Five Living Musicians I Love

I am into the music of many people who have shuffled off this mortal coil. But there are lots of folks that I love who are still with us. I admire dozens of musicians - maybe hundreds. Here are five, not listed in order of preference (because I love them all):



Bonnie Raitt: I am Bonnie's loyal dog. Her voice is an unique, exquisite instrument, capable of expressing love, lust, anger, longing, joy, sorrow - and every other emotion that a human being can experience. I was a fan boy long before she broke through with the "Nick of Time" album in 1990 - I bought her first album in 1971 when I was a junior in high school. She was and is a frequent visitor to Chicago, and supported the blues people from whom she drew her inspiration - Robert Johnson, Son House, Sippie Wallace, Muddy Waters, A.C. Reed, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and all the rest. While her voice is what captures me and reduces me to a puddle of emotions, her slide guitar work is also outstanding - unhurried, tasty and instantly recognizable. Stevie Wonder is among the fans of her slide guitar prowess, adding her as a guest musician on his most recent album. She is also an individual with strongly-held convictions, and she devotes considerable time and energy to pursuing those convictions. Hard to come up with a more admirable person among the upper echelons of popular music....



Sonny Rollins: Miles, Dizzy, Bird, 'Trane, Monk, Duke, Dexter.....and Sonny. Sonny is surviving member of this exclusive club of jazz heroes. He is the Saxophone Colossus. Here is a link to an interview of Sonny, conducted by Clint Eastwood on the eve of the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (it is well-known that Clint is a dewey-eyed jazz fan, bless his heart). At the age of 77, Sonny is still blowing up a storm - in his sixth decade as a jazz giant. His exuberent and joyful music is a blessing for all humans. It was my great honor to play trombone in the UC Berkeley Jazz Ensemble that supported Mr. Rollins back in 1975 when he was the featured artist at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival in Berkeley. Listening to him play, working through the arrangements that he wrote, being in his presence...it was one of the peak experiences of my musical life. Sonny is a constantly striving musician - his practicing regimen is legendary. He is famous for dropping out at the peak of his bebop fame in 1959 to play alone for two years under the Williamsburg Bridge in Lower Manahattan. There are many things I love about this musician, but one of my favorite things about him is his affinity for unusual material - "I'm an Old Cow Hand, "Tennessee Waltz," "Someday I'll Find You" (which is the theme song from an old radio show called "Mr Keene - Tracer of Lost Persons"). Sonny gets my vote as the coolest man alive. His look, his way of speaking, his devotion to his craft, his focus and refusal to wallow in the fruits of his success are all very cool. The intensity, humanity, humor, and tenderness of his playing are absolutely unmatched by any other musician, living or dead.



Tom Waits: I discovered Tom Waits in 1974 when I bought his "Closing Time" CD at a used record store on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley CA. I spent $1.50 for the record, and I got $150 worth of juice out of one cut - " Ol' '55" - a great song. And that is one aspect of Tom Waits - he writes great songs. Sentimental, heart-breaking, weird emotional songs. Bruce Springsteen covers Tom - "Jersey Girl" is the tune, if I remember right. This is my favorite "nice" Tom Waits song. And then he does some stuff that is WAY....OUT...THERE. Man - he can squeeze so much emotion and intensity out of a limited vocal range - but it isn't his range that is important. He can evoke a wide spectrum of tonal colors and craziness with his voice and his shenanigans.

Tom is also a terrific actor - his current movie role is in "Wristcutters - A Love Story" Can't wait to see that flick - it hasn't been released in Chicago yet.


Curtis Fuller: Back when I was a mediocre high school trombonist, I discovered Curtis Fuller. He is now 73 years old and still making the trombone do things that are hard to believe. He played 'bone with John Coltrane on the "Blue Trane" LP; he played with Art Blakey. Mr. Fuller was one of those cats that had talent that refused to be denied - his Jamaican parents died when he was a child, so he was raised in an orphange in Detroit during the WWII years. He joined the U.S, Army in 1953 - one of the few places where black men were treated like human beings. He was a J.J. Johnson protege, but he developed his own style - edgier, faster, crazier. When I used to play trombone, I would listen to his records and weep. He is the reason that I changed my major from music to economics at Cal Berkeley.



Kim Wilson: Kim is my blues harmonica idol. He is devoted to the post-war Chicago blues tradition. He is also an official rock star; has written major hits and fronted the Fabulous Thunderbirds for almost three decades. The royalties from "Tuff Enuff" and all of the T-Birds hits allow Kim the freedom to play straight-up blues with true believers like Rusty Zinn, Billy Flynn, and a long list of other blues fanatics. I feel deeply connected to this man due our similar histories - Kim is three years older than I am, he played trombone as a kid, he found the harmonica and the blues when he was a senior in high school (I bought my first harmonica when I was a junior in high school). I have had the honor to meet him a couple years ago at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. He is the best Chicago blues harp player alive today, in my opinion. He also is a very solid, skilled vocalist with a very flexible and powerful baritone voice.

So that is five that I love...the list of living musicians that slay me is much longer than this. Watch for more profiles in future posts....

Mystery Band Hits Buddy Guy's Legends - 11/4/07

So E.G. McDaniel called me at 9:15 PM on Sunday night. I was winding down from a pleasant day with the fam, thinking about hitting the sack. E.G. is one of the "go-to" bass players in the Chicago blues community, an absolutely awesome musican, and he anchors the Mystery Band for most of its gigs. So E.G. opens with, "Mr. G - we can play Buddy Guy's tonight - the band that was booked didn't show up." Whaaaa!? Now why on earth would a blues band blow off a gig at Buddy Guy's Legends? This is the top blues joint in Chicago, probably one of the best in the world - you don't want to mess with these guys. Getting black-balled at Legends is not a positive career event for a blues musician.

Well, it turns out the the booking agent for Studebaker John & the Hawks made a little boo-boo. He booked the band at Legends at the same time as their European tour. Studebaker John was in Belgium Sunday night - a bit too far away to allow him to make the gig at Buddy Guy's place. I hope Studebaker John can make things right with the Legends folks...he is a great performer.

This snafu provided an opening for the Mystery Band. All the cats were available; E.G. whipped them together. E.G. on bass, Cool James on drums, DC on keyboards and vocals, the Fretburner on guitar, yours truly on harmonica and vocals. We hit the first tune at around 10:15 last night - the debut of the Mystery Band at Buddy Guy's Legends!! I was stoked!! Thank God I have an understanding family that didn't freak when I went dashing out the door on a Sunday night.

Legends is Mecca for blues fans and blues musicians from around the world. Even on a Sunday night in the face of a busted booking, there was a decent crowd in the club. And the folks that come to Legends on a Sunday are generally knowlegeable, not casual, blues fans. We did our best to give the folks their money's worth. The sound mix and size of the club caused some problems for the band - our volume crept up and my harp was getting squashed by the rest of the band. The amp I brought along was too small for the task at hand - the cherry old Princeton wasn't cutting through, even when miked to get into the PA system. I shifted to a larger house amp. That allowed the harp to be heard, but served to bring the volume up even more. But the first set was pretty successful; the crowd seemed happy.

E.G. had also called a guest star for the last-minute gig - Wayne Baker Brooks, the son of the great Lonnie Brooks. He came up for the second, late set. WBB is an awesome guitarist, can hold his own with my man, Anthony "the Fretburner" Palmer (most guitarists pale when compared to the Fretburner). But WBB comes from the School Of Maximum Volume. Yikes! It is now 34 hours after the WBB set and my ears are still ringing. I am a fan of restrained volume and dynamic variety. But, hey, I am a grumpy old man, what do I know?

So I heard from E.G. McDaniel again today - Buddy Guy hisself heard our set on Sunday night!
Glad I didn't know he was in the audience - I would have shit my pants in fright. He wants us to come back and play again. Huh! So I have the mobile number of Harvey (aka "H-Bomb") the house manager at Legends. I am going to call him today.


Maybe I need to get a little more serious about this blues hobby of mine.....

L'il Ed and the Blues Imperials at Bill's Blues Bar (Evanston IL) , 10/13/07

L'il Ed Williams and his terrific band, the Blues Imperials, hit Evanston Illinois on Friday night, October 13. This past weekend was the fourth anniversary celebration of Bill's Blues, and what a tough road it has been for this wonderful club. In this era of DJ's, iPods and free downloads, it is not easy to keep a live music venue open. Bill Gilmore, the operator of this club, has persisted in the face of great difficulties. I didn't think this place would see its fourth birthday.

In celebration of this milestone, Bill's Blues booked two superstars - L'il Ed on Friday night and Eddy (the Chief) Clearwater on Saturday night. I have seen Eddy Clearwater perform many times and I love him. I haven't seen L'il Ed very often, so I was eager to catch up with him. He is a bona fide blues star these days, still riding the bump in name recognition created by his appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" several months ago.

L'il Ed is a practioner of the "house-rocking" form of blues music, which was established by artists such as Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor and L'il Ed Williams' uncle, the great J.B. Hutto. The house-rocking band specializes in high-energy music and flashy, crowd-pleasing showmanship. A house-rocking blues band often includes a slide guitarist in a predominant role, usually as front man. Ed is an awesome front man. He has a perpetual smile on his face and enough energy to light up a medium-sized metropolitan region. His slide guitar work is appropriately raucous, his voice ranges from rough to sweet, he executes duckwalks and backbends, walks through the house and dances with fans while playing his guitar - you name it, this guy can do it. He may be small in stature, but his heart and his talent are huge.

The Blues Imperials consists of three skilled players who have been with L'il Ed for a long time. Mike Garrett, the band's second guitarist, is long, lean and unflappable. His guitar solos consisted of strong, "meat and potatoes" blues; he also stepped up to the mic and laid down some convincing vocals on a couple of old Little Walter tunes. James "Pookie" Young is Ed's half-brother and he is a tall, big guy - quite a contrast to L'il Ed! Pookie just LOOKS the way a bass player is supposed to look. He is a "pocket master" as well. Kelly Littleton's work on the drums is just right - not too loud, not too busy, he never loses the pulse. This band is very skilled and well-rehersed, but not slick - they retain that pure, animal spirit that is a must for all great blues and funk bands.

It is always great to see a top act in a small venue like Bill's Blues Bar. The house was full. It should be full every night. To anyone reading this, don't forget to get out and support your local blues club!!

George Carlin Talks About White people and the Blues

Man! George is still a edgy dude after all these years. And he's talkin' about me, yo! And people like me. It's cool, I can take it. I probably deserve it.

Here is George's Rant .

Billy Paul and Barack Obama

This classic soul/funk tune should become Barack Obama's campaign theme song. It is called "Am I Black Enough for You?"

Billy Paul is still delivering awesome soul vocals at the age of 73. He caught the world's attention in 1972 with the tune, "Me and Mrs. Jones," but his musical legacy extends far beyond one hit record. He has those wonderful Philly soul pipes and he writes terrific songs. The cat is killer!! Check him out and buy his records.

Good bye, Eddie Berner

Eddie was the type of guy that usually falls through the cracks in today's world. He was afflicted with a high fever as a small child, his brain was damaged, he was institutionalized, he was released into a halfway house and his cognitive skills were child-like. Not the type of person that one would expect to have an impact on a large city like Chicago. But he did.

Eddie was the Chicago blues "superfan." And to the credit of the Chicago blues community, he was embraced and shown loving respect by the musicians and the club owners. Yes, he was not a regular guy, but he had a deep devotion to the music and the musicians; he was in the clubs almost every night until his health gave out, he drank his soda pop and danced and sang. So he became a beloved person, and an inspiration.

Eddie died last week; I missed the news because I was on a business trip. I hung with him a few times at B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted and at Bill's Blues Bar in Evanston. Eddie made people happy. That places him in a pretty small group.

There is a memorial service this evening at B.L.U.E.S. Eddie would be very pleased by this.

Jazz/Blues and Literature - James Baldwin

I re-read one of my favorite short stories last night. It was buried in an anthology on the top shelf of my library - James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues." I last read this story when I was in college, I think. It is a terrific story that evokes the pain and difficulty of being a black American in the late 1950's. Baldwin was living in France by the time he wrote "Sonny's Blues;" he found the atmosphere in the United States too poisonous. Baldwin was also gay, so he had an additional set of biases to battle against.

In "Sonny's Blues," there are the best passages I have ever read about jazz and blues. Here they are:

All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it. And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear, or hear corroborated, are personal, private, vanishing evocations. But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air. What is evoked in him, then, is of another order, more terrible because it has no words, and triumphant, too, for that same reason. And his triumph, when he triumphs, is ours………….

………..Then Creole stepped forward to remind them that what they were playing was the blues. He hit something in all of them, he hit something in me, myself, and the music tightened and deepened, apprehension began to beat the air. Creole began to tell us what the blues were all about. They were not about anything very new. He and his boys up there were keeping it new, at the risk of ruin, destruction, madness and death, in order to find new ways to make us listen. For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it must always be heard. There isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this darkness.

Sonny's Blues, 1957

Hanging with Barrelhouse Chuck and Betsy

In late August, I received an e-mail from Mr. H. Charles Goering (aka Barrelhouse Chuck) which contained a gracious invitation to a Labor Day barbecue at the Goering estate in Libertyville IL. Any fan of blues piano will know that Barrelhouse Chuck is the "keeper of the flame," the true believer and the immensely talented practioner of the Sunnyland Slim/Otis Spann/Little Brother Montgomery school of Chicago blues piano thumpin'. I have been a fan of BH Chuck for a long time, and I wrote a little about his exploits back in January (here is the link.) I have seen him play live a couple of times also - always a treat - and I have tried to convince him to be a guest star with the Mystery Band (his schedule and mine haven't quite jived yet). I was honored to get that invite to the barbecue.

I pulled up to the Goering residence and met Chuck's wife, Betsy - a kind, generous woman of great good humor (and a formidable bass player, according to my blues buddies). I also met the four Goering canines - a quartet of Boston terriers full of friendly energy. The rest of the guests were all new acquaintances - a combination of musicians, blues fans and Goering friends and family. Since I am now in my fifties, my ability to recall names has eroded somewhat (ah, Hell - I have always been forgetful about names, even when I was a kid). But I remember the musicians, because I jammed with them after we were done eating - Justin on bass and Gerry Hundt on mandolin. Justin is a guy who played with BH Chuck back in the day; he has been off the scene for a while now but plays with Little Arthur on occassion. Gerry Hundt is a scary multi-instrumentalist/vocalist who is a major reason why Nick Moss and the Flip Tops is such a terrific band. Gerry plays guitar, bass, mandolin and harmonica and he kicks ass on every instrument. He also has a very strong and tuneful voice, and he knows how to use it. During our jam, Chuck rocked on his old Steinway upright. Ol' Mr. G had fun blowing harp and trying to hang with these talented professionals.

Now here is the word on Barrelhouse Chuck. Yes, he can play that awesome blues piano, he has a super-strong left hand that most keyboard players can't come close to matching and he is a soulful blues singer. But he is also a huge blues fan, and he backs this with a museum's-worth of out-of print blues LP's (all stored in a loving archival fashion, with heavy plastic sleeves and careful labeling), an astonishing collection of posters, photographs and autographs and an extremely intense collection of personal effects from deceased Chicago blues heroes (well-known and unknown). Chuck has put in tons of effort, love and money to assemble this collection. He also has a few non-blues heroes, such as Stevie Winwood and Question Mark and the Mysterians. I was speechless after he gave me a tour. BH Chuck is a man passionately committed to good music; he has a huge heart and strong opinions. Whatta guy!

Thank God for the true believers! May their efforts succeed.

Clyde "Lightning" George - Steel Pan Monster

Jam sessions can always be a surprise. I went to Mike Finnerty's jazz jam at Bill's Blues Bar in Evanston IL last night. A very fit fellow showed up and started to unpack his instrument - he wheeled in a bass drum case. I was puzzled for a while as he assembled his kit, then realized that he was setting up a set of two steel pans - the tenor set, to be precise. In no time, this fine musician (Clyde "Lightning" George) was tapping out bebop and blues on steel drums! The sounds of the steel pans are associated with the islands of the Caribbean and calypso music. Lightning jumps genres like a rabbit - yes, he can play the lilting themes of the islands, but he can also bang out "A Night in Tunisia" at breakneck speed. Lightning was born and raised in Trinidad (the birthplace of the steel drum and steel bands), but now spends quite a bit of time in Chicago's western suburb, Oak Park (the famous birthplace of Ernest Hemingway). Clyde George and Mike Finnerty (the locally-famous tenor sax man) have great musical rapport. It was a special night at Finnerty's jam.

I went to a college with a fellow named Andy Narell - Andy was a New York kid that took up the steel drums and moved to California to attend UC Berkeley. You can hear Andy from time to time on the "smooth jazz" radio stations that Clear Channel has established in most major metropolitan areas of the U.S.; he is probably the best-known steel pan player in the world. Clyde George can definitely hang in there with Andy. The sound of this instrument is part of America's musical stew now, and that is a good thing.

Society for the Advancement and Preservation of the Harmonica

Yes, there is actually a national organization dedicated to harmonicas, once again proving that the United States is home to an infinite number of odd sub-cultures that lurk below the radar. And I attended the national convention of the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (aka "SPAH") from Tuesday through Saturday. A couple hundred harmonica nuts assembled in a Sheraton in suburban Milwaukee to ponder the mysteries of the instrument - rapid tongue switching, over-blows, pros/cons of alternative tunings and dozens of other obscure topics. It was a true geek-fest, and I fit right in.

There were very many awesome harmonica players at the conference, ranging from the great jazz musician Howard Levy (he just stopped in to play at the jazz jam) to Charlie Musslewhite, the legendary bluesman (headliner for the Friday night concert). In the crowd were fantastic players like my teacher, Joe Filisko, Irish harmonica God James Conway, New York Bluesman/college professor Adam Gussow, jam band rock star Jason Ricci, elderly ass-kicking classical chromatic players like Stan Harper, the legendary Milwaukee blues harp stars Steve Cohen and Jim Liban, 13-year old harmonica phenom L.D. Miller and the larger-than-life Superman of the Blues, Buzz Krantz. I connected with one terrific player that I have heard about for years, Rosco Selley, who plays harmonica for a fabulous alternative rock band called Maybe August. Here is a picture of Rosco, rocking out:



Rosco combines blazing technique with a high level of musicianship - a combination rarely seen in a harmonica player. He lives in Bay City MI and he operates a small business to pay the bills (harmonica honking is generally not a high-paying profession). Pick up a copy of the Maybe August CD - it is great stuff.

The one really strange aspect of the SPAH convention was the lack of African American harmonica players. Some of the best players around are black, particularly blues players like James Cotton, Billy Branch, Sugar Blue and the rest of the "real deal" guys. It would be great if they would join the geeky world of SPAH - we need them.

Mystery Band Pictures from the Harlem Avenue Lounge Gig

One of the finest blues photographers in the Chicago area, Lordy, was in attendance at the Mystery Band show at the Harlem Avenue Lounge on August 11 - he took some wonderful shots, which he has posted on his website. Here is the link. Thanks. Lordy, for your talent and genrosity.

The Harlem Avenue Lounge

The Mystery Band played its first gig at the Harlem Avenue Lounge in Berwyn IL on Saturday, August 11. This is a great club owned and operated by a true blues afficianado, Mr. Ken Zimmerman. Ken is the captain of the HAL and he runs a tight ship - he knows what works in his club, and he helps the bands to understand the formula. He is a solid businessman and also manages a small number of Chicago area blues artists.

For this gig, the Mystery Band was a collection of great musicians that knew each other, but had never played together in this configuration before. The great Sammy Fender joined the Mystery Band for the night and added his unique and highly entertaining brand of blues to the proceedings. OSee Anderson, who played in Sammy Fender's band many years ago, held down the other guitar slot. Harland Terson, who has also played with Sammy before, was belting out the bass. And Twist Turner, who has played with Sammy occassionally for many years, was banging out the beat.

Karen Hanson, author of the recently published guide book, "Today's Chicago Blues," was in the house. I have corresponded with Karen for the past year or so, but had not met her until she showed up at the Harlem Avenue Lounge to hear the Mystery Band. Karen was kind enough to write about the show on her blog. If you are interested in the current state of the blues in the Chicago area, buy Karen's book - it is complete and full of insider tidbits on the scene.

Hash Brown's Blues Jam at the Mardi Gras - Dallas TX

Hash Brown is one of the busiest blues players in Dallas. He slings a mean guitar; he is also an outstanding harmonica player and a convincing vocalist. He served as best friend/driver/helpmate for Sam Myers, the legendary Texas bluesman, during his final years with us (Sam passed a year ago). Hash Brown is a big-hearted man who loves the blues, and whenever I am in Dallas, I try to find one of Hash Brown's jams. He runs at least two jams each week. The jam that he used to run at The Bone on Tuesday nights was unbelievable - full of great players, serious dancers and hard drinkers. The picture of Hash at the top of this entry was taken at The Bone at a jam back in 1998. The Bone was a great club - in the heart of the Deep Elum district of Dallas; a funky honky-tonk full of music-loving Texans.

Well, the Bone decided to kill its jam last year, and the other venue that hosted Hash Brown's Wednesday night jam (The Hole in the Wall) also decided that they couldn't afford to pay the band anymore. But Hash Brown never gives up - he found new venues. I attended the new Wednesday night jam venue during my last trip to Dallas in mid - July. The joint is called the "Mardi Gras," obviously a New Orleans - themed place. I have to say that this was one of the weirdest locations for a music venue I have ever seen - it is on the ground floor of a high-rise office tower located next to the I35E highway. The good news - there is lots of free parking. The bad news - it is in a nightlife desert; nothing else is open in the area because it is all office towers.

Hash kicked off the jam with a set of instrumentals, including a rousing version of "Honky Tonk" and a passable version of "Blue Bossa." Hash also threw in a number of Dick Dale-style tunes, with lots of glissandi from his guitar and jungle beats from the drummer. The drummer in Hash's band was just right - a Texas blues beat guy, well-versed in West Texas and East Texas shuffles, swing, blues rock, latin and jump blues beats. I sat in with the group and blew out a reed on my "A" harp on the first tune. I had hit the road with just two harmonicas in my bag, (A and A flat), so my ability make music was pretty limited.

The jam was sparsely attended. The bartender sat in the back at a table with some regulars since business was slow behind the bar. Two heavyset women got up and danced together, shaking their ample asses a little too hard. A couple sitting at the bar were alternating between drinking martinis and necking. They were really going at it, lots of spit-swapping and groping. They would break for a little air and more alcohol, then go right back into their clinch. I wanted to yell, "Get a room!"

I guess the lunch trade sustains the Mardi Gras; the evening business seems pretty pathetic.

I stayed to listen to one of the jammers, a young guy (teenager?) with a guitar. He was an intermediate player, not quite there yet, but his instincts were good. He sang, too. His singing was a little less successful than his guitar work. He could turn into an excellent player if he keeps working.

I rolled out and headed back to the hotel. It was great to see Hash Brown and I enjoyed sitting in with the band, but the Mardi Gras jam couldn't hold a candle to the Hash's old sessions at the Bone.

Bill Perry, Blues Guitarist, Passes Suddenly

Very sad news. I just received this in an e-mail from Blind Pig Records:

GUITARIST BILL PERRY DIES AT AGE 49

With great sadness, Blind Pig Records announces that New York guitarist Bill Perry died on Tuesday, July 17th. According to Greg Schwark, Perry's road manager for seven years, the musician was found at his apartment in Sugar Loaf, NY. Emergency medical personnel tried to revive Perry, but he died on the way to the hospital, an apparent heart attack victim, although no official cause of death has been determined.

Perry was known as an outstanding guitarist whose go-for-broke technique combined effortless fluidity and incredible attack. Guitar One magazine called him a "six-string superman more powerful than a locomotive." He was also gifted with a distinctive, raspy voice full of grit and gravel that particularly suited the drama and emotion so essential to blues music.

Perry first made his mark in the clubs of New York City in the 1980's, where he was spotted by folk-rock singer Richie Havens. Perry spent four years on the road as the featured guitarist in Havens' band. During the same period, he also did some touring with The Band's Garth Hudson and Levon Helm. In 1995 he signed a deal with Pointblank/Virgin and released two albums for them. In 1999 he released a live album recorded at New York's blues hotspot, Manny's Car Wash. In 2001 Perry released the first of four titles for Blind Pig Records, with Jimmy Vivino, music director of "The Conan O'Brien Show" serving as producer on the first two CDs.

Good friend and labelmate Popa Chubby produced Perry's next two releases for Blind Pig, the most recent being 2006's Don't Know Nothin' About Love. Upon hearing the news while on tour in Germany, Popa said, "The best thing about Bill was that his talent was effortless. He was a natural. He could sing the phone book and draw you in. He didn't have a mean or a bad bone in him. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He was a brother and I'll miss him dearly."

Richie Havens issued a statement, saying, "I'm shocked and saddened to hear the news. Billy was a great friend, a truly gifted guitar player, and one of the funniest people I've ever known. Our times on the road together were some of best times I've ever had." Havens recorded a haunting acoustic duet version of the Rolling Stones' "No Expectations" with Perry that appeared on Bill's 2002 album Crazy Kind Of Life.

Buddy Fox, Perry's manager for four years and the long time booking agent for Manny's Car Wash, said, "Bill was a very singular and unique talent. He had a natural blues voice, and an uncanny ability to sing at the same time that he was playing a virtuoso guitar solo."

Blind Pig President Edward Chmelewski said, "We are indeed saddened by the loss of Bill and his incredible talent. His intensity on the guitar was frightening. He was a mesmerizing performer who played with passion and excitement, and he had that wonderful sandpapery voice that you could listen to forever. Truly a unique artist that will be missed."

Perry, age 49 at the time of his death, is survived by his only son, Aaron, 25, three brothers, and a sister. Details of a memorial and funeral have not been announced.

May this Texas Character Rest in Peace

I am in Dallas for a few days and saw this obituary in the local paper. I think I would have liked this guy...

Edgar "Heavy" Clayton Jr.: Junkman became a legend

08:03 AM CDT on Saturday, July 14, 2007
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
jsimnacher@dallasnews.com

Edgar "Heavy" Clayton Jr. refused to conform during his 75 years of freestyle living. The Cedar Hill junkman became a small-town legend in the process.

Seemingly oblivious to convention, Mr. Clayton lived his life without a public school education, a driver's license or insurance, among other things.

Mr. Clayton died Sunday of complications from lung cancer at a Cedar Hill nursing home. Friends plan to organize a memorial. His body was donated to MedCure Inc. for medical research.

"He was a fixture to the city," said Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke. "He had been here forever, and people knew him and liked him in so many ways."

Mr. Clayton picked up the nickname Heavy as he grew into his powerful 300-pound, 6-foot-3-inch frame as a teenager.

In 1989, Mr. Clayton cemented his legendary status by physically breaking up an armed robbery of P&S Foods in Cedar Hill.

Mr. Clayton was taking part in a backroom game of dominoes when two men tried to rob the convenience store.

"I told them I didn't think it was a real gun and started to fuss with them," Mr. Clayton told The Dallas Morning News at the time.

Mr. Clayton was shot while trying to wrest the gun from one of the robbers.

"The bullet went in my neck and came out in my mouth," he said. "I chewed on the bullet a bit, then spit it out. ... It didn't knock me out."

The robbers were apprehended, and life went on for Heavy after a stay in the hospital.

Mr. Clayton was the youngest of the eight children in his family.

"He was the baby; he did what he wanted to do," said his sister-in-law Dorothy Clayton of Cedar Hill.

Born in the former Florence Hill community south of Grand Prairie, Mr. Clayton moved with his family to Cedar Hill when he was 11 or 12 years old, his sister-in-law said.

He never learned to read, but he knew math for calculating scrap transactions, friends said.

Mr. Clayton held a number of jobs before settling into his role as the beloved but regulation-ignoring junkman.

Mr. Franke said conflicts with Heavy grew along with Cedar Hill.

"The sad part about it was that as the town was growing around him, having a junk business just didn't work quite the same way," he said. "The city had to become involved from time to time."

Mr. Clayton inherited a home on Hickerson Street from his mother. His property became home to his junk business, which was a problem for the city and neighbors.

The house fell into disrepair and was set afire by what friends say was an adolescent who liked to torment Mr. Clayton. He rebounded by living in a camper on the property until 2005, when he moved into a nursing home.

G.W. Gorman, a friend of more than 60 years, said Mr. Clayton was an independent person of great physical strength.

"He was always trying to help people; he was good at that," he said. "He was a great fellow."

Mr. Gorman said he once saw Mr. Clayton pick up a flathead V-8 truck engine with the transmission attached and place it in the bed of a truck. But Mr. Clayton used passive cooperation rather than brute force to deal with confrontations with civil authority.

"He was the only guy I know who pretty much had the system his way," said Jan Sorok, a longtime friend.

While many others might not want to be jailed, Mr. Clayton was always willing to do his time, Mr. Sorok said.

"'OK, when do you want me to show up?' " Mr. Clayton would say, Mr. Sorok said.

Mr. Clayton is survived by two brothers, Thomas Clayton of Cedar Creek and Alton R. "Pete" Clayton of Cedar Hill; and two sisters, Willie Mae Justin and Janie Pogue, both of Mesquite.

Nick's Beer Garden - Saturday July 14, 2007

I found out the regular guitarist for the Mystery Band, Anthony Plamer, was going to miss the July 28th gig at the Morseland. OSee Anderson was confirmed, so I had one hot guitarist - I wanted another player. I have been thinking about adding a keyboard player for some gigs, so I called my bass player, E. G. McDaniel, last Saturday for a recommendation. He mentioned Daryl Coutts, a young long-haired fellow who has played with Ronnie Baker Brooks for several years. And Daryl was appearing with vocalist Katherine Davis at Nick's that very evening. I resolved to go and check this fellow out.

Nick's Beer Garden is in Wicker Park, on Milwaukee near North Avenue. Wicker Park is one of Chicago's biggest party neighborhoods on a Saturday night. Traffic is miserable and the sidewalks are crowded. The three - way intersection of North Avenue , Milwaukee Avenue and Damen is the congested heart of the neighborhood, and Nick's is near that intersection. This is not a neighborhood that is generally associated with blues bands, and Nick's is a bar first and a music venue second. There is no stage at Nick's, and bands must bring their own P.A. systems.

But the crowd at Nick's comes to party.

Katherine Davis is a seasoned performer, in her early '50's I would say. Most of the folks in the audience were half her age, but she had them in the palm of her hand throughout the evening. As the evening progressed, some of the audience members became seriously impaired. The musicians were at risk of collision as drunken dancers lurched perilously close to the band. But no accidents occurred while I was there.

Katherine used the Jimmy Burns Band plus Dary Coutts. Daryl had two sets of keys - a piano/synthesizer and an organ keyboard. He brought out a B3 set up, with the spinning horn. Daryl is a killer player, and he did take the Mystery Band gig at the Morseland. I am very excited about adding this fine musician to the Mystery Band mix.

I sat in with Katherine and the band, using my little Fender Princeton amp. The Princeton was overwhelmed by the heavy firepower that the other players brought to the gig. It was LOUD! The crowd was even louder than the band. Whew!

I hope to get the Mystery Band booked into Nick's Beer Garden. I know we would do well.

Friday Night Crawl - Lubriphonic and Jimmy Burns

Well, I had to talk to Ken Zimmerman, owner of the Harlem Avenue Lounge last Friday night. The Mystery Band will be playing at the HAL on Saturday August 11 (BE THERE!!!) so I had to drop off some promo materials to Ken. The band that was holding down the fort was Lubriphonic. This group falls into the "jam band" category - they cover the same terrain as Phish and String Cheese Incident, but they are much blusier. The band includes two brass players - Johnny Cotton on trombone and Ron Haynes on trumpet. I always like a horn section in a band - reminds me of my misspent youth playing trombone in funk bands in the San Frnacisco Bay Area. Lubriphonic is the brain child of guitarist Giles Corey and drummer Rick King. These two guys played with many of the major name blues stars in Chicago - Koko Taylor, Junior Wells, Bo Diddley,and Otis Rush. They are tied into the Chicago blues tradition, although they don't have traditional Chicago blues backgrounds (Giles is a econ graduate of the University of Chicago). Bassist J.R. Fuller is a young fellow (early thirties, tops) and he has backed a ton of major names - Albert King, Ziggy Marley and Branford Marselis to name a few. So yes, this is a group of musicians with serious chops. I caught about half their first set, delivered to a virtually empty club, and had to leave. I was early - I hope the joint filled up for these talented cats later in the evening.

On the way from Berwyn to Evanston, I stopped by Andy's to catch the Jimmy Burns Blues Band. Jimmy's sidemen are the guys I try to hire for my Mystery Band gigs - I can't always get them because they are in such demand. Jimmy Burns is underappreciated - he is the real deal, a guy who can handle Delta blues and jazzier versions of the blues. He has a rich baritone voice and he plays soulful, spare guitar lines. It is always terrific to see my Mystery Band brothers - James Carter on drums, E.G. McDaniel on bass and Anthony Palmer on guitar. Jimmy connected with the audience - he had beautiful women dancing between the tables (there is no dance floor at Andy's).

I was back home by midnight or so. I had a busy family day on Saturday, then headed out again Saturday night to hear Katherine Davis at Nick's Beer Garden. More on this in my next post...

The Jam At Bill's Blues Bar

I haven't been hitting the Tuesday night blues jam at Bill's Blues lately. Late nights combined with early mornings don't work for this 52-year old guy; at least not very often. But I needed to dig up a drummer for my gig on August 11, so I headed down to the club to network. Hey, it was awesome!

My friend Tom Crivellone and his band, Two for the Blues, have been running the jam at Bill's for a while now. It has developed into a bit of a ritual, with regulars and a comfortable vibe. There were some top blues cats hanging out last night - Sammy Fender, Toronzo Cannon, Shoji Naito and several other blues professionals. But it is always the jammers, the less-than-professional musicians that amaze me. A jam can be a "blues school" with the experienced players leading the less experienced, and the results can be surprisingly good. But sometimes a few too many inexperienced players hit the stage at the same time and a train wreck occurs. But that's OK too. Bad music played sincerely beats good music with no heart.

So I got to sit in with Sammy Fender. What a great showman - he kills me!! I got to get this man to play with the Mystery Band some time.

Oh, and I did hire a drummer - the solid and delightful Twist Turner!

Ska at Summerfest

So we ditched Evanston on July 3 to spend a few days in the wilds of Wisconsin. The goal was to catch a ska concert on the 4th of July at the Milwaukee Summerfest. Summerfest is a wild scene, kids. It has been going on for 40 years and the party runs for almost 2 weeks. There is gobs of music, with 4 stages operating simultaneously for 12 hours each day. There is lots of food, too.

My 15 year-old daughter likes the whole ska-punk thing. This is OK with me - ska can be terrific music, requiring considerable skill to perform and full of energy and humor. The headlining ska bands on July 4th were Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish. Both of these groups started up during the so-called Third Wave of ska, which kicked off in the late `1980's and early 1990's. I have always been fond of Ska because the bands feature horn sections, often with a trombonist as the focal point. As an old slip-horn player, I get off on seeing a trombonist in the spotlight, and the cats can play!

Less Than Jake was a little bit lame - they seemed to be overly fond of dropping "f-bombs" at every opportunity and they broke up their show with a ill-conceived game show parody that was devoted to making fun of fans and touting the awesomeness of the band. Feh. When they quit screwing around and played, they rocked. The trombone dude, Buddy Schaub, was hyperkinetic and talented.

Reel Big Fish was a very talented and cohesive band. Their between-tune patter was less annoying and insulting than the Less Than Jake crew. Their music was considerably more "hooky" and they had more horns - two trumpets and a trombone vs. trombone and tenor sax for Less Than Jake. Reel Big Fish's songs have a great sense of humor - "She's Got a Girlfriend Now" is a hoot, so is "Don't Start a Band." Their biggest hit, I think, was "Sell Out," which actually got some radio play. I learned that the core members of this band attended the University of Hartford (in Hartford CT), which apparently has a terrific music department (who knew?).

The ska-punk scene is interesting. There were hundreds of people jammed into the Harley Davidson Stage at Summerfest; when Reel Big Fish played their tunes, the whole audience (except me) sang along. It was an intense communal concert experience; I haven't seen anything like it in a long time. Of course, I haven't been hitting too many rock concerts in the past 25 years....

My teenage daughter was one of the folks singing along on every song. She was thrilled to be at the concert (but perhaps less than thrilled to have her old man as her companion).

Johnny Frigo, Rest In Peace

Johnny Frigo was my favorite jazz violinist. He lived a long time - 90 years - and he didn't start focusing on the violin until his late 60's (he played mostly bass before that). A stalwart Chicagoan, he remained a local institution even though he could have lit up New York or Paris. Here is the obit from the Washington Post:

Johnny Frigo, 90; Jazz Violinist and Bassist

By Adam Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 6, 2007

Johnny Frigo, 90, a highly respected jazz violinist and
bassist who helped start the Soft Winds Trio and co-wrote
such standards as "Detour Ahead" and "I Told You I Love You,
Now Get Out," died July 4 at Weiss Memorial Hospital in
Chicago. He suffered complications from a fall.

After playing in Jimmy Dorsey's big band, Mr. Frigo formed
the Soft Winds jazz trio in 1947 with two Dorsey colleagues,
guitarist Herb Ellis and pianist Lou Carter.

The Soft Winds was not a major commercial success during its
five-year existence, but the trio recorded many songs and
developed a fine reputation in later years among
aficionados.

The members co-wrote "Detour Ahead" and "I Told You I Love
You, Now Get Out," both of which have been widely performed
by other artists.

In 1969, Mr. Frigo also wrote "Hey, Hey, Holy Mackerel" to
honor the Chicago Cubs during their promising but ultimately
ill-fated championship run that year. Even after the team
lost to the New York Mets, the Frigo tune remained a popular
chant at Cubs games for years.

Mr. Frigo spent much of his career in Chicago, his home
town, as a backup bass player on radio and studio bands as
well as on commercial jingles and in nightclubs, especially
Mister Kelly's. Starting in 1951, he was a fiddler for 13
years on the country radio program "National Barn Dance,"
backed by his band, the Sage Riders.

He accommodated a variety of musical styles, performing with
such strikingly different jazz entertainers as clarinetist
Pee Wee Russell, guitarist Charlie Byrd and bassist Oscar
Pettiford as well as singers Barbra Streisand, Dinah
Washington, Helen Merrill and Mahalia Jackson.

John Virgil Frigo, the son of poor Italian immigrants, was
born Dec. 27, 1916, on the south side of Chicago.

"The ragman would come around every Saturday, and we'd sell
him stuff we'd found in the alley during the week," he told
the Chicago Tribune. "His son played violin, and he gave me
my first lessons."

He taught himself the upright bass to improve his chances of
getting more professional assignments -- and meeting
girls -- during the Depression. After the 1960s, he learned
the electric bass to keep in demand.

As a teenager, he sat in with boogie-woogie pianist Albert
Ammons at the Club DeLisa and also sang at the Drake Hotel
in a group misleadingly called the Four Californians.

His singing career ended abruptly when his voice cracked one
night while in the middle of a high note in the ballad "One
Minute to One." When Mr. Frigo tried to repeat the song the
next night, a bouncer took him by his neck and dragged him
offstage.

One of his more memorable assignments came in 1941, when he
was asked to join the touring big band of movie comedian
Chico Marx, the Marx Brother who specialized in ludicrous
Italian accents.

They worked out a recurring gag where Marx would say, "Aye,
Johnny, bringa da violin down. Do you know 'Gypsy Love
Song?' "

Mr. Frigo: "I don't know the verse; I know the chorus. If
you play the verse, I'll noodle on the violin."

Marx: "Okay, you noodle on the violin, and I'll spaghetti on
the piano."

Decades later, Mr. Frigo called the bit "ridiculous. But,
little by little, it became a good routine. Every theater we
played, it would extend itself. I would play a beautiful
crescendo and slide down, and he'd say, 'You'd better pull
up to a gas stand. You've got a slow leak.' "

During World War II, Mr. Frigo served in the Coast Guard and
formed a band with several others stationed on Ellis Island,
including such leading bebop musicians as pianist Al Haig,
baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff and trombonist Kai
Winding.

After the war, he spent two years with Dorsey and appeared
in the biographical film "The Fabulous Dorseys" -- about the
rivalry between bandleader brothers Jimmy and Tommy.

As a bandleader, Mr. Frigo recorded one album in his prime,
"I Love Johnny Frigo. . . . He Swings" (1957) featuring his
Soft Winds guitarist Ellis as well as bassist Ray Brown,
pianist Dick Marx and trumpeter Cy Touff.

Although he recorded regularly, Mr. Frigo did not enjoy much
recognition as a leader until the late 1980s, when he
started making several well-received jazz albums that
featured, among others, father-son guitarists Bucky and John
Pizzarelli.

After one of Mr. Frigo's engagements in Southern California,
Los Angeles Times music critic Don Heckman wrote that the
musician "made a convincing case for himself as the premier
violinist in contemporary jazz."

About that time, Mr. Frigo appeared twice playing violin on
"The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. When the host asked
why Mr. Frigo waited so long to become famous, he replied,
"Because there won't be enough time left for me to become a
has-been."

In 1995, he orchestrated a Soft Winds reunion on a jazz
cruise aboard the S.S. Norway that included Ellis, Carter
and Washington-area bassist Keter Betts. They subsequently
released the album "Soft Winds Then and Now." Mr. Frigo
remained a vital figure at jazz summits and other musical
gatherings.

His marriage to Dorothy Hachmeister Frigo ended in divorce.

Survivors include his second wife, Brittney Browne of
Chicago; a son from his first marriage, jazz drummer Rick
Frigo of Chicago; a sister; and three grandchildren. A son
from his second marriage, rock guitarist Derek Frigo, died
in 2004 of an apparent drug overdose.

Falling Behind

Ooops.

It has been nearly a month since my last post. My real life is messing up my virtual life - too much going on right now. I have been traveling, gigging, and working. In addition, my eldest daughter just got married last weekend - a very distracting event (but it was a wonderful ceremony and reception). I hope to be back to regular posts later this week.

Thursday Night In Fayetteville AR

I arrived in Fayetteville at about 5 PM on Thursday. The main street near the University of Arkansas campus is Dickson Street. Local people claim that Dickson Street is the center of dining and nightlife in Northwest Arkansas and I think that is correct. I met my clients and dined at Doe's Eat Place, a unique steak joint that also serves beef enchiladas as a house specialty. After a belly-busting meal, we headed to the Hog Haus microbrewery and enjoyed freshly-brewed beer. After the brew was consumed, my clients headed for home, and I headed for Jose's. Things got interesting.

Thursday night is Bike Night on Dickson Street, and there were about 200 or so big cruisers (Harleys, mostly) parked curbside and rolling up and down the strip. Most of the bikers were at Jose's Streetside, a patio and music stage just off Dickson. There was a pretty competent pair of guitarists - Darren and Russ - playing and singing blues and covers of various classic rock tunes (the Doors, Van Morrison, the usual suspects). Sitting in on harmonica was Bob Coleman, a photographer for the local newspaper who plays in a local blues band. He also owns a bad ass chopper. I had a nice chat with Bob; we moaned to each other regarding the sad state of the live music business and how things ain't what they used to be (true, but not an uplifting topic). I headed down the road to George's Majestic Lounge.

Now, the Majestic is a serious venue - big room, big stage, serious sound system, lots of lights. There was a three piece band (guitar, bass and some guy on a drum machine) playing Jimmy Buffet tunes and other "easy listening" music. The players were competent, but the sound reminded me of what you might hear in the lounge at a Holiday Inn in Paducah Kentucky - a bit too much cheese for my taste. The facility is awesome, however - the Majestic was named one of the best college bars in America by Playboy Magazine a few years ago. The joint is in its 80th year of operation!! The Majestic hosts the big acts that pass through - G-Love and Special Sauce, Blues Traveler, Tommy Castro's Blues Review (with Ronnie Baker Brooks and Magic Dick). Very cool!

After my short visit to the Majestic, I hit the hotel and crashed; got up and headed back to Chicago on Friday morning. It turned out to be an interesting weekend - more on this tomorrow....

The Mighty Chromatic Harmonica

About two years ago, I posted an entry dedicated to the mighty chromatic harmonica. I continue to hold this instrument in high regard, and I have been playing it and thinking about it quite a lot recently.

The chromatic lends itself to flashy virtuosity. It lives up to the haromica's nickname - "mouth organ." The chromatic has all the notes in the scale (hence its name) and covers much of the same range as a standard keyboard (64 notes for the 16-hole, "kingsize" chromatic vs. 88 keys on a standard keyboard). You can play sustained chords on the chromatic; you can come up with wailin' split chords that sound a lot like a Hammond B3 in full cry. In the hands of a skilled player, the chrom can handle jazz, blues, soul, rock and classical. The tone of the instrument ranges from sweet to raucous. Listen to Stevie Wonder, followed by George "Harmonica" Smith and you will see what I mean.

I am on the road right now, attending to my real world livlihood. I have tucked my Hering 5264 in my rolling bag. Room # 716 at the Embassy Suites in Birmingham, Alabama was filled with the sound of Mr. G blowing the chromatic last night. No one tried to shoot me, thank goodness. My efforts on the chromatic are still pretty mediocre - I can play the blues in third position (key of D on the C chromatic), but that is about the extent of my skills. I haven't improved very much since I last wrote about the chromatic in May of 2005. I am stuck...

I am between flights now, heading to Fayetteville, Arkansas. I am hoping to find a jam session there - Fayetteville is the home of University of Arkansas, so I might get lucky tonight.

Early Departure - Michael Robinson

I didn't know Michael, but he had a strong reputation as a fine blues and soul guitarist in Chicago. He was alone in his apartment when he died and wasn't discovered for over a week. This aspect of his passing is quite depressing. When your friends or family go missing, check on them, folks.

Here is the obituary from the Gary IN paper:

Michael Robinson, 50, was standout guitarist
(http://www.post-trib.com/news/381260,robinsonobit.article)

May 11, 2007

BY BOB KOSTANCZUK Post-Tribune staff writer


Michael Kevin Robinson was a guitarist who played for standouts in the fields of blues and rhythm and blues.

Robinson, 50, was found dead in his Gary apartment on Saturday. He is believed to have died on Wednesday, May 2, according to his family.

Robinson died of respiratory complications, said his sister, Edith Sheila Robinson-Elane of Chicago.

Known as a polished lead guitarist, Robinson toured extensively with Chicago blues queen Koko Taylor.

"There will never be another Michael Robinson," Taylor said in a prepared statement. "It was a real pleasure to have him as my bandleader and lead guitarist for six years."

Robinson's guitar skills were also utilized by other notables, including Buddy Guy, singer Deniece Williams, the Staple Singers and Earth, Wind & Fire.

"He was a really, really great guitar player," said close friend Ernest Hall of Columbia, Mo. "He was one of the best kept secrets in Gary."

Hall said he graduated with Robinson in 1975 from Emerson High School in Gary.

Robinson toured Europe with the Kinseys -- Gary's first family of blues.

Kenny Kinsey said Robinson was a rhythm guitarist for his clan, which encompassed Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey and his sons, known as the Kinsey Report.

Now living in Merrillville, Kenny Kinsey remembered Robinson as a musician who studied a respected guitarist.

Robinson leaves behind sons Michael and Edward, and daughter Kawana.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Luke Baptist Church, 7262 S. Coles Ave., Chicago.

A Carey Bell Story

I am still focused on Carey Bell. I have had his tunes playing on my iPod all week and am impressed all over again with his adventurous work on the chromatic harmonica and his staccato attack on the diatonic harp. I also picked up the following Carey Bell story, posted to the Harp-L newsgroup by Steve Adams:

The last time I saw Carey about a year or so ago. After he had put on an awesome show, it was obvious he wasn't feeling too great, but he was his usual open, friendly, sunny self. After I had visited with him awhile, I told him I wanted to have my picture taken with him. His reply - "Why would you want to do that?" "Because you're the greatest harp player in the world," I responded (and, to me, he was). He looked at me and resolutely replied - "No, I'm not- but I will be, just you wait and see."

How cool is that? This man who had been an integral part of harp development and history since the fifties still had goals and ambitions for improvement, not to mention modesty.

The world has lost a magical harp player and a truly great man.

Steve Adams.

Carey Bell's Obituary

From today's Chicago Tribune:

Carey Bell: 1936 - 2007
Master of blues harmonica

Mississippi-born musician who came to Chicago in 1950s worked with legends such as the Hortons, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon
By Trevor Jensen
Tribune staff reporter

May 8, 2007

Carey Bell, a Mississippi-born master of the blues harmonica who put a funky twist on lessons learned from legends such as Little Walter and Big Walter Horton, died of heart failure Sunday, May 6, according to Alligator Records.

Mr. Bell, 70, who had diabetes, had been in Kindred Hospital Chicago North for several days before his death, said Bruce Iglauer, president of Alligator, which recorded several of Mr. Bell's albums.

Mr. Bell was a bridge between the post World War II era musicians who created Chicago-style blues and the players of today, Iglauer said. Arriving in Chicago in September 1956 with his godfather, pianist Lovie Lee, Mr. Bell already was an accomplished harmonica player and immersed himself in the local blues scene. He picked up fresh licks from seminal players such as Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter, whom he first saw at the Club Zanzibar on Chicago's West Side.

While playing within a traditional blues style, Mr. Bell's harmonica blew a "whooping flutter and a rapid upper register skitter," that pushed the instrument into fresh territory, said David Whiteis, author of "Chicago Blues: Portraits and Stories."

"Carey took the sounds and tone that was invented by the great players of the '40s and '50s and added a funkier rhythm [and] staccato lines," Iglauer said "He had a huge tone."

As a young player, Mr. Bell was taught to always complete one note before moving on to the next, Iglauer said. To that end, his playing was filled with long, sustained notes that bent and quivered.

"He had his own very individual, very personal style," said Chicago bluesman Billy Branch, who cites Mr. Bell as his main influence. "Carey's pretty much his own, I mean very unique."

Seeking more work in the 1960s, Mr. Bell took up the bass guitar and played with David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Eddie Taylor and Big Walter, according to a biography provided by Alligator. Back on the harp, he recorded for Chicago's Delmark Records, toured and recorded with Muddy Waters and was chosen by Willie Dixon to play with his Chicago Blues All-Stars in the 1970s.

Mr. Bell's virtuosity came through most clearly on the chromatic harmonica, although he was no less adept with the standard blues harp. "I asked him once, 'What do you play when you solo?'" Branch said. "He said, 'You play anything that fits.'"

In 1972 Mr. Bell recorded an album with Big Walter Horton that was Alligator's second release. In 1990 he played on "Harp Attack!" with James Cotton, Junior Wells and Branch. He recorded "Second Nature" in 2004 with his son Lurrie, an accomplished guitarist.

In 1998 Mr. Bell won a W.C. Handy Award for traditional blues male artist of the year.

Mr. Bell was born Carey Bell Harrington in Macon, Miss. He wanted to play saxophone as a boy but family finances limited him to a harmonica. By 13, he was playing paid gigs with his godfather, and at 19 he was off to Chicago, according to Alligator.

Mr. Bell had a low-key stage presence and his playing was more subtle than that of contemporaries such as James Cotton, Whiteis said. He was missing his left front tooth and couldn't play with a false tooth, Iglauer said. So he always appeared onstage with a gap in his grin. "I've hardly ever seen a musician get as much joy out of playing music," Iglauer said.

"He was funny, he'd crack on you," Branch said. "I'd see him and he'd say, 'When you going to learn to play that damn thing?' or, 'You ready to get your head cut" -- getting your "head cut" being musician's lingo for getting blown offstage.

Branch brought his harmonica when he visited Mr. Bell in the hospital Friday night. Mr. Bell was drowsy but perked up when he heard the music, Branch said.

"I did one of his signature licks, and he looked straight at me, like to say, 'You're stealing my stuff again,'" Branch said.

Mr. Bell was married at least twice and is survived by 10 children, Iglauer said. Further family information was not available.

Services were being arranged.

Carey Bell - Correction

This note came from my friend and harmonica freak extreme, "Big Jim" Themelis:

Just to correct your blog Carey Bell had like 9 or 10 solo albums before Alligator. Hope to see you soon. Jim

Sad, Sad Day - Carey Bell Has Sailed Away

I just got the news from Scott Dirks that Carey Bell passed away yesterday - heart failure, probably due to diabetes. Carey was part of the first "post Walter generation" (I am referring to the two Walters - Little Walter Jacobs and Big Walter Horton). Carey was tied in with Junior Wells and James Cotton; only Cotton survives now.

Carey Bell Harrington and I share a birthday - November 14 - but he was born in 1936 (Mr. G is much younger, thank you). He left Macon, Mississippi for Chicago in September 1956. As a young harmonica player, Carey hung out with Little Walter, Rice Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II) and especially Big Walter Horton. Carey and Big Walter were very tight - Carey taught himself how to play bass guitar so he could play in Big Walter's band. The two harp players also cut a record together in 1972 (on Alligator, the second release by the blues label). After playing bass for several years with folks like Hound Dog Taylor and Johnny Young, Carey switched back to the harmonica exclusively in 1968. He sat in the harmonica chair for Muddy Waters in the early 1970's and ended up on a couple of Muddy's records. He also played harp in Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars band in the 1970's. Carey's career as a recorded band leader didn't really kick off until 1995 when he released his first full-length recording as a solo artist ("Deep Down" on Aligator Records).

Carey Bell was a senior member of a great multi-generational blues clan, the Bell/Harrington family. Blues guitarist superstar Eddy "the Chief" Clearwater is Carey's cousin, the great pianist, Lovie Lee, was Carey's godfather. Most of Carey's ten kids play the blues, I think - the best-known is one of my musical heroes, Mr. Lurrie Bell (see my recent entry about Lurrie). Lurrie continues to be recipient of the slings and arrows of bad fortune - his wife, Susan Greenberg, recently passed away, and now his father is gone, too. Carey and Lurrie played together from time to time - Delmark Records recently released a new DVD of a live performance of the father-son duo at Rosa's Lounge in Chicago.

It hurts to lose these harmonica blues giants - Snooky Pryor last year, now Carey. All of the Mississippi Saxophone fraternity is in mourning.

Magic Slim & the Teardrops at Bill's Blues Bar - 5/5/07

Magic Slim doesn't hit Chicago much these days. He moved to Lincoln, Nebraska a few years ago and is not a regular part of the Chicago scene any more. "Why on earth would anyone trade Chicago for Lincoln, Nebraska?" you may be wondering. Believe it or not, Lincoln is a terrific place. I have been to Lincoln and it is a college town (University of Nebraska) and it is home to one of the finest blues clubs in the world - the Zoo Bar. Because of the Zoo, many bluesmen from around the nation put Lincoln on their itinerary when running cross country tours (Lincoln is right off of Interstate 80, 570 miles from Chicago). Slim decided he liked the town and the club, so he shifted his base.

Magic Slim's "birth name" is Morris Holt. He is one of the last of the Delta-to-Chicago blues guys - born in 1937, moved to Chicago in 1955, came into the blues scene as a leader in 1967. When he was a young man, he was tall and slender - he was given the nickname "Magic Slim" by the legendary Magic Sam (Slim used to play bass in Magic Sam's group). Well, Magic Slim is still tall - I would estimate six foot seven inches - but he isn't slender anymore. He is a big fella - somewhere over 300 pounds, I think. This makes him an imposing presence on the bandstand. He occassionally channels Howlin' Wolf - the size, the feral noises, the whole deal. It is pretty interesting to watch.

I have the good fortune to be acquainted with Jon McDonald, one of the Teardrops. Jon plays rhythm guitar behind Slim and acts as road manager (announces the star, leads the band for a few tunes before Slim gets up to play, sells the CD's during breaks, etc.). Jon is a fabulous guitarist - he played a show with the Mystery Band last summer. He is also a very intelligent person, and deeply into the blues and all of its related musical forms. He, too, is a former Chicagoan - Jon recently headed west and now lives near Palm Springs CA. It was great to see Jon again. He seems very dedicated to Slim.

Magic Slim plays "meat and potatoes" blues - hard-grooving shuffles, blues-flavored funk and slow blues grinders. Most of his tunes are in the keys of A or E. His singing voice is powerful even though he is about 70 years old. Slim's musical range is limited, but within that range, he speaks volumes. I can't think of anyone that is doing a better job of laying down that post-WWII electric Chicago blues. He gets the crowd involved - Bill's Blues was full on Saturday and there was dancing and shouting going on. Magic Slim and the Teardrops is real and pure - a must-see for all people interested in American roots music.

Anthony (Tony) Palmer - The Fret Burner

Anthony Palmer is an astounding guitarist. He has an incredible memory for music, he has blistering technique, he pours all the love, hate, blood and sweat of human existance through his guitar and amp into the world. His nickname (bestowed by Jimmy Burns) is "the Fret Burner."

If there was true justice in the world, Tony would be rich and famous. But he doesn't seem to be the least bit disappointed with the outcome of his efforts. Mr. Palmer is proud to be a sideman; he doesn't lead a band and he doesn't stand up and sing (even though he possesses a fine voice). He supports Jimmy Burns, Katherine Davis, Matt Skoller, Byther Smith and even me, Mr. G. In the past, Tony supported Otis Rush, Joanna Connor, Sugar Blue and Bobby Rush. Tony has said to me, "I want to build a platform for the front guy. I want to lift him up and make things better." This type of unselfish approach isn't common with musicians that have Tony's skills and creativity. So Tony gets a lot of work - a typical week for him could include 6 or even 7 gigs. You can get a great example of Tony Palmer's work by picking up a copy of the Jimmy Burns Band CD/DVD - "Live at B.L.U.E.S." It is a fine piece of work - Jimmy was fabulous, and Tony was in top form.

Tony is a Chicago guy, West Side. He came up with cats like Michael Coleman and Melvin Taylor. He has been on the road for much of his adult life - Europe, Asia, all over the US and Canada. He isn't traveling as much as he used to - his gigs are mostly in the Chicago area. And he has settled in Evanston IL - he is my neighbor, I am proud to say.

Try to get out to see Tony Palmer. He will be playing with Jimmy Burns at the Harlem Avenue Lounge in Berwyn on May 19, and he will be playing with me in the Mystery Band at the Morseland Cafe in Chicago on May 26.

Lurrie Bell at Bill's Blues Bar - 4/28/07

It is always exciting to hear the great guitarist, Lurrie Bell, fronting a band. His pedigree is formidable (son of the great blues harp master, Carey Bell), his life story is about fighting through tremendous difficulties and adversity (addiction, death of his twin children and his wife). He has lived the blues, and his heart is large, large.

But at Bill's Blues last Saturday, the band wasn't "Lurrie and a supporting cast." The band included Carlos Johnson on guitar, Nick Charles on bass and Kenny Smith on drums. These guys are in the top echelon of blues players nationwide. Kenny is the son of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Muddy Waters' last drummer. Nick Charles has backed up all the major blues stars, from Howlin' Wolf to Billy Branch. And Carlos Johnson - he plays the old-fashion way, using his thumb and fingers - no picks, man. Here is a snapshot of the Awesome Carlos:



Well, with this line up, the music was intense. Lurrie and Carlos traded off leads. Lurrie was muscular and focused on the blues scale; Carlos was more subtle and had jazz flavors to some of his licks. Carlos is also a very skillful rhythm guitarist - his back-up work amazed me. These four artists turned traditional electric Chicago blues into an intensely beautiful and varied musical form. Oh, it was a peak experience for a blues junkie like me.

And Matthew Skoller showed up, too. Matt is a fine harmonica player who has worked with Lurrie and his sidemen on many occasions - Matt's band is one of the top working blues bands in Chicago (and the world). Matt is also the producer on Lurrie's newest CD, which Lurrie just finished recording last week. I admire Matt - he is fighting the good fight, making a living as a blues harmonica player (which takes a lot of determination and courage). So Matt sat in with Lurrie and the band. Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well. The soundman kept trying to adjust the volume on the house mic Matt was using (he was blowing through the PA system). This annoyed Matt and he finally made a string of angry comments and stomped off the bandstand. I understood his frustration (as a harp player, I have been murdered many times by overly-helpful soundmen). But I think the display of irritation on Matt's part detracted from the joy of the gig. I had to leave while Matt was going through his mini-rant to keep the bad vibes from overwhelming the glorious music that Lurrie and company had laid down. Anger on the bandstand is a real downer for the audience - even if that anger is wholly justified.

Back to Big D

I was back in Dallas earlier this week, chasing deals. Spring in the Dallas - Fort Worth area is tornado season, and there were many funnel cloud sightings, heavy rains and scads of thunder and lightning during my visit. It is a bit off-putting to hear the tornado warning on the radio as you are driving through heavy rains... "Tornado warning for the Fort Worth area until 4 pm. Take cover immediately. If you cannot find a tornado shelter, find a ditch and lay flat in it until the all clear signal." Hmmm....if I am lying flat in a ditch, is it likely that I will have access to a radio to hear that all-clear signal? I think not.

Tuesday was a busy day, but I brought my harmonicas with me and wanted to play Tuesday night. I found a jam at the Mardi Gras Cafe'. This place is on the ground floor of an office tower right along Interstate 35E. I drove out in the pouring rain to find the joint; finally located it after passing it up three or four times. I dashed through the parking lot in a downpour, pulled open the door to find - an empty club. There were a handful of musicians (mostly African American guys), and one bartender there. The jam band was into classic soul tunes - old Stevie Wonder, the Temps, and so on. The keyboard player switched to drums; another keyboard player stepped up, a very young college kid played bass and the main singer played passable guitar. So I sat in for a few tunes, had a few laughs, and headed back to the hotel. As I reflect on the jam, I think it was pretty cool - no one there except musicians (and damn few of them), lots of space to play, and no competition or silliness on the bandstand. Plus, the players had some skill and grit.

I will be back at the Mardi Gras when I return to Dallas.

More on Guns

I made my case yesterday for gun control as a way to deny the means of mass murder to people like Cho Seung-Hui. The outlook for serious gun control laws in the United States is really poor. There are over 200 million guns in private hands in our country. Political reality will probably stop any gun control crusade. So how to prevent the next massacre?

Today's Op-Ed page of the Wall Street Journal has some suggestions:

"Restore cultural taboos that once served as constraints on anti-social behavior." What a great idea! Just how do we do that? How do we get the evil spirits back into Pandora's Box? Be real, man!

"Allowing the government,on the say-so of a panel of psychiatrists,to lock up indefinitely someone judged to be suffering from a dangerous, severe personality disorder." Ummmmm.....pretty tough to implement this without trampling on civil liberties - how can we jail people based on the opinions of some shrinks? It isn't like psychiatry is an exact science, that insane violent outbursts can be forecast for indiviual mentally ill people. I wouldn't want the government and the medical community to have this power.

"Eliminate 'gun-free zones;' train and arm responsible adults (like teachers or retail store managers) so shooters would face immediate retaliation when they attack." Hmmmm. While this idea makes me queasy, it is the best concept presented on the WSJ's Op-Ed page. David Kopel pointed out in his piece that an off-duty police officer in Ogden, Utah stopped a mass murderer (the 18-year old Bosnian Muslim, Sulejman Talovic) in February of this year at the Trolley Square mall (a "gun-free zone"), thus limiting the shooter's body count to 5 dead shoppers. Now, Koppel is a controversial figure and notoriously pro-gun/anti-regulation, but he does have a point. Armed, trained people in the form of air marshalls are deployed to stop hijackings of aircraft. So maybe part of the answer to "too many guns in the hands of insane people" could be be "more guns in the hands of sane people." Extensive training, psychological testing and careful controls could allow this concept to co-exist with tighter controls on general gun sales.

One thing is clear - there are more Cho Seung-Hui's among us. They will strike again.

Guns

The insane acts of Cho Sueng-Hui at Virginia Tech would have been hard to prevent. There is a rush to blame the police, or the university officials, but the only guilty party is the shooter. If an individual has the motivation and the means, it is pretty easy to kill a bunch of people in our open society. Cho Sueng-Hui had slipped through the cracks - he was aparently very quiet, his sickness didn't show, he had no criminal record. He was a terrorist with a cause rooted in mental illness.

It was impossible to detect the shooter's motivation; no one can feel guilty about missing this guy's sick mind. But the ease with which he obtained the means of mass murder is something that should make us feel guilty. We have too many dysfunctional people around. We shouldn't be selling guns to anyone who walks into a store and passes a background check. Why do we need all these guns? The mayhem that passes for daily life in this great country is fueled by gunplay. And gun violence is glorified in the popular culture. We get back what we pump out.

If Cho Sueng-Hui had been unable to buy the 9mm Glock and the 22mm Walther, he may still have killed. But the firepower allowed him to kill more efficiently and impulsively. We have to eliminate guns as a legitimate consumer product, place extreme restriction on the sale and posession of these weapons. Eliminating guns won't reduce the number of folks with motivation, but it will make it tougher for those folks to obtain the means.

Thanks, Ray

So Kurt Vonnegut has passed. He is one of those rare people who identified the central dilemma - how to fight the battle to be happy and sane when so many sad, insane events are against you.

The answer for me is always music. And to me, the finest music is Ray Charles singing a great song. I went looking for Ray to find some comfort. Here is what I found.

Thanks, Ray. We miss you, Brother.

Good Bye, Mr. Vonnegut

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.' "

-- From "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," Kurt Vonnegut, 1922-2007

Santa Fe

Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe New Mexico






The Evanston IL branch of the G clan headed west to visit the eldest offspring and only son of Mr. G. Ben has settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his girlfriend, Bianca. She is a native Santa Fean, and her parents live in the city.

Santa Fe is one of the most unusual places in America. It is not a large city - around 70,000 residents - yet it attracts between 1 and 2 million visitors each year. Oceans of wealth have flooded the city, generated by the tourist tsunami. Whenever this happens to a smaller city, the outcome is mixed. Santa Fe's median home price is over 50% higher than the US average; the median family income is a tad lower than the US average. Property taxes are marching upward. Long-time homeowners of modest means are struggling to pay the taxman. Wealthier homeowners are pressuring for more amenities and neighborhoods are changing for the better in many ways (better schools, parks, etc.), and for the worse in other ways (poorer residents forced out, more fences and gated communities, etc.). There are scads of art galleries, high-end shopping destinations, luxury accomodations and other trappings to encourage well-heeled visitors to part with their cash. The official unemployment rate is low; apocryphal evidence suggests that many folks are under-employed and struggling to cover the costs of living in such a popular town. The population has grown at a slower pace than the number of housing units; many of the new homes are owned by non-residents that visit for relatively brief periods.

Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the United States and has a long history. The town is a mix of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and European-American influences.

In spite of its cachet as a spot for movie stars and the rich & famous, Santa Fe retains an undercurrent of edginess. My son, Ben, has found interesting things to do in the town. From African drumming/dance classes to winter snowshoeing expeditions in the mountains, Santa Fe accommodates Ben's broad range of interests. Ben and Bianca are thrifty, hard-working and resourceful, so they are doing well in spite of the high cost of living in Santa Fe. During our visit to the city, we hung out at Ten Thousand Waves, a terrific Japanese spa in the mountains above Santa Fe. My womenfolk loved it. Ben and I went on an excellent hike in the mountains among the aspen groves and rushing streams swollen with snowmelt.

There is a blues joint in Santa Fe - Willies Blues Bar - but I missed the Monday night blues jam. Santa Fe is famous for the Santa Fe Opera and there is a solid symphony orchestra. Lots of country music and tejano music, but not much blues or jazz. The town has excellent public radio stations that cover a broad range of musical genres.

We will be back to Santa Fe.