekend to the Festival. First stop the Railway Hotel and the place w as packed for m id-W ales four-

piece 'Blues State UK'. Surrounded-by the dozens of old Beatles photographs that dom inate the walls, front m an

Eddy G artry presided over a classic mix of Berry, Hooker and W aters. T h e sets gave us 'You're Love Is Slippin'

Away', 'All Night Long’ and 'Divin’ Duck1. Harm onica player Rob Venables and bass player John Hamilton freightlined

their w ay through a tough version of Baby P lease Don't Go' with drum m er Richard Eldridge at the centre of the

action. For m e it w as W ater's 'Blow W ind Blow’ that caught the essence of the band but strangely it w as their penultim

ate number, Bob Dylan's Like A Rollin' Stone’, that created the most uproar, in the crowd. Blues State UK gave us

two authentic sets played with passion and rare understanding. It was onw ards and upwards, nearly three o'clock and

the choice w as bewildering; perhaps I could fit in som e jazz; Afro Blue1at M cCorm icks; the aptly nam ed ’Hot Foot

J a zz D uo1at the Boot & Shoe; Richard W etherall Duo1at the W ickstead? Richard's tasty modal keyboards w ere

tem pting but I quickly refocused. 'Blue Fusion1at Peppers; 'Last O nes O u t1at the Frog and Ferret; 'Sm okehouse

Chicago Blues under seriously crowded

circum stances. T h e Runcorn lads w ere surrounded on three sides and guitarist Barny Barnett had to shift several

tim es, mid solo, to allow people to the bar but never missed a note. D rum m er Baz Evans had the safest spot, back to

the wall. In the crush I m anaged to have a quick word with bass player G ary Clarke and vocalist harp player Johny

Hewitt as well as getting a copy of their CD 'Som ething On M y Mind'. Back on the road again, the Town w as chock-a-

block and I had to queue outside the Union Vaults to catch Off T h e W all1for som e updated British Blues standards. I

w atched the ban d ... one two, one two... setting up in the cosy... one two, one two... back room. Harm onica player

M ike Fyles w as particularly impressive and lead singer/guitarist Jam es Berrim an explored som e neatly inventive

solo’s. W as that a Peavy W olfgang guitar he w as playing? Before I could check I found myself in the courtyard of the

W hite Horse listening to the last couple of num bers from 'Rockin' H o rs e’, (Thin Lizzy's 'Rosalee' and Free's 'All Right

Now'just for the record). I w as now on my w ay back to the Railway Hotel for Stoke-on-Trent based 'Hard Shoulder

Blues Band' just in tim e for Freddie King's, 'Sidetracked1. I w as surprised to see Padraig Tansey from Big Blue

House' on drums, the word on the streets w as that he had been brought in at the last minute, what was going on? As

luck would have it this w as the place for m e to be at five o'clock with a stunning couple of sets including uncom promising

versions of 'C om e O n In My Kitchen’, Crossroad Blues' and the fastest version of 'Key To T h e H ighw ay’ I've

heard. It w as a treat to watch w orkingjnusicians playing around the unfam iliar nuances of a 'new 1drum m er, bassist

Chris Bevington and keyboa?9 player Craig Henshall nodding and twitching to Patraig at critical breaks and endings.


Standing in front of his busking rhythm section singer/guitarist "Sill Dayson seem ed totally unphased, delivering tough

perform ances of ’Cocaine’ and 'Bullfrog Blues’. C o m e quarter to eight

at the Civic Hall and m ade for the Crown Hotel and a big night on

and I eschew ed Ruby Turner/Jam es W heeler

the ’Blues M atters' stage. My reasoning w as two

fold; (1) I planned to catch Jam es W heeler for a full gig at Hookers Blues Club in .W rexham later in the month and (2)

I just had to see sibling blues boys ’The Roach Twins' together again. 'I've G ot A N ew Job’, the title track from their

forthcoming C D , kicked off followed by 'N ew s O f T h e World' and ’T h e Devil's S a m b a ’ from their previous ’Blues From

The C o bbles’. Because of the evenings schedule the band had

to curtail their normally extended blues m ayhem . T h e set did,

however, touch on most of the usual antics reaching a climax

with that grizzly tale of dastardly deeds on the streets of

Salford - ’Blood In His Pockets'. This gruesom e piece conjured

up im ages of dark alleyways and misty nights in a Kurt W eillian

sort of way. Chris's mid song guitar solo had him writhing on

the floor while blues singer extraordinaire, Uncle Dinners, sorted

him out with a mini plastic chain saw - mind those fingers

Uncle Dinners! The final piece saw Chris and Tony guitar chasing

in front of drum m er Big Vern and bass player Tex Holden

before John 'The Professor' Snelson m arched through the

crowd playing his bagpipes, as he is wont to do on these occasions.

Next up, a solo Ian Seigal w ho gave som ething of a mini

m aster class in acoustic roots blues with 'If I Had Possession

O ver Judgm ent D ay’, 'Stop Breaking Dow n’, 'House Rent

Blues' which drifted into

'O ne Bourbon, O ne

Scotch, O ne Beer'. Ian

explored his percussive

guitar style and considerable

vocal range in

'Ease M y W orried M ind’

and 'Leave Her Alone'.

Danny Bryant had

requested a Tom Wait's

song so for his final

piece Ian sang us

'House W here Nobody

Lives'. Head lining the

Blues M atters' stage for the evening w as Danny Bryant's

R edEyeBand. Dylan's 'Girl of the North Country' w as sang

reciprocally for Ian Seigal before Danny ragged his voice for

Play T a W in (Born To Loose)’ before sm oothing things with

Old Love’ and an instrumental 'Albatross'. W ith som e of the

accolades Danny has received on the back of his two phenom

enal CD's and stunning live perform ances it would be understandable

if the guy w as feeling som e pressure. At the end of

'Danny's Blues' he sings ’... this old blues is killing me' so

tonight I took the opportunity to study his perform ance in depth

during this song and saw a m aster craftsman at ease with his

music imbuing an almost spiritual feel at will. Epic volum e

swells, blurred chordal triplets and superstrings of elliptical

pentatonics tore through our space-tim e fabric, the Crown

Hotel lifting off like som e vast intergalactic ship preparing for

the jum p into hyp erspace... M eanw hile, back on Earth, Ian

Seigal cam e on stage to guest on a couple of num bers and the

guys w ere determ ined to enjoy their blues summit. Suddenly

Danny appeared to assum e the posture of a four arm ed Hindu

Blues god as Ian crept up behind him and took over playing

his guitar. W e w ere all caught in the crossfire betw een Ken's

bass and Andy Burt's drum s for 'All Along T h e W atchtower'

before the evening ended with 'The Tears I've Cried'.

Monday afternoon and I arrived a sm idgen late for the Blues M atters Afternoon Party due to traffic but luckily only

missed one num ber by the first act, Telford's power house quartet 'Kelly's H eroes'. Fronted by ex-B lazin1Row bass

man and vocalist Kevin Thursfield the band radiated m ore energy than a freshly knitted kit bag full of plutonium fuel

rods. I picked up a copy of their Mini Album 'Rockin'Soulin'Funkin’Country1which d e s piteits jirs tT a k e feel only begins

to touch on the raw vitality of this band live. T h e liner notes intimated other diverse talents fo rltre band, Johnny

‘ B lu e s M a tte rs !’ p a q e 93

W estw ood and Jon Blakey gui- ; f j r , , , , ■t ' j ' i ' i ' i j f ) H iT 'l : h

tars, P e te Lam b drums, involving

carrots, spoons and hats but

a u J M ® Q s i f i i i i f l ] u f l i j j u j j JuOJ

on the night I resisted inquiring ", j f ; j j | f f f j j f | f j f f | Hlli I I I ‘ 1 I A I t I tV ::D

further but there w as no questioning

Kevin's rich vocal range

‘i J j i i jJ u i u a o u j ju J iiiG J f j j j i i

on stuff such as 'Old W eakness', 'Taking C a re of Business' and 'The G am es People Play’. Co-Festival organiser and

bass guitarist Allan Dean next brought his band, 'Big Blue H ouse’ to the stage. I had seen new' guitarist Jam es

Harrison once before but he had flu’ so this afternoon w as an opportunity to check him out in full health. The guys

worked through som e tough variants of Messin' With the Kid1and Crossroad Blues' as well as som e of Al's own stuff,

'Just Like Ships In The Night' and ’Still Got A Long W ay To Go'. Next a clutch of classics ’Old Love’, 'Wind Cries Mary'

and Born Linder A Bad Sign1. 'Red House' w as a tour-de-force for Jam es's w hose angular approach to soloing w as

only enhanced by his detached, almost lonely, stage personae; you just w ant this guy to be good and he is. Next the

band w ent straight to the essence of Paul Rodgers ’Muddy W aters Blues' before finishing off with 1 W as Looking

Back, To S e e If She W as Looking Back. To S e e If I W as Looking Back At H er1, I can't recall the short title, probably a

Johnny G uitar1W atson song. I used the interval to check with Patraig T an sey w hat actually happened at the previous

days 'Hard Shoulder Blues Band' set. H e had got a lunch time call asking him to sit in for regular drum m er Tony

Chatterley who w as unwell but with afternoon rehearsals for the Jam es W heeler concert that evening the schedule

would be tight. H e did the rehearsal, w alked to the Railway Hotel, busked two sets with 'Hard Shoulder Blues Band1

(using an unfamiliar drum kit which only turned up five minutes after they were due to start), then w alked back to the

Civic Hall just in tim e to play support to Jam es W h eeler - what a guy! Next up, Sheffield band DoSch contributed an

uncompromising set of their own songs. T h e band's nam e aptly reflecting one of their central them es, m oney, with

'DoSch Song' and I G ave All My M oney To A Bar Room Girl'. Cars are another obsession, witness, 'Motor Car

Heaven'. Brand N e w Jaguar' and 'Bonneville Rebuild Blues' which had guitarist, Ian Bartram , cutting his blonde

Telecaster through the mix like a flick knife. Supercharged support w as provided by drum m er D ave Bickerley and

bass guitarist John E Cash, (yep, I actually rang their manager Martin Bedford to confirm). This w as a steely sharp

perform ance with top-hatted frontman, Andy Hinkler, casually discarding excess personally like sparks from an industrial

w elder. Last band up, Bluesline, still cooking from a previous days session at Burnley and ready to serve up

som e Irwell Delta Blues. Their current C D 'Things Change' provided rich pickings for their main course, 'Sweet Jean',

'You're Really Not That Sm art1and an emotional Til Put A Spell O n Y o u’. The relentlessly moody 'Travelling1proved

the perfect vehicle for Tom m y Carter's powerful vocals as well as giving Tony Burgess quality time at the top end of

his fretboard. Z Z Tops heavy rocking Blue Jean Blues' and Mail O rder Mystic' preceded 'Storm y M onday’ and 'The

Thrill H as G one’. T h e bands sing-a-long crowd pleaser, ’Stompin' At The Ritz', bought the afternoon, and for m e the

Festival, to a conclusion. It's impossible to see everything at such events and unfortunately I had missed The Vice

Bishops, The Black Cans, Texas Hurricane and Trevor Povey with Roadhouse Blues Band to nam e a few. As I m ade

my w ay back to the car park I heard the lilting strains of Brubeck’s 'Take Five' drifting lazily on the cool evening air

and m used that if the D ave Roberts Q uartet had the Roach Twins in the rhythm section they could have given it

som e real w elly...

Festival Organisers: Phillip Ugrtin, The Crown Hotel: Allan Dean, Larden Green Studios and Big Blue House. This

years Festival was dedicated to thffTnemory of local musician Pete Hardy Nigel Rose

As W arner venues go this is the furthest I have to travel, but it is certainly well worth the effort. It has becom e my

favourite venue, partly for the surroundings (though they all pass that test), but also for the entertainm ent suite. This

is long and narrow rather than the m ore usual w ide and shallow and has a balcony (with it's own bar which avoids

unnecessary downtime!). T h e jam sessions are held in the sam e room so apart from turning chairs around no effort

is required to gain full value.

M ost of the bands w ere fam iliar to m e so I knew w hat I w as letting m yself in for and I certainly w asn't disappointed.

T h e journey w ent sm oothly on a lovely sunny day (w eather which held nicely for the duration) and I soon m et up

with som e friendly faces. O n e of the features of these w eekends is the real pleasure of mixing with like-m inded people

from across the country (and this time Carole, over from Budapest to keep me pinned to the dance floor virtually

the whole time). T h e w hole occasion is virtually a fam ily gathering and the "family" continues to grow!

T h e music could not have been started by a much better band than Tom m y Allen’s Trafficker. Although this time

lacking the considerable skills of S am Kelly, w hose cover Nick did a fine job, the band produced a cracking show

featuring m any of Tom m y's own com positions from both C D 's together with a sprinkling of covers. T h e first slot is a

difficult one, but they judged it well with a fairly gentle introduction before kicking on with m ore of the feet-twitching

variety.

Dutch band T h e Juke Joints w ere next and have becom e firm favourites for their punchy rocking music. T hey can

be guaranteed to get people dancing. They are slightly unusual in having a singing drum m er (Pete Kempe). Harp

player Sonny Boy also lends a hand on vocals and

g av e us our first accordion dem onstration of the w e ekend.

There are quite a few covers, but the band write

som e great songs and w e heard M ojo Hand. W alkin

Down M em phis and others.

On to the jam session, but my advancing years got the

better of m e at around 2.30. I understand that others

survived until well after 4!

N ext m orning w as w arm and inviting so Carol and I

w ent off to Colwyn Bay for som e sea air. Excellent

therapy.

S aturday afternoon is acoustic tim e and Tom m y Allen

w as solo this tim e. H e is perhaps better known for his

electric playing, but he is also a highly accom plished

acoustic guitarist. His voice has developed significantly

over the last 2 -3 years. Highlights for m e w ere his

own Set M e Free (quite beautiful) and Robben Ford's

Look W hat You Done. The Juke Joints again followed

and their set featured Rory G allagher very strongly.

Tonight's headliner Trevor Burton and his co-guitarist

M a z M atrenko did an excellent set of varied songs

including a country style version of W alkin Alone With

T h e Blues. T h e afternoon w as concluded by The

H angover Blues Band in rare acoustic m ode with a

variety of rocky num bers.

T h e H angovers w ere back on the m ain stage for the

evening and showed no respect for the fact that we

had just had-to eat vast quantities of W arners' delicious

dinner. It’s a bit much w hen you have to get up

and dance straight away!! T hey kept us at m ost of the w ay through, culm inating in a m anic version of Can't Afford

To Do It. T h e re w as another dose of accordion (from keyboard player Mark Steeds) tawing ttagir set.

Trevor Burton (founder member of The Move) w as then back with his band for a particularly varied collection of

music, even a bit of reggae!! A great evening w as followed by som e of the best real blues music of the w eekend.

Tin Pan Alley from Cardiff w ere running the jam s over the w eekend and form ed the nucleus for a session which saw

Trevor Burton and M ark Steeds com bine superbly for a fine collection of songs including You Talk Too Much. As a

non-m usician I am alw ays astounded by the w ay that people who have usually never m et before get together to

play such wonderful music. Perhaps

H i l l r i V )

that's w hat m akes som eone a musi-

cian as opposed to being able to play

. an instrument? M y congratulations to

all concerned. For m e the night finished soon after 4

am with a stunning version of Can't Afford To Do It

(which I had to dance to didn't I? I couldn't have

looked Sister Feelgood in the eye again if / hadn't!).

Up for breakfast shortly after going to bed is a feature

and this breakfast w as followed by a leisurely walk

through the woods and fields of the castle grounds.

The first pint of the day the clearly a necessity, but

then rest beckoned. H ow ever my m ates from Essex,

Doug and S ue, are staunch Arsenal supporters (no, I

can't imagine why either) and by chance they w ere

on Sky at a local pub so rather than do the sensible

thing (you can't do that at a Warners weekend) I

tagged on to their red shirt tails. By the tim e w e got

back it w as tim e for m ore food and, all too quickly,

our last night.

T h e one band new to m e w ere N e ver T h e Bride

(apart from one song played by Ashwyn Smyth on his

Digital Blues). W ell, they w ere very different, but quite

brilliant. After only two or three songs they got a

standing ovation. Not strictly blues, perhaps, but fine

m usicianship and that voice! Nikki Lam born has

real stage m astery and trem endous power. The aud i

ence w ere spellbound. Nikki and C atherine "Been"

F eeney write all the bands m aterial and they certainly

know how to write moving songs. Been also sings,

plays keyboards and 12-string guitar! She sang lead

on her own com position Kiss Kiss. T h e w hole set was

full of em otion. T h e re w as an excellent version of Led

Zep's W hole Lotta Love, trem endously powerful, and

their own Loser In Love w as top quality. The highlight

undoubtedly w as T h e Living Tree, their finale. A very

moving song which brought out the best in Nikki and

had Been moving purposefully about the stage with her guitar and back to her post for supporting vocals. This w as

dram a, this w as theatre, this w as fabulous.

I guess only C o nnie Lush could possibly follow that, and she did! She and Blues Shouter w ere soon in their stride

and put on a great show. Johnny Lewis must be one of the most underrated guitarists around and Terry Harris a

wonderful bass player. Carl W oodw ard on drum s sew s it all together. This band is really tight. From their ever-

increasing repertoire songs such as Dog and Shopping w ere to the fore, while their version of Nina Sim one's Feelin

Good finished the evening in great style.

The night was yet young though! W hen you have two such am azing vocalists in the house you just have to stick

around. It often is, but certainly this Sunday jam w as one of the classics (there have been many!). You usually

to be patient, but tonight w e had the very special occasion of C onnie and Nikki singing together. Route 6 6 w as followed

by I'd R ather Go Blind as you wouldn't believe. This w as special. Nikki later cam e back to sing H o use of The

Rising Sun. T h e m em ory fades a bit after that, but I know I w as still up and dancing until the close of proceedings at

5 .0 0 (having vowed to go to sleep several times before that). G reat credit is due to Nick, M ark, Steve and Jam ie of

Tin Pan Alley who did a fantastic job running the jam s all w eekend, with good hum our too.

A great end to a g reat w eekend. O n t^ th re e w eeks to the next one, hopefully long enough to recharge the batteries..

Alan Harvey (Im ages’also cou rtesy Alan Harvey)

have


KATE PERIERA

& The TONE KINGS

© A l e x a n d e r 's , R u f u s C o u r t ,

C h e s t e r . ( T h u r s d a y , 1 1 /0 3 /0 4 ) .

After working with Trevor Burton and M ike

S a nchez in T h e Journ eym en1and subsequent

session work, supporting the likes of

Steve Gibbons and Ruby Turner, Kate

Periera has w isely decided to get back on

the road together with som e of the Midlands

finest in the shape of the T h e Tone Kings'.

An extended instrumental play-on led into a

deceptively slow turn-around intro for Tm

Tore Dow n1

before picking P Y /T ?

up to a more

original tem po.

'R ather Fight

Than Switch' plus Sam & Dave's hard running

'W rap It Up' preceded Kim W ilson's

'Full Tim e Lover', with feeling. John Hiatt's

com m ercial 'Thing Called Love' before a

light and shade rendition of Randy

New m an's ’Guilty1. Fred Skidm ore

eschew ed his 'R oland1keyboard in favour of

an accordion to mix zydeco counter play

with Terry R eep's scattered guitar riffs for

Bonnie Raitt's Roads My M iddle N am e'. An

up-tem po 'I Believe I'm In Love W ith You’

finished the first set. T h e second stint com

m enced with Chris Sm ither's 'Love M e Like

A M an' with particular reference to being

rocked like a back with no bone; som ething

of a sore point on the night because Kate

had earlier disclosed that she had 'done her

back in' during the day and w as in a lot

m ore pain than she let on. Before 'Kokom o

Blues', there w as a brief lull in proceedings

for Terry to search his gig bag for a C m ajor

Slide'! Fred improvised a sort of Captain

Pugwash them e on accordion while I used

the space to secretly recall that Mississippi

Fred M cDow ell would probably have used a

hollowed out 'cattle bone'. Next, M ichelle

Shocked's 'Love Is A Train' com plete with

locomotive sound outro before a m ore up-

to-date feel for Jonny Lang's 'Lie To M e', the

first track on the bands inaugural C D , 'The

‘ B lu e s M a tte rs !’ p age 96

Tonekings featuring Katy Periera'. Tantalisingly the bands website.

w w w .tonekingsm usic.com , refers to the recording of a second album on the

'Blues M atters' label! W hile the rest of the band 'took five' Kate sang an

extraordinarily sensitive acapella version of Raitt's 'Nobody's Girl'. John

Prine's. Angel From M ontgom ery' and Etta Jam es's ’Love To Burn’ finished

the second set. As the audience called for another song a noisy auction

broke out am ongst som e of the regulars who dem anded two m ore, three

m ore...1. On the night Kate P eriera gave a stunning perform ance whilst displaying

extraordinary professionalism under painful circum stances - I cam e

aw ay thinking... w hatever 'It' is, Kate Periera has got 'It1. Band Lineup: Kate

Periera, vocals; Terry Reep, guitars; Tim Charnock, bass; Fred Skidm ore,

keyboard and accordion; Tony Bayliss, d rum s Nigel Rose

FIVE HORSE JOHNSON

@ A b e r d e e n D r D r a k e s .

What a strange night! Detroit blues rockers Five Horse Johnson roll into

town to play a venue barely twice the size of my living room and m ost of the

audience leaves before they com e on stage! This leaves an audience com

prising two support bands and eight fat baldies in their early 40s at the bar

(us). And with this following on from the dire turn out for the utterly fantastic

D anny Bryant's R e deye Band last w eek, it really does have m e worrying

about the state of live music in A b erdeen. So m any good bands com e here

and nobody w ants to see them! O k, this w as a M onday night but it w as only

£4 to get in. (Danny Bryant was a Friday, only a fiver admission and still

only 25 people turned up). Following an entertaining set from tour support

Gold Cash Gold and the m ass evacuation of the venue, Five Horse

Johnson storm ed the stage and launched straight into Downstone Blues

from their 1997 debut album. T h e m inuscule stage struggled to contain the

band and frontm an and wailing harm onica player Eric O blander could, more

often than not, be found on the dan ce floor. Guitarist Brad Coffin churned

out riffs to the likes of Cherry Red, Soul Digger and B.C. Approved from the

im pressive new Last M en On Earth C D , with other highlights being She

D o n 't Know, Lollipop and the m onstrous Mississippi King. A rocking M onday

night in A b erdeen.. Chris Simmonds

MICK ABRAHAM S BAND

@ T h e T a w e D e lta B l u e s C l u b , S w a n s e a .

A full house w elcom ed Big Mick Abraham s to the Taw e Delta, and w e w ere

treated to an evening of excellent Blues music and storytelling from the 61

years young guitar legend. Accom panied by G raham W alker on drum s and

John (Guiness) Gordon on bass, Mick thrilled us with 2 fine sets of new

songs together with m any

of our Blodwyn Pig

favourites. The first set

opened with som e fine guitar

playing on "You've got it

wrong", followed by "Lies"

and "Black Night". W e w ere

then given an excellent

rendition of "See m y Way".

M ick then had the audience

in stitches as he recounted

his recent gall bladder

operation, before finishing

the first half with "Billy the

Kid". After a short break,

the second set began with

'B lu e s M a tte rs !’ page 97

Mick's version of B B King's "The Victim", followed by his personal

tribute to Alexis Korner with "I w onder who". Next up w as the Blodwyn

Pig anthem "Cat's Sqirrel" dedicated this evening to ex vocalist, G ary

Pickford Hopkins who had com e along to the Gig. Excellent guitar as

usual. M ore stories and excellent music finished with "Rock m e Baby"

song num ber 15 on the night Steve N icholson

JO HNNY DOW D

@ T h e B o r d e r l i n e , L o n d o n .

Johnny Dowd Entertains, but not

from a standard perspective. Dowd

uses the mic to tell stories,

often-bizarre stories

and one tonight

being about soldiers in

a conflict. He uses the

guitar as a sonic paintbrush, pedalling

the songs along with chord

patterns that belie his Johnny Cash

and Jim m y Reed roots, then bursting

into sonic squalls soaked in

delay and filthy fuzzto nes. H e will

fum ble for a songsheet to remind

him of a lyric, then change his mind

and get W ilson to launch off into a

Surf instrumental. Dowd looks

happy most of the tim e and is at

total e ase with the audience. He

laces tonight's set with num bers

from the current Munich release

'C em etery Shoes' and th ese inhabit

a hinterland som ew here betw een

Randy N ew m an, Stephen King and

Son House. You have to w onder

about his N Y C Rem ovals busin

e s s ...d o the item s ever reach their

destination? This audience lapped it

all up and afterw ards Johnny w as

pretty dam ned pleased, as well he

might be. A million m iles from W alter Trout, but right up my street

Pete Sargeant

THE BLUES BAND - 25th A N NIVERSARY CONVENTIO N & CONCERT

@ B o o t h y s C l u b & T h e P a l a c e T h e a t r e , M a n s f i e l d . 0 2 / 0 4 / 0 4 .

Tho se years, such as w hen Tom M e.G uinness had Big Boy Crudup as a house guest and D ave Kelly jam m ed in

N ew York with the M uddy W aters band, w ere all nostalgically brought back to life in a superb working m en's club,

Boothy's in M ansfield, on the afternoon of April 2nd this year, which roughly m arked 25 years on the road and in the

studio for Europe's favourite old R& B w ar horse.

It w as a packed house of fans w ho had arrived from all over the UK and Europe, here to m eet and greet their

heroes, enjoy som e good beer and a sum ptuous buffet. Paul Jones, Tom M cG uinness, D a ve Kelly, G ary Fletcher


and Rob Townsend held

court for alm ost two hours in

an enjoyable Q &A session

that also doubled as a press

conference. In the evening

they played a cracking soldout

concert at M ansfield's

P alace Theatre, two long

and enjoyable sessions, an

acoustic set and electric.

Th ere w as also a novelty

support act - M ansfield s

own R&B stalwarts, Nite

Mayor, w ho are unusual in

as much as their drum m er,

Tony Egginton, is the town's

Mayor.

Playing an odd mix which

included Bow ie’s Jean

G enie' alongside T-Bone

W alker's 'Stormy M onday',

Nite M ayor acquitted them

selves well and, despite running

over tim e, w ere even

regaled by the audience for

an encore, which turned out

to be the Sm all Faces' All

Or Nothing'. As Paul Jones

com m ented rather dryly, "I

thought Steve Marriott had

entered the Theatre". But it w as the Blues Band, 25 yea rs on, who the punters had com e to

see. After 20 album s, countless T V and radio appearances, this skilled quintet, ably aug m ented

by piano suprem o Bob Flail, once again m anaged to tell it like it is. Congratulations, Blues Band

- here's to the next 25 y e a rs L .floy Bainton

JERRY FISH & THE MUDBUG CLUB

@ B o r d e r l i n e , L o n d o n .

An Em otional Fish w ere an interesting and undoubtedly overlooked group, led by Jerry Fish. In

this new incarnation, Jerry is going to create a party w herever he plays with no sacrifice of

m usical interest. I had listened to the debut album 'Be Yourself (out on Rubyworks) and

Em ailed a buddy 'I think I've found an Irish M ink de Ville!' After the usual G ettaw ayw ithyer'

rem arks w e both w ent along to check out the show case gig. And this is one wonderful group,

capturing the crisp driving horn charts that highlight the album and the biting two-guitar interplay

that m akes your feet m ove in all directions. Plus the dry-as-dust vocal delivery of Mr Fish,

growling, chanting, hissing and roaring through all the selections. W hat a character!

At one point he gets the w hole cosmopolitan audience to introduce them selves to a nearby

stranger. Fie spots one neglected citizen w hose hand is unshaken and cries 'W hat about dis fellah??!

Let's m ake a ****in' E F F O R T here!1 He's hard to photograph too, as he leaps around,

crouches, w alks off into the audience, gazes into girls' eyes singing all the while.

M eantim e the drum m er boots the w hole ensem ble along and the electric guitars snap and banter with each

other. 'It Don't G et M uch Better ThanThis' wrung sm iles and handclaps from the crowd, 'Let It Roll' gave an irresistible

rhythmic tru m pet-specked vehicle for dancing and 'Bob & God' w as an alm ost W aits-like tale of strangeness.

The album is produced by Jerry Fish and is one of this year's most refreshing releases. Som etim es fun

records aren't especially musical, but this one is on the money. H e doesn't mind the mention of Mink d e Ville

either, he tells m e he's a big fan when w e chat before the show. W illy de Ville has always fused Doo W op,

Rock'n'Roll, D eep Blues (City and Country) and thrown in M ariachi horns, piercing slide guitar, voodoo rhythms; I

can't recall an act from these islands that has done that anything like as well. Until now I guess......

I am told he is opening for Hothouse Flowers on som e tour dates; on this form and with no unkindness intended,

an upside-down bill if e ver I heard one! Pete Sargeant

'B lu e s M a tte rs !’ p a g e 99

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B o a m :? (iD is ifiu B a n

| aving a guitar for Christmas at the age of 12 then teaching

himself the guitar and playing on Austin's famous 6th

I Street is a dreamfor most kids.

fea/y Clark Jr's dream didn't end there nor does it end today for he was in a

pnd that won the Houston Blues Society's Blues Challenge at the age of 16,

' went on to play with Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins,

i y Shannon, Chris Layton, Lazy Lester & Carvin Jones. Gary has also

pd for Jimmie Vaughan, Bobby Blue Band & Clarence "Gatemouth"

, along with having May 3rd 2001 declared Gary Clark Day in Austin,

id having his debut CD release exactly a year after that. No less than

Austin legend Bill Campbell is Gary's bassist, Campbell is often cited as being a

great help to a certain young SRV. The interview below gives a great incite to a

young guy with his Texan boots firmly on the ground.

B M : Y o u h a v e r e s p e c t w i t h i n A u s t i n , b u t h o w d o e s t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d l o o k u p o n y o u a s a

t e e n a g e p r o t e g e ?

G C J r : I h o p e t h a t th e y d o n 't lo o k a t m e a s a t e e n a g e p r o te g e . B u t w h e n w e tra v e l p e o p l e tell u s

t h e b a n d s o u n d s g o o d .

B M : W ith y o u n g g u i t a r i s t s a s y o u n g a s 1 4 h a v i n g t h e i r o w n b a n d s , w e b s i t e s a n d p r e s s

c l i p p i n g s , d i d y o u f in d it w a s n o l o n g e r a n a d v a n t a g e t o b e s o y o u n g a n d t a l e n t e d a s it

u s e d t o b e ?

G C J r : I w a n t t o b e a g o o d m u s ic ia n n o m a tte r w h a t a g e . Y ou c a n 't a lw a y s b e y o u n g a n d th e r e

will a l w a y s b e s o m e o n e y o u n g e r. S o I g u e s s I re a lly d id n 't try to u s e a g e a s a n a d v a n t a g e .

B M : D id y o u f i n d m o r e m u s i c i a n s w e r e m o r e f o r t h c o m i n g in h e l p i n g y o u w h e n y o u w e r e v e r y

y o u n g b e c a u s e o f y o u r a g e ?

G C J r : Y e s , b e c a u s e th e y w e r e e a g e r to e x p o s e m e to th in g s a n d to t e a c h m e w h a t th e y k n e w a b o u t th e

m u s ic b u s i n e s s .

B M : T h e r e i s s o m u c h s o u l in y o u r s i n g i n g t h a t I f e e l y o u c o u l d m a k e it in t h a t f ie ld , s o w h a t k e e p s

y o u w ith t h e B l u e s , o r p e r h a p s S o u l / B l u e s .

G C J r : I'm p re tty s u r e m y p a r e n t s p la y in g M o to w n r e c o r d s w h e n I w a s little is t h e s o u l in f lu e n c e b u t I p la y

b lu e s b e c a u s e it's s o raw . I ju s t like th a t s o u n d . I'm re a lly in to H o u n d D o g T a y lo r a n d L ig h tn in ' H o p k in s .

B M : H o w m u c h o f a h u r d l e i s it o n c e y o u a r e r e c o g n i z e d a s a y o u n g u p & c o m i n g p o t e n t i a l

s t a r t o m o v e o n b e y o n d t h a t in itia l s t a g e ?

G C J r : I d o n 't k n o w . I d o n 't fe e l I've g o n e o v e r a n y h u r d le s fo r a n y th in g . I ju s t le t th in g s

w o rk o u t a s th e y m ay .

B M : I lik e a ll y o u s t y l e s y o u p l a y o n y o u r a l b u m , a r e s o m e j u s t »

f o r t h e a l b u m o r a r e t h e y a s e r i o u s p a r t o f y o u r e p e r t o i r e ?

G C J r : F o r t h e m o s t p a r t t h e s e s o n g s a r e a b u n c h of r a n

d o m t h o u g h t s I h a d t h e p a s t fe w y e a r s .

B M : T h e a c o u s t i c t r a c k a t t h e e n d o f y o u

d e b u t C D I f e l t c a p t u r e d t h e e s s e n c e o f t h e

m u s i c r a t h e r t h a n s o m e g u y s w h o

j u s t k i n d o f t r o t t t o u t . H o w

m u c h a c i

y o u p l a y o r

i n t e n d t o in t h e f u t u r e ?

G C J r : I p la y a lot of a c o u s tic w h e n I'm a t h o m e o r h a n g in g o u t w ith p e o p le . I p la n o n p la y in g a little

a c o u s t i c d u rin g s h o w s m a y b e . **

B M : D o e s h a v i n g a d a y n a m e d in y o u h o n o r s e e m a b i t c o r n y t o y o u l i k e ! h a v in i nc

g a s t a r o r s p o t o n

t h e m o o n c a r r y i n g y o u r n a m e ?

G C J r : I d o n 't th in k it’s c o r n y b u t I th in k it's o d d th a t th e y c h o s e m e .

B M : T ell u s a b o u t y o u b a n d b u t f i r s t a n i n s i g h t t o B ill C a m p b e l l t h e m y s t e r i o u s n a m e t h a t c r o p s u p

in t h e e a r l y c a r e e r o f S R V .

G C J r : Bill C a m p b e ll is o n e of t h e b e s t p la y e r s I'v e s e e n a s f a r a s tim in g , p h r a s in g , s p a c e a n d t o n e o n bo tl

g u ita r a n d b a s s . H e 's a c o o l g u y . H e 's fu n n y a s h ell, to o . M a tt F a rre ll p la y s p ia n o a n d h e 's b a d . J a s o n

M o e lle r h o ld s it d o w n o n d r u m s . H e 's g o t a killer sh u ffle .

B M : N o t m a n y n e w B l u e s a r t i s t s s t a r t o u t w r i t i n g a ll t h e i r o w n s t u f f f o r

t h e i r d e b u t r e l e a s e . T ell u s a b o u t y o u s o n g w r itin g .

G C J r : I've fo u n d th a t if I try to w rite , I c a n ’t. O n c e s o m e th in g c o m e s

to m e it all ju s t flo w s.

B M : H o w c o m e y o u p l a y b a s s a s w e ll a s l e a d o n y o u r

" W o r ry N o M o r e " C D ?

G C J r : I d id n 't p la n to h a v e b a s s o n t h e a lb u m b u t I a d d e d

b a s s o n t h e r e c o r d b e c a u s e t h e H a m m o n d B -3 o r g a n

w a s n 't c o m in g th r o u g h t o o w ell.

B M : I b e l i e v e y o u a r e r e l a t e d t o W .C . C l a r k w h o s e

A l lig a to r a l b u m h a s i m p r e s s e d a lo t o f p e o p l e .

G C J r : Y e s, W .C . is a d is ta n t c o u s in .

B M : H o w m u c h B l u e s i s t h e r e in A u s t i n t h e s e d a y s

G a ry , a s w e h e r e t h a t D a l l a s / F o r t W o r th i s w h e r e

i t 's a t T e x a s B l u e s w i s e a n d t h a t A u s t i n i s t h e

n e w N a s h v ille .

G C J r : T h e r e is a s m a ll b u t I b e lie v e to b e g r o w in g

b lu e s s c e n e in A u stin . I've s e e n m o r e b a n d s p la y in g

b lu e s r o o te d m u s ic in A u stin . T h e ja z z s c e n e is a c o o l

s c e n e in A u stin . It is all t h e r e b u t it's p r e tty o b s c u r e .

B M : H a s t h e r e c o r d i n d u s t r y a p p r o a c h e d y o u a n d d o

y o u t h i n k t h a t y o u a r e p r e p a r e d f o r t h e b u s i n e s s

r o c k y r o a d a h e a d ?

G C J r : T h e r e h a s b e e n s o m e in d u s try in te r e s t. I th in k I'm

p r e p a r e d fo r t h e ro c k y b u s i n e s s r o a d a h e a d . T h is is

w h a t I w a n t to d o fo r a living s o I h a v e to b e

r e a d y o r fin d s o m e th in g e l s e to d o .

B M : W h a t g i v e s y o u a b u z z in

m u s i c , G a r y ?

G C J r : M u s ic t h a t is ra w

a n d e x p r e s s e d in a

w a y th a t m o v e s m e ,

b u t is s im p le , is

w h a t g iv e s m e a

b u z z .

T H E F A S T E S T G R O W IN G B R I T I S H

B L U E S L A B E L

DAVE BERRY

Memphis in the meantime ibmrcd2oo37i

60s pop star Dave Berry returns to his roots with this

critically acclaimed Blues album. This release, his first album

for the Hues Matters! Label, won particular praise from

Record Collector magazine where it received a five star rating

(full marks). Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) comments in the

sleeve notes: " Dave Berry is a true original, but who has not

forgotten that the Blues matter."

DANNY BRYANT'S RedEyeBand

Shadows Passed ibmrcdzoossi

Danny Bryant is one of the UKs finest young recording artists

of any genre. After Ms acclaimed debut release ("Watching

You", also available for Blues Matters! Records). Danny

returns with this powerful collection of Classic Blues Rock,

bringing the raw and exciting energy from his live shows

(which have Mown away everyone on the UK Blues circuit!

and a professionalism that is rare in many UK Sues releases.

Buy direct (by sending a cheque payable to Blues Matters!, for £12 UK

and £13 Elsewhere, to the address at the bottom of this page), from all

good Record Stores or online at www.bluesmatters.com/catalog

Don't forget Blues Matters! has many other great releases....

Blues Matters! PO Box 18, Bridgend, CF33 6YW, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1656 743406

c h a n c e t o w i n

SET OF THREE

A L L IG A T O R A L B U M S

W e h a v e t h e fo llo w in g C D s u p f o r g r a b s - C r u c i a l T e x a s B l u e s , C r u c i a l S l i d e G u i t a r B l u e s a n d

C r u c i a l L iv e ! B l u e s .............. w e w a n t y o u to c o m e u p w ith a s l o g a n f o r B l u e s M a tte r s ! , s o m e t h i n g

c a t c h y in n o t m o r e t h a n t e n w o r d s [the less the better], A p a n e l of t h r e e will d e c i d e o n t h e o n e c o n

s i d e r e d b e s t .

S e n d a n s w e r s o n a p o s t c a r d to : B l u e s M a t t e r s ! P O B o x 1 8 , B r i d g e n d , C F 3 3 6 Y W , U K .

O r e m a il: i n f o r m a t i o n @ b l u e s m a t t e r s . c o m .

C lo s in g D a te : 02/07/04.

I k

I S S U E 2 1 - A U G -SEPT 2 0 0 4

INTERVIEWS INCLUDING:

/ m ik e Ho o p e r 1

V

ROAD

SPECIAL FEATURE ON:

J O A N N KELLY

L a r r y C o h n t a l k s a b o u t h is f i r s t h a n d e x p

A & R V.P. a t C B S /E p ic R e c o r d s . _ ,

A l l t h e r e g u la r s

o le J o t m o r e .

J K

LO N G with nicp

flow ers and a ®

new annual

Council Tax bill,

M m Spring in Britain

brings the Eurovision Song

Contest, a T V spectacular to be

hosted this year in Istanbul and featuring International conflict

in the form of m ostly form ularised com positions perform ed by eag e r representatives from

each com peting country. All this is blurred by th e fact that a G erm an can write a song for Spain

to put forward. And vice versa. Anyway, it's an annual entertain m ent fixture in Europe, with m assive

viewing figures - not such a great thing w hen as in 2 0 0 3 the British song m anaged to

am ass a total score after all countries had voted of NO F***ING POINTS AT ALL!! A

sm ug Scouse tw osom e achieved this ignom inious result, blam ing duff monitors and

everyone else in the afterm ath. Strange how all the other acts perform ed with reasonable

aplom b at least and in som e instances with considerable panache! But this

creates a unique situation: the British song this y e a r CANNOT DO WORSE!

Regrettably the British singer for 2 0 0 4 , a better-than-avera g e artist JAMES FOX

who can actually play guitar as well is saddled with a turkey of a num ber that might

just about pass m uster a s the closer to a Spinners concert, but has echoes of T h e

Last W altz' (the Humperdinck vehicle not the US musical superstar concert).

S o m e entertainm ent w as had at hom e w hen w e hap pened to tune into an ITV2

telly interview by Angela Rippon w ho w as talking to Fox and also a G eorge

Chakiris lookalike w ho is representing G re ece but w hose song turned out to sound

rem arkably like 'S h*t S h *t S h *t O n You AH' w hen M iss Rippon smilingly suggested w e - and I quote - 'try

the Greek Entry'! Mrs S - for various com plicated reasons - plans to attend the cerem ony in person. I have a prior

com m itm ent in this country, which I shall m ake in a m o m ent......

AT LA S T songsm ith RODNEY CROWELL has put out another album Fate's Right H a n d 1(Epic/S ony E K 8908 2) and

it is another fine collection of honest and powerful songs, coproduced by Crow ell and P ete Colem an . Songs like the

title track rival Dylan at his best for lyrical impact but Rodney is blessed with an insistent tuneful voice and great

taste in personnel eg M ichael Rhodes on bass. This recording ought to be heard by far m ore than the Country Rock

crowd, the songs are fab u lo u s...

P E R H A P S I w as the only UK citizen eag erly aw aiting the rerelease on C D of the first album by S F superband

AUTOMATIC MAN, form ed in

1 9 7 6 by S a nta n a D rum m er

M ichael Shrieve. I attended

the London M arq uee launch

of this album in the hot

S u m m er of that year and it

w as quite an experience. I

have not seen a cooler or

funkier keyboard player than

Todd C o chrane ('Bayete')

since then, S hrieve w as an

absolute pow erhouse and

guitarist Pat Thrall w as a mix

of W ayne K ram er of the M C 5

and Randy California of

Spirit. Boy w as I taken with

that! Im agine Pink Floyd had

they infused energy and funk

into their S paceR ock instead

of dour self-pitying them es

and plodding tem po's - it's

here on this album . Just try

the lurching stereo propulsion

of the title track or the


T ravesty ....

'— ' romp that is tfjfc s in g le 'M y Pearl'.

N u m b er is C D LE M 2 9 on Lem on, which is

a C h erry R e d sub. O nly m oan: the best track

this band recorded nam ely 'W allflower' (the single's B-side) is N O T included here!

A L T H O U G H the line-up at this point did not include Randy California, SPIRIT and their 1 9 7 2 release 'Feedback' still

produced a good rock album . Sony/C ollectors Choice A 7 0 8 2 0 /C C M -4 2 1 -2 is the num ber for the re-release. They

have add ed a song called 'N ew York City1to the set and it shows John Locke in great form on piano. As with all

Spirit discs, veteran drum m er Ed Cassidy shows how it should be done, just hear 'Puesta Del S cam ' the fast instrum

en tal...

O F T E N the records I get through to review purport to be bluesy or soulful, but all I can h ear is proficiency. Strangely

som e of the most affecting music I get to hear can com e from unlikely quarters and none m ore so than the current

release from the gorgeous and musically inspired CANDY DULFER. Dutch saxophonist and now singer Duller is as

I write in the U S touring with Prince. Her last solo outing 'Right In M y Soul' on E a gle E A G C D 2 0 8 is an absolute

peach, from the nod to Donny H athaw ay on 'Valdez In The Country' to the high-steppin' single 'W hat's In Your Head'

to the beautiful 'D ecem ber'. T h e w ay she sings in the Milesian 'E veryday People' is sensual and haunting, the horn

chart evokes Blue N ote label suites and the arpeggio piano lines bury them selves deep into your conscience.

Som etim es a record like this banishes any sensation of jadedness a review er can fall into. T h e trouble is that if she

did the Blues Brothers songbook, m ore people would take notice. Also worthwhile: her album with her father Hans,

a sax giant in his own right which is called 'Dulfer & Dulfer' and w hat is also a feast for the eyes being her D V D

'Live In A m sterdam ’ (B M G 4 3 2 1 8 2 6 0 8 9 ). This show includes a slowburning For The Love of You1. T h e Isleys' song

with Angie Stone guesting. C andy plays with so m uch heart and soul on these sets that anyone w ho thinks they are

m usical might well surprise them selves by caching up with this artist...

O T H E R w orthwhile re-re leases include a T w o -O n -O ne disc which pairs 'Perfect Angel' and 'Adventures In Paradise'

both great original album s by MINNIE RIPPERTON the ex Rotary Connection singer. O p en er 'R easons' is worth the

m oney alone. Stateside budget release 0 7 2 4 3 5 9 7 1 9 7 2 6 so it's about eight or nine quid ....a ls o , followers of and

those interested in Arthur Louis (see this Issue interview) can check out a new site for him w w w .arthurlouis.co.uk. It

nam e-checks Blues M atters! - as all good artist sites should!

J U S T going back for a m om ent to Pop contests, you have to laugh at w hat they out the hapless contestants through

on the U S version of Pop Idol. O K these youngsters would sell badger parts to get on and grab the limelight, w e all

know that B U T the show is m ore like 'Endurance' given the producers' penchant for m assaging the ego's of

'Industry G reats' like Elton John and Barry Manilow by getting the singers to do the artists' songbooks eac h w eek.

John Stevens, a Data from Star Trek lookalike took to a Gloria Estefan single like G raham Norton to a bondage session

with Jordan. Priceless! And as long as they don't approach Robert Cray...

Pete Sargeant

UK - OLAS & JINDER:

The Best Of Days Ahead

Acoustic balladry is the order of the day from

O las & Jinder. 10-tracks of it in fact (it seems

they have found something that works and they

je it). If a trifle dull and hardly inspiring, the duo

m akes up for the lack ot diversity with breath-taking vocals and the sh eer quality of the song writing

and music. I have no track-listing or press release to go with this release just the bands nam e and the editors word

that one of them w as a m em b er of Feeder in their earliest d a y s ....one to watch....Darren Howells

USA - BEN KWELLER: On My Way

Frontside R ecords.10 tracks. 35.18 m inutes.

Hand Me D ow n/ R C A Records. 11 tracks. 42.31 minutes.

W h y can't every album I receive for review sound this dam n fine? Brooklyn's Ben Kw eller delivers a musically

diverse, high calibre rocking collection of tunes that is both raw and at the sam e tim e meticulously polished. Songs

so infectious and buoyant they can lift even the most m iserable Blues purist from their m elancholy. T h e strength of

the album lies in the positive tunes and unforgettable m elodies. Kw eller dabbles in gen re specific styles, from the

old-school rock'n' roll of 'I N eed You Back', to the pop of 'Hospital B e d’ and the Blues of 'On M y W ay' there is very


little musically Kweller seem ingly can t do (expect the best Rap album you've ever heard next year?) and w hatever

he tries his hand to is in a word 'perfect'. Songs that pay hom age to his contem

poraries past and present ('Living Life' - Big Star, 'Down' - Foo Fighters, believe

me I aint joking!) yet eac h track rem ains truly originally Kweller. An inspirational

collection that will be played loud throughout the sum m er. This album has been

on a virtually constant loop since it w ent on my C D player for the first tim e and

has m ade reviewing anything else a real problem . You simply must buy this

album . .Darren Howells

UK - THE BLUESKINS: Word Of Mouth

D om inos Records. 11 tracks. 48.33 minutes.

T h e Blueskins a re one of the most underrated bands in the UK. I read so m any

dism issive reviews in the m ajor music m agazines but this thunderous collection of

fever fuelled Blues is one of the most exciting records I have listened to in a long

w hile. W hile they lack the song-craft and diversity of a Ben Kweller, for exam ple,

their break-neck paced antics are difficult not to succum b to. Don't get m e w rong though it’s not 10Omph rock with

no brains there are tunes here that the likes of the Kings O f Leon would kill for ('My Love Is Law' is the type of

Blues/Pop that could easily sit cosily on the radio). Stand out 'C hange M y Mind' is a belting, bruising blues classic.

Unlike the W hite Stripes and the Kings O f Leon, the Blueskins realise it’s the 21st Century and are making Blues

m usic for their tim e not in som ebody else's. T h e Kills are another great act on the Dom inos label but this, the

Blueskins debut release, tram ples all over their effort. I can only speculate how good this band m ust be

live...Darren Howells

T here's alw ays a lot of deb ate about 'authenticity'

in the blues. S e asic k Steve & T h e Level Devils

have got it. Steve grew up in California, but pretty

early in his life he started to hop freight trains and

hobo about the country. H e played a battered guitar

on street corners, and w as asked to open for

acts in the folk-blues boom of the '60s. H e played with Son

H ouse and Lightnin' Hopkins, am ongst others. In the 1970s music becam e a profession.

H e played with King H arvest (remember Dancing In The Moonlight?!), and served in T h e Beach Boys' touring band.

In the '90s he ran a studio in the trendy North-W est of the U S - grunge-land - which utilized the mixing console from

Stax. He's still got it, and it's installed at his new studio in Notodden, Norway, hom e of a fine Blues Fest. G o to

w w w .jukejointstudio.com , to have a look at his gaff. Now, Steve has rustled a couple of like-m inded Norwegian

youngsters (comparatively!),

to revisit his hobo journeys

and m usical heyday. Cheap,

is available on w ww.theresadeadskunk.com

, and it's

my favourite roots record of

the year. It's lo-fi and yet

hugely, roundly, organically

recorded. It reeks of the

Delta, and axle grease, and

can ned heat (the substance,

not the band...). W hen Steve

intersperses his rough,

groovy songs (there's som e

thing of the Stax vibe in several

tracks), with stories

about living behind grocery

stores, you are there with

him. Steve has the holler of

Howlin' W olf, and the funky

slide of m entor House; coun-

try-soul m an, Dan Penn also

springs to mind. T h e re ’s a

good-natured, alm ost w him

sical twinkle to the music and

delivery which is interwined

with the drive and pain of the

blues. C h eap , is both m odern

and tim eless, and worth

a h u n d re d C la p to n s p re te n d in g to be p o o r b la ck m en.

T h e Tarbox Ram blers a re from Boston, and shouldn't really have 'it', but they do. Just like fellow Bostonians, Mr

Airplane M an. T heir self-titled debut w as chokka with covers, and w as slightly lightweight. A Fix Back East

(R oun der), is as heavy as Mississippi m ud And not just in its big, humid, bad-dream production aura; it's in the lyrical

concerns too - Old Testam ent imagery, punctuated by heavy-lidded sexiness and m enace - The Good, the Bad

and the Burnside. Ashes To Ashes recalls the m ulti-layered epics of T h e Cow boy Junkies at their best; while Already

G one nicks Paul Burlison's guitar riff from H oney Hush and sw aggers along on a dirty-boogie-m ix of blues and hillbilly.

E lsew here violins shim m er and guitars slide in a charism atic countrified com bination of the arty and the b adass.

All is corralled into som e sem blance of serm on by the Fallen P rea ch er growl of M ichael Tarbox (not his Godgiven

name, I'd wager). An album so physical, you can feel its breath on your neck.

Otis Taylor is another w ho w as born to w ear the clothes. O n D ouble V he has dispensed with the trusty cohorts who

served him well on previous recordings, and he doesn't seem to have suffered as a result. The songs are less am bient,

but no less affecting, and perhaps evince a greater urgency. You’ll never think of the banjo as a mildly com ic

instrum ent after you heard it in Taylor's hands. H e com es across as a politicized inheritor of John Lee Hooker's

mantle. There 's the s am e hypnotic, from -tim e-im m em orial feel to his work. Otis' harm onica is his only accom panim

ent on the alm ost unbearably powerful, intense and quiet, Took Their Land; which tells of the great robbery com

m itted against Native Am ericans. The inexorable tum ble of M am a's Selling Heroin, is taken to another level by the

ghostly w hoops and whispers of Otis's daughter, C assie, on backing vocals. Cassie adds cello throughout. On

Sounds O f Attica, it provides the bass drone for the African-inflected guitars. T h e re ’s not a drum to be heard. After

all, the slave m asters banned them , in case their charges used them to talk to each other. Otis Taylor is the roots

and the future of m odem blues: its conscience and its m aster com m unicator.

Petit Vodo com es from Bourdeaux; and a case has to be m ade for the authenticity of the G ironde Delta Blues. Vodo

is an extraordinary live perform er - essaying

drums, guitar, harmonica and electronica...at

the sam e time! His previous two album s m ade

a stab a t capturing his in-perform ance genius;

but, though they had their m om ents, they didn't

quite phonograph this post-m odern, m ad scientist,

will o' the wisp. Vodo is very self-referential,

in a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion kind

of a way. But has a freshness which now

seem s beyond those boys. He takes the tried

and tested rhythm s of old-tim e R&B, and fractures

and re-invents them in joyous, jolting,

often hilarious w ays. Bo C rash and Soul

Singer show case his obsession with the

Diddley Daddy, but are even m ore outre (good

French word that...) than anything Ellas

M cD an iel c a m e up with. Loud, dirty and manic,

even the techno -beats sound m ore fatback

rootsy than the flam s and paradiddles of m any

a show-off blues-rock sticksm an. Vodo still has

tim e to create m y fave slow-blues of the year

so far, Sw eet As A Nut - replete with xylophone

and lyrics crooned in his Inspector Clouseau

accent, about a trip across the C hannel to

Brighton with a loved one. Les douze barre

bleus will never be the s a m e a g a in ...

I'm rushing for a deadline, so I can't com m ent

on T h e Blueskins, am ongst others. Darren will

rave. I think they're a potentially good band,

but their use of the blues feels tacked on, and

the singer ought to be in a W hite Stripes tribute

band.

I will com m end you to the new club night set up by the group, G affer H exam (Eddie & The Hot Rods gang up with

The Clash to desecrate a Hawksmoor church...). It's called Not T h e S a m e O ld Blues C rap (www.notthesam eoldbluescrap.com

), and it prom otes the kind of gear that this colum n holds dear. Seasick Steve & T h e Level Devils play

there on June 24th, supported by The Killer B's (ex-Screaming Blue Messiahs) and G affer H exam them selves. And

I'm DJ-ing. W h at an incentive!

You can hear m y Balling T h e Jack radio show on Resonance FM 1 0 4 .4 in Central London, via

w w w .resonancefm .com everyw here else on the planet.. Joe Cushley


S o w h a t e l s e i s o u t t h e r e y o u w a n t t o b e g e t t i n g y o u r h a n d s o n t o , w e ll c e r t a i n l y n o t T H E

W A L K M E N : B o w s + A r r o w s ( R e c o r d C o l l e c t i o n ) , a c o m p l e t e m e s s f r o m s t a r t t o f i n i s h . T h e r e

s o m e r e a l e n e r g e t i c R o c k g e m s lik e T h e R a t 1 b u t m o s t o f it m e a n d e r s a l o n g lik e a R a d i o h e a d

o u t - t a k e . A r e a l d i s a p p o i n t m e n t a s t h e s t o n g e r t r a c k s s h o w t h i s c o u l d h a v e b e e n a f a r s u p e r i o r

c o l l e c t i o n . A U F D E R M A U R : R e a l A L i e (E M I) i s m o r e o f t h e s a m e o l d c l i c h e d y a n k g r u n g e

r o c k , w h i c h g r e w t i r e s o m e b a c k in 1 9 9 3 . . . o n e a l b u m I c o u l d n e v e r g r o w t i r e d o f is S C I S S O R

S I S T E R S : S c i s s o r S i s t e r s ( P o l y d o r ) , I h a v e t o b e h o n e s t I r e a l l y d i d n 't w a n t t o lik e t h i s

a l b u m . I n e v e r r e a l l y 'g o t ' t h e i r B e e - G e e s f l a v o u r e d t a k e o f o n e o f m y f a v o u r i t e P i n k F l o y d

s o n g s 'C o m f o r t a b l y N u m b ' a n d w h e n I f i r s t s e e n t h e i r c a m p a s h o u s e s T a k e Y o u r M a m a '

v i d e o I t o o k a n i n s t a n t d i s l i k e t o t h e m b u t , a s w ith t h e D a r k n e s s , o n c e I g o t p a s t t h e i m a g e

a n d m y p r e - j u d g e m e n t a l a t t i t u d e I h a v e g o n e a n d f a l l e n in l o v e w ith t h e m (not them! the

music). T h e b e s t s o n g s t h a t f a t b l o k e w ith a w ig e v e r d id (it his him singing isn't it?...oops it’s

not), 'T a k e Y o u r M a m a 1 h a s g o t t o b e o n e o f t h e b e s t s i n g l e s t h i s y e a r (trying to reach those

high notes nearly caused a relationship break up mind) . . . . b u y j u s t f o r t h e g e n i u s s o n g 'T its O n

T h e R a d i o ' (the UK version has two rather splendid disco Bonus tracks also)... . a n y b o d y w h o

h a d a r e m o t e lik in g t o E l e c t r i c S i x w ill l o v e t h e m . H e r e 's o n e f o r t h e m i s s u s t h e n L E A N N

R I M E S : T h e B e s t O f ( C u r b / L o n d o n R e c o r d s ) o k p r e s s p l a y y a w n h u f f .....

(head in hands) p r e s s s t o p . If y o u c a n g e t t h r o u g h t h e f i r s t t r a c k t h e n y o u 'r e a b r a v e r

m a n t h a n I a m . T h e r e 's v e r y little g l i t t e r a b o u t T H E G L I T T E R A T I : H e r e C o m e s A C l o s e U p

E P ( I n f e c t i o u s / A t l a n t i c R e c o r d s ) , j u s t l o t s o f s c r e a m i n g a n d c o n s t a n t l y r e p e a t i n g

l i n e s . . . . w h e r e 's t h a t L e a n n R i m e s C D m a y b e I w a s t o o q u i c k t o j u d g e h e r . B i n n e d ! C H I N G Y :

O n e C a l l A w a y ( P r i o r i t y / C a p i t o l R e c o r d s ) is a s t a n d a r d s l i c e o f U S R 'n 'B / R a p . D o e s w h a t is

s e t s o u t t o d o b u t i s a d i s a p p o i n t m e n t a f t e r t h e i n f e c t i o u s p a r t y - t i m e h it 'R i g h t T h u r r ' a n d f a d e s

a w a y lik e a d i s t a n t m e m o r y a ll t o o q u i c k . N o w its t i m e f o r o n e o f t h e o l d - s c h o o l t o s h o w h im

h o w its d o n e . I c e C u b e (from the m arvellous and influential NWA) r e t u r n s w ith

W E S T S I D E C O N N E C T I O N : T e r r o r i s t T h r e a t s ( H o o - B a n g i n / C a p i t o l r —

R e c o r d s ) , t h e r e ' s n o t h i n g t o m a t c h t h e b e s t o f N W A s o u t p u t h e r e b u t it s till i ~

p u t s t h e l i k e s o f E m i n e m a n d 5 0 C e n t f ir m ly in t h e i r lim i t e d p l a c e s . D I L A T E D

P E O P L E S : N e i g h b o u r h o o d W a t c h ( P a r l o p h o n e ) is a f a r m o r e i m a g i n a t i v e i 1

c o l l e c t i o n o f h e a v y h i p - h o p . P r o v o c a t i v e w o r d p l a y a n d q u a l i t y p r o d u c t i o n . . '■£

b u t I s till c a n 't h e l p b u t y e a r n f o r m y N a u g h t y B y N a t u r e , N W A a n d P u b l i c / jW F

E n e m y C D s . . . t h e y j u s t d o n 't m a k e t h e m lik e t h a t a n y m o r e . . . a s h a m e . T h e

‘ L Jh jf!

l a s t t h i n g m u s i c n e e d s r i g h t n o w is a b a n d t r y i n g t o e m u l a t e t h e m u s i c a l l y * v - '

s h a l l o w a n d o v e r - r a t e d N i r v a n a b u t t h e V i n e s a r e j u s t t h a t b a n d . . . w e ll f , ' '

t h e y w e r e T H E V I N E S : W i n n i n g D a y s ( H e a v e n l y / E M I R e c o r d s ) s i n g l e

is a t o t a l c h a n g e in d i r e c t i o n f r o m t h e m a t e r i a l o n __ *-Svfe

^ t h e i r t e r r i b l e g r u n g e d r e n c h e d d e b u t a l b u m ^

il\lh / r Y and jt pays off bi9 s t Yl e - • - o w i n g W \

v - V , ' . m o r e t o B e a c h B o y s s t y l e p o p

U IK /h - Q t h e n C o b a i n s e l f - p i t y i n g s l o p , m i g h t

* ^ b e w o r t h c h e c k i n g o u t t h e n e w V

f - m P - ’s * f a l b u m t h e n a f t e r a l l f l f t

w w

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IB o e fe in g C h e B lu e s .e o m

R o c k i n g t h e B l u e s w e b s i t e

r e q u i r e s U K b l u e s & b l u e s / r o c k

b a n d i n f o , c d & l i v e r e v i e w s ,

b l u e s n e w s + i n f o o n g i g s ,

v e n u e s , f e s t i v a l s & b l u e s c l u b s

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i n f o ( a ) r o c k i n g t h e b l u e s . c o m

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I O r d e r O n l i n e w w w .a n to n y d a n n e c k e r.c o m

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‘B lu es M a tte rs !’ page 113

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Sunday 30 May -ColefordMusk Festival,Coleford,Glos.

Friday25 June -theNew Inn,NelheT Westcotc,Nr.ChippingNorton

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‘ B lu e s M a tte rs !’ page 117

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