This report takes in most of spring and all of summer; with so much going on including some travel and aging brain cells to help my forgetfulness, I apologize in advance to the many people and events I’m forgetting or omitting here. This is still probably too lengthy for its editors.....
There hasn’t been much change among the primary Chicago live blues venues; that’s not all bad news amid the challenging economy. There’s no apparent urgency to move at Legends or activity at their future home at the other end of the block. That neighborhood is now some of the hottest real estate in the country; as new skyscrapers rise, available parking continues to shrink. On the positive side, any parking tricks for Legends (like the indoor $6 lot across the alley) also work at the newly relocated Jazz Showcase a couple blocks west at Dearborn Station, a nice room where I caught a good night of Lou Donaldson with his usual high quotient of blues and good times.
Sadly, there has been continuing attrition and I want to note the passings of Little Arthur Duncan (Dusty Brown did a nice job at his funeral), Phil Guy and guitarist Pete Allen (who died while getting ready to go to Phil’s funeral). Little Smokey Smothers had his lower left leg amputated and continues to struggle. Most readers will know of Koko Taylor’s band’s bad van accident near Black River Falls, Wisconsin in the early morning of August 23. Koko and her daughter Cookie weren’t in the rented van, but all the band members (Vino Louden, Shun Kikuta, Stanley Banks, Ricky Nelson and Brian Parker) were at least banged up, with life support, possible kidney loss, loss of an eye and possible amputation among the rumored consequences. (Public information is relatively limited, due in part to possible pending lawsuits and fights about insurance.) Not a good way to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of another bad van crash for Koko’s band, that one in Tennessee. I hope to find most or all of the band on the road to a good recovery on the October Blues Cruise; wait till next report.....
On the local studio front, Guy King, Chick Rodgers (with help from Koko’s band and family) and Vernon Harrington all have new CDs out; Barrelhouse Chuck says his Vol. 4 is imminent. Bruce Iglauer has been recording Saffire in Virginia. Delmark is looking at a number of new artists to record and masters to acquire in anticipation of some major revenue, but it would be premature to give names yet. Their DVD of the 55th anniversary bash at Legends should be out in October. Unfortunately, their hopes to record Red Holloway with organist Chris Foreman in June didn’t come to fruition. They’re also celebrating their 55th with a big show on Sept. 26 at the Old Town School Of Folk Music. The L.A. pipeline informs me that Shout Factory, now owners of Hightone, will issue a Robert Cray retrospective with two or three previously unissued tracks, and Universal will issue the next installment of Chuck Berry’s Chess studio sides and an early ‘60s live show, along with a major Buddy Holly release to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death this winter.
As for events, before I get to the Chicago Blues Festival..... Blues On The Fox in Aurora drew record crowds June 13-14 thanks to great weather and Saturday headliner Kenny Wayne Shepherd (with guests Willie Smith and Hubert Sumlin). Eddy Clearwater kicked things off in style Friday and Elvin Bishop rocked the house as always, with second guitarist Mighty Mike Schermer playing a prominent role in the proceedings. Getting a jar of homemade kiwi jam from Elvin and some good hang time with Elvin and his old buddy Little Smokey afterwards were major personal highlights. Saturday also included Corey Harris, Bettye LaVette (riveting as always), and Marcia Ball bringing Instant Party Mode. Next year should bring a healthy budget, then in 2010 it will move to a newly built nearby stage and become even bigger if plans hold.....
I was out of town during the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival the first weekend in July. For their third time, they had to relocate due to the Mississippi flooding and Davenport being the only one of the Quad Cities that doesn’t have levees. I heard from performers that the move wasn’t all bad since it put some of them into air conditioning, and from attendees that the music was outstanding as expected. But the uncertainties did hurt the turnout and we can only hope the losses won’t cripple or kill one of the best festivals anywhere.....
Taste Of Westmont on July 13 brought the usual Muddy Waters celebration to the town where he spent his last decade. This time it featured Blues Progeny Mud Morganfield, Shirley King and Eddie Taylor Jr., along with Rick Kreher, Billy Flynn, Billy Branch, Barrelhouse Chuck, E.G. McDaniel, Jon Hiller and (if my memory isn’t totally shot) Willie Smith.....
A week later, Millennium Park hosted a tribute to Buddy Guy, who received a Great Performers Of Illinois Award and performed only briefly. Along with various dignitaries, musicians playing included Fernando Jones and the Columbia College Blues Orchestra with guests Buddy, Otis Taylor, Carl Weathersby (excellent), Artie White (recovering from his latest stroke) and another guest I’m forgetting, and a set by Jimmie Vaughan and band including Lou Ann Barton. Jimmie sounded his usual concise and tasty self and Lou Ann boosted the proceedings considerably, but a Chicago blues band would probably have connected better with the crowd. We all got to wave our special cardboard polka dots for the occasion. Afterwards, Buddy and Legends hosted a release party for his new CD “Skin Deep;” I think Buddy and producer Tom Hambridge did a nice job, given that it’s not 1963 any more.....
The Chicago Jazz Festival usually isn’t very blues-oriented or even grease-oriented for various reasons, but this year the Labor Day Weekend event did include bluesy south side product keyboardist/vocalist Amina Claudine Myers (check her Bessie Smith tribute LP for starters) as part of a Lester Bowie tribute, blind pianist John Wright (whose nice Prestige LPs include perhaps most notably “South Side Soul;” he was also on the Bluesville Arbee Stidham LP), covering similar turf to Gene Harris and singing a nice “Before You Accuse Me,” and Kenny Burrell headlining an evening as a guest with Gerald Wilson and band (including Jackie Kelso) very similar musically to Kenny’s “75th birthday live” CD; both sounded great, and ageless... Finally, Little Arthur’s band organized a wonderful tribute night at Rosa’s Sept. 19. Among the many who performed along with the band, Vernon and Joe Harrington, Eddie C. Campbell, Mary Lane and Tail Dragger made it feel a lot like a hot ‘70s west side club night. The bandstand was also graced by Zora Young (preparing to record a new CD in Europe in October and with two other projects in various stages of completion), Russ Green, Little Al Thomas, Billy Flynn, Bob Stroger, Willie Smith, Mud Morganfield, Smiling Bobby and more. Kim Wilson, Jody Williams, Eddie Taylor Jr., Willie Young and Byther Smith were among the spectators, and I’m leaving out a LOT of names to save space; it felt like everyone there knew at least a couple dozen other people, more like a party than a show. Arthur was a very good man (and club operator and chef) who touched a lot of people and will be missed by many for his friendly generosity as much as for his music.
On to the June 5-8 Chicago Blues Festival. This event has too much going on during the daytime between its six stages (including a new Maxwell Street Corner tucked away in the southeast area of the festival grounds) for any one person to take in even close to all of it.
I’ve seen equally valid reports that may as well be from a different festival, the artists seen are so divergent from my experience. I confess to taking the locals somewhat for granted and reveling in the less often available imports, but even then, pending cloning, the best one spectator can do is “feel the elephant.” I also got sucked into some ongoing backstage melodramas the first day mediating between the Festival staff and Johnny Winter and staff. (It all worked out well enough.) With those disclaimers, I still packed plenty into four days. Thursday highlights included perfect weather, Pinetop Perkins (with Little Frank, Bob Margolin et al), Louisiana Red (with Bob Corritore, passing out copies of his very nice new Tomcat Courtney CD), a terrific solo set by Little Willie Littlefield, Big Time Sarah (fresh out of the hospital), Duke Robillard’s wonderful Louis Jordan tribute with Red Holloway (and without Plas Johnson, replaced after travel foulups by Eric Schneider) and some of New England’s finest including Sugar Ray, Bruce Bears, Doug James, Mark Teixeira et al, and Johnny Winter’s continued return to form (although James Cotton’s only being part of two songs disappointed many). Among those I missed that day: Inetta Visor, Katherine Davis, Erwin Helfer, Honeyboy Edwards, Keith Frank, Pat Scott, Sharon Lewis, Jimmy Burns, Piano C. Red and Diamond Jim Greene.
Friday started out on an adventurous note as my broken garage door held my car captive and I had to rent a vehicle. I did enjoy Omar Sharriff, Bryan Lee, the (Eddie) Taylor family, Sam Lay, Ruby Andrews, Cicero Blake, Sugarpie De Santo (who belied her age by jumping into the photo pit), and Eddy Clearwater with guests Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Jimmy Johnson, Otis Clay and Billy Branch.
I skipped out early to get a seat at Reggie’s Music Room for Jody Williams and Eddie C. Campbell, so I missed the headline set by Koko Taylor, along with Littlefield with a band, Jo Jo Murray, Peaches Staten, the Tear Drop Records revue, Reginald Cooper (replacing Little Arthur), Les Getrex, the Jumpin’ Willie Cobbs tribute, the Rising Star Fife And Drum Band, L.C. Ulmer, Harmonica Hinds, Jimmy Johnson and Afrissippi among others.
Saturday brought a little evening rain. I took in Liz Mandeville and a mixture of Chicagoans (Rodney Brown) and Europeans (the Blue Points) featuring songs from her new Earwig CD, Charles Hayes and his family doing gritty Chicago club blues (though they hail from across the Wisconsin state line), Otis Taylor’s “Recapturing The Banjo” set, the Ealey brothers’ charming informal reunion, Lil’ Ed, Barbara Lynn with a superior “Ponderosa Stomp All-Stars Band” (nice work, Dr. Ike!) including Lil’ Buck and Buckwheat Zydeco, and part of Theodis Ealey’s bandshell set, before playing hooky to miss Buckwheat in favor of a seat at Smokedaddy for the always excellent Saturday night there by Billy Flynn and Jody Williams.
I also missed (among others) Shorty Mack, John Hammond, the Milwaukee All Stars (Stokes and Silas “Milwaukee Slim” McClatcher), Bumble Bee Bob, Chick Rodgers, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, T-Model Ford, James Wheeler, Steve Arvey, Quintus McCormick and Guitar Red (Paul Johnson). Sunday I got halfway through Rodney Brown’s Louis Jordan tribute before the rains came. After an hour or so of seeking shelter, I got to hear Dancin’ Perkins with Iceman Robinson at the Maxwell Street stage, eclectic Tony Joe White, Davell Crawford and a stomping new Orleans ensemble, Big James, Charles Wilson, Karen Carroll with Charlie Love and Lurrie Bell (who was in a relationship with Karen thirty years or so ago), Magic Slim (we exchanged menacing finger points right before he started) on a Les Paul as usual lately, Littlefield’s final set of the weekend, and a genial Love Fest/set by B.B. King including shout-outs to “best friend” Buddy Guy) and Lonnie and Ronnie Baker Brooks who were sitting stage left, and praise for the accomplishments of Barack Obama (“Chicago must be very proud”) and the social progress his success (so far) represents. Afterwards B.B. stopped by Legends; he and Buddy took a bow onstage during Lil’ Ed’s set but didn’t perform. I missed the Victory Travelers, Marie Knight, Geraldine and Donald Gay, Paul Geremia, John Boutte (who I heard was excellent), Filisko & Noden and too many more.
My next dispatch should include the anticipated loss of my Blues Cruiser virginity, thanks to the kindness of Roger Naber and his associates. Hopefully there will be less more serious losses, just as many events and more new releases to note. Either way, good blues and happiness to everyone till then!
----- DICK SHURMAN
