Monthly Archive for May, 2008

Review: Ian Siegal – Warrington – 30 May 2008

Published on Saturday 31 May 2008 in Local and Reviews. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Ian Siegal Band -Warrington Blues Club -30 May 2008

Ian Siegal

It was an excellent night at Warrington Blues Club last night featuring the excellent Ian Siegal Band. A full review will follow but I thought that I’d just upload a few initial impressions and a dodgy picture.

Ian and the boys stormed through over two hours worth of blues, funk, country, americana etc. The thing that I like very much about Ian Siegal is that he always brings passion to the show, you never get the feeling that he is going through the motions. All three of them really seem to enjoy themselves on stage and the enjoyment really shines through. There is a strong feeling of arrangements being done on the fly in true improvised tradition, I even saw Ian leading the band using the old jazz hand key signals for the different chords.

Readers of bluesinthenorthwest.com will know that I am a terrible photographer, I only have a little pointy clicky camera and zero skill to go with it. I was lucky enough to meet blues fan and excellent photographer Paul Webster. I am certain that Paul will have some top quality photographs and I will post the link to them when they are available. The lucky devil is off to Chicago this weekend so we may have to wait a few weeks.

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Jimmy McGriff Obituary

Published on Saturday 31 May 2008 in News. 1 Comment

The article starts….

For a span of several years in the 1960s, you couldn’t walk through wide swaths of Philadelphia without hearing the burble of a Hammond B3 organ. The instrument came to embody a hip-hugging Philly jazz sound that was equal parts churchyard hum, speakeasy sizzle and slash-and-burn bar-room blooze. And few would master the jazz organ sound like Jimmy McGriff, who served up heaping slabs of greasy cheesesteak funk on and off for four decades until his death this week, at 72, of multiple sclerosis……..

Visit Newsweek to read it all.

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YouTube: Hendrix vocal style

Published on Saturday 31 May 2008 in Videos. 0 Comments

Here’s a 70’s remix of the Isley Brothers tune “Move Over and Let Me Dance” originally from 1965. Jimi Hendrix is on guitar and in the remix his guitar has been lifted higher in the mix. To me the amazing thing about this song is just how much Jimi took his vocal style from the Isleys of the time. It’s quite spooky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LIaXx9RuWo

Thanks to Chuck Nevitt for wising me up on this clip.

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Gig: Watermelon Slim – Manchester Academy – 16 July

Published on Friday 30 May 2008 in Gigs. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Watermelon Slim
Manchester Academy
16 July
£12

Watermelon Slim

Mojo – Best Blues Album 2007

North American Blues Foundation – Best Blues Album & Best Band Award winners 2008.

American blues musician William Watermelon Slim Homans has been performing since the early seventies and has been linked to several notable blues musicians including John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, Champion Jack Dupree, Bonnie Raitt, ‘Country’ Joe McDonald and Henry Vestine of Canned Heat.

He plays his guitar in the style of the Mississippi Delta Blues, playing his Dobro guitar lap-style with a slide. Homans usually performs acoustically, but has also been known to play electric. Recently, Homans has been performing live alongside a supporting band named The Workers.

2005 saw Homans receive a nomination for the prestigious W C Handy Award for ‘Best New Artist Debut’. He and his band have also been nominated for a further six Handy Awards in a variety of categories and also for a Maple Blues Award from the Toronto Blues Society for the 2006 release ‘Watermelon Slim and The Workers’.

Homans’ latest release is 2007’s ‘The Wheel Man’, which is the fourth album by Watermelon Slim and the second with The Workers. In this particular album (as is the case for all of Homans albums) Homan single handed-ly revives the blues scene with a little help from his authentic old school blues musicians.

Watermelon Slim will be performing live at Manchester Academy 3 on Wednesday 16th July.

bluesinthenorthwest.com believe that the supporting band will be the Harpbreakers.

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YouTube: Cal Green

Published on Friday 30 May 2008 in Videos. 0 Comments

Interview with the late great musician Cal Green @ Cozy’s Bar & Grill Sept. 1999. James Gatson and Johnny Turner are featured. Some playing too. It’s quite long at 30 mins but is well worth a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-XDMNKI6Z0

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Delmark DVDs

Published on Thursday 29 May 2008 in News and Videos. 0 Comments

Delmark

The famous Delmark records from Chicago have a number of DVD releases to complement their excellent records releases over the last 50 plus years of trading.

Even better are the samples that you can see on the DVD page. Check them out.

http://delmark.com/delmark.bluevid.htm

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YouTube: Beth Rowley

Published on Thursday 29 May 2008 in Videos. 0 Comments

Beth Rowley, who is on at Maryport between Jon Cleary and Jimmie Vaughan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Tq_NI-Em0

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Gig: Ian Siegal – Warrington – 30 May 2008

Published on Wednesday 28 May 2008 in Gigs. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

siegal

The Ian Siegal Band play the Warrington Blues Club this Friday 30 May 2008.

“Awash with wit, lust and distraction…one of the most inventive Blues recordings ever made by a British artist.” MOJO****

“This album is a rare combination of cleverness and craft.” **** (Excellent) PENGUIN BOOK OF BLUES RECORDINGS

It has been said that had Siegal been around in the sixties he would today be accorded the same reverence as artists such as Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton. Instead, he is a child of the seventies who dropped out of art college in the late eighties to go busking in Germany. From the streets of Berlin Siegal progressed to clubs around Nottingham, then to London and ultimately to major stages around Europe.

Two successive European tours (2003/4) opening for ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings brought him to the attention of a wider audience. This was followed by UK tours as a duo with Big Bill Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters, the man who Siegal calls The Blues God). During this time Siegal was also capturing the hearts of audiences in Holland, Belgium, Austria and Hungary. In 2005 he topped the Soul/Blues/Jazz charts in Holland and in 2006 he debuted in the USA, appearing at major clubs and the largest music festival on the West Coast.

“If my Daddy were alive today he’d say “That’s my boy!” BIG BILL MORGANFIELD (son of Muddy Waters)

Moving to London to further his career was inevitable and Ian was soon an established part of the London Blues community. That’s where today’s Ian Siegal band was born.

Many gigs followed, along with a number of appearances with American artists. He has also sung with other bands, notably The Lee Sankey Group and can be heard on the album “Tell Me There’s a Sun”.

Appearances on larger festival stages followed – such as Edinburgh, Lugano, Peer, North Sea Jazz – establishing him as one of the most natural, exciting and vibrant talents on the scene today.

http://www.myspace.com/iansiegal

http://www.iansiegal.com/

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YouTube: The Paladins

Published on Tuesday 27 May 2008 in Videos. 0 Comments

Here are the Paladins from 22 years ago. They are better known as a rockabilly band but this is certainly a fine blues. Great shuffle on the drums. Watch and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic7JYK4FgwQ

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NPR Music

Published on Tuesday 27 May 2008 in News. 0 Comments

NPR

NPR (National Public Radio) is about as close as the UNited States get to our fabulous BBC. NPR have a lot of music programming and a browse around their site is very interesting.

http://www.npr.org/music/

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Review: Big Dez – “You Can Smile”

Published on Monday 26 May 2008 in Reviews. 0 Comments

BIG DEZ
“You Can Smile”
(Why Note – WHY 016)
Without doubt the best blues band in France, this latest release from Big Dez – aka Phil Fernandez, on great guitar and vocals – is a delightful mixed bag of all things blues, with some horn-flavoured soul and greasy jazz, bluesinthenorthwest.com enjoyed very much their show last year and we were very happy to see this latest release pop through the letterbox.

Apart from Fernandez, the main man is Bala Pradal, whose sparkling keyboard work is very prominent – on piano, Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 – special guests again, as on the previous album, are the legendary ex-Fabulous Thunderbirds bass player, Preston Hubbard, and the in-demand tenor sax of Gordon Beadle, from the great Roomful of Blues horn section.

A generous thirteen cuts kick-off with the rollicking title track, “You Can Smile”, with lovely backing vocals from Margaret Bianchetta and Debra Batey; the bluesy funk of “You Don’t Know What Love Is” rides on a great groove, with Fernandez and fellow guitarist Radolphe Dumont on top form, with customary sax solo from Gordon Beadle.

“Low Pressure” sees the band in funky mood again, with “Why She Stays” featuring the horns again – apart from Beadle, John Wolf on trombone and Allen Beeson on trumpet – with a blistering guitar solo for good measure; “Hypnotize Me” gives harmonica man Marc Schaeller a chance to show his talents on this uptempo rocker.

The great soul tune “Anywhere Please” is one of the album’s highlights, with an impassioned vocal from Fernandez, and overall a big Stax feel. Bala Pradal is given the spotlight on the instrumental “Good Arrow”, with it’s greasy Jimmy Smith jazz feel and some quite delightful Hammond.

The Elmore James chestnut “Shake Your Money Maker” is given a big swing treatment, a change from the usual slide-driven covers, followed by another of the best cuts, the dark “Freaksville” – more top notch harmonica and sublime guitar work.

A great album, from a top band who have nearly made it to the North West before, let’s hope we can catch them live in our area sometime soon!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.bigdez.com

www.myspace.com/bigdezbluesband

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YouTube: Arnett Cobb

Published on Monday 26 May 2008 in Videos. 0 Comments

Here’s Arnett Cobb with a little jazzy blues from 1985.

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

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YouTube: Joel Foy

Published on Monday 26 May 2008 in Videos. 0 Comments

I was lucky enough to see the great James Harman band back in either the late 80s or maybe the early 90s. It was at the Colne festival. Joel Foy was playing in the band at that time. Here’s a clip from that vintage, not in the UK, but at the great blues club J&J’s in Fort Worth Texas. I was lucky enough to go to Texas 10 years ago and I went to J&J’s twice. I saw R.J. Mischo and Darrel Nulisch. Great gigs. Anyway, enough of the rambling – here’s Joel Foy in 1991.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL2×11gTmcs

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YouTube: Blues from Brazil

Published on Sunday 25 May 2008 in Videos. 3 Comments

Flávio Guimarães and Prado Blues Band. Damn fine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu8KU3lNIYc

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RIP Jimmy McGriff

Published on Saturday 24 May 2008 in News. 0 Comments

Jimmy McGriff passed today.
RIP Jimmy. You enhanced my life. Thanks.

I was taught to play the organ as a child; I enjoyed it very much but never really found the music that was close to my soul. The music that was played was all very Klaus Wunderlich and “The Organist Entertains”. Many years later while in my 20s, I discovered the blues and related music. As part of that activity I has a cassette tape of Jimmy McGriff. I don’t remember the name of the record, nor do I have the cassette tape any more. Needless to say I fell in love with the Hammond sound and have been a huge fan of the Hammond/Leslie ever since. I sometimes wonder how things would have been different if I had found Jimmy McGriff et al in my early teens; I bet that I would not have dropped the organ like I did.

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

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Gig: Robin Trower – Fleetwood – 31 May

Published on Saturday 24 May 2008 in Gigs. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Trower

Saturday May 31st sees the much requested & long awaited return of British guitar legend Robin Trower to The Marine Hall, Fleetwood.

Robin Trower came to prominence in the late 60’s when he joined Procul Harum and in 1972 he left to embark on a highly successful solo career. Never content to rest on his laurels, Robin has continued to record and release new material. Earlier this year his new CD, Seven Moons, a collaboration with Jack Bruce, received excellent reviews.

Support band for the show is the marvellous Aynsley Lister Band, themselves no strangers to the Fylde Coast.

Tickets are on sale, priced £15, from the Marine Hall box office on 01253 771141. Doors open 7.30, showtime 8.00pm

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