Your Complete Guide to the Chicago Blues Scene
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Your Complete Guide to the Chicago Blues Scene |
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CHICAGO BLUES FEST 2018
June 8-10
Millennium Park, Chicago
By Linda Cain
The 37th Annual Chicago Blues Fest, held in Millennium Park
for the second time after over three decades of being hosted in Grant
Park, was not guilty of sophomore slump.
Welcome Improvements
included:
Ceiling fans in the sweaty Mississippi Tent, security checkpoints with
metal detector wands, better movement flow due to rearranging the
placement of beer and food stands.
Rosa’s Lounge live stage, which last year caused massive blockage on the
South Promenade passage, was moved to an open plaza on the north side of
The Bean, which made for nice visuals and photos. Some of the artists
who appeared on the Pritzker stage in the evening stopped by to jam at
Rosa’s in the afternoon.
Acts on the side stages didn’t stop at 5:30 like they did in the past,
which was a nice option for folks who couldn’t stay late for the
Pritzker Stage acts or who didn’t like some of the acts on the big
stage.
Missing in Action:
Fernando Jones Kids’ and the Windy City Blues Society no longer have a
stage at the fest. When the fest was in Grant Park, each had its own
spacious stage which always packed ‘em in. Last year both groups shared
a stage in Wrigley Square, on the lower street level of the park. This
year, the Front Porch stage has been moved from its former location on
the Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace Stage. Unlike the other major side
stages, the Front Porch stage has no seating, so it’s SRO
shoulder-to-shoulder if you want to see or hear any of the acts.
L
New This Year:
Park Grill Stage, located farther away from the action on the west side
of The Bean and closer to Michigan Avenue, was a last minute addition
that wasn’t in the printed brochure schedule or the DCASE website. Acts
included: Tom Holland & The Shuffle Kings, Morry Sochat & The Special
20s, Marty “Big Dog” Mercer, Oscar Wilson & Joel Paterson and more.
Rooftop Lounge replaced the relocated Front Porch stage this year and
featured acts like Rockin’ Johnny, Gerry Hundt, Devil in A Woodpile and
Vino Louden -- plus a cocktail bar with fruity exotic drinks. And the
best food at the fest was Robinson’s Ribs, set up by the entrance of the
Rooftop Lounge
As always, blues fans gathered from around the world for a happy reunion
during the music-filled three day weekend.
Friday, June 8
Pritzker Pavilion stage
Delmark Records 65th Anniversary Bob Koester’s venerable blues and jazz label turned 65 this year. To celebrate the landmark occasion, Delmark just released Tribute, A Celebration of Delmark’s 65th Anniversary. The album features newly recorded tracks by current Delmark artists who are paying tribute to the label's past icons who influenced them or have a historical connection with them. The music is heartfelt because of the special connection each of these artists have with those that came before them.
Omar
Coleman covers Junior Wells;
Lurrie Bell
and his brothers cover their dad Carey;
Jimmy Johnson &
Dave Specter cover Magic Sam;
Lil' Ed
& Dave
Weld cover J.B. Hutto,
Demetria Taylor
covers Big Time Sarah;
Shirley Johnson
covers Bonnie Lee;
Mike Wheeler
covers Otis Rush;
Jimmy Burns
covers Big Joe Williams;
Corey Dennison
covers Sleepy John Estes;
Linsey Alexander
& Billy Flynn cover Jimmy Dawkins;
Ken Saydak
covers Roosevelt Sykes.
The first evening of Chicago Blues Fest was dedicated entirely to
Koester, Delmark and the above artists past and present, plus special
guests.
At age 85, the longtime label boss decided to retire from the record
business and sold Delmark, along with its subsidiary labels and back
catalogue of masters from the 1920s to current, and its Riverside
recording studio plus all inventory. Steve Wagner,
after working 30 years at Delmark, will stay on as producer, recording
engineer and studio manager. The new label execs are
Julia A. Miller (President
and CEO)and
Elbio Barilari
(V.P. and Artistic Director). Both Julia and Elbio are musicians
and educators. They took the
stage during the tribute show to introduce themselves and to assure the fans
that under their direction, Delmark will stay the course and remain
focused on recording and releasing the best in blues and jazz, both new
releases and reissues from the vaults. Meanwhile, Koester hasn’t
entirely left the record scene as he continues to operate his record
shop Bob’s Blues & Jazz Mart at 3419 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago.
Corey Dennison Band
Corey Dennison Band kicked off the tribute with blues and soul songs
from their sophomore Delmark release:
Night After Night.
The Memphis style soul of “Nothing’s Too Good (For My Baby),” featured
Corey Dennison’s dynamic
stage presence, hot guitar licks and soulful, wide-ranging vocals; this
got the crowd clappin’ and boppin’ along from the get go.
Dennison’s booming voice and commanding stage presence kept the momentum
going, as did second guitarist
Gerry Hundt’s killer solos, along with the slammin’ rhythm section
of drummer Joel Baer and
bassist Aaron Whitter.
A seasoned performer after working with Carl Weathersby for eight
years, Dennison likes to instigate choreographed moves with his
bandmates, that always gets the crowd excited. And if that weren’t
exciting enough, Dennison left the stage to play his guitar in the photo
pit and then moved into the crowd for the irresistibly bouncy “I Get The
Shivers.” It was only the second song, but the towering, tattooed and
pierced bluesman already had the fans dancing and cheering.
Dennison dedicated the next part of his set to recently departed Chicago
blues legends Eddie Shaw and Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater. The remainder
of the music was short on song titles but long on jammin’ and
crowd-pleasing solos by the songwriting team of Dennison and Hundt that
also touched on songs by B.B. King and Jeff Beck.
A lengthy, show-stopping version of Tyrone Davis’ soul blues classic
“Are You Serious?” closed the band’s show, as the members left the stage
one by one, leaving only Dennison and his guitar to play the last notes
on his blonde Gibson hollow body. The Corey Dennison Band left no doubt
that they are a major force on the world blues scene, as well as a
crowd-pleasing festival act that has been earning well-deserved
international attention and bookings.
Mississippi Heat
Bandleader, songwriter and harmonica virtuoso
Pierre Lacocque founded
Mississippi Heat in 1991, a band dedicated to the classic Chicago blues
ensemble style, with some extra seasoning on the side in the form of
jazz, gospel, calypso and Cajun. Over the decades, the Heat has counted
among its members some blues heavy hitters including Deitra Farr, Billy
Flynn, James Wheeler, Bob Stroger, Katherine Davis, the late drummers
Robert Covington and Bob Carter, and others.
Mississippi Heat’s current lineup was on stage to celebrate Delmark’s 65th:
Lacocque, guitarists Giles Corey
and Michael Dotson, bassist
Brian Quinn, drummer
Terrence
Williams, and vocalists
Inetta Visor and
Carla Denise Stinson. In
addition, the band was joined by a three-piece horn section, plus
Chris “Hambone” Cameron on keys. And some extra guests joined in the
festivities as the show went on.
Singers Inetta and Carla wore festive matching outfits and sang together
on most of the songs, taking turns on the verses, with Lacocque adding
his “voice” with some wailing blues harp. The ladies got our backfields
in motion and our stomachs growling as they sang the praises of special
guy who can cook a mean jambalaya and gumbo on “New Orleans Man.”
Lacocque jammed with the horn players as the rhythm section played some
properly funky New Orleans style beats.
The mood shifted for the Delta style guitar of Michael Dotson on the
slow, sad blues of “Wipe Away My Tears,” featuring Inetta’s sorrowful
vocals. Dotson bent the blue notes as Lacocque came out front for a
soaring harp solo.
Giles Corey kicked off the next number with some upbeat rhythmic
strumming, as he belted out “Hit The Ground Runnin’ on the Mornin’
Train” to the accompaniment of the punchy horn section. They were joined
by bassist Darryl Wright and
the song built to a fever pitch with Lacocque jumping up and down as
Giles strutted about the stage, both of them wailing on their respective
instruments. The crowd cheered and applauded its hearty approval.
Special guest guitarist Billy
Flynn stepped on stage to perform a tune from his Delmark release
Lonesome Highway titled “I’ve
Never Been The Lucky Kind.”
Flynn displayed his renowned prowess for playing his heart on
traditional Chicago blues stylings as he squeezed and bent notes from
his signature red guitar.
The ladies and bassist Brian Quinn returned for a rousing, polyrhythmic
excursion to the Caribbean with “Rosalie.” Inetta and Carla belted it
out, the horn section blazed and the rhythm section pulsed to the
Calypso beat. Inspired solos were served up by Flynn on guitar, Lacocque
on harp and Hambone on keys. Caught up by the excitement onstage, the
crowd clapped, danced and cheered them on.
The next segment of Delmark’s 65th Anniversary Tribute
consisted of the label’s current artists paying tribute to the legendary
blues artists from Delmark’s glorious history.
Corey Dennison
and Gerry Hundt performed a
country blues style tribute to Sleepy John Estes that transported us to
the back woods of Tennessee, where both Estes and Dennison were born.
This connection no doubt helped the guitarist conjure a foot-stompin’,
front porch feeling with his acoustic guitar and gut-bucket vocals. You
could easily imagine a jug of moonshine sitting next to him on the
Pritzker stage! With the most perfect assistance from multi-talented
partner Hundt on mandolin and harmonica, the duo delivered a stirring
opening number with the desperate plea of “Broke And Hungry.”
Both Jimmy Burns and Big Joe
Williams came from Mississippi and moved to Chicago. So Jimmy knew
precisely how to bring it down home for Big Joe’s oft-covered classic
“She Left Me a Mule to Ride.” Performing
solo, Burns picked an electric guitar with the volume down low as he
sang the sorrowful tune about the woman who left him with only a mule
that went and died on him. Bummer!
Blues pianist Ken
Saydak paid tribute to Roosevelt Sykes on a grand Steinway with his
exhilarating rendition of the bouncin’ boogie woogie “Boot That Thing.”
Saydak’s gruff, commanding vocals got the message across that he wanted
to see a whole lotta shakin’ on the dance floor. He certainly got our
heads bobbin’ and hips shakin’.
When Israeli guitarist Guy King
first arrived on the Chicago blues scene, he was mentored by the late
bassist, vocalist and songwriter Willie Kent, serving as his lead
guitarist and bandleader for six years.
Joined onstage by guitarist
Billy Flynn, keyboardist
Roosevelt Purifoy, bassist
E.G. McDaniel, and drummer
Marty Binder, King paid
tribute to Kent with the bouncy shuffle “Think (In Case We Both Are
Wrong).”
Singer Bonnie Lee was another artist nurtured by Willie Kent. Her friend
Shirley Johnson joined
Guy
King and the band to duet on “I Need Your Love So Bad,” a song from Bonnie’s Delmark album Sweetheart
of the Blues. Shirley and Guy traded verses while Billy Flynn and
Guy exchanged sparkling, melodic guitar solos on this tale of yearning.
Linsey Alexander
was “All For Business” as he quickly took the stage to sing his tribute
to Jimmy Dawkins. Billy Flynn,
who learned his chops from Dawkins, played some superbly soulful,
melodic lead guitar; he was joined by smooth sax man
Hank Ford for this slow
dance R&B number. The Hoochie Man belted it out, waving his hands as he
moved about the stage, helping to raise the excitement level. As soon as
the last note hit, Linsey exited as quickly as he arrived, and the crowd
applauded its approval.
Linsey’s performance was a great warm up for the next act:
Lil’ Ed (on loan from
Alligator Records) and Delmark artist
Dave Weld paying tribute to
their mentor the legendary fez-hatted slide guitarist J.B. Hutto (Lil’
Ed’s uncle). Former bandmates, Lil’ Ed and Dave tore through “Speak My
Mind,” propelled by a thumping lump beat from Binder and McDaniel.
Grinnin’ from ear to ear, his eyes bugged out, Lil’ Ed played a
slippery, stingin’ slide guitar as Dave’s fingers flew across his
faithful vintage Fender for some scorching Maxwell Street style Chicago
blues. Both of them were drippin’ sweat by the end of this high-octane
number!
A tribute to the late blues belter Big Time Sarah called for a personnel
change: guitarist Mike Wheeler,
drummer Willie “The Touch” Hayes,
bassist Melvin Smith, piano
man Ken Saydak and
Billy Flynn again on guitar.
Demetria Taylor
is the daughter of late guitar legend Eddie Taylor (who played with
Jimmy Reed) and singer Vera Taylor. She was friends with Big Time Sarah
who encouraged her to pursue a singing career. Although she didn’t write
“Riverboat,” Sarah certainly knew her way around a casino. Demetria and
the band whipped out the gambling blues song that reminded us of “Wang
Dang Doodle” with a similar guitar riff and bass line. Demetria’s vocals
are clearly influenced by her mom and Koko Taylor.
After a hurried performance, Demetria briefly exited the stage, while Tomiko Dixon, the granddaughter of another legend, rushed onstage to sing her Grandpa Willie’s song “I Make Love.” Mike Wheeler played a tasty guitar solo and Demetria returned to help her finish the tune. Big Time Sarah recorded this sensuous song on her debut Delmark album.
Living legend Otis Rush was paid tribute with an all-star lineup at
Chicago Blues Fest in 2016. While Otis watched from the side of the
stage, Mike Wheeler got to
perform “So Many Roads,” with Jimmy Johnson. Tonight’s Otis tribute was
most likely less nerve-wracking as Wheeler shared guitar duties with
Dave Specter for this
inspired, string-bending version of Rush’s oft-covered song. Wheeler’s
strong, smooth, soulful voice rang out like a bell across Millennium
Park as the fans cheered him on.
Brothers Lurrie and Steve Bell joined Dave Specter, bassist E.G. McDaniel and the band to pay tribute to their late legendary father Carey Bell. The brothers don’t perform together very often as Steve plays harmonica with John Primer’s band and Lurrie tours the world with the rhythm section of Melvin Smith and Willie Hayes. Hearing them play Carey’s song “One Day You’re Gonna Get Lucky” was the highlight so far of the night’s lengthy Delmark Tribute.
Lurrie plucked and pulled his
guitar strings like they were on fire and he sang from the depths of his
heart. Steve matched his elder sibling’s torrent of emotion and blew
like hell on his harp. The Bell brothers killed it as they jammed and
soloed to a big finish. The fans roared approval and gave them a
standing ovation!
Guitarist Dave Specter was
joined onstage by sax man Hank
Ford for a tribute to the recently departed blues giant Eddie Shaw,
who played sax and served as Howlin’ Wolf’s bandleader. Shaw went on to
enjoy a long career as a recording artist and the leader of his own
band, The Wolf Gang. The band paid homage to the mighty man with the
instrumental “Riding High,” which featured soaring solos by Specter and
Ford.
Specter was then joined by living legend Jimmy Johnson (who is 89 years young) for a tribute to Magic Sam, one of Delmark’s most esteemed blues artists of all time.
Longtime musical partners, Specter and
Johnson served up Sam’s haunting “Out of Bad Luck” featuring Johnson’s
trademark high lonesome vocals, with both gents contributing West Side
style guitar licks. Pianist Ken Saydak tickled the 88s for a sparkling
solo.
Omar Coleman’s
homage to his musical influence Junior Wells is the lead track on the
Delmark Tribute CD. But on
this night, the West Side singer/songwriter and harp blower was the
show’s closer. The band personnel changed again, with
Neal O’Hara on keys,
Nic Byrd on guitar,
Mississippi Heat’s bassist Brian Quinn and Nellie “Tiger” Travis’
drummer Dujuan Austin. Omar’s punchy harp playing on Junior’s “Train I Ride” (a
variation of “Mystery Train”) was propelled by the chugging train beat
from the rhythm section. Bassist Quinn even got in a thumb poppin’ solo.
It was an exhilarating train ride that lived up to Omar’s credo: “Make
it funky!”
But wait, there’s more! The entire Delmark crew assembled on stage for
the grand finale, another Junior Wells song, “Hoodoo Man Blues,”
featuring a harmonica blowout with Billy Flynn, Omar Coleman and Pierre
Lacoque dueling it out on the Mississippi saxophone. Guitarists Guy
King, Dave Specter, Flynn, Corey Dennison, Mike Wheeler and Jimmy
Johnson all brought out their axes for the final jam.
“Hoodoo Man Blues” was the title of Junior Wells’ Delmark debut, an
album that made blues history and put the label on the world blues map.
It was the perfect ending to a grand night of paying tribute to the
blues (both past and present) and to giving credit to the important role
that Delmark Records has played in the genre’s history for 65 years. May
the force be with this venerable label to continue its journey bringing
the blues into the future with Delmark’s proud new owners.
STAY TUNED FOR OUR REVIEW OF CHICAGO BLUES FEST: NIGHTS 2 AND 3
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