Federal Terrorists in Chicago

 

This is a picture of ICE personnel pointing weapons at unarmed civilians on a residential street in Chicago on October 14, 2025. I yanked this off the Chicago Sun Times' web site; Anthony Vazquez is the photographer that captured this scene.

 This is what state terrorism looks like. 

I have always thought of myself as a centrist. I believe in fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. I believe that our leaders should promote the four core virtues - courage, justice, moderation and wisdom. I also believe that people shouldn't be denied medical care due to lack of insurance or forced into bankruptcy because of medical debt. I also believe that human beings have intrinsic worth, regardless of their race, economic status, sexual preferences, gender, etc. etc. I may not understand why people make certain choices, but if it doesn't impact my life, I don't care.

I grew up in California. Much of the hard work in the agricultural sector (and elsewhere in the state's economy) was completed by migrants that were in the United States without legal documents.  This was the reality in California for generations; I grew up with the sons and daughters of illegal immigrants.  I didn't know who was illegal and who was legal. I didn't care; they were just folks in the neighborhood, working hard and building modest lives in a working-class neighborhood in the Bay Area.

As long as there are significant economic and social disparities between the United States and its southern neighbors, people will cross the border. It is very difficult to navigate the legal path, so people opt to cross illegally. Our immigration system is broken, and we need legitimate, fully-documented immigrants to sustain our economy. Our elected officals could have fixed this; they have not. Our  current population of citizens won't fill all the jobs that need to be filled - the hard work in the fields, the restaurant kitchens, on the construction sites. 

In Chicago, I was married to a first generation Mexican American for 24 years. Her parents came into the country illegally, but eventually became citizens. Our two children are second-generation Mexican Americans. 

Immigrants are deeply integrated into the fabric of our lives in the Chicago area. Most have papers, but a significant portion do not. They might be refugees fleeing violence or they might be economic migrants. Once again, I don't care. The ones that I know are striving to improve their lives. That's all I care about. These folks are not enemies of the United States.

Here's what I do care about.

I care that our Federal government has funded a bunch of over-paid, under-trained goons to roam through Chicago area streets to attack and detain people that happen to be brown. I care that there is an avalanche of lies and propaganda spewing from the Trump regime to justify these crimes. I care that peaceful protesters are being tear gassed and hit with pepper balls. I care that rallies by solid American citizens are being smeared as "hate America" rallies. It is the Trump regime that hates America, or at least hates the rule of law and the core principals of democracy.

I care that Trump and his toadies are claiming to be targetting criminals, "the worst of the worst,' but the vast majority of people detained in the Chicago area have no criminal record. 

I am not a "radical leftist." I have voted for Republicans on occassion. I was a registered independent until Trump took over the Republican party. I love the United States of America. I now find myself allied with people I opposed in the past - from Bernie Sanders to Lynn Chaney - because they love the United States of America.

I care that the Trump regime is stoking the fires of xenophobia and racism with authoritarian rhetoric, phrases lifted from Hitler's speeches and a constant gush of lies.

I want to fight this. I'll show up at the No Kings rally in Grant Park tomorrow, and I will try to drag my 71-year-old ass to other actions. I don't know if it will do any good, but the urge to DO SOMETHNG is driving me nuts.

I think that the mass insanity unleashed by the fascist Trump regime will eventually pass, but I'm not 100% sure......

Looking back/Looking forward

It isn't the end of the year yet, but I had a birthday recently.  This puts me in looking back/looking forward mode, sometimes.  The road behind me is much longer than the road in front of me; I have been beached on the rocky shores of late middle age.  My birthday is not a momentous occasion since I am a regular guy of little consequence. To exist is momentous, however, and this gift of just being alive is often overlooked by many people, including me.

My daughters and I have been thinking about homeless dogs lately.  We have visited the Anti-Cruelty Society shelter and the Animal Control facility, both in Chicago.  The Anti-Cruelty Society joint is clean, bright and well-lit. The cages are large, and each dog is wearing a bright bandanna with the Anti-Cruelty Society logo on it. It is on the fancy and wealthy Near North Side, at LaSalle and Grand.  Flocks of volunteers wander the place, eager to help anyone seeking a canine or feline companion. There are "adoption consultants" and  multi-page forms that prospective animal adopters must fill out.  The Animal Control headquarters in Chicago is at 27th and South Western.  This is a gritty section of town, full of auto  repair shops and truck terminals.  The inside of the Animal Control joint is a bit like Cook County Jail for four-legged felons.  There are relatively few volunteers, and they seem stressed out.  The city workers are indifferent and busy processing strays/lost dogs. The large headshot of a smiling Rahm Emanual is one of the few wall decorations that doesn't look tattered.  The volunteers are expected to handle adoptions.  The place reeks of dog feces and urine.  About 75% of the dogs are pit bulls; the fancy rescue shelters sweep up the more "marketable" dogs to clean up and sell at a profit (the high-end shelter in Chicago, PAWS, charges $200 for a dog adoption vs. $65 at Animal Control).  The Animal Control unit is Bedlam for dogs - they are all pretty upset, barking and agitated in their smelly quarters.  It is not a place for the soft-hearted.

All these animals have a story, but many come in as strays or "owner surrenders."  What was in their past?  What is in their future?  Mystery surrounds them, but they are all insistently alive; sometimes furious about their circumstances, but alive.  We might foster a dog, try to help it transition back to life as a companion animal. It is a small thing, but at least its something.

Sometimes the past is confusing, and of course the future is opaque.  It seems like the same issues and events repeat themselves, but we often fail to anticipate things correctly.  We have that nagging feeling - we have seen this movie before, but we have forgotten the ending, or we just don't know when it will end.  Debt piles up and work is hard to find; missiles fly and tanks roll;  a flock of  irrational conflicts compete for our attention.  All these things have happened before, are happening now, will happen again.  But to exist is still momentous.

When faced with irrational conflicts, we can quote Mercutio - " A plague 'a both your houses!" Or the late Rodney King - "Can we all get along?" And we can take a little comfort in the fact that life always strives to continue.  That is one thing we know for sure about the future.

A Trombone Memory - J.J. Johnson

The Jazz Showcase is a venerable jazz club in Chicago.  Joe Segal opened the place in 1947, and it is allegedly the second oldest continuously operating jazz venue in the world, after the Village Vanguard in New York.  Joe is still active at the Showcase, making his sardonic introductions before the sets begin.  He is about 86 years young.  His son does much of the heavy lifting these days, but Joe remains one of those non-musician heroes of jazz, laboring mightily to keep the music alive in the City of the Big Shoulders.

The Jazz Showcase has moved from location to location through the decades.  It currently is in the South Loop, in Dearborn Station.  Between 1982 and 1996, it was housed in the Blackstone Hotel just off Michigan Avenue.  That is the venue I visited most often.

I think it was in 1991.  J.J. Johnson, the legendary trombonist, was coming to Chicago and was booked at the Jazz Showcase.  There is no semi-serious trombonist on the planet that hasn't been amazed and deeply impacted by J.J.  He was the guy that changed everything, turned the old slush-pump from a jazz novelty , a source of "gut-bucket" musical comedy, to the same level as the tenor sax and the trumpet as a vehicle for beautiful, complex music.  The jazz critic Whitney Balliett once said that listening to a trombonist attempting to play fast jazz phrases was "like watching a fat man run uphill."  J.J. changed that forever.  His technique was miles ahead of every other trombonist; no one thought it was possible to make a slide trombone do the things that J.J. did.  His discipline was beyond belief; he practiced like a madman.  J.J was also a gifted bandleader and composer - he barely recorded from 1967 though the 1970's because he was so busy scoring movies and television shows.

I used to be a teenage trombonist.  I worshiped J.J. Johnson.

So in the winter of 1991, I got tickets and headed to the Blackstone Hotel to see J.J. for my first and only time.  He had moved from LA back to his home town of Indianapolis; his wife, Vivian, became quite ill after a stroke in 1988 and he stopped performing for a couple of years.  The Jazz Showcase gig marked a comeback of sorts for J.J.  Before his first tune, he leaned into the microphone and said, softly, "Once again, Joe Segal has rescued old J.J. from oblivion."

I can remember quite a bit of the set.  He played "Misty" and that brought tears to my eyes. He played a version of Lou Donaldson's "Blues Walk" that was swinging and fun.  He did Cole Porter's "It's All Right With Me," which was articulate and full of gentle phrases.  His musical lines were ravishing, he played very softly, his tone was lush and warm.  He did not play a single unnecessary note. J.J. was almost 67 years old on that night; he had not lost any of his skills, and in fact, had improved as he aged. It was a religious experience for me.

At the break, J.J. put his horn on his trombone stand and strolled over to the bar.  He was relaxed and approachable; many fans spoke to him.  My wife of 16 months turned to me and said, "Aren't you going to introduce yourself to J.J.?"  I said "Of course not - I can't speak to him!  He is J.J. Johnson!!"  Well, my wife said "Bullshit."  She walked over to J.J. and said "Mr. Johnson, my husband plays trombone and he really loves you."  My God, I was horrified!  But she dragged me over, and soon I was shaking his hand, and looking into his smiling face.  His eyes were quite melancholy, as I recall.  It was one of those "I'm not worthy" moments. When I think about it, I still feel anxious and small.

J.J.'s wife passed away later in 1991, a very difficult time for J.J., I am sure.  He issued a recording in her honor, simply entitled "Vivian," in 1992.  J.J. re-married, and performed again starting in 1992.  By 1997, he felt his skills as a trombonist deteriorating, so he quit.  While J.J. kept composing, his horn fell silent.

Things got tough for J.J. at the end.  He battled prostate cancer.  In 2000, his biograpy, "The Musical World of J.J. Johnson," was published.

On February 4, 2001, J.J. Johnson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was 77 years old.  Apparently, he found his escalating health problems to be intolerable.  I still feel his loss, I listen to his music frequently.

If there was a Mount Rushmore of jazz horn players, J.J would be carved into it along with Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.

Persistence

I felt a twinge in my knee last night and when I woke up this morning, it was still there. I decided to skip my workout to let my knee settle down. The last day of February was a little rough in Chicago - the rain that fell overnight turned to ice when the temperatures dropped around 2 AM. My neighborhood was a huge skating rink. I left the house for my morning commute, moving gingerly and feeling grumpy.

I made it to my local Metra stop and headed up the ice-covered, hazardous stairs. I looked up the stairs and saw a woman really struggling to climb to the top. She was of short stature, and it was clear that she was suffering from some sort of chronic condition - perhaps multiple sclerosis. She had a hard time lifting her feet to climb the stairs, and she was hauling herself up by pulling on the handrail. I offered to help her; she thanked me and asked me to carry her bag. She made it to the top of the stairs, we exchanged a few pleasantries and we headed off to face our futures.

I remembered that I have seen this woman a few times as I scurried to my train. She never caught my attention before. My busy-ness and self-involvement prevented me from truly seeing her. As I rode the train into work this morning, I felt awe and shame.

I was in awe of this woman's persistence. She is working while battling a condition that a non-afflicted person can't really understand. She was pushing through her infirmities to do what needed to be done. I think that she must be one of those exceptional people - a true optimist, who overcomes her challenges with hopefulness. Just an everyday hero, getting on with life.

And then I felt ashamed. I am one of the luckiest people on earth. It is deeply wrong for me not to feel gratitude and thankfulness every waking moment. A twinge in my knee and ice on the sidewalk - trivial matters!! I am not worthy to be the bag-carrier of the woman stuggling to climb the icy stairs. I owe her both an apology and thanks for opening my eyes to see past my own privileged existence.

The Day Before Groundhog Day

Tomorrow marks the 125th anniversary of Groundhog Day. Since my mother's side of the family came from western Pennsylvania, less than an hour's drive from Punxsutawney, I grew up with pictures of the Groundhog Day ceremony in my house. I knew all about Punxsutawney Phil before Bill Murray made the movie. Before Murray's "Groundhog Day" movie, February 2 was simply a holiday based on an old legend about a rodent's weather-forecasting ability. The movie changed the meaning of the holiday in our popular culture. The phrase "Groundhog Day" has come to represent the act of going through a phenomenon over and over and over until one spiritually transcends it.

Here in Chicago, we get that "Groundhog Day" feeling about this time of year. Starting sometime in December, the skies turn grey and often stay that color for weeks on end. We get blasted with snow and cold. The days are short and so are the tempers of our fellow citizens. It does sometimes feel like we are living the same winter day, over and over and over. Save us, Punxsutawney Phil!!

But tomorrow, my friends, will be different.

According to the U.S. Weather Service and the chattering herd of media hypesters, Chicago is to be hit with a great-grandmother of a blizzard, starting this afternoon and extending into the wee hours of Groundhog Day. Breathless disaster junkies are claiming that this could be "the big one" with snowfall exceeding the infamous "Blizzard of '67." Winds will howl, leading to white-out conditions. THE CITY COULD SHUT DOWN!!!! PANIC AND CHAOS COULD ENSUE!!!!! RUN AWAY RUN AWAY TO ARUBA!!!!! (Except O'Hare will be closed).

Excuse me, but a big snowstorm in Chicago in early February simply isn't a newsworthy event. We are Chicagoans. We have four-wheel drive vehicles, several hundred thousand tons of road salt in storage, and drink antifreeze in the winter. Snowstorm? Feh!

In the immortal (immoral?) words of the 43rd POTUS, "Bring it on!"'

Chicago Blues Fest Might Cost You This Year

This is a shot of me and Piano Willie at the 2005 Chicago Blues Festival (photo by my friend Alex Cuevas aka Big Alex). This event has been the largest free blues event in the world (I think) for many years. I just caught a press report that the City of Chicago is thinking about out-sourcing the management of all of its free festivals (including the music events and Taste of Chicago). Here is a link to the Sun-Times article on this situation.

Remember what happened to parking fees when the parking meters were privatized in Chicago? Well, the same deal will be struck on the festivals. No more free blues, folks - at least $10/day for the Blues Fest (and the Jazz Fest will charge admission, too). The city's finances are so messed up that it is willing to kill off some of the things that contribute to Chicago's civic excellence. The Blues Fest is still a bargain at $10/day, but of course the attendence will drop significantly. The size of the event would therefore have to be cut, the number of big-name acts would decline and a spiral would begin. I suspect that it would be the beginning of the end for the Chicago Blues Festival - it would eventually shrink away to nothingness. I hope I am wrong and that privatization will improve the Blues Fest. SummerFest in Milwaukee charges admission and it does well. But Summer Fest is huge and covers all types of music - it isn't a niche event like the Blues Fest and the Jazz Fest.

Of course, the lame duck Daley administration is moving so slow that the entire festival season is at risk. No acts have been booked yet, so I hear. Without privitization, there may be no festivals at all.

These festivals lose about $7MM/year. It would be nice if the foundations in the Chicago area would fill the gap so this civic treasure could be maintained. If it goes private, I fear that the Chicago Blues Fest will end up dead.

Boxing Day 2010

On the day after Christmas, we are getting dumped on here in Chicago. We have big snowcakes on our yard furniture outside the window (full disclosure - the picture above is a random Chicago snow photo grab from a Google search, not my backyard).

This is Boxing Day, the traditional day for tipping service folks and giving money to the poor in Commonwealth countries. It is also known in some religous circles as St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of Stephen - Stephen being the first Christian martyr. You might remember the words of the Christmas carol:

Good King Wencelaus went out

On the Feast of Stephen

When the snow lay round about

Cool and crisp and even.

We don't pay much attention to Boxing Day in the USofA. December 26 is "Exchange the Presents and Hit the Sales Day." But in this time of economic weakness, high unemployment and other tribulations, hitting the "alms box" with a little cash is more important than usual. Food banks are my preferred charity this year. This is a good day to make a deposit.

I just finished thumbing theourgh the Sunday New York Times; December 26th is also the day for the NYT's "Year in Pictures" section. From the deep tragedy of the Haitian earthquake to the giddy elation of the San Francisco Giants World Series championship, the images were well-chosen. Everyone has memories of the personal high points and low points of the year. Whatever your personal reality might be right now, the best path is the one that leads forward. For me, on this Boxing Day, my first step on my path forward is to resume my close personal realtionship with my snow shovel.

Musical Ditch-Digging: Potbelly at Adams and Wacker, Chicago IL

The ultimate musical ditch-digging gig in Chicago is playing at a Potbelly restaurant. Potbelly is a chain of sub shops with a cutesy decor and "quasi-cool" demeanor. One of the touches - live music in most stores, usually a singer-guitar banger. Most of the folks that take these gigs are young, mediocre wannabees. For the past few months, I have been buying my lunch at the Potbelly shop at Adams and Wacker. It is a 2 story joint, and the musican's nook is on the second floor balcony. When I came in for my turkey sandwich today, I was startled - I heard good music from pouring out of the poor soul that was in that tiny nook on the balcony!!

Imagine this - you have a passion for music. You are a young, attractive female. You have a lovely voice, somewhere in the alto/soprano range. You are a decent acoustic guitar player and do a great job of backing up your own vocals. You have been breaking your ass writing songs and hoping to get attention from somebody, anybody. And you are playing a 3 hour solo gig for peanuts on the second floor of a sandwich shop and NO ONE is listening!!! Yes, my friends, this is called Musical Ditch Digging.

The artist at my local Potbelly was Starina Catchatoorian. I heard her play a few tunes, including a very emotional and sincere cover of the Beatles tune, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away." This is a talented musician. She said that she was a bit tired because she was up until 3AM last night recording songs.

So if you like female singer-songwriters, check out Starina. Here is a link to some of her music. Think good thoughts about this striving, talented person.

Losses, and the Cold

The cold air has moved into E-Town and the rest of the Chicagoland region. When the calendar reaches December 1, the serious chill hits. Tonight, we should see six inches of snow. I still have a few things to do to prepare for winter - turn off the pipes leading to the outdoor faucets, that sort of thing. The warmth and the birdsong and the flowers in Amanda's garden are lost, for a while.

I sat with an old colleague of mine recently, drinking coffee. I hadn't seen this guy in 20 years or so. I remember him as a big, handsome, fit Alpha Male. He is 65 now and fighting through his second go-round with cancer (he beat prostate cancer, now on to melanoma). The real estate investment firm he works for has delivered losses to investors over the past couple of years. He is moving reluctantly into retirement. He is still handsome, but he has a haunted look around his eyes these days.

And today we received the news of Ron Santo's passing. For Chicagoans with any interest in baseball, Ron was a brother, a fellow fan that wore his emotions on his sleeve. I feel like I have lost a family member, which is ridiculous - I never met the man. But I listened to him broadcast Cubs games all summer long for many years. It was a strange connection; impersonal yet intense. Ron Santo fought diabetes his entire adult life, lost his legs to the disease, yet he kept moving ahead and achieving great things while staying connected to everyday people. In Chicago, we grieve for our loss in this cold season.

The season will turn, the Christmas and New Year holidays will distract us, the flowers will bloom again. But for now, at the front-end of a long winter, it looks like a cold, cold world.

Lester Davenport - Another Harp Man Done Gone

Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport died last Tuesday - I missed the news because I was in New York. Lester was one of the best harmonica cats in Chicago, and he had brushes with fame. None of those brushes led to riches, unfortunately, but he did play on some of Bo Diddley's hit records when he was a young man. Bob Corritorre sent out this remembrance of Lester last night:

March 23, 2009
RIP Lester Davenport 1/16/1932-3/17/2009: Word has just come in from Kevin Johnson of Delmark Records that Chicago blues harmonica great Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport passed away on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was a respected figure in Chicago blues, best known for his stunning harp work on Bo Diddley's 1955 recordings of "Pretty Thing" and "Bring It To Jerome". Lester Davenport was born in Tchula, Mississippi on January 16, 1932, and moved to Chicago at age 14. Lester soon found work as a blues harmonica player working with Arthur "Big Boy" Spires and Homesick James before landing a gig with Bo Diddley that led to the famous recording session and a gig at the Apollo Theater. In addition to harmonica, Lester also played bass, drums, and guitar, which ensured him lots of work in the active Chicago blues scene. During the 1970s, he worked with W.W. Williams, Kansas City Red, Illinois Slim, Steve Cushing, Tchula childhood friend Jimmy Dawkins, and many others. In the 1980s he toured extensively with Big Daddy Kinsey & The Kinsey Report. Lester Davenport's career yielded 2 beautiful CDs: When The Blues Hit You on Earwig Music (1993) and I Smell A Rat on Delmark (2002). He also had a couple songs released on an anthology called It's Great To Be Rich on the Red Lightnin' label, and a song on Chicago Blues Harmonica, an anthology on the Wolf Record label. Lester's recording credits as a sideman are extensive: Bo Diddley for Chess records, Big Smokey Smothers for Red Lightnin', Willie Johnson, Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis, Johnny B. Moore for Wolf Records, Big Smokey Smothers, Big John Trice for Red Lightnin', Aron Burton on Earwig, and Bonnie Lee and Willie Kent for Delmark. Aside from all of these great credentials, Lester was just a wonderful man who was eager to welcome new friends and share his harmonica secrets to aspiring players. He had a warm smile and the ability to add humor to any situation. His harmonica playing will be remembered for its glorious, sweet tone and perfect phrasing. Though he never achieved great fame, he will always be remembered as one of the greats. Funeral services will be this Saturday, March 28, 2009, 10am to 12pm, at A.R. Leak Funeral Home, 5000 W. Madison, Chicago, IL 60644.

Morse Theater - Bad News

I opened the Chicago Tribune today and read bad news about the Morse - a dispute between the operators and the "silent partner" who funded much of the construction of the place is headed to court. The venue may close soon. I am hoping that this can be resolved so the Morse will at least have a chance to succeed. Andy McGhee, the main operator, has poured his heart into this project. Here is the Tribune article.

This place is such a gem. Over $6 million was spent to bring this venue to life. It would be a shame if it all fell down over a legal dispute.

The Morse Theater, Chicago IL

The two pictures above represent the present and the past of the Morse Theater on Chicago's far north side. Opened in 1912 as a nicklelodeon, the Morse has gone through many incarnations - a furniture warehouse, an independent cinema house (with air conditioning!), a synagogue and an abandoned wreck. I got to know the building during its sad years as a deteriorating, unoccupied space. The Morse was empty for thirty years. Now, the place is a bright and shiny state-of-the-art new music venue - an unbelievable change, really. And this change happened due to the dreams of three guys - Andy McGhee, Willam Kerpan and Devin McGhee (Andy's son).

I have a feeling that these three did not conduct a scientific consumer demand study prior to launching this project. It is driven by heart and soul, not flinty-eyed calculation. This venue is very musician-friendly (Mr. G and the Mystery Band got to play there on January 31, so I was able to experience the joy of a top-knotch venue with dedicated, attentive professionals in charge of the operation), I know Andy McGhee pretty well, and i think he is inspired by a deep love of music and an equally deep love of the East Rogers Park neighborhood. The trio behind the Morse went through hell to get the joint open - zoning hassles, construction delays and even an arson. The least we Chicago area folks can do is get out and support this marvelous place

You can check out the Morse Theater's schedule and story here.

Services for Chico Banks (RIP)

OSee Anderson just sent me information regarding Chico Banks' services coming up on Tuesday December 9 and Wednesday, December 10.


Visitation Tuesday, December 9, 2008 4-9pm Smith & Thompson Funeral Home 5708 W. Madison, Chicago, IL 60644

December 10: 4242 W.Roosevelt Rd. United Missionary Baptist Church.
Wake: 7:00pm-8:00pm; Funeral 8:00 - 9:00pm.

It will be sad to say good bye to such a talented young man.

Mystery Band CD Preview - Part 4

I dig this picture of me with Piano Willie. It was taken backstage at the 2005 Chicago Blues Fest. Willie is an awesome old-school piano dude. I have never seen him play an electric instrument.

So I spent some time with Grant Kessler today - he is designing the packaging for the CD. Grant is a great photographer and has terrific design skills. He is also a damn fine harmonica player.

So here is the track listing for the Mystery Band CD:

1. It’s A Mystery 5:42
First Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
Second Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
2. My Dog & Me 8:08
First Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
Second Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
3. Hey Jose’ 4:32
Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
4. After Party 5:07
Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
5. I’m Tryin’ to Quit 6:03
First Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
Second Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
6. Cheat Me Fair 7:57
Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
7. How Much Longer 7:45
First Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
Second Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
8. Get Out and Walk 6:40
Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
9. All I Need Is Your Love 6:21
First Guitar Solo – OSee Anderson
Second Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
10. Payin’ Taxes 7:36
Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer
11. Work, Work, Work 6:38
Guitar Solo – Anthony Palmer

All songs written by Chris Gillock, published by G-FreeThoughts Publishing (BMI)
Arrangements by Chris Gillock and OSee Anderson

Mystery Band CD Preview - Part 3

Here is yet another "snip" from the CD Liner Notes:

Credits

Mr. G: Harmonica, Vocals, Percussion
OSee Anderson: Guitar
Anthony Palmer: Guitar
E. G. McDaniel: Electric and Acoustic Bass
James Carter: Drums

Producer: Jim Reeves
Co-Producer: Chris Gillock

Recorded March 22, 2008 and March 29, 2008 at Reeves Audio Recording, Evanston IL (www.reevesaudio.com)

Engineer: Jim Reeves
Mixed and Mastered by Jim Reeves
Photographs: Grant Kessler
Art Direction and Design Grant Kessler

Thank You To: My wife and partner, Consuelo Alonzo Gillock, for her love, patience and encouragement; Joe Filisko, Harmonica Virtuoso and Guru, for introducing me to the history and heroes of the Chicago blues harmonica style; Jim Reeves, genius producer/engineer, for his meticulous mixing and sage advice on various musical and technical topics; Elizabeth Gillock Blackwell, for introducing me to the Old Town School of Folk Music and for being a wonderful daughter and a fabulous singer; Ben Gillock/Amanda Gillock/Sarah Gillock, for not being too embarrassed by their crazy dad; Bill Gilmore, Proprietor of Bill’s Blues Bar, for letting the Mystery Band launch in his club; E.G. McDaniel, Anthony Palmer, OSee Anderson and James Carter, for aiding and abetting in the creation of the music on this CD; Stuart Miller and Jeff Guylay, my partners at Colonnade Advisors, for putting up with my weird hobby; Ken Zimmerman, Proprietor of the Harlem Avenue Lounge (Berwyn IL), for bringing the Mystery Band to the western suburbs of Chicago; The Morseland in Rogers Park – Chicago, for its support of the Chicago blues scene; Neil Lifton and Duke’s Bar in Rogers Park – Chicago, for keeping the tradition of musical taverns alive and well in Chicago; C.J. Arthur’s in Wilmette IL, for booking gritty blues bands in their respectable establishment; Tom Albanese, harmonica star and friend, for his encouragement and support; Shoji Naito, triple-threat bluesman (harmonica/guitar/bass) for his quiet guidance and musical excellence; AND TO ALL THE GREAT MUSICIANS THAT HAVE PLAYED IN THE MYSTERY BAND!

Anthony Palmer, E.G.McDaniel. OSee Anderson, James Carter, Twist Turner, Shoji Naito, Sammy Fender, Mike Finnerty, Harlan Terson, Mike Wheeler, Illinois Slim, Tom Holland, Steve Arvey, Carl Davis, Jon McDonald, Tom Crivellone , Mark Wydra, Andy Meacham, Felix Reyes, Dave Herrero, J.R. Wydra, Karl Meyer, Adam Kraus, Steve Hart, Tom Susala, Kevin Summers, Mike Azzi, Smokin' Joe Pratt. Rudy Kleiner, Orlando P. Condon II, Tino Cortez, Highway RickEy Trankle, Merle "the Perkolater" Perkins, Mike Linn, Tim Austin, DeWan Austin, Louis Powell, Aaron Almon, Robert Pasenko, Brian James, Barrelhouse Bonnie, Darryl Coutts, Frank Catalano and Bob Centano (Mr. Centano is the only septuagenarian baritone saxophonist/flautist to perform with the Mystery Band).

Check out the Mystery Band’s MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/gandthemysteryband

Check out the Mystery Band’s website: http://www.mrgandthemysteryband.com/

Check out Mr. G’s blog: http://g-freethoughts.blogspot.com/

Mystery Band CD Preview - Part 2

Here is another "snip" from the CD Liner Notes:

Here is a little info on the Mystery Bandsmen:

Mr. G, Harmonica and Vocals: Mr. G started out on the west coast in the San Francisco Bay Area. He soaked up the intense funk/soul/jazz scene out there, as a fan and as a trombonist in the horn section of various funk and jazz bands. After finishing his education in the Chicago area, Mr. G put down the trombone and began goofing around with the harmonica. He became a student of Chicago blues and found his voice as a barroom singer, songwriter and harp player. Mr. G has a day job, and he intends to keep it.

Anthony Palmer, Guitar: They call him “The Fret-Burner,” and other guitar players are awestruck when they hear him play. Born and raised on the West Side of the Chicago, Tony Palmer has supported many of the legendary blues players – Otis Rush, Lurrie Bell, Bobby Rush, Sugar Blue and many others. Tony was a member of the hard-touring Joanna Connor Band for 12 years, and then joined the Jimmy Burns Band in 2003. He provides Jimmy with virtuoso guitar support that is the backbone of the band’s sound. Tony has been a Mystery Bandsman since the first Thanksgiving night gig in 2003.

Greg “E.G.” McDaniel, Electric and Acoustic Bass: E.G. was also an original Mystery Bandsman on the Thanksgiving 2003 gig. He is Tony Palmer’s partner in the Jimmy Burns Band and one of the first-call bass players on the Chicago blues circuit. E.G. has provided the foundation for many blues notables, including Eddy Clearwater, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Katherine Davis, Erwin Helfer and many others. E.G. was born into music – his father was the legendary Chicago blues/jazz guitarist, Floyd McDaniel, his mother was the wonderful singer/pianist Bessie Jackson McDaniel and his cousin was the late, great Bo Diddley (aka Ellas McDaniel). E.G. is a rock solid, tasteful player.

OSee Anderson, Guitar: OSee is a multi-faceted guitarist who has mastered the blues, jazz, funk and rhythm and blues. He began his professional career at age thirteen, and has performed with The Staple Singers, Al Green, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, James Cotton, Billy Branch, Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks, John Mayall, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and many others. He has also led his own band, The Hit Squad, in the late 1980’s. OSee is also a talented songwriter, and his songs have been recorded by many artists, including James Cotton. OSee has recorded three CD’s under his own name.

James Carter, Drums: James is the youngest Mystery Bandsman on this CD. He has mad percussion skills, built over 30 years of drumming (he started when he was 6). James works with E.G. and Anthony in the Jimmy Burns Band; he also played drums for many years for his uncle, the late, great bassist/vocalist Willie Kent. James has been hotly sought after by many blues greats over the years, including Sunnyland Slim, Johnny Littlejohn, Melvin Taylor, Byther Smith and many others.

More to follow......

Mystery Band CD - A Preview

I am pushing to get this project completed. The liner notes are written; I am working with my buddy Grant Kessler on CD design and photography. I found a place that will produce 1,000 CD's in jewel cases with a four-page booklet and shrink rap for under $1,000. If I can sell all 1,000 at a decent price, I will break even (plus a little) on the project.

Here is a snip from the liner notes.....

The Mystery Band was born in a bar. Bill Gilmore, proprietor of Bill’s Blues Bar in Evanston, Illinois, had no band booked for Thanksgiving night in 2003. Being a hanger-on at the bar and an occasional blues singer/harmonica player, I offered to assemble a band for that night. It gave me an excuse to go out and work off my Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t know who would show up to play; I just started calling my favorite musicians – so we became “the Mystery Band.” Several folks attended the show that night, looking for a break from family togetherness. Thus began the Mystery Band experience.

We remain a proud bar band. But we are different than a standard bar band. The mission of the Mystery Band is to bring Chicago’s finest blues musicians together and have a ridiculously good time. Over the past 5 years, more than 45 terrific musicians have joined the Mystery Band (maybe for only one gig). We almost never rehearse – it comes together on the bandstand, sort of. But I started scribbling out a few blues songs to amuse myself, and then people started asking if they could buy our CD’s. Well, we didn’t have any product. So this CD is our effort to respond to our small group of dedicated fans. It is unusual for The Mystery Band to get organized like this – improvisation and accident are our core values. But it has been a gas to get in the studio and cut these tunes. We tried to stay true to our roots – there is very little overdubbing on this disc, and the all of the tracks were recorded in one or two takes. And we didn’t rehearse – we pulled it together at Jim Reeve’s studio in Evanston. I hope you enjoy the songs.

The supporting musicians on this disc are among the finest blues/R&B players in the world, and they are my “go-to” guys – I use them on as many gigs as possible. It is an honor to play with them.

The band loved working at Reeves Audio, run by the legendary Jim Reeves – one of the unsung heroes of the recorded music industry.

More to follow......

Oh No, Not Chico Banks .....

We lost a giant of the blues guitar today - Chico Banks died unexpectedly and way too soon. He was only 47 years old. He is part of the "killer guitarists" in the third generation of Chicago bluesmen (first generation included Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Howlin' Wolf et al; second generation included Buddy Guy, Lonnie Brooks, Eddy Clearwater, Magic Slim et al, third generation included Melvin Taylor, Bernard Allison, Billy Branch, Chico Banks et al). Chico played the blues, he played R&B, he played funk, he played gospel and yeah, he could play rock too. Music was Chico's family business - his dad, Jessie Banks, was a fabulous guitarist that played with the great gospel group the Mighty Clouds of Joy.

Chico was also an engaging vocalist - his vocal stylings are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. He was a fine songwriter. He was a great talent that was in the process of breaking out when he died. He was loved by his fellow musicans and legions of fans around the world.

I was vaguely aware the Chico had some health problems, but I had no idea that he was seriously ill. This is a huge shock to the blues community in Chicago.

Light a candle, people.

First Snow/Citigroup Bail-out

Those of us who live north of Chicago awoke to the first snow of the season. It was that lovely stuff that the forecasters call "wintry mix" - snow changing to sleet/rain, then changing back to snow. It is sloppy and it doesn't stick. The sweaters are out of the closet and the earmuffs are back on for those of us that trudge downtown in the early morning.

Here is my favorite quote regarding the Citigroup bailout (thus far):

In the news this morning is $20 billion of new capital to Citibank from TARP but still no money for the Big 3. I can already hear the scream out of Detroit. What’s the difference between the two? Well, to put it bluntly, giving cash to Citibank is like performing the Heimlich maneuver on a choking man while giving cash to the Big 3 is like giving mouth-to mouth to a recently dug up corpse.

John P. McNulty, Publisher, Private Equity Professional Digest

Bleah. But quite colorful.

The REAL Surprise About The Presidential Election

The press and the people are all marveling that the United States has elected an African American president. Yes, that is significant. But the REAL revolution is that, for the first time in our country's history, our government will be led by a die-hard fan of the Chicago White Sox. Here is President Elect Obama throwing out the first pitch during the 2005 American League play-offs, back when he was still pretty much unknown outside of Chicago.

He is charismatic, intelligent, articulate and level-headed. AND he is a White Sox Fan. So we should be OK, people.