Borrowing From Jimmy Burns

Tonight, the Mystery Band will be playing at C.J. Arthur's in Wilmette IL. Wilmette is one of Chicagoland's fancier suburbs; not a location generally associated with blues music. I have borrowed from Jimmy Burns, the great blues vocalist and guitarist for this gig. The Mystery Band will consist of me and Jimmy's sidemen tonight. They are a top-knotch blues band - James Carter on drums, E.G. McDaniels on bass and Anthony Palmer on guitar. It is an honor for an amateur like me to share the bandstand with these stars.

Tommorrow morning, at 8 AM, I must be on a jet headed to New Mexico. So this weekend will be hectic.

Kickin' in Cowtown

My day job has taken me to Fort Worth, Texas this week - it carries the "Cowtown" nickname due to its roots. The legendary Chisholm Trail, a major north-south route for cattle drives, passed through Fort Worth until some enterprising citizens of the town established the Fort Worth Stockyards - then the drives ended in Fort Worth. The Stockyards converted Fort Worth into "Cowtown," making it a major hub for the cattle industry (also for farming, ranching, meatpacking and railroads).

The community was established as a military encampment by Major Ripley Arnold in 1849, one of ten forts proposed by Willam Jenkins Worth to protect the Caucasian invaders from the indigenous Plains Indians. The original fort didn't have many engagements with the Indians - one skirmish in four years - so it was abandoned by the military. The beginnings of Cowtown blossomed in the wake of the abandoned military venture. Through the years, this town has grown in the shadow of Dallas - it was major training center for soldiers heading overseas to fight in World War I, it became a boomtown and energy center when the Ranger oil field was discovered 90 miles west of town, and it became a major military aviation center during World War II with the expansion of the Carswell Air Force Base and the building of the famed one-mile long Convair bomber plant. Lockheed-Martin still builds fighter jets in that old plant.

There is scads of money in this community - the Bass family, the Hickses, the Muses, and all the rest. The picture at the top of this entry in the Bass Performance Hall, a top-knotch, and over-the-top, musical venue. The two massive angels attached to the front of the building are blowing horns that jut out some 20 feet from the front of the facade - over the sidewalk and into the street. It is an oddly disturbing sight.

Dallas/Fort Worth beats the snot out of the place I visited last week, Orlando. Texans are very interesting people. Yesterday, I visited with a self-made multimillionaire, "CR," who is currently enjoying his "golden years" (I am guessing he is over 80 years old). This gentleman has his company's reins firmly in his grip. Every discussion with this sly old dog becomes a negotiation. CR is one ornery SOB and I mean this as a compliment. I think he could live another 25 years, and I bet he will retire only when his heart stops beating.

Last night, I had dinner with a group of customers, including "PM." I had not met PM prior to last night - he just joined my customer's company. This fella has a major twang, an extreme nicotine habit, and a powerful thirst for intoxicating beverages. He also uses the "F-word" as a verb, a noun, an adjective, an adverb and a general declarative exclamation. He was hilarious and horrible at the same time.

Earlier today, I met with the CEO of a smallish private equity firm. "JW" is a very successful African-American professional, a Baby Boomer who spent most of his career in municipal government (generally as city manager). JW had scads of interesting stories about his time as City Manager of Dallas. He completed lots of projects, and arguably left Dallas much better off than it was when he started. And his dealings with the major money players in the Dallas/Fort Worth area gave him an open door to a lucrative post-government career.

On top of these three delightful folks, I have had many brief encounters with everyday Texans. From the wait staff to the high-roller in his brand new cowboy hat, everyone is turned up a knotch. It is a energetic place.

A note on music - Dallas/Fort Worth has a pretty strong local music scene, with a number of decent blues players. Hash Brown, the guitarist/harmonica player/vocalist,is one of my favorite musicians in Dallas. Here in Fort Worth, the music is mostly country. You hear that ol' country two-step beat coming from most radios and restaurant sound systems. I have nothing against country music - some of the songs knock me out, and I dig Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Merle Haggard - but I will always prefer blues, jazz and funk.

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Some Folks Should Not Go to Blues Jams

I hate to be cranky, but I like the players at blues jams to at least know the structure of a 12-bar blues progression. This was not the case for the players at the blues jam on Wednesday night in Orlando.

The evening began badly. The convention I am attending is located on the Disney property. I didn't realize how far Orlando is from the Disney property! So I jumped in a cab and found myself ponying up $55 when we reached our destination. I knew that the jam was trouble before I even walked in the door. The jammers sounded like a middle school garage band. I understand that many jams include musicians that have modest skills, but this jam seemed to specialize in that category of player. There were two people hammering on a keyboard (at the same time!!), a morbidly obese alto saxophonist with great tone but no knowledge of the improvisational blues idiom, a guitarist/singer who so mangled "Key to the Highway" that I didn't recognize it until the third verse, a bass player who could not find a note in the chord beyond the root note and a truly awful harmonica blower (I can't bring myself to call him a "player"). The redeeming feature of the jam band was a very feisty female drummer who kept great time and sang like a baritone version of Janis Joplin. The jammers stumbled about for a bit, then a second guitarist started playing. He equated great guitar playing with lots of volume and lots of distortion via his effects pedal. The crowd in the bar agreed with his assessment and lustily cheered his solos. Everyone was having a great time and everyone was super friendly. I am sure that they are wonderful folks. But I fled without playing. I guess Chicago has spoiled me - I am not willing to play with incompetent players anymore. I dropped another $55 on a taxi back to the hotel and felt like a big dummy.

I hope these folks never quit their day jobs.

Off to the Land of the Giant Mouse.......

.......Orlando! Not my favorite place, to be honest, but at least I will be warm. I am going to a convention tomorrow, a gathering of entrepreneurs that are servicing the needs of underserved markets. This is a trip to support my day job. It could be interesting. Or not.

Since I will be there on Wednesday and Thursday nights, I am going to see if I can find a blues jam. There seems to be a few, according to my Google search. Since there are a bunch of convention/Disney oriented gigs in O-Town, I would imagine that there are a bunch of terrific musicians that look for jams on their off-nights. I will throw a bunch of harmonicas into my duffle bag. It is always an adventure to send the bag with harmonicas through airport security. The TSA folks sometimes become pretty alarmed and dig through the bag expecting to find guns and ammo. It is always amusing to watch their faces when the see the harmonicas.

If I make it to a jam in Orlando, I will review it later this week.

Mystery Band on the Cusp on St. Patrick's Day

I am staying in the house on St. Patrick's Day - there are drunks stumbling around on the streets and many will be behind the wheel of large automobiles before the night is over. It is amateur night, a great night to stay home. And it is chilly. Plus my stomach hurts.

Mr. G and the Mystery Band is reaching an interesting tipping point. I have been booking three gigs a month for the group at a small collection of venues (Bill's Blues Bar in Evanston, C.J. Arthurs in Wilmette, the Morseland Cafe and Duke's Bar in Chicago). There are many other venues that would hire the band if they knew about us and had a decent promo package to review. I am beginning to use the same musicians frequently rather than assembling a group of different people from my Roladex every time a gig comes up. I have written about 8 original songs; I generally perform a few of them at every show now. The folks that attend my shows have asked if we have a CD available (we don't). I have a feeling that the Mystery Band could build a reasonable following and get quite a few more gigs if sufficient effort was expended.

I have been toying with the idea of cutting a CD. I would want to do it right. This means renting a decent studio (I know of many in Chicago) and setting up practice sessions prior to htting the studio.

I find myself hesitating.

There are impediments - I have a day job that is important to me, and I have a wonderful family that might not appreciate it if I spent many more evenings out performing/rehearsing/recording each month. So the band is on the cusp, at the tipping point. It may stay in that precarious position for a long time.

The Mystery Band is all about spontaneity and improvisation. I have been thrilled that so many great, great musicians have been willing to play with an amateur harmonica geek like me. If the band becomes better organized, more professional, starts (ugh) rehearsing, will we still have fun? Because fun is the goal of the Mystery Band - for the players and for the listeners, I hope.

More on Paul deLay

Here is a shot of Paul playing the chromatic harmonica. He really was a master of the instrument. Unlike many blues harp players (myself included), Paul was not intimidated by the slide.

When he hit the button on the chrom to activate the side, he said he was "pulling the trigger." Yeah man.

More on Paul deLay's Passing

This is from an email I received from Peter Damman, Paul's guitarist and manager:

"Big loss to all of us. But his was a fast and graceful exit from the stage."


Amen, brother.

We Have Lost Paul deLay

I missed the news on Wednesday. Paul deLay was one of the greatest harmonica players in the world, and a terrific vocalist, songwriter and composer. His energy and passion lit up every show he played. He was a mountain of a man, and he got sick and died in a few days - undiagnosed leukemia. He played two long sets on Saturday night, for crying out loud!

I have Paul's CD's, I heard him play live out in Portland, I spoke to him and told him how much I admired his artistry. He was one of my musical heroes. He lived an epic life.

Here is the obit from the Oregonian. This one hurts, people.

From The Oregonian
Paul deLay, local blues legend, dies
Posted by John Foyston March 07, 2007 14:01PM


Paul deLay, the larger-than-life Portland bluesman who redefined the harmonica and its musical potential, died this morning at Providence Portland Medical Center from end-stage leukemia diagnosed just days before. He was 55.

"He was the most inventive harmonica player in the history of the planet," says John Mazzocco, who played bass with deLay for several years in the 1990s. "He was gifted -- he had incredible tone, but more important, he could look at things differently than any other harmonica player. He was the best in the world."

"He was the best harmonica player in the blues world," says bassist Jimmy Lloyd Rea, from Baker City. "His big body -- mind, heart and soul -- was in every note he ever played."

DeLay recorded a dozen albums in his four-decade career, won several music awards and was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. He and his band toured constantly, and his last show was just last Saturday -- a benefit show at Klamath Fall's Ross Ragland Theater.

"What amazes me is the energy he brought to the show," says guitarist Pete Dammann, who played in deLay's
bands for the past two decades. "He wasn't pirouetting onstage, but he was joking and yakking with the crowd, and he played hard. We did two long sets, and nobody had any idea anything like this was going on."

Neither did deLay. After that show, Dammann says, deLay felt under the weather, presumably from bronchitis he'd suffered on the band's recent jaunt to Mexico for several benefit shows. But doctors found that deLay was suffering from leukemia so advanced that his organs began shutting down and he lapsed into a coma from which he apparently never recovered.

Paul Joseph deLay was born Jan. 31, 1952 in Portland, where he lived all his life. In the early 1970, he and then-drummer Lloyd Jones and guitarist Jim Mesi formed an electric blues band called Brown Sugar and played to eager crowds up and down the West Coast. They laid the foundation for Portland's reputation as one of the country's great blues towns.

Nineteen seventy-six saw the formation of the Paul deLay Blues Band, which toured hard for more than a decade. At the same time, deLay suffered from alcohol and cocaine problems. In January of 1990, deLay was busted for cocaine trafficking and eventually served time in the federal prison in Sheridan. But before that sentence, deLay cleaned up and started writing
and recording his own music with a new band.

While deLay was in prison, his band played on as the No Delay Band, and it was waiting when he got out. They went on to record ground-breaking albums such as "Ocean of Tears" and "Nice and Strong," and Evidence Records released his two post-bust albums -- evidence that whoever said there are no second acts to American lives had never heard of Paul deLay.

Al Viola - A Musician's Musician

Al Viola passed away last Wednesday. He was a senior member of the skilled guild of studio musicians that powered so many records after World War II. Al could play pretty much anything on the guitar. He was Frank Sinatra's preferred guitarist. He also played on Marvin Gaye's records, and played lots of movie music, including the soundtracks for Blazing Saddles and The Godfather.

Here is a line from his New York Times' obit:

"His last performance was in late January at a jazz supper club in Sherman Oaks, California."

So he lived his 87 years, played his last gig, and died three weeks later. Not a bad exit for a man who dedicated his life to jazz guitar.

Charlie Musselwhite at the Old Town School of Folk Music

Photo by Rick Trankle/Alex Cuevas

Charlie Musselwhite visited Chicago this past weekend to headline at Buddy Guy's Legends on Saturday night. The local Chicago harmonica nerds, led by harmonica guru Joe Filisko, convinced him to stay over an extra day to visit with the Monday night Chicago Blues Harmonica class at the Old Town School of Folk Music. (that is Joe with Charlie in Rick Trankle's picture above). It was intense - the room is designed to hold 18-20 people, and we had over 50 wildly enthusiastic Musselwhite fans crammed into the classroom. It was a mixed crowd, ranging in age from 16 to 70, male and female (but mostly male), black and white (but mostly white).

Charlie is one of the living blues harmonica gods, up there with James Cotton and Kim Wilson. He is unique because he has "big ears" - yes, he is a blues guy, but he loves Brazilian music and Cuban music, and he has collaborated with musicians from those countries. "Every culture seems to have its music of lament," Charlie told us. "It's all blues to me."

Charlie is also the harp player that Tom Waits calls when he wants harmonica in a tune (check out Musselwhite's work on "Mule Variations"). And Charlie's songwriting seems to get stronger every year.

So I got to sit at Musselwhite's feet (literally - I was on the floor because all the chairs were full). He is a friendly, self-deprecating guy. There is a gentleness to his personality that is very appealing. He has a million stories, and he shared many with us. He also provided some equipment tips. He also shared an interesting fact - he said "I never had a plan, and I still don't. I have just been trying to have fun, and things have worked out. I have had some rough patches, but things have worked out OK with the harmonica."

Charlie's mother was the victim of a homicide in December 2005. The elderly woman was killed in Memphis by a 24-year old neighbor in an apparent home invasion/robbery. Charlie's wife, Henrietta, survived a shark attack in 2000 while vacationing in Maui. So Mr. Musselwhite has had his share of bad events.

He has long been a hero to me, and I know the rest of the folks at OTS last Monday felt the same. Charlie ended the evening by playing "Cristo Redemptor." Beautiful! Then he joined us at a local bar - he drank club soda, having sworn off alcohol 20 years ago. He loosened up - showed off his tattoos.

Photo By Rick Trankle/Alex Cuevas

Even though he is clean and sober these days, the man can still party.

More Great Musicians Crossing Over

I have been traveling and shoveling snow like a madman recently (today, the thaw finally arrived in Chicago). This has kept me away from the blog for a couple of weeks. We have lost a couple of wonderful musicians in the last week or so.

Jazz bassist Eldee Young died of a heart attack on February 12th. He was performing in Thailand, a country that he visited often in recent years. The picture above shows Eldee with Redd Holt - Redd is standing, Eldee is sitting. Eldee was 71 years old and as exuberent as ever.

Young was a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio during the days of Ramsey's cross-over hits - "The In Crowd","Hang On, Sloopy" and all the rest of those mid-60's soul/jazz records. Ramsey Lewis disbanded the trio in the latter part of the 1960's, Drummer Redd Holt and Eldee stayed together as Young-Holt Unlimited. Eldee and Redd had a big hit in 1968 - a funky instrumental called "Soulful Strut" that has been covered and sampled by a broad range of contemporary musicians (including the British teenage soul kid, Joss Stone). Here is a link to Eldee's obituary in the Chicago Tribune. Eldee was also a terrific singer, totally unheralded but very much a talent. His bass playing is up there with Ray Brown, in my opinion. He will be deeply missed.



Peggy Gilbert was a true pioneer. As a young girl, she decided she wanted to be a jazz saxophonist. This was not a carrer path for women that was actively encouraged in the 1920's and 1930's. She persevered, played, and led various "All-Girl" jazz bands for many decades - she was still an active player after she reached the age of 90!. Peggy died from complications associated with hip replacement surgery. She was 102 years old. Here is a link to the LA Times obituary. Peggy fought the good fight and broke ground for women in jazz.

I am sad that these two slipped away before I could shake their hands and express my respect for them.

Chord On Blues Tries to Rise From The Dead

I noted in early January that Chord-On Blues, the huge, beautiful club in St. Charlse, IL, shut its doors. Here is a letter that the manager of the club circulated recently:

A Letter to Our Loyal Patrons
The Best Blues Fans in the Country

As most of you know by now, Chord On Blues closed it’s doors on Friday January 5th. After celebrating our 10th Birthday on New Years Eve, it became brutally clear that we could no longer afford to absorb the losses we were incurring. Not even for one more day. So, we closed the doors saying that we were going to step back and regroup. In the interim, many of you have sent e-mails of support and encouragement. I can tell you that those letters have been THE single most moving experience in ten years of business and rocked me to my core. So … after 30 days of “regrouping” we have decided a couple of things. 1) 30 days is not enough time to restructure a 10 year old business. 2) Not having the nation’s finest blues musicians on our stage is too much to bear. So … we need a band aid or a bridge to what will eventually be our future. To that end I’m happy to announce a few shows that we hope will help bridge the gap.

On Saturday February 10th we’re pleased to announce that we will be able to honor our contract with Chris Duarte. Over the past 6 years or so, C.O.B. has become a Chicagoland home for Chris and his tour depended on this gig. I hope you can all come down and get your blues groove on with one of the most dynamic guitarists in the country.

And then … From Friday February 23rd to Sunday February 25th, we’ll throw a three day Blues Festival, tentatively titled, The Chord On Blues Winter Fest 07 / One More For The Road or Never Say Die! The lineup consists of all the bands from January that I had to cancel. This is my way of trying to get that money back in their pocket. Money they sorely need. If you were ever going to support a show here at C.O.B. this is the show. It’s going to be one hell of a party and will help keep these talented and humble musicians working.

As for our future plans … We’re going to do at least one show a month. They will be hard to market as the dates will revolve around the artist’s tour so the dates will fluctuate between the beginning, middle and end of the month. The only way you will know about them is through e-blasts to our e-mail list and our web site. PLEASE sign up for our e-mail list. We do not share it with anybody … EVER! My hope is that by reducing the amount of shows we do each month, we can fill the room up and give these bluesmen and women the crowds they deserve. We will certainly continue to bring in the artists that you have supported in large numbers. People like Lonnie and Ronnie Brooks, Tab Benoit, Walter Trout, Tinsley Ellis, Coco Montoya etc.

Our show in March is Hamilton Loomis on Friday March 16th. He was here last fall and played to a half full house. I’m bringing him back because it’s one of the best shows we’ve had in here. Trust me on this one and never mind the fact that he’s not a house hold name. Ham is great and he has the chops and stage craft to make himself one of the most popular acts in the blues biz.

For a month now I’ve been trying to find the words to write this letter and convey to all of you how much your support over the years has meant. Many bluesmen who have counted on us for their Chicago play have now lost another venue, as many have closed throughout the country. I don’t want to add my name to that list. Not after 10 years. I’m hoping this band aid will in fact be a bridge to a new and improved version of Chord On Blues. As always I invite your comments so please feel free to call or drop me an e-mail.

Thanks for your support, Sincerely Steve Chapman

RIP - Terry Lee McMillan, Harmonica Player and Percussionist

I am not a huge country music fan, but I appreciate the skill and professionalism of country music cats. Terry Lee McMillan was an excellent harmonica man - and he recorded with Ray Charles !! Here is his obit from the Country Music Television web site:

Ace harmonica player and percussionist Terry Lee McMillan died Friday (Feb. 2) at his home in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., following a long illness. He was 53. A spokesman for the funeral home handling the services said the family has declined to specify the exact cause of death.

McMillan was born Oct. 12, 1953, in Lexington, N.C., and began his professional music career in the early 1970s. Early on, he toured as a member of Eddy Raven's band. In 1975, he went on the road with Chet Atkins. After stints backing Jeannie C. Riley and Jerry Reed, McMillan turned his attention to playing recording sessions. Although a gifted drummer and percussionist, he gained his reputation in the studio for his distinctive harmonica style. He won the Academy of Country Music's musician of the year award in its specialty instrument category for four consecutive years beginning in 1993.


In the early 1980s, McMillan signed with RCA Records as a solo act, but his tenure at the label was short-lived. His only charted single, "Love Is a Full Time Thing," peaked at No. 85 in 1982.

McMillan's earliest recording sessions were with Mickey Newbury, Steve Young, Elvis Presley, Marshall Chapman, Ray Charles and J J. Cale. He subsequently performed on TV specials with Neil Young, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis and Chet Atkins among others. Intermittently, he returned to the road with such artists as Larry Carlton, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Michael McDonald. McMillan's harmonica work is prominently featured on Brooks' 1993 hit, "Ain't Going Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)."

After his family's house was destroyed in a 1992 house fire, McMillan became a devout Christian and focused extensively on inspirational music. In 1993, he released his first album, I've Got a Feeling, on Step One Records. He also released an album for Giant Records, Somebody's Comin', in 1997. In the years that followed, he became a frequent guest on Christian television programs.

"In 1993," according to Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers, "[McMillan] was chosen ... to be a member of [a band] that performed at President Clinton's Arkansas inaugural ball. The rest of the band was Michael McDonald, Bruce Hornsby, Kenny Loggins, Carole King and Judy Collins. [McMillan] played a standout version of 'Amazing Grace' on the harmonica."

He is survived by his wife, three children, a stepchild, two grandchildren, his father and a brother.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday (Feb. 7) at Atchley Funeral Home in Sevierville, Tenn. Burial will be in Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens.

RIP, Terry. Its sad that you died so young.

GLOOM

So the Bears got whipped in the Super Bowl and it is nine below zero in Chicago this morning. The sun is out, but everything feels gloomy.

The Cold, The Bears, The End of the World

The wind is stiff this evening, making a frigid night damn near unbearable. It will be worse tomorrow and miserable all week as the low teperatures hit negative territory. Chicago is facing its coldest weekend in ten years. Naturally, this cold snap hits when the Bears are in the Super Bowl. I am not interested in going to any Super Bowl parties in this miserable cold; I am sure I am not the only one with this attitude. The Mystery Band has a gig tomorrow night; I have a feeling that I will be playing to an empty house.

I am a Bears fan, but I have a hard time watching them play. Football is stressful. Every game is important and the agony of defeat offsets the thrill of victory for me. I am going to try to watch the Super Bowl, but if the Bears start doing poorly, I probably will have to turn it off.

It is ironic on this extremely cold weekend that the UN's report on global warming was released, and boy, was it depressing! Maybe world governments will get together and try to slow down the big warm-up. I wouldn't bet on it. And I wouldn't bet on human ability to change the weather trend. Yes, the world will end. Or, said more correctly, humans will probably become extinct. The timeframe for our extinction is too lengthy for the average schmo to panic. And besides, the Big Game is on this weekend.

Go Bears.

Farewell Susan Greenberg

The sad news of Susan Greenberg's untimely death has rippled through Chicago's blues community. Susan was a terrific photographer and artist - the image above this text is one of Susan's pictures and you can see some of her work on her website - click here. As you will see from her photos, Susan was a lover of the blues. She was also the life partner of one of Chicago's finest blues guitarists, Lurrie Bell - that's Lurrie in the picture I posted above this entry. I mentioned Lurrie in my last entry on January 20. Susan passed away on the same day I posted that entry. Lurrie has struggled with many demons, and the story in Chicago is that Susan pulled him out of the abyss, helped him regain his life. Susan and Lurrie had major trauma, also - Susan gave birth to twins, who both died shortly after birth. They overcame this tragedy, and celebrated the birth of a daughter, Aria, just two years ago. Susan passed at the age of 44, too young, a victim of lymphoma. I met her a few times at Lurrie's gigs; didn't know her well, but had huge respect for her.

If you are religous (or even if you are not), pray for Lurrie Bell and Susan Greenberg's family.

Shows that I Missed

January is only two-thirds over, and I am already feeling bad that I have missed a bunch of great musical performances. Here is my list of January gigs that I was too busy, lazy or tired to attend:

Trouble No More at the Harlem Avenue Lounge in Berwyn - January 19: Trouble No More consists of local blues heroes. My friend, Tom Albanese, is the harmonica player in the band and he kicks serious butt. Trouble No More used to back the late, great vocalist, L.C. Walker; the band lost momentum when L.C. passed away. This gig was the first major appearance by Trouble No More since L.C. died last year.

Lurrie Bell at Bill's Blues Bar in Evanston IL - January 13: Lurrie is approaching 50 years of age - he has been playing with the major blues dudes in Chicago since he was a little kid. The son of blues harp star Carey Bell, Lurrie heard the blues in the cradle and was playing guitar at the age of 6. He has fronted bands and supported an unbelievable list of stars - Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor,and tons of other big names. Lurrie went through the depths of a miserable blues life - 20 years of mental illness, drug abuse, homelessness and hosptialization. Lurrie is on his feet again, trying to make up for lost time. Can't help but wish him well. He is one of the best blues guitarists in the world.

Buddy Guy's January Shows at Legends in Chicago: The live music business sucks in January. That is one of the reasons why Buddy guy takes up residence at his own club in Chicago for about 10 nights during the dreary mid-winter period. These shows sell out every year, and I always call too late to get a ticket.

Frank Catalano Quintet at Andy's In Chicago, January 6: Frank is a wild tenor man - intense tone, great mastery of multiple idioms, energy to burn. He is a young fella - under 30 - and he arose from the suburbs of Chicago(can't remember which one), a product of the lavishly funded music programs that rich school districts still support. Catalano has played with the old guys (Tony Bennett et al) and the youngsters (N'Sync and DJ Logic). He has even played with Mr. G and the Mystery Band!!

Von Freeman Quintet at Andy's In Chicago, January 13: What can you say about Vonski? He is still whippin' that tenor madness on the people at the age of 84. Frank Catalano and other young tenor sax heroes owe Von Freeman a huge debt.

Well, it is impossible to hear all of the great music that is available in the city of Chicago. I hope to hit more hot gigs in the coming weeks.

Swamini Turiyasangitananda (aka Alice Coltrane) and Michael Brecker - RIP

We lost two musical giants - Alice Coltrane and Michael Brecker.

She was born Alice MacLeod in Detroit MI; she died Swamini Turiyasangitananda in Los Angeles. In between these two identities, she was Alice Coltrane. I suppose she remained Alice MacLeod and Alice Coltrane after she became Swamini Turiyasangitananda - it is hard to drop your history, even when spirituality pulls you away from the material world.

I read in today's paper that Alice's Sanskrit name, Swamini Turiyasangitananda, means "the highest song of God." She founded an ashram in 1983, pursuing the Eastern philosophy and religon that she discovered through John Coltrane. She married John in 1965 after knowing him for a few years; he died from liver cancer in 1967. Alice was a fluid and energetic pianist; she also played jazz harp ( the real harp, not the harmonica). She was off the scene for many years, but started making music again in 2004, cutting a record (Translinear Light) that was produced by her son, Ravi Coltrane. Alice was 69, which seems too young to lose a great soul.



The loss of Michael Brecker was even worse, if that is possible. He was only 57, taken out by leukemia. I am a huge fan of Michael Brecker; the "Dreams" LP of 1970 shook me hard as I was opening my ears to jazz and funk; I loved the Brecker Brothers albums that Michael cut with his trumpet-playing brother, Randy. Michael was a Coltrane disciple; I bet he knew Alice well. His mastery of the saxophone was complete. He played with James Brown; he played with Chick Corea. To me, he was the finest saxophonist of the Baby Boom generation - he could cover anything and everything. His own music was also stunning. I will put his stuff in rotation on my iPod today.

Michael Brecker was a family man; wife and kids. Michael's wife, Susan, spearheaded a search for a bone marrow donor - but a match wasn't found in time for Michael.

Chord On Blues Shuts Down

I got a news flash from a member of the Eddy Clearwater Band. The 14,000 square foot blues club/supper club, Chord-On Blues, has shut down as of January 5, 2007. Here is the announcement from the club's web site:

Chord On Blues
Temporarily Closed
We regret to inform you that as of Friday January 5th, Chord On Blues will be closed for an indefinite period of time. For the past ten years it’s been our honor to support the finest blues musicians that the country has to offer. It’s been equally gratifying to serve our customers who are the most passionate blues fans I’ve had the pleasure to know. At this point we will step back, regroup and return better than ever. We will keep our customers informed via our e-mail list so we encourage you to log onto chordonblues.com and sign up if you aren’t already. The Grille at Chord On Blues, located to your left, remains opened and unchanged so we hope you’ll continue to visit us next door. We apologize for the inconvenience we’ve caused you and hope that you will return when we reopen. Please feel free to call with any comments, questions or concerns at 630-513-0074.

Sincerely
Steve Chapman vp/gm

Chord On Blues was a great place, and operated for 10 years on the Fox River in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles. It is quite a hike from Chicago - I think about an hour's drive - but it was worth it. A huge club with a large stage and great sight lines, Chord On Blues booked Chicago blues artists and acts that were passing through town - people like CoCo Montoya, Chris Duarte, Poppa Chubby, Tab Benoit, Kim Wilson (with and without the Fabulous Thunderbirds) and lots of other acts that often don't get booked in the Chicago blues clubs. The Blues Foundation selected Chord-On Blues as the 2006 "blues club of the year." Apparently this honor did not improve business very much...

There were many nights when the band played to a very sparse audience at COB. I hope they succeed in re-opening the club. The blues community in Chicago and around the nation will really miss Chord-On Blues - it was world class. It is tough to make money running a blues venue.

Inner Peace through Funk

Have you ever had a series of events knock you down a bit? Nothing hugely tragic, but just an accumulation of small to medium-sized bummmers? And you start to feel tension in your jaw muscles as your face is fixed in a frown of worry and stress? And your sleep gets a little less restful because when you hit the sack, you are turning stuff over and over and over in your mind without finding any solution to the problems you think you have?

This has been my state of mind for the past couple of days and I discovered a Way Out that I am delighted to share with anyone who stumbles across this blog.

One type of music can provide a path to inner peace, at least temporarily - old school Funk!

Since the mighty James Brown passed, I have been digging through music that he made and influenced. I used to own some old vinyl records of early 1970's grooves cut by the James Brown band (the JB's). JB himself was involved in the music as a sideman (not frontman) and also acted as producer. I got my hands on a couple re-issues of James Brown's Funky People (Part 1 and Part 2). Oyez! Lyn (the Female Preacher) Collins fronts the JB's for five of the tunes on the 2 discs, and her work on "Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again" is one for the ages. Lyn faded from public view after her time with JB (she was in the background even then). She became a session vocalist and did some recordings in Europe during the 1980's. And she left us on March 13, 2005. Lyn apparently suffered some sort of seizure while eating and ended up choking on her food - the oxygen deprivation sent her into a coma, and she died three days later when her heart gave out. She was 56 years old.

I want to believe in heaven - I love the idea of JB and the Female Preacher testifying together again in the hereafter.

I started my musical efforts on the trombone and first heard Fred Wesley when I was about 18 years old. His sound on the Funky People discs is still fresh and still kills me dead. Fred wrote many of JB's arrangements - if James Brown gave birth to funk, Fred Wesley was his obstetrician.

Soif you are feeling low, put some JB's on the headphones. You WILL feel better. Funky music is cheaper than therapy.