It has been two years since I was at the Chicago Blues Festival in the beautiful downtown Grant Park. The festival site, bordered on the west by Michigan Avenue and on the east by Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan, has six active stages and a variety of foods, offering something for blues lovers of all types. Over four full days, blues fans can hear some of the best acoustic and electric blues from Chicago, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi. This year, blues lovers were even introduced to blues from a couple of unlikely locations; Canada and Japan.
Complimenting the festival line up from Noon to 10:00 p.m. every day, are the special events and regular performances blues clubs across the Greater Chicago Area. If a person has the stamina and interest, it is possible to be immersed in the blues for a major portion of the day and night. Because there is so much happening at any given time, it is not possible to see everything at the festival and after the festival. Fans employ a number of strategies to address this musical overload; roaming from stage to stage and club to club; establishing a "camp" at one or two stages and a club, to get the maximum experience from a few select performers. Regardless of the strategy employed, it is hard for anyone to come away from this event dissatisfied.. What follows is a day-by-day account of one man's Chicago Blues Festival experience.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
After hopping on a plane from Minneapolis that morning, I checked into my hotel and high-tailed it down to the park to catch my first act, Howlin' Wolf alum and band leader Eddie Shaw, accompanied by his guitarist son, Eddie Vaan Shaw. Despite the threat of rain, the show went on as scheduled with Eddie dedicating several songs to his late mentor and friend, Howlin' Wolf, who would have celebrated his 94th birthday on that day. The acoustic versions of "Key to the Highway," "Built for Comfort" and "It Hurts Me Too" were all exceptional and featured Eddie on saxophone and harp, backed by Vaan on guitar, with both men sharing vocals during the 60 minute set.
Thursday turned out to be the one bad day of the event weather-wise, as the rain began to fall in earnest during the mid-afternoon, building to a driving rain in the late evening during the performance by Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater and Los Straitjackets. Adding to the gloomy weather was the news during the afternoon that the great Ray Charles had passed away. More than once during the remainder of the day, performers including Detroit Junior and Johnny Drummer, dedicated songs to Ray during their sets.
After bouncing between several stages to pick up shows by another Wolf alum, drummer turned guitarist Sam Lay, Detroit Junior, Eddie Shaw and the Wolfgang, as well as, Johnny Drummer and the Starliters; I settled for the remainder of the evening at the Petrillo Bandshell to see a couple of shows by performers that I had never seen before, Smokey Smothers and the instrumental surf-roots band, Los Straitackets, backing Chicago bluesman, Eddy Clearwater.
Smokey Smothers was the first performer to take the stage on the Petrillo Bandshell and was the only act that evening that did not have to perform in a driving rain. Smothers, a former Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Earl Hooker sideman, put on an excellent show, backed by a big band and accompanied for a portion of the set by local blues diva, Patricia Scott, who spends most of her time as the reigning "Queen of the Blues" at Blue Chicago on Clark Street. At the youthful age of 65, Smothers put on a great show, keeping the hard core blues fans who were braving the deteriorating weather satisfied with his performance.
Maintaining the tight schedule on the Petrillo stage, as quickly as the stage could be broken down and reset, Los Straitjackets stormed the stage with their sonic instrumental sound and Mexican wrestling masks. The band exhibited a high level of energy and enthusiasm for the first half of the set, before bringing another Chicago blues and rock n' roll legend onto the stage, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater. Clearwater played a combination of rock n' roll and blues from his current collaboration with Los Straitjackets, Rock 'N' Roll City, including "Humbuggin' Me" and "Ding Dong Daddy," along with some of his previous material including one of my favorites, "Cool Blues Walk." As the weather got cooler and wetter, the band got hotter and keep people listening where ever and however they could keep dry. I was amazed at the number of people who stuck around for the music despite the nasty weather.
Remaining on schedule, the evening concluded with another Howlin' Wolf alumnus and guitar icon, Hubert Sumlin performing a closing set with pianist David Maxwell and former New York Dolls singer, gone legit, David Johansen (a.k.a., Buster Poindexter). The ageless Sumlin, who is recently recovered from cancer surgery was a good as ever, smiling and maintaining his level of optimistic enthusiasm during his rainy set. As good as Hubert is and his place in the history of the blues and rock n' roll, it was too bad that the weather was so bad and that many more people weren't able to witness this fine guitarist and gentleman.
Even though I had several opportunities to extend my Thursday evening, including an encore performance by Eddy Clearwater and Los Straitjackets at Eddy's club, Reservation Blues, fatigue and the rain forced me to stay in on Thursday evening, a situation that I would remedy as the weekend progressed.
Friday, June 11, 2004
Although the sun wasn't shining when I got up for my visit to the Chicago Blues Festival, at least the rain had stopped. However, having spent days at the Chicago Festival where I felt that I was in danger of literally melting, the cool, cloudy weather was perfect for me.
Opening my Friday with Chicago stalwart Erwin Helfer and up and coming bluesmen Vasti and Keisan Jackson, I was looking forward to the early afternoon when I would get a chance to see a stable of blues giants, including Robert Junior Lockwood, Homesick James and David "Honeyboy" Edwards, along with blues traditionalist, Jerry Ricks. To see these four men performing on stage together was awe-inspiring. I was particularly impressed by the fact that the three elder statesmen (Edwards and Lockwood are 89 and Homesick is on is way to being 100) were still able to perform and entertain the very appreciative audience.
One of the highlights of my second day in Chicago was getting to see another blues guitar giant, Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson, for the first time. Having recently recovered from kidney surgery, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of energy and talent Johnson displayed during his 90 minute set that included covers of songs like "Love Me Like You Say," "Fever" and "I'm A Man," along with original material like "Doin' The Sugar Too " from Luther's CD of the same name. As a special added attraction to Johnson's fine performance was the guest appearance by keyboardist Johnny Drummer who sat in with the band for the entire set.
One of the more interesting events on Friday occurred on the Juke Joint stage when the blues went international with the appearance of a Japanese ensemble called Hasegawa Sangen. Wearing traditional Japanese clothing and performing on traditional Japanese instruments, the group gave a Japanese interpretation of the American blues, complete with traditional Japanese folk dancing, providing a visual interpretation of the music. Later, east would meet west, when acoustic bluesman Eric Noden went to the Juke Joint Stage for his set and invited the Japanese to stay and play a couple of songs together. The end result was even more interesting as the sound of the American resonator guitar and traditional Japanese instruments blended nicely. Eric Noden later completed his set with a number of nice traditional tunes from Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi Fred McDowell and others.
My day was made perfect when I ran into blues/soul singer EB Davis resting in front of the Juke Joint Stage following the final performance of the day on that stage by Robert Junior Lockwood. EB Davis is a Memphis soul/blues singer who has found his fame and fortune living in Germany and headlining throughout Europe. Davis may be one of the finest American performers that few
Americans have ever heard of because he made the choice, along with many other black musical performers, to move to Europe where his work has been more appreciated. We had a conversation that lasted for over 90 minutes and was as entertaining as any musical set. Luckily for me, the conversation would continue off and on for the rest of the weekend.
Highlights at the Petrillo Bandshell on Friday evening included an opening set by local blues songstress, Nora Jean Bruso accompanied by guitarist Carl Weathersby; some ragin' cajun music by the son of Clifton Chenier, C. J. Chenier; and a great closing set by the Brooks Family (Lonnie, Ronnie and Wayne) to celebrate the elder Brooks 70th year. As one would expect, the set included some excellent guitar work by all three esteemed members of the Brooks family, with a special added guest appearance by Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. Interestingly, Lonnie Brooks once also had the nickname Guitar Junior, but was forced to drop it when he left Louisiana and relocated to Chicago to find out that Luther Johnson already had a stranglehold on the nickname. It was a great set, featuring three Brooks and two Guitar Juniors, providing a fitting end to the second day of the event.
On Friday night after the Blues Festival ended, I headed out on the train for Halstead Street and B.L.U.E.S. to see bluesman Jimmy Johnson and his band featuring one of the young new guitarists on the Chicago blues scene, Chico Banks. As with many of the Chicago blues clubs, B.L.U.E.S. is small, long and narrow and, as I expected when I got there, CROWDED. I managed to find a stool along the wall in a back corner of the club, where I actually had a pretty good view of the band. As the set progressed, the club got even more crowded so that by the time I left to catch the train back to my hotel, you could not walk to the front of the club because it was packed with bodies. As I headed back to the train station, it began to rain again and by the time I got to the station, it began to pour. Lucky for me, I got to listen to a day and night full of music, without hardly getting wet at all!
Saturday, June 12, 2004
The weather changed for the better on Saturday, as I awoke to bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. Saturday's musical line up included a variety of performers and styles. Among the day's acts, were performances by local performers like Chainsaw Dupont, international acts (Harry Manx and Nigel Mack from Canada); jazzmen (pianist Ben Sidran) and emerging and established stars of the blues (Alvin Youngblood Hart and Pinetop Perkins).
I spent a big part of Saturday planted at the Juke Joint Stage listening to some entertaining acoustic blues acts including Johnnie Mae Dunson, an entertaining octogenarian who has performed with and written songs for Jimmy Reed. Dunson was followed by one of my favorite blues performers, Alvin Youngblood Hart who has taken traditional blues and added some of his own interesting twists to make them seem fresh and new. Hart also did a second performance later on the Juke Joint Stage, doubling the pleasure for me and many of his other fans.
As the day progressed, I got an opportunity to hear local bluesman, Chainsaw Dupont for the first time, along with experiencing my first live performance by Canada's cosmic bluesman, Harry Manx. Dupont's set on the Juke Joint Stage was excellent and like Alvin Youngblood Hart, Dupont got to perform a more electrified second set later in the day on the Front Porch Stage. Performers like Hart and Dupont, definitely can help people breathe more easily that the blues is in capable "younger" hands.
Manx's performance on the Juke Joint Stage was as interesting and eclectic as I had expected from reviewing one of his earlier CDs, Dog My Cat. Manx makes use of interesting instruments like the Mohan veena, a 20 stringed sitar style instrument and the banjo, along with more traditional blues instruments like the guitar and harmonica. He also performs songs with interesting, cosmic, hookish lyrics that can make you laugh, cry and/or display any number of other emotional reactions. By the number of people racing to the Best Buy tent after his performance to pick up copies of his recordings, Manx' visit to Chicago was a big hit.
The greatest highlight on Saturday was, in my view, the incredible performance by young bluesman, Chris Thomas King. The son of music icon, Tabby Thomas has personally worked to take blues to another level, incorporating elements of rap, hip-hop and other musical genres into his sound. Among his credentials are related work on stage and screen, having played roles in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and in Wim Wenders' episode of Martin Scorcese's PBS series, The Blues. Performing a set complete with a DJ and sound loops, King continued his work on changing the traditional view of the blues and refreshing the sound. Although I cannot say that I loved it all, I did find his work to be very interesting and entertaining.
Other performances that I was able to catch pieces of during the day included Howard and the Whiteboys; the terribly underrated blues guitarist Vance Kelly; Burgess Gardiner and Barbara Morrison's tribute to Count Basie; and a great show by soulman, Otis Clay to close out the evening.
I ended my Saturday blues immersion by visiting Blue Chicago to see W. C. Handy Award winner Willie Kent with his band The Gents. It was also my second chance to hear singer Pat Scott who is a regular with Kent at Blue Chicago during the week. As was the case the night before at B.L.U.E.S., Blue Chicago became progressively more crowded as the night wore on with blues fans from all over Chicago, the United States and the world. I made the short walk back to my hotel that evening, fully satisfied with my blues education for the day and well-prepared for the grand finale on Sunday.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Sunday started early when I ventured from my hotel to the annual Blues Brunch sponsored by Jazz Record Mart and Delmark Records. Along with fresh fruit, coffee, donuts and Danish, the Blues Brunch offers blues fans the opportunity to meet and listen to numerous Delmark recording artists, along with other local blues performers who stop by to visit. Blues Brunch 2004 was another fine affair with celeb attendees including Aaron Moore, Ken Saydak, Jimmy Burns, Michael Coleman, James Wheeler, EB Davis, Big Time Sarah, Zora Young, Little Arthur Duncan, Shirley Johnson, Bonnie Lee and Willie Kent.
After I left Jazz Record Mart, the remainder of Sunday turned into a day of visiting with "friends," as I was lucky enough to run into a number of performers that I have become friendly with over the years. Along with a day of excellent music, ending with my visit Buddy Guy's Legends to socialize with EB Davis and his lovely wife, I got the opportunity to sit and talk with local bluesman Steve Arvey, blues/soul great Syl Johnson and Mississippi Hill Country stars, Kenny Brown and Cedric Burnside who were an integral part of R. L. Burnside's band up until his retirement a few years ago.
I was lucky enough to get to Grant Park in time to catch a portion of the show by street musician, educator and Chicago mainstay, Steve Arvey and his musical collaborator, Kraig Kenning. Arvey has done an excellent job of preserving the traditional sounds of the blues and has been a long time advocate of blues education to preserve the importance of the music in the minds of young music fans. After listening to the last bit of the duo's set, I waited by the autograph table to greet Steve and to talk for a few minutes before trotting over to the Route 66 Stage to listen to a panel discussion on song writing.
I was interested in the panel at the Route 66 Stage because it featured a number of known songwriters and performers including Al Bell, Willie Clayton, Swamp Dogg, Frank-O Johnson, Marge Sampson and Bob Jones. In addition to the interesting conversation and interaction between the panel and the audience, I was lucky enough to run into and talk with another friendly acquaintance of mine, soul/blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, Syl Johnson. Syl is one of the greats of Chicago music and a performer who has had a significant effect on the blues, soul and even contemporary music. Intelligent and well-spoken, Syl is always fun to talk to and has an incredible knowledge of the music from a performance and business point of view.
From Route 66, I headed over to the Juke Joint Stage to listen to some of my favorite blues, as performed by several of Fat Possum Records finest performers; Kenny Brown & Cedric Burnside, Paul "Wine" Jones and T-Model Ford & Spam. I ended up spending much of my time backstage at the Juke Joint, listening to Paul "Wine" Jones and talking with Kenny Brown and Cedric Burnside about their musical experiences and the time spent with the esteemed R. L Burnside. Later, I got a full dose of all three performers when the Juke Joint Caravan moved over to the Front Porch Stage for another great show.
Highlights of the final day of the Chicago Blues Festival included my first opportunity to see the amazing Swamp Dogg. Swamp Dogg is not only an exceptional performer, but has also been involved in the business as a promoter, producer, songwriter, jingle writer and label owner. His performance on the Crossroads Stage was exceptional and included a nice mix of soul, R+B and blues that was particularly entertaining for everyone familiar or unfamiliar with Swamp Dogg's music.
Another interesting performance on Sunday was given by the duo of Louisiana's Kenny Neal and Chicago blues harpman, Billy Branch. The performance was an interesting combination of Louisiana swamp blues and Chicago urban blues, providing a new variation on the basic blues sound. As a big fan of both performers individually, I found their performance on Sunday afternoon quite enjoyable.
The stream of great performances finished off the Festival at the Petrillo Band Shell, beginning with Billy Boy Arnold and the James Wheeler Blues Band with Ken Saydak. Billy Boy is one of the greats of the Chicago blues harp and the heavy influence of Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson) was apparent in his style. Combined with James Wheeler's fine guitar and the boogie n' blues piano of Ken Saydak, the Bandshell got off to a strong start on Sunday.
Following strong performances by guitarist Michael Burks and singer E. C. Scott, the Festival came to a close with a fine performance by soul/blues singer/songwriter, Willie Clayton. Clayton has the distinction of being one of the few blues artists currently being heard on mainstream black radio thanks to his latest hit "Love Mechanic," which has gotten extensive air play in Chicago and across the country. Clayton is a dynamic performer and had the audience on its feet looking for more even as the show came to its inevitable close.
The 21st Annual Chicago Blues Festival was everything that I had hoped for and more. With its usual array of excellent performers and the great club scene for continued blues exposure after the Festival, Chicago is one of the greatest places to hear lots and lots of great blues. If you are looking for a unbelievable four day dose of blues, make plans to visit Chicago next June for the 22nd edition of this fine event.
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