SUGAR BLUE

Raw Sugar Blue – LIVE

Beeble Music

by Stella Ponce

“Sugar BLUE! Sugar BLUE!,” was the resounding collective accolade chanted more than 20 years ago after a Sugar Blue show in Chicago. This memory resurfaces after listening to this Grammy award winner's newest release, Raw Sugar Blue Live. The double CD set, the first live CD for Mr. Sugar Blue, hits that live show button just hard enough to place you front and center stage.

James Whiting was born into the New York City music world. Raised in Harlem by his Apollo Theater singer-dancer mother, Whiting grew up listening to Apollo legends like Billie Holiday and James Brown. He knew early on that he wanted to be a performer. So, with his first harp (a gift from an aunt) in tow, Whiting began his metamorphosis into the Grammy award-winning, harmonica virtuoso, Sugar Blue. Influenced by Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and jazz icons such as Dexter Gordon and Lester Young, he continued on with his seasoning as a street musician; and, it was on the streets where he found the moniker, Sugar Blue. The name dropped from the sky in the form of old 78s thrown from someone's window. At the top of the record heap was “Sugar Blues” by Sidney Bechet.

Blue went on to record with Roosevelt Sykes, Bob Dylan and Victoria Spivey. He relocated to France where he met the Rolling Stones who immortalized Blue's signature riff on their Some Girls album hit, "Miss You." Prior to returning to the States, he recorded his Crossroads and From Paris to Chicago albums. Then, he sweetened up his harpestry in Chicago by playing with blues greats Big Walter Horton, Carey Bell, Junior Wells and James Cotton. In 1985, Blue received a Grammy Award for his solo performance of "Another Man Done Gone," recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Fest for friend and mentor Willie Dixon's Blue Explosion album. Dubbed “the Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica” and a founder of harp technology, Blue has played, appeared and recorded with an extensive list of music legends from various musical genres.

Raw Sugar Blue Live, with Blue's distinctive harp wizardry, sensual voice and über-tight band (consisting of Rico McFarland on guitar, Damiano Della Torre on keyboards, Ilaria Lantieri Blue on bass, and James Knowles on drums,) delivers the authentic Sugar Blues show. While most of the songs (many written or co-written by Blue) have appeared on earlier Blue albums and are comfortably familiar to established fans, Raw - throughout - remains fresh, exciting and infused with the raw energy of a live performance by a high caliber band.. 

The fast paced opener, “Red Hot Mama” (“I want a red hot mama and another cold bottle of beer...I'm burning up, I'm burning up”) stays funky and wraps up with a raging harp finale that makes the guy in the back stop talking and hooks him into the rest of the show. A quick transition into Muddy Water's “One More Mile” keeps the groove going strong with McFarland and Blue blasting through an extra couple miles of extended play. A playful Blue, with his grit on, sings and harps soulfully through one of the best renditions of Willie Dixon's “Hoochie Coochie Man”. The band takes its time (over 14 minutes) jamming and shuffling, highlighting sweet licks by Blue, McFarland and Della Torre. This sets the pace for the mid tempo, jazzy “Cotton Tree”, Blue's tribute to James Cotton. The music sways, gets edgy and sways again with the hook (“When you're having trouble and more pain than you can bear...like the blues I'll always be there”). “Walking Alone” continues the laid back jazzy tempo with Blue's velvety voice (“So alone more than I've ever known...when I lost you I know I lost the best, walking into the unknown”...), high harp notes, and some funky keyboarding. The first CD ends with an uptempo, jazzy instrumental, “Swing Chicken”, that conveys, "Oh, don't you go anywhere...there's more!"

Blue, charisma shining through, opens the second strong "set" with "We're going to do a song for you here, me and my little 365....that's the big one girls." The wailing (big) harp opening to slow blues, “Another Man Done Gone,” begins and you don't want it to end. This is all about Blue and his harp. It's the song that was included on Willie Dixon's Blues Explosion album and that earned Blue a Grammy in the ‘80s (Montreux Jazz Fest). “Krystalline”, a solid funky tune from Blue's Code Blue album, does not disappoint and is followed with the funkiest version of the Stone's “Miss You”.  What a jammin’ band!  Blue's cover of Junior Wells’ classic, “Messin’ with the Kid,” is another album highlight that closes the set with its energetic rhythm. Blue's singing harp leads the way to lights out.

“Sugar Blue! Sugar Blue!”  But wait…wait for it. The encore consists of two bonus tracks that has Blue and the band back with “Bad Boys Heaven” (Code Blue album), and, “Lip Service and Lies” (In Your Eyes album). Both tunes are worth waiting for, as was this double album.

Hear Sugar Blue live coming to a club near you; or pick up Raw Sugar Blue Live. It's true that sugar was never so sweet.

For info visit: http://www.sugar-blue.com/home.html

You can buy this CD on Amazon (click on link).