Get It!

A Driving New Album from Tinsley Ellis

By Bob Margolin

Nobody, not me or Tinsley, nor BluesWax’ Chip Eagle will notice without me telling you that this is the same headline as a 2005 story I wrote about Tinsley’s then-new CD Highwayman. The CD title is changed to Tinsley’s new CD, which I compliment and recommend now.

In February and March 2013, I have been on one of the most enjoyable tours of my life. “Blues At The Crossroads 2” is a tribute to Muddy and Howlin’ Wolf that played twenty shows in theaters and performing arts centers around the U.S. The basic band is The Fabulous Thunderbirds, featuring the amazing Kim Wilson. I believe Kim is at the peak of his powers, singing and confirming his reputation as one of the all-time great blues harp players ever. He hosts the revue with grace and pace.

Today’s version of the Fabulous Thunderbirds is spectacular, and I know I’m only seeing them performing these old Chicago Blues songs, not the T-Birds’ old and new material. Mike Keller and Johnny Moeller are on guitars, Jay Moeller is a dramatic drummer, and Randy Bermudes lays down a deep foundation with his driving bass.

The special guests for this tour include Mr. Superharp himself, James Cotton, and Chicago guitarist Jody Williams, known for his own hit instrumentals and his recordings with Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, and Billy Boy Arnold. I believe I’m on the tour for my Muddy Waters credentials; I played in his band for seven years and carry on his slide guitar style, which I learned from him directly. I’ve told my own blues stories in my music since my time with Muddy, but that’s not what I’m here to do. Originally we were going to have J.J. Grey as a guest. His wider-than-blues audience would attract more people to our show and though I don’t know him, I’m told he would interpret the Howlin’ Wolf songs strongly.

Then, just two weeks before the tour started, I heard that J.J. Grey had to cancel due to a throat problem. And I got a call from my old friend Tinsley Ellis, who surprised me by telling me he was going to replace J.J. Grey. We talked on the phone for an hour, catching up, and looking forward to hanging out and playing together more than we have in the whole previous rest of our lives.

It has indeed turned out that way. My friendship with Tinsley, a great musician, has grown from the opportunity. Before Tinsley and I tell you about his new CD, I’m going to go back to that BluesWax article I wrote about him in 2005 and quote some of it, the story of how we got together a long time ago:

“In 1978 I had some time off from the Muddy Waters Band and I was partying, sitting in with The Nighthawks and the Charlottesville Blues All-Stars in Charlottesville, Virginia. There was an amazing annual event there called “Easters Weekend,” long banned now. All the local fraternities would bring in bands to play. Most were blues-based young regional bands from the mid-Atlantic states, and the players cruised from house to house to visit and jam. We were all just having a good time, playing the blues and rock we loved for wild college kids. I remember meeting and running around to a few frat houses with the guitar player from Atlanta’s Alley Cats, Tinsley Ellis. Nobody was thinking about career moves, music markets, selling albums, trends, or professional images or future blues journalism.

“So many years later, Tinsley and I have done thousands of gigs, mostly separately, sometimes spending a few minutes catching up when we find ourselves on the same bill. We compare notes on record companies and the road and blues guitar, and enjoy each others’ progress.

“Tinsley still gigs more often than most blues bands do. He’s built up a circuit of blues and roots music clubs and festivals, song by song, mile by mile, over that quarter-century. It still sustains him in spite of musical trends and the challenging evolution of the blues scene away from the clubs that were always its foundation.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFtzUuoN3cM

Tinsley Ellis

“Fuzzbuster”

From Get It!

Back to the present — and all of that is still true about Tinsley. He has been very well received on this unusually prestigious blues tour, performing two electric Howlin’ Wolf songs and then playing “Little Red Rooster” on a metal guitar accompanied just by Kim Wilson’s sublime harp. Without direct experience with Muddy or Wolf, Tinsley’s performances show how old-school Chicago blues is one of the many foundations of his music.

As we were hanging out, riding on an actual tour bus in February (most blues bands don’t get to do this!), Tinsley told me he had recorded an instrumental CD that will be released on March 19. I am busier than an ant at a picnic and have an infinite “to do” list of business to execute and music to listen to, but there were Tinsley and his CD right in front of me and I was enjoying our friendship. As I lay down in one of the bus’ bunks, I listened to Tinsley’s CD on the my iPhone with earpods.

He ruined my nap! His instrumental songs celebrate guitar tones on well-written original songs where Tinsley’s guitar sings wordlessly with deep feeling. He doesn’t need words to tell a story, just his guitar. He plays slow, simple melodies that make me beg for the next note and smile when it arrives. He uses the skills he honed on those thousands of bandstands to throw in some fireworks to dazzle, and then takes it back to a beautiful melody. Actually, a lot of these songs are about melodies.

It has been my honor to know and work with many great guitar players and to appreciate their music. I am appreciating my friend Tinsley Ellis now. You see how impressed I am with his new CD, Get It. Here’s Tinsley to tell you more about it:

“Get It! is the all-instrumental album that I’ve always wanted to make. From my earliest recollection I’ve always loved instrumentals. As a kid I could not get enough of bands like the Ventures and Booker T and the MG’s. Then there were those great Jeff Beck albums in the ’70s where his guitar ‘sang’ the songs so well. As a blues player, the Freddy King instrumentals are the bedrock of just about everything I try to do when I perform or record. These are the styles of music that the songs on Get It! were born from. Plus, there’s even one song, “Berry Tossin’,” that is a tribute to Chuck Berry — who had some cool instrumentals as well.

“Sadly it seems that lately the genre of guitar instrumentals has all but gone away. So I cranked up the reverb, fired up the Echoplex, started the Leslie cabinet spinning, and took down the vocal mike in my home studio. I called my long-time partner in album makin’ crime Kevin McKendree to play the keys and he wisely recommended Lynn Williams for the drum chair. The bass parts that I didn’t play myself were played by Ted Pecchio. Kevin McKendree mixed the album and I’m very pleased with the results.”

From Bob, back to you: As with Tinsley’s live CD from 2005, Highwayman, Get It! makes some great driving music for the highway. Enjoy his singing guitar and the grooves and the atmosphere. Trying to listen to it and take a nap was my mistake. I love the sounds, and as another guitar player, I’m very inspired. I hang on every note.

Bob Margolin is a senior contributing editor at BluesWax and a columnist at Blues Revue. He also plays guitar.

Ty Curtis

January 20, 2013

Salem, Oregon

and

January 29, 2013

Portland, Oregon

Playing His Part 

By Bob Gersztyn

Over the years he has had the opportunity to witness early performances of some of the most successful musical artists in blues, gospel, rock, and soul. The list includes names like Marvin Gaye, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Steve Miller, Ted Nugent, 2nd Chapter of Acts, and Andrae Crouch, to name some. So it is with great expectation that BluesWax Contributing Editor Bob Gersztyn has been following the early career of Salem, Oregon’’s blues prodigy, Ty Curtis. Bob recently attended two different Ty Curtis concerts within a little over a week and documented the events with both photographic images and commentaries on both shows. After you read his review, click over to our Photo Page to see some of Bob’s photographs from the shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urbP496SHMM

Ty Curtis Band

2009 The Redwood Run

The first gig took place at the Reed Opera House in downtown Salem, Oregon. The event was a benefit concert for the Mid-Willamette Valley chapter of Habitat for Humanity, headed up by Tony Frazier and was produced by Ken Truett’s 2nd Floor Productions. The show opened with Caleb Ray, a local musician, who performed original material for half an hour. By the time the Ty Curtis Band hit the stage the audience was primed to go into maximum overdrive.

To say that Curtis blew away the crowd with his performance would be an understatement, as he roared through his set that began with ““Down Home Girl.”” Ty Curtis continues to evolve and produce muscular hard-edged blues/rock, in the tradition of singer-songwriter/guitarist’s like Mike Bloomfield, Steve Miller, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, and Alvin Lee, to name some. Over the years the Ty Curtis Band, like that of many solo artists, has changed members. The current lineup is made up of Curtis on lead guitar and vocals, drummer Jerry Jacques, bass player Glenn Fukunaga, and keyboardist Casey McPherson.

The next number was “”Fool’s Game,”” off Cross That Line, Curtis’ 2010 release. The bluesy rocker sang about it being “a crying shame to play this fool’s game,” as the band backed his wailing guitar and plaintiff voice. Watching Curtis perform is as entertaining as listening to him, as when he contorts his facial expressions as his fingers dance up and down the fretboard of his Gibson. The wailing guitar blues segued into a mellow song, “”Bring It On Home,”” originally written and performed by the late great Sam Cooke, which went, “”If you ever change your mind About leaving, leaving me behind Oh-oh, bring it to me,– Bring your sweet loving, Bring it on home to me.”” Casey McPherson took off on keyboards half way through the song, providing a polished piano performance that complemented the aural ambiance.

“”Play My Part”” was the first song that the band did off the new eponymous album. With it, Curtis continued to cast a spell on the audience with his organically mesmerizing voice soaring in between the metallic vibrations of his six-stringed instrument. At the same time the haunting keyboards continued to ride on top of the rhythmic foundation laid by Jacques and Fukunaga. The band seemed to thoroughly enjoy what they were doing as Curtis and Fukunaga faced each other as they played their hearts out. The entire set was driven by Jacques’s hard-driving drums, setting the pace in much the same way that Max Weinberg does so for Bruce Springsteen. ““Feel What I Feel”” was another cut from the new album, with a jazzy feel, and gave Curtis another opportunity to soar into the stratosphere with his six-string pyrotechnics. The echo chamber clicked on for ““Holdin’ it Together”” as more guitar shredding occurred with bass and drums driving the rhythm to levels that defied inertia. Curtis and Fukunaga played off each other with an ecstatic relish that was apparent from their expressions as their countenances reflected off each other.

After the band came to a stop for a minute, Curtisy asked the audience, “Is everybody enjoying the show? This is down-home blues.”” Glenn Fukunaga immediate corrected with the addition that with “Habitat For Humanity” it was ““down house” blues.” Curtis told the band to play in B Flat as they dove into ““Key To My Heart,”” which began with fast picking. When Curtis plays the blues, it’’s as if he is channeling the spirit of Robert Johnson as he plays with the prowess of a master. The quartet converged their sounds into a jive-jumping, jazzy blues with bursts of exploding guitar emanations that eventually dissipated into a diminishing outro. As the set ended, Curtis told the audience that he was just accepted into the Heart of Texas Rock Fest in Austin, which was part of the South x Southwest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfbaeoS6kGI

Ty Curtis Band

“Badfish”

The Birk

November 24, 2012

A little over a week later, the Ty Curtis Band appeared in Peter’’s Room at the Roseland Theater, in Portland, Oregon, where he opened up for Tyler Bryant, the latest contender for Aerosmith’’s slot in the rock-blues pantheon. The opening act that opened the night was a local country/folk/rock band called Jackroot. After welcoming everyone to a Tuesday night concert, Curtis said, “We’’ve got a lot to think about,” as he opened with ““Down Home Girl”” once again.

Curtis delicately played his guitar as he sang, building up in rhythm and intensity until he was jamming with the bass, drums, and keyboard. He was wearing a tank top and looked relaxed as he played his heart out, building up until he was pulling out sounds on his guitar that made you want to get up and dance. ““Fool’s Game”” was the second song, firmly establishing the blues as the dominant force of the repertoire for anyone in the crowd unfamiliar with his music.

He then traded his electric guitar for an acoustic as he sat down on a stool with the rest of the band leaving the stage. “Here’’s a side of me you haven’’t seen. It’’s a song I just wrote a couple of days ago,” as he began playing ““Water Under The Bridge.”” Then the band returned and the drums took over as the dominant sound until Curtis’s guitar emerged and melody transcended the beat, as he sang “”Feel What I Feel.”” Then the rest of the band joined in and after jamming for a while, Curtis broke out with a guitar solo demonstrating a mesmerizing prowess.

As mentioned earlier, some guitarist’s countenances are more dominant that others when they perform a solo. Whether it’s B.B. King, Robin Trower, or Johnny Lang, facial expressions are part of the performance. Next came a solid blues guitar intro to “”Five Long Years,”” B.B. King’’s song off Cross That Line, as he broke into song with “”Have you ever been mistreated?”” It was another opportunity for some solid guitar playing as he played in every position imaginable, from over his head to behind his back and brought down the house. After the show, Curtis told me that he had some trouble with his pedal board, but I didn’’t even notice. For more information about Ty Curtis, his music, and his appearances go to his Web site.

Bob Gersztyn is a contributing editor at BluesWax.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-vNgzQlcIU

Ty Curtis Band

The Birk

November 24, 2012

Another Bad Boy Done Gone…

The following was released on Thursday, February 21. We reprint it here in its entirety.

It is with great sorrow that I inform you that Magic Slim a.k.a. Morris Holt, of Grenada, Mississippi, passed away Thursday, February 21, 2013. He will be missed by his family, friends, and blues fans all over the world. Funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later this week. The family wishes to thank everyone for their kind words and prayers.

Marty Salzman – Manager, Magic Slim
Linda Cunningham – Public Relations, Magic Slim
Mike Blakemore – Tour Manager, Magic Slim

Magic Slim was a blues legend who migrated from the South to Chicago during the 1940s and ’50s.  Slim played raw, intense blues, a style that used no pedals down, just him.  Slim  paved the way for rock as well as modern blues. Slim and The Teardrops performances  became legendary, and they played the blues with an undeniable intensity that left one out of breath on the floor and in need for more.

This big man of the blues was born Morris Holt in Torrence, Mississippi on August 7, 1937.  His mother and father were sharecroppers; they lived on a farm and they all would get up early in the mornings and slop the hogs, feed the chickens, catch the mule, and go out into the fields. “I still had to go to the field until I got age enough to leave home.

MAGIC SLIM and THE TEARDROPS “Mamma Talk to Your Daughter”

“I got little jobs around there when I was 13 and that was when I got my hand hurt.  I hurt it in a cotton gin. I was at the gin and my hand got caught on a piece of wire going up in there, and I grabbed it and before I could turn it loose, I lost my little pinky finger.”  Slim showed his musical talents early, singing in his church choir and playing piano.

After his accident he couldn’t play the piano anymore because he didn’t have that little pinkie finger so he picked up the guitar.  He made his first guitar out of bailing wire from a broom, which he nailed to a wall.  “My Mama whopped me when I tore up her broom,” he said, “but she let me keep on using it.  My Mama said later that if she had known what I’d be into later, she wouldn’t have given me a whopping.”

Magic Slim & The Teardrops, Vienna 1991

It was in 1955 when Slim made his first trip to Chicago, to play for Magic Sam, a friend of his from home.  Magic Sam also gave Slim tips on playing the guitar, and it was Sam who called his bass player “Magic Slim,” because back then Slim was lean and tall and he learned from Sam quickly.  Sam told Slim to develop his own guitar style.

“Magic Sam told me, don’t try to play like him, and don’t try to play like no one else; he said get a sound of your own.”  Slim did get a sound of his own; his guitar tone is tough and cutting, united with a vibrato formed by his fingers against the strings to reproduce the sound of a slide guitar while still being able to bend the note. Slim said, “I slide with my finger.  I use nothing on my finger, a lot of players try to get a sound like me and I play the same guitar everybody else plays.”

Magic Slim “Bad Boy- Gambling Blues – Someone Else Is Steppin’ In”

Slim’s take on writing songs.  “I just think of some words and write them down, think of some more and write them down, and then when I get enough words together I take out some and put some in there and make them rhyme together and then I learn them, then I put music to them.”  “My songs are either telling a story or asking a question.  It’s just a feelin’.”

Magic Slim is a man that came from the country; he was slim and tall trying to play the blues, now he can play the blues.  And like Slim says, ”If you want to play the blues, play the blues, if you don’t feel the blues, leave it alone, cause you can’t be playin’ it if you don’t feel it.”

Reprinted with permission. Written By Linda Cunningham

Magic Slim & the Teardrops – I’m a Bluesman

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Fine Arts Center Concert Hall

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

January 30, 2013

By Eric Sutter

 For fifty years Ladysmith Black Mambazo has taken it’s message of peace, love, and harmony around the world through their unique musical fusion of traditional South African and Christian gospel music. They cross cultural boundaries with musical messages in a Isicathamiya (a cappella) choral style. Intricate rhythms and nature effects combined with their glorious voices to create sounds that mystified the audience.

The nine-man group began with the chant “I Love My Brothers and Sisters.” This beautiful music is so joyful it crossed the entire emotional spectrum. It evoked enthusiasm and excitement regardless of spiritual direction. Love songs and folk songs weaved vivid imagery that transported one to another place. “Uthekwane (The Prettiest Bird),” from their latest CD, Songs From A Zulu Farm, brought forth singing in Zulu and English. Funky dancing and clowning ensued… high Zulu leg kicks, hand claps, and foot stomps enhanced the musical vision. Lead singer Joseph Shabalala led the group with his high tenor as alto and bass voices harmonized on the first song he wrote, “Nomathemba.” It was a love song about a man who doesn’t want his girl to leave him. Passing the tradition on, his youngest son sang lead falsetto on the love song “Hello By Baby,” which raised spirits high with some smooth, hip-shakin’ dance moves. Some songs described their beautiful jungle homeland as they made bush calls, whistles, and bird sounds.

The second half celebrated their worldwide recoqnition from Paul Simon‘s landmark 1986 recording, Graceland, with a wonderful rendition of “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes.” Their body language expressed lots of joy… they were very light on their feet on the tips of toes. “Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain” from 2006′s Long Walk To Freedom was a soulful nature ballad. The Paul Simon-penned “Homeless” was well received. The group is superior at expression of universal joy and sadness through music. The South African folk song “Shosholoza” or “Down In The Mines” was sung call and response style about the working man’s hardship with audience participation clapping to the beat. They encored with the hopeful message of “Amazing Grace.”

Eric Sutter is a contributing writer at BluesWax.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

January 26, 2013

Riverside Casino & Golf Resort

Riverside, Iowa

By Phillip Smith

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band’s second live performance for 2013 landed them in front of a completely sold out crowd in Riverside, Iowa. With Kenny and Noah Hunt front and center, the remaining members of the band are Chris Layton on drums, Tony Franklin on bass guitar, and Riley Osbourn on the B3 and keyboards.

I could feel the excitement in the air as the band took the stage. Leading off with “Never Looking Back,” “Somehow Somewhere Someway,” and “Everything is Broken” certainly warmed the audience up and left them hungry for more. Then after asking if everyone was ready for some Texas blues, Noah picked up his acoustic guitar and the band broke into riveting rendition of “Butterfly.” After which, it was announced Kenny Wayne Shepherd would have two albums coming out this year. One with Stephen Stills, and the other, another blues album with the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band.

A certain momentum was building with the song selection and I could feel something spectacular was coming around the corner. It was. Noah grabbed his tambourine and Kenny began playing his guitar intro to “Deja Voodoo” as Riley Osbourn joined in on keyboards. It was so smooth. I loved the guitar solo on this one too, as did the gentleman sitting next to me. He turned to me and asked, ‘Who’s better than this?” and before I could say anything, he so matter-of-factly stated, ‘Nobody!”

When it comes to great rocking-blues voices, very few are on the same level as Noah Hunt. The man can sing like there is no tomorrow. “Shame Shame Shame,” which showcased these vocals, also provided a spotlight moment for the rest of the band which broke into a soulful, groovy jam midway before Kenny nailed another awe-inspiring guitar solo.

Breaking out his black Stratocaster with the racing stripes, Kenny tore through a killer solo for “Dark Side of Love.” They then, climatically followed up with “Shotgun Blues,” which brought everyone out of their chairs and onto their feet. For the last song of the set, Shepherd tool a 180-degree turn and beautifully performs the instrumental “While We Cry.” This was one of my favorite moments of the evening.

“Blue on Black,” which initiated the encore sequence and brought everyone back on their feet again, joining in on an audience sing-a-long. “I’m a King Bee” followed up next, and was dedicated by Noah to all the girls because they always go crazy on a full moon. The moon was indeed full and, from my viewpoint, it wasn’t just the girls going crazy. The band was supercharged. Kenny and Tony Franklin were in perfect synchronicity, and Noah was singing loud and strong.

Hoping for at least one more song, my prayers were answered. A very familiar”‘wacka wacka” expelled from the stage, giving way to “Voodoo Child.” One word: “stupendous!” Kenny and Tony strutted back and forth across the stage peacocking while Noah pumped his mike stand in the air. Chris Layton was amazing to watch on this one, too. And with a furious finish, the show ended on a high note with the crowd still wanting more.

Set List

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Riverside, IA

01/26/13

Never Looking Back

Somehow Somewhere Someway

Everything is Broken

Butterfly

Deja Voodoo

Born with a Broken Heart

Shame Shame Shame

Dark Side of Love

Shotgun Blues

While We Cry

Encore

Blue on Black

I’m a King Bee

Voodoo Child

Now that you have read about the show, go to this week’s Photo Page to see some of Phillip’s personal photographs of the show.

Phillip Smith is a contributing writer at BluesWax.

Sandy Beaches Cruise #19

January 5 -12, 2013

Another Great Year of Performances

And There Will Be More!

By Robert Putignano

After you read about this year’s cruise, click over to this week’s Photo Page to see some of Bob’s cool photos from the ship.

It was previously announced that this year’s Delbert cruise would be their last. Thankfully there will be more, perhaps many more! As it was decided to outsource Ragena Warden’s Event Coordinator’s position, but this was not a corporate-like decision as the (always wonderful) Ragena is retiring to travel the world with her husband. This year’s cruise brought back many familiar faces: Marcia Ball, Anson Funderburgh, Jimmy Hall, Big Joe Maher’s 4 JAKS, Clay McClinton, The McCrary Sisters, Mingo Fishtrap, Gary Nicholson, Spooner Oldham, Lee Roy Parnell, Wayne Toups, Paul Thorn, Seth Walker, plus the return of Tab Benoit (who’s been absent for two years), newcomers The Band of Heathens, who I thoroughly enjoyed, and of course Delbert McClinton, who continues to marvel and astound.

Favorites included Wayne Toups’ excellent band with the burning Freddie Pate on guitar, Toup’s son Darrell on percussion, Chevy Foreman’s solid bass, Adrian Boudreaux’ keys, and Matt Janise, who was very impressive and added much color on drums. The Toups band is not your typical zydeco band as they incorporate classic rock overtones into their Louisiana-based performances; they are especially fond of the Allman Brothers, too. The highlight of their set was when Lee Roy Parnell sat in and called for “Ramblin’ Man,” “One Way Out,” and a rollicking “Sweet Home Alabama,” all of which sizzled (especially Parnell and Pate’s dueling guitars) which had the crowd cheering and begging for more.

Gary Nicholson’s band was a big party with Anson Funderburgh and Colin Linden on guitars. It was a superb set, where I enjoyed Nicholson’s fun tune “Pay Bo Diddley,” and much more. The band I saw last year with Big Joe Maher, Anson Funderburgh, Kevin McKendree, and Steve Mackey also dazzled, and they have a new Ellersoul album due out titled Deal With It. And they now have a band name: The 4 JAKS, as in Joe, Anson, Kevin, and Steve, get it?

Who doesn’t like Marcia Ball? Especially with guitarist “Mighty” Mike Schermer (who also has a new CD coming out) and Red Young sitting in on B3 throughout. Tab Benoit (saw him three times) was on fire with the newly added Terrence Higgins on drums (Dirty Dozen Brass Band), who was in lockstep with the fabulous ex-Chubby Carrier bassist Corey Duplechin, plus Johnny Sansone was called up to sit in and Tab never let him leave the stage. These Benoit sets were nearly the best I’ve ever seen him and his previous bands deliver! Delbert is so timeless (saw him three times too) and McClinton and his always solid band marveled. By the way, Delbert also has a new CD coming out in May on New West records with his old cohort Glen Clark titled Blind, Crippled & Crazy.

Of special note, I completely enjoyed the two sets that I witnessed by the The Band of Heathens. Even though these youngsters are in their early thirties, they definitely have an affinity towards late-sixties to mid-seventies music. They are reminiscent of groups like The Band, Little Feat, and other early-seventies country-rock bands, but also write great tunes, vocalize well, and have a unique knack at listening to each other when they jam. These young Heathens would have fit in playing the Fillmore East and West back in the day and left a very solid impression. Cary Baker also tells me that they too also have a new album due out later this year, look for it!

Add to the mix the late-night that produced all kinds of unsuspected and dynamite playing, Nick Connolly’s 5 p.m. Jams, and The 4 JAKS’ four performances, and it all made for one heck of a noon-to-wee hours party. Running into Spooner Oldham on Grand Turk Island was also special for me to catch-up and chat with him as he saw me wearing my Atlantic Records T-shirt and wanted to know where he could get one. Spooner told me he was very proud of his Atlantic days, and it was an honor to shoot the breeze with this legendary musician.

And the best news of all is that it ain’t over, as there will be more Delbert cruises! After being horrified of the thought that this would be the last cruise, I am happy to report that you can sign up right now for their twentieth at www.Delbert.com or call 1-800-Delbert. I hope to be back again in 2014, and look forward to seeing many of you onboard, too!

Bob Putignano is a senior contributing editor at BluesWax, a contributing writer at Blues Revue, and the heart and soul of Sounds of Blue.

Bruce Springsteen

and

The E Street Band

The Blues Had A Baby

By Bob Gersztyn

When Muddy Waters sang that “The blues had a baby and they named the baby rock ‘n’ roll,” he was endorsing a genre that would produce a plethora of sub-genres, while at the same time maintaining its own sonic integrity. Just before he graduated into eternity Bo Diddley told this writer that each generation had to create its own music, and that every time that happens it’s inspired by what preceded it, while at the same time it creates its own individual identity. Bruce Springsteen, with and without the E Street Band has over a period of four decades created a brand of American music that incorporates elements from every branch of primitive roots music from folk and country to gospel and blues.

On Wednesday, November 22, 2012, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band appeared at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon, to rock the City of Roses to high heaven for over three hours. The show began with “Land of Hope and Dreams,” off the new Wrecking Ball album, a Woody Guthrie-sque train image that opened like a gospel lament, taken from the prophet Jeremiah. The call and response conclusion used Curtis Mayfield’s 1965 pop-gospel R&B hit “People Get Ready” as the song faded out and seamlessly segued into “No Surrender.”

The third song was “Hungry Heart,” and Bruce walked out into the crowd of general admission standing room-only ticket holders while singing and playing guitar, until he reached a raised platform in the middle of the crowd, which he stepped onto and played to reaching hands that he fell back onto and body surfed by. The crowd then propelled the Boss back to the stage, while singing the song’s lyrics, along with him, until they thrust Bruce upright back on stage. By the time that he began “We Take Care of Our Own,” the first song and radio hit, off the new album, it became apparent nobody was going to sit down, even if they did pay for a seat.

“Death To My Hometown” was performed in a Gallic style featuring Soozie Tyrell on fiddle, Charlie Giordano on accordion, and Everett Bradley beating a marching bass drum like a wild man. The trio walked to the edge of the stage where Bruce joined them as they kept cadence to the music they were producing, while Springsteen sang –

“Now get yourself a song to sing

And sing it ‘till you’re done

Sing it and sing it well…”

Little Steven Van Zandt and Nils Losfgren also joined the edge of the stage marching line, as their guitars screamed along with the Boss’s, until everything built up to a high-energy crescendo prodded on by the driving beat of Max Weinberg’s pounding drum kit, along with Bradley’s drum major performance. After the conclusion’s explosion of sound died to only the ringing in the audience’s ears, Springsteen greeted the crowd by saying “Hello Portland, we’re back together again with some new band members and old ones.” He talked about his adopted hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey. “It was vacant for 25 tears,” he said, “and ten years ago it came back, but Hurricane Sandy put it back a little. This is from the Atlantic coast to your coast,” Bruce said as the band began playing “My City of Ruins,” from 2002’s The Rising album. The horn section made up of Jake Clemons – saxophone, Barry Danielian – trumpet, Clark Gayton – trombone and Eddie Manion – saxophone was now featured, as each member of the quartet took a turn as a soloist. Then Bruce told the audience “I want to do a roll call to see who’s in the house tonight. I want to see who’s with me now,” as the band switched back to Mayfield’s – “People Get Ready,” while Bruce went through the names of everyone in the band, one at a time, introducing all 16 of them. After the introductions were over the band went back to playing “My City’s In Ruins.” Bruce raised his right arm and waved making an upward movement with his hand to encourage the crowd to react to the lyrics as he sang, “Come on rise up, come on rise up.”

“We’ve been around the world asking just one question,” Springsteen said and then asked, “Can you feel the spirit now?” He wound up the crowd asking that question, as the Rose Garden became church. “We’re here to bring you the good news,” he told the throng, as the band began playing “Spirit In The Night.” Springsteen stood in front of his center stage microphone stand and leaned back on it, while playing his guitar sliding down to a sitting position with his legs spread. Bruce had everyone in the band take a short solo, as he faced the band with his back to the audience, although there were even occupied seats in back of the stage, whose occupants were grateful for the attention. Jake Clemons, nephew of the late Clarence Clemons was now part of the E Street band, filling his late uncle’s shoes. Jake’s father is Bill Clemons, a former Marine Corps band director. Jake came and sat down with Bruce at the edge of the stage, as the duo performed together in perfect harmony. The enthusiastic crowd was going hysterical with emotion, as this writer witnessed a move of the spirit comparable to any he had ever experienced in decades of Pentecostal church services.

At one point Springsteen gathered up all the signs that people were holding , with names of song requests on them. He picked one out of the pile that was a multiple choice spinning needle and he had a woman come on stage to spin it. The needle fell on “Steve’s Choice,” so Van Zandt picked “Born On The Loose End,” which was supposed to be on The River, but didn’t get included. Bruce pulled a guy up on stage to sing “Growin’ Up,” his first song that he wrote when he was 16, along with him.

Max Weinberg was beating his bass drum, as it thundered in the dark along with Roy Bittan’s keyboard accompaniment. Bruce began singing “Jack Of All Trades,” with a trumpet solo and Nils Lofgren passionately playing with his signature guitar phrasing.

“The banker man grows fatter, the working man grows thin

It’s all happened before and it’ll happen again

It’ll happen again, they’ll bet your life

I’m a Jack of all trades and, darling, we’ll be alright.”

By the end of the song violin, accordion, Lofgren, Springsteen, bass, and bass drum were all standing at the edge of the stage, practically marching off the edge into the adoring ocean of raised hands extending from the pulsating throng of humanity that comprised the organism that was the audience. “Seeds,” a song that describes a scenario similar to the one described by John Steinbeck in the Grapes of Wrath, only using an oil field instead of an orchard this time, was the next number, with Bruce angrily screaming into the microphone after a raging guitar intro. He sang of a family who move south to find work, only to be told to move along. A raging guitar solo split open the soul of anyone still embracing an ounce of apathy, as Bruce sang –

“Well I swear if I could spare the spit I’d lay one on your shiny chrome

And send you on your way back home.”

“Johnny 99” first appeared on the Nebraska album and is another story about hard times leading to crime. By the time the band ripped through the story, the entire horn section came down to the very edge of the stage, in front of the center-stage microphone and pulled out all the stops as they played to a driving keyboard accompaniment. “Darlington County” was next as Bruce left the stage once again and got on the ramp in the center of the arena. “I’ve seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,” he said. He interacted with the crowd and then grabbed a 2×8 banner sign that said “Lesbians Love [Love was in the form of a heart] Bruce,” which he brought back with him when he returned to the front stage. He began to reach out and pull women up on the stage to dance, and by the time he was done there were five females rocking out with the band. The one thing that they all had in common was they were wearing T-shirts with the same message as the banner.

The stage was dark as Bruce taunted the crowd by saying – “Give it to me! Ya, ya, ya, ya…,“ as an introduction to “Shackled and Drawn.” Michelle Moore, one of the three backup singers, came forward and called the house to prayer. As she wailed with Bruce, once again the horn section came down to the edge of the stage. In fact, the entire band of everyone that had a non-stationary instrument came forward and danced in rhythm to the song at the end of the stage. Springsteen and Van Zandt traded acoustic guitars for their electric ones and began playing “Waiting On A Sunny Day,” as the horn section took over and then led into singing the chorus of “ It’s raining it’s pouring,” woven into the lyrics and performance, until Bruce once again pulled audience members up on the stage to join him and the band. This time it was a couple of young ladies that he had singing the song’s lyrics to his enthusiastic encouragement.

“I need you to chase the blues away

Without you I’m a drummer girl that can’t keep a beat…

Your smile girl, brings the mornin’ light to my eyes

Lifts away the blues when I rise

I hope that you’re coming to stay.”

“Drive All Night” was the next song and it took the pace down a notch and was probably the only time during the entire concert where a majority of people with seats actually sat down. Jake Clemens came forward and did a saxophone solo sitting alongside Bruce until the energy of his performance drove people back to their feet. “The Rising” was the title song from Springsteen’s cathartic post 9/11 release and took the resurging energy level of the audience back into overdrive, with Nils Lofgren handling the guitar solo. “Badlands” reached back 35 years, but kept up the energy level as Max Weinberg attacked his drum kit with a ferocity that defied credibility, especially for a 61-year-old man. He kept up an eardrum-rupturing intensity with the hammer blows that he dealt to the skins, keeping perfect time with Garry Tallent thumping on bass to provide the same rhythm section that recorded the original in 1978 on Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

“Thunder Road” reaches back to Springsteen’s first critically acclaimed album Born To Run in 1975. It continued the performance’s intensity by further escalating the energetic enthusiasm of the crowd until it once again reached a crescendo and erupted in an orgasm of delight by simply using his greatest hits catalogue. By the time that Springsteen was singing –

“Oh-oh come take my hand

Riding out tonight to case the promised land

Oh-oh thunder road, oh thunder road oh thunder road.”

The entire audience was singing the words to the song, as the band, once again walked to the edge of the stage as it concluded its outro and took a bow, in unison. The lights dimmed and everyone exited the stage to ear-deafening thunderous applause, whistling and foot stomping until, in less than a minute everyone came back out. Bruce walked to the edge of the stage and took a sign from a guy that read, “We played this at our wedding,” it read, “If I Should Fall Behind.” The Boss played it on his electric guitar with minimal accompaniment as he sang the words –

“And should I fall behind

Wait for me…”

The band segued into “Born To Run” as Bruce walked out into the crowd again, this time holding his guitar horizontally in the air as members of the audience that he turned towards, began picking, plucking, and strumming the strings. The audience interaction with the guitar created a mass of noise in the middle of an instrumental interlude. Springsteen started singing again –

“I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight,

In an everlasting kiss…”

“Rosalita” followed and led into “Dancing In The Dark,” as the crowd went nuts screaming, shouting, and continuing to sing the lyrics at a volume that drowned out the band, until Bruce began talking and the audience quieted down. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” has been a staple in the pre-holiday concerts for years, and tonight was no exception. The night’s intensely insane, pull-out-all-the-stops performance concluded with “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” as the crowd of nearly 20,000 continued to drown out the band until they finally left the stage and the house lights came on to thunderous applause. Wow!

Bob Gersztyn is a contributing editor at BluesWax.

Delbert McClinton’s

Sandy Beaches Cruise #18

January 8 -15, 2012

By Robert Putignano

This was my second Sandy Beaches Cruise and Delbert’s eighteenth edition. Last year’s lineup and performances were very solid; there were some artists changes for 2012, that made this year’s experience stronger than my previous sailing.

Most days there was music starting at noon that ran into the wee hours, so it was nearly impossible to cover each and every performance, but I saw a great deal of outstanding shows. Highlights included the McCrary Sisters, Teresa James, Marcia Ball, Joe Ely, Lee Roy Parnell, Seth Walker, Gary Nicholson, Wayne Toups, Big Joe Maher with Anson Funderburgh, Nick Connolly, Eric Lindell, and, of course, Delbert McClinton.

The weather was great so I spent most of my time hanging at the outside Pool Deck stage. On the first night one my last year’ favorites Wayne Toups & Zydecajun started the festivities and did not disappoint. Closing the first night was Delbert’s band and they roared (more about both of these performances later).

Day Two began with we cruisers in church (sort of) with the McCrary Sisters, who vocalized in beautiful fashion, and with solid energy. Gary Nicholson’s band performance (the only time I saw him as a bandleader) was breathtaking, one guest artist after another sat in. To my delight one of my favorite guitarists, Anson Funderburgh, sat in with Nicholson’s group and, man, it was so great to hear him play again. Colin Linden, Kevin McKendree, Steve Mackey, Tom Hambridge, and others laid down (at times) frenzied grooves. Other guests who graced Nicholson’s performance included Lee Roy Parnell, Seth Walker, and Delbert’s horn section making (for me) one of the best shows I witnessed on stage, but hey, this is only the second day of the cruise.

Later that evening I went to see Big Joe Maher at the indoor Ocean Bar. Maher not only had McKendree and Mackey in tow, but also had Anson Funderburgh on lead guitar. This mighty unit performed for four straight nights, and I made sure to check-in on them every night. (You can read more about my coverage of Maher’s band in an upcoming issue of Blues Revue.)

Day Three: Seth Walker continues to grow artistically and called onto his producer, Gary Nicholson, to join him on stage on the title track of his most recent 2009 disc Leap of Faith. Also sitting in with Walker were Raul Malo and Jimmy Hall, who chimed in with what could easily be called the anthem tune for the cruise, “More Days Like This (and More Nights Like That).” Walker’s songwriting is very catchy, easily accessible, and his lyrics stay with you, which is impressive. Look for Walker’s next recording, Time Can Change, in May, and you can listen to the new tunes at his site. By the way, the dynamic duo of McKendree and Mackey (who seemingly played with everyone) rounded out Walker’s band. Delbert’s performance this same day was also superlative. He was in outstanding form and his band impressed from beginning to end. Words cannot speak clearly enough about how creative McClinton still sounds, and how his band continues to rework and make his current and old favorites sound fresh.

Day Four: This was a shorter day of music as we arrived at St. Bart’s and took time to go ashore. Wayne Toups and his band were (as usual) powerful and went into orbit when Lee Roy Parnell joined in and performed two Allman Brothers classics, “Ramblin’ Man” and “Midnight Rider.” I always felt that the Toups band had that southern soul edge, which is unique for a zydeco band, so Parnell’s tune choices were more than spot on and perfect. Great call Mr. Parnell! Needless to say- the crowd adored this segment.

Day Five: This was another shorter day of music as we arrived at the delightful St. Kitts, which had its own West Indies groove. I did not catch a lot of music this day but made sure to (for the fourth night in a row) to check out Big Joe Maher with Funderburgh blowing the roof off the Oceans Bar. What a band, with Maher’s excellent vocals and drumming, with the tireless (always talented) McKendree on keys, and the likewise gifted Mackey on bass. I have to say that every time I see Eric Lindell and his band he continues to impress especially with their exuberance and youthful energy.

Day Six: Toups started the day with a bit of brandy at noon; he said he had started drinking at 10:45 a.m.! Nonetheless they impressed. I ran inside to catch the annual pianorama and got to see Nick Connolly (who also sang impressively) and Red Young, plus Kevin McKendree and his eight-year-old son Yates McKendree, who sparkled with a wicked right hand. Let’s just say that the apple has not fallen far from the tree, and that Yates (who garnered many photos) handled his role like a pro, didn’t flinch, and looked completely composed. Later that evening, I checked out Joe Ely, whose set also intrigued.

Last Day: I caught Teresa James‘ very soulful performance. For those who are not hip to James, you should be, she possesses great vocal pipes and plays solid piano; her band didn’t disappoint as well. My final observance was the always captivating Marcia Ball, who was in high gear on their evening outdoor recital. Her band (aided by Red Young on B3) seemed invigorated by the cooler weather that rolled in as we approached Florida, and high winds. Mingo Fishtrap’s horns also joined in making Ball’s performance tight, mighty, and strong.

I hope that I can return for next year’s nineteenth edition of Delbert’s Sandy Beaches Cruise, as this cruise has now become the highlight of the year for me. Details for 2013 are already formulated with band confirmations at the SBC site. By the way, it was great to finally meet Karen Leipziger of KL Productions, whose husband Dennis Taylor toured and recorded with Delbert until his intimely passing in 2010. Special thanks to Delbert’s wife, Wendy Goldstein, the entire Delbert staff, and to my good friend and now retired Don Wise, who has played powerful and soulful sax with Delbert for over twenty years. If you have never been on a Delbert cruise, think about it, and start saving your hard-earned bucks for 2013, you will not be disappointed with the outstanding music, great boat amenities, and the loyal fans, some of whom return year after year, after year. No one can argue why, as once you cruise with Delbert and his friends, you’ll be hooked too!

Bob Putignano is a contributing writer at Blues Revue and a contributing editor at BluesWax. He is also the heart and soul of Sounds of Blue.

BluesWax Spotlight On

Mose Allison

By Charley Burch

Mose Allison’s performance in Cleveland, Mississippi, on February 15, 2012, was an event that was long in the planning by the State of Mississippi and Delta State University. Composer, poet, pianist, and vocalist Mose Allison appeared in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the Delta State campus. The concert was titled “DSU Welcomes Mose Allison Home” and was made possible by funding from the Delta State Foundation, Delta Center for Culture and Learning, the Bologna Performing Arts Center, the Tri-State Education Foundation, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Mississippi Arts Commission. The performance was free to the public.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning composer and pianist Mose Allison was born in 1927 in Tallahatchie County, where he was influenced by the bluesmen that lived and performed regionally and on his father’s farm. Allison has since lived in New York City and Hilton Head. He has been a major influence on musicians over the last 50 years and has been touring for at least that long. Allison has released 55 albums in his career. He has been a major influence upon many genres and his songs have been recorded by modern day popular artists, such as Van Morrison, The Who, Diana Krall, The Clash, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, and Elvis Costello. Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones listed Allison as a major influence on his own career. Allison’s singular style, a unique blending of jazz and blues, and his profound lyrical wit mark him as a true American original.

The opening act was comprised of Jimmy Jarratt from Madison, Mississippi, on piano; Bret Pimentel (Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at DSU) on saxes; Paul Hankins (bandleader and Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Trumpet at DSU) on trumpet; Ben Arnold (Instructor of Percussion & Music Education – Mississippi Valley State University) on drums; and, Barry Bays (Instructor, Director of DMI Ensembles – Delta Music Institute, DSU) on upright bass (in a suit!). Their intro began magnificently with “Blue Soul” by Richard “Blue” Mitchell and segued into Juan Tizol’s “Perdido,” made famous by Duke Ellington and a later version with lyrics sung by Ella Fitzgerald. A dreamy rendition of Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Bossa” was next and they finished with John Coltrane’s complexly classic “Impressions.”

Dr. Luther Brown then took the stage to “introduce Allison and welcome him home.” Allison took his seat at the Baldwin Grand and was accompanied by great Memphis friends and musicians Sam Shoup ( www.samshoup.com) on upright bass and Tom Lonardo (www.tomlonardo.com) on drums. “Mose always opens his sets with a long jam. This time it was an arranged intro “Chart” that sequed into “Dr, Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” which had an imaginative musical theater-like intro that shifted into Allison’s signature witty storytelling technique. Not wearing glasses, as I was told he was supposed to, Allison had his charts and sheet music flat on the piano’s top while his rhythm section remained transfixed to their sheets which were angularly positioned on music stands before their eyes and required their constant focus. It was clear that Allison knew every note by heart and their necessary expression and selections were “in the moment” and executed with masterful precision.

Two works from early recordings cover the subject of his leaving the farm: “City Home” and “Goin’ To The City.” “If You’re going to the City…,” the Maestro gives us the first of many Southern Gentlemanly advice like lines straight out of a Mark Twain novel or Will Rogers quotations, “..don’t take money from a woman and don’t mess around with no dope.” He then challenged us to “Tell Me Somethin’ (that I don’t know).” All of these opening selections, as with much of Allison’s work, take you into the mind of the composer who is constantly questioning life as well as others who participate in its process. A sagacious man with much to teach us, Allison is clearly a part of something larger than himself and all listening have much to learn if they just take a moment to do so. The order of the maestro’s set list was clearly made on the fly and this was qualified by the audience’s appreciative laughter and applause when it took Allison around seven seconds to claim “This next song was written by……ahhhhh…..Me!” The song was a darkly playful “What’s Your Movie?” We question our existence on earth and purpose of being here with “Ever Since The World Ended,” followed by the evening’s first cover, “You Call It Joggin’ ” by the Tennessee songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Allison made note that this was one of hundreds that Loudermilk has written during his career. This song wonderfully qualifies how most peoples’ efforts are really not as important as they may perceive them to be.

Allison cued Shoup on bass that the next piece, “Your Mind is on Vacation (and your mouth is working overtime),” would be in Blues F. We next take an esoteric journey into the unknown with “Hello Universe,” followed by the duality between right and wrong in “I’ve Been Doin’ Some Thinkin’: Feels So Good.” In between his lyrical versing, Allison brings his songs to wondrous fruition by angelic bridges and turns that are as treacherous as a dead man’s curve for the average driver. In “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy” Allison stresses that “..they don’t know the meaning of the word” in a playful manner while incorporating incredible economics both lyrically and musically getting the melody and the hook out of the gate without audaciously long intros or mud stirring. Allison gives you the birth and not the labor. Even when nature happens or gravity works (as when a microphone fell out of its stand or his sheet music shifted out of place, Allison played through the piece with ease making nonchalant corrections and pulled it all together like a magician produces his rabbit from a silk top hat. Other selections that magical evening included “My Backyard,” “You Can’t Push People Around,” “Was,” “Ever Since I Stole The Blues,” “You Can Count On Me to Do My Part,” and “Stranger In My Own Hometown” by Percy Mayfield. The encore was from Allison’s latest release on Anti-Records (The Way of The World) titled “My Brain,” which is cleverly fashioned musically after Willie Dixon’s masterpiece for Little Walter “My Babe,” while encapsulating the songwriter’s incredible life and perspective lyrically as only he can do and inarguable ownership of a song even when it’s a cover or re-arrangement.

Allison’s skills and influence have notably rubbed off on his daughter Amy, who unfortunately was not present backstage that night. Her most recent effort, Sheffield Streets, released on Urban Myth Records in 2009 and produced by drummer Don Heffington features Elvis Costello, Dave Alvin, Mose Allison, and Van Dyke Parks. as well as Leisz and other musical luminaries

Allison’s wife Audre told me afterwards that “Mose chooses what he’ll play based mainly on the musicality, the tempo, the key, because he likes to vary this. He does take into consideration the audience he’s playing for, but with so many songs to choose from, that is difficult.” When asked about his take on the evening’s performance, she stated, “I think he was a bit awestruck by the outpouring of affection… certainly more than he’d expected… and in his usual honest humility …more than he thought he deserved.”

Allison’s piano playing is like Bartok meets barrelhouse. Throughout the evening Mose was accenting his trio’s playing and other non-present instrumentation vocally with a fusion of scat and be-bop in undertoned breath. The technique was an evolutionary medley in styles ranging from Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway to Sarah Vaughn and Betty Carter. This was further evidence of this maestro’s composition skills and understanding of his craft and these magnificent multiple instrumental arrangements. From time to time when he wasn’t singing lyrics, he would push the microphone away to avoid a bleed with the trio’s playing. This is something that was much appreciated as being still present in the mix because it took the listener in the audience on a fantastic voyage into this wonderful mind. Anyone who plays with Mose Allison better understand how to read music and notations or they are going to get very lost very quickly. Just when you think he is running off the rails or freely improvising, you better be on point or it’s all over for you. He will definitely be back there and online and you will slam into a wall or drift into oblivion, because he wrote everything down both on paper and mental valence or virtual H.U.D.. Allison reminds me of Les Paul in many ways. Both men disciplined students of classical and jazz music who with their master skill sets freed themselves and are known by most as great contributors to 20th century music. Allison and Paul are like the great master abstract painters Picasso and Dali, both of the Paris School, studied and mastered traditional formulas and techniques and later “freed” themselves and began movements of their own.

The youth of today are in a dark ages musically and maestros like Mose Allison are their beacon of light. In an era of songwriters speaking from a heart limited in experience to musicians no longer learning how to read sheet music, Allsion reminds us that we must constantly be students of a craft that we might possibly never master (even if you are a wiz at Garage Band and Pitchfork digs your beard). I encourage both musicians and music fans to revisit this great artist’s vast body of work and mastering of the art form. More information at his site.

After his performance at Delta State, Allison was honored in Jackson where the Mississippi Arts Commission presented him with the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, February 16, at 1:00 p.m. at the Wells Memorial United Methodist Church. Alex Thomas and The Mississippi Blues Commission unveiled a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in his honor on Friday, February 17, at 1:30 p.m. at the Allison Mercantile Store in Tippo, Mississippi. A reception and program presented by CARE immediately followed the unveiling ceremony at the CARE building in Morgan Freeman’s home base of Charleston. Mississippi.

Charley Burch is a writer and producer in Memphis.

Joe McMurrian

Aladdin Theater

Portland, Oregon

November 13, 2012

 Tuesday Night Blues

 By Bob Gersztyn

The Aladdin theater in Portland, Oregon, is one of those venues that’’s the perfect size for an intimate concert, with only 600 seats, including the balcony. Tonight it was a sold-out show with standing room only, augmenting the capacity to nearly 900. The show started promptly at 8 p.m. when Joe McMurrian walked onto the stage and sat in a chair that was strategically placed center stage in front of the Robert Cray Band‘’s equipment. McMurrian is currently based in Portland and is a songwriting guitarist who plays a Delta Blues/Roots style with influences from Robert Johnson, Skip James, and Sun House to Jimi Hendrix, Leo Kottke, and Chris Whitley.

McMurrian picked up an acoustic guitar and began with ““Drop Down Mama”” as he worked the strings until they passionately sang out. He wore a plaid shirt and Stetson hat and his appearance and demeanor reminded me of Bruce Springsteen during his Nebraska period. McMurrian switched instruments nearly every song, from acoustic and resonator guitars to banjo. “”I want to do one that I wrote,”” he announced in introduction to ““Home of My Own”” as he played with a delicate expertise that reached into the soul and touched the heart of the spirit! He talked about the way that stolen guitars sometimes turn up in pawn shops where you might purchase one that was owned by a famous person without even knowing it. The next tune he played was ““Get Inside the House,”” something that his mother, like all mothers, tell their children at some time he explained in introduction.

After he concluded “”East Virginia Blues,”” McMurrian talked about how his grandfather was born in California after his family was run out of Oklahoma for running whiskey, while he traded his guitar for a banjo. McMurrian sang about his family coming from the hills of Oklahoma as his fingers delicately danced on banjo strings as a snappy melody filled the auditorium. He switched to a large 12-string acoustic guitar to play Pete Seeger‘’s “”Going To The Country,”” and then switched guitars again to play ““Been Away So Long.”” McMurrian concluded his 40-minute set by telling the audience that in 1986 he discovered the patron saint of the blues, Robert Johnson, playing two of his songs, including the ““Last Fair Deal.”

After a short break to get the stage set up, Robert Cray came out at 9 p.m. singing the blues about relational infidelity and other subjects. Sam Cooke’‘s ““Bring It Home To Me”” brought out Cray’’s signature vocals and guitar, as he gave tribute to one of the first and most famous gospel crossover artists to emerge from the golden age of gospel. Cray’’s stage demeanor is always lighthearted and counterbalances the negative subject matter of his compositions. Tonight was no exception as he made fun of keyboard player Jim Pugh’‘s hat as part of the introduction to “Won’t Be Coming Home,”” a new song off his 2012 release Nothin’ But Love. The same band members from the album were on stage with Cray, including Pugh, drummer Tony Braunagel, and longtime friend and original bass player Richard Cousins. The pace slowed down as the band began “?Two Steps From The End,”” with Cray crooning:

 “The night life

Has never been easy

Has never been easy for me…”

Cray wailed on his guitar until Jim Pugh took over on the organ, burying the keys until they exploded in staccato notes coloring the aural atmosphere. Cray’’s guitar resumed center stage, as he picked out notes in a descending scale that ripped through the ether in high-pitched scalding shrieks. He talked and he cried and he laughed out the lines:

“Now I’m two steps from the end,

Last door down the hall,

That’s where you’ll find me.”

The song faded as he immediately segued into “”Some Pain, Some Shame,”” another tune about a dysfunctional relationship off of his Shame + A Sin album. Cray played his Stratocaster like it was an extension of his body, with his fingers running up and down the fretboard as he danced around the stage, driving the sound deep so that you felt it in the pit of your stomach. Feet danced in front of the stage and in the aisles as the notes shrieked out peals of pain and shame. Cray’’s incredible playing was augmented by the band’s ruminations that responded to him by reciprocating an aural stew that thundered through the auditorium like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

“Hangin’ around cryin’ ain’t part of my plans

I’m gonna see you on the witness stand

There’ll be some pain, some shame

Man, I mean some pain, some shame.”

As the song faded out, he changed guitars while Braunagel’s drums dominated, with Cray beginning to beat out the intro to the next sad, heartbreaking song. The stage lighting turned yellow as he began singing ““I Had Better Days,”” picking out the melody on his guitar as he continued to mesmerize the audience. As soon as the song ended Cray called for the lights to be turned down as the entire stage turned deep blue. He immediately began to stroke his guitar as chords exploded from the speaker introducing ““Right Next Door (Because of Me),”” from the Strong Persuader album. The five-time Grammy winner enthusiastically played the songs and guitar style that has gotten him nominated a total of fifteen times, solidly placing him in that exclusive blues guitar pantheon that includes B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Cray’s being inducted into the “Blues Hall of Fame” in 2011.

Cray stopped playing for a minute while he greeted the crowd, “”Thank you for coming out to see us on a Tuesday night.”” Then he thanked Richard Cousins for all the inspiration that he provided over the decades as the band dove into ““The Forecast Calls For Pain”” off the Midnight Stroll album. The driving rhythm of Cray’’s guitar faded as Pugh’’s keyboards took the lead with Braunagel and Cousins providing a driving rhythm that made it impossible to stay seated as the band rocked the house. Cray’’s emotionally broken voice repeated the refrain ““The forecast calls for pain,”” until he took the lead on guitar again, plucking strings like a clucking chicken, with his voice soaring into the stratosphere. Fret runs alternated with ear piercing wails, as the words faded.

“I can feel the thunder

I can see the lightning

I can feel the pain

Oh, it’s gonna rain.

After changing guitars again Cray told the crowd, ““I worry about the world she lives in,”” as he began strumming chords and singing, ““I get a constant busy signal….”” By the time that the band hit the instrumental break, Cray’’s digits were dancing on the strings like they were an icy delight cooling his fiery fingers. He wailed on his guitar as notes exploded into the ether transmitting sonic vibrations that resonated on nearly 1,800 tympanic membranes. “”Smoking Gun”” was a radio hit from the 1986 Grammy Award-winning Strong Persuader album that he sang with relish as he crooned, ““I put two and one together,”” prior to a total sonic guitar assault. He brought the crowd to its feet as the band concluded and came forward to take a bow prior to exiting the stage, only to be brought back by ear-deafening clapping, foot-stomping, and whistling by the crowd made up of a forty-and-up age group. The band dove right into ““Chicken in the Kitchen” with Cray singing:“

I do all the cooking in our house, baby

You’re always running around

There’’ll be no more chicken in the kitchen

If you don’’t try and settle down.”

Cray played his guitar with the delicate finesse of a man possessed as the band segued into the final number of the night. After 16 studio albums in over three decades he could have played till 3:00 in the morning, but he concluded the night singing about the economic circumstances of a man out of work grappling with his manhood. He played his guitar with a violent dissonance that reflected the details of the story that he sang. The assault on his guitar included strident chords that evoked emotions to correspond with begging for mercy, falling down in pain, and an inability to cry anymore. Braunagel, Cousins, Cray, and Pugh played off each other until they built a crescendo of sound that kept the audience on its feet through the conclusion of the night’’s performance. When the band exited the stage and the house lights came on, the applauding crowd still wanted more.

Please check out this week’s Photo Page to see some of Bob’s photographs from the show.

Bob Gersztyn in a contributing writer at BluesWax.