blues
Two good reads: Boston harmonica player Jerry Portnoy’s memoir is an unflinching look at life as a sideman musician; the other is a history that shows how, without the Black stars he heard in Memphis, there would have been no Elvis or rock ‘n roll as we know it.
By Matt Hanson There’s an enticingly primeval quality to the way bluesmen Ryan Lee Crosby and Jimmy “Duck” Holmes play off of one another. Willie Dixon once said that “the blues are the roots, the other musics are the fruits.” We all know by now how plenty of world-famous bands have harvested those influences. So…
This year’s Chicago Blues Festival provided plenty of hope for the blues.
On his live recordings, B.B. King displayed his brilliant use of stagecraft and pacing. He was one might call a mastro of manipulation.
“Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa” is a snapshot of a vibrant octogenarian artist who is still moving forward.
The album suggests an earlier time, but most of the music is modern, relevant, and timeless.
“I always say if you want to write a blues album, have a nice bad breakup!”
A music aficionado-turned-record producer shares his indelible memories of life on the road and in the studio, working with such artists Sleepy LaBeef, Irma Thomas, James Booker, Solomon Burke, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Ruth Brown.
Blues singer Beth Hart wields the hammer of the gods with easy finesse but also deep emotion.
662 will appeal to hard-core blues fans along with those who want more of a hyphenated blues sound, be it blues-rock, blues-funk or blues-pop.
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