Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers – The Railhead, Las Vegas, Thursday 14th January 2010

You just wait till he does his walkabout and gets up on the table

Rod Piazza ©FrankVigil.comThe Good Doctor found himself back in Vegas for the post-Christmas lull. It was strange seeing folks in coats and jackets complaining about the cold in a City that is normally a kiln. But the white tops on the nearby mountains, the absence of crowds and an ill wind blowing through the valley spelt winter in Sin City.

The Doc was in need of something to warm the soul and what better than a Vegas helping of Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers? He jumped a cab and rode out from the Strip to the Boulder Station Hotel and waded across the Casino floor to the The Railhead. Standing in line, he was engaged in conversation by Carol, a regular winter migrant from Michigan. Oh I’ve seen Rod Piazza many times. This your first? she quizzed. The Doc nodded and smiled, showing full British reserve. Oh you just wait till he does his walkabout, gets up on the table and Honey starts playing that piano with her toes. The Doc’s grin broadened. Sounds more like the Cirque du Soleil he thought to himself. (more…)

London Harmonicas

Elwood blows some amateur harpLast Wednesday Elwood the Apprentice attended a year-end performance with London Harmonicas, the informal collective that meets every other Tuesday at The Torriano Pub (7.15pm for beginners, 8pm for intermediates). What he saw was a glorious vision for the socialist future of harmonica. What he heard was a little less glorious…

I’ve attended the London Harmonicas gatherings for the past two months and have really enjoyed it. There’s an excellent mix of players – a few who are navigating their first bends, a few who play real sweet and low, and most of us somewhere in between. There’s no official teacher and no elected leader, but a couple of the advanced players have stepped forward to lead us, Moses-like, to the promised land.

It’s egalitarian, it’s informal, and a fantastic place for any budding player like me to soak up some wisdom from a few seasoned players… and maybe even help a few fellow players out. A few weeks ago, for instance, I taught a guy how to bend his notes. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. (more…)

Monday Blues Jam – Sand Dollar Blues Lounge, Las Vegas 31st Aug 2009

Sand Dollar Blues LoungeAthletes in a cave

Having visited the lights of Las Vegas on a few occasions, the Good Doctor had resigned himself to two sad facts of life. Firstly, gambling never pays unless you’re standing behind the table. Secondly, the jewel of the Nevada desert is not an oasis of live blues. Other than a couple of power harp sessions with excellent rockers Evenflow, his quest for genuine live music of any kind here had been like searching for salt in a sand dune.

Until this occasion people, when the Good Doctor was reminded of a third fact of life. When you go chasing mirages, what you’re looking for is often right at your feet. The Sand Dollar Blues Lounge was there all the time. The Good Doctor’s blues radar just hadn’t picked it up. Mondays at the Sand Dollar is open mic blues jam night. It doesn’t start till 10pm (that’s 6am back home), which is a hard gig even for the locals. But Las Vegas never sleeps, so no excuses. (more…)

Joe Filisko – The Brunswick, Brighton & Hove, Fri 31st July 2009

My bags are packed, I’m ready to go

I am delighted to report that Joe arrived safely into the UK in advance of his residency at the University of Northampton Blues Week. He was hosted in Brighton & Hove by Stuart McKay of the UK’s National Harmonica League (NHL) and Roger Trowbridge, the NHL Chairman.

Hove actually

Stuart engineered a fabulous harmonica-centric evening in Brighton (well… Hove actually… near France), where Joe was welcomed by a groundswell of enthusiasts from near and very far. NHL Chairman Roger was in excellent form. As was Con O’Neill from the NHL’s London Harmonica Group – Con rode all the way to Hove from the M25 by bike and was looking amazingly fit as a result. It was also great to see Ben Hewlett from the NHL’s Bristol community – equally well done for driving all this way Ben. And blues hats off to another supporter who had driven down from Oxford. (more…)

Rick Estrin & The Nightcats – Biscuits & Blues, San Francisco, 29.Mar 2009

Get in the soup and slide

This was one of the most entertaining nights I have ever experienced at Biscuits & Blues. In fact anywhere. The Nightcats took the stage with the sole aim of knocking the audience clean off their feet. And that’s exactly what they did. I defy anyone to sample this band live and walk away not feeling utterly satisfied.

It was a joy to see Rick Estrin in full flight and appreciate first hand why he has made such a name for himself not only as a harmonica ace, but also as an engaging raconteur and convincing song writer. Jerry Portnoy rightly describes him as a modern day Lieber & Stoller.

Sadly I never got to see the original line up with Little Charlie Baty on strings, although I am certainly aware of his strong reputation as a performer and studio artist. “All that meat, and them potatoes too!”Indeed his recordings with the Nightcats are quite sensational. Charlie is still around, but he’s taking five. Something they call ‘soft retirement’ in the trade. We can expect to see him again for band reunion gigs and special festivals, but in the meantime his slot is anchored by guitarist elect, Kid Andersen, whose playing is simply astonishing. (more…)

Billy Branch – Kingston Mines, Chicago, Sat 21.Mar 2009

The blues keep following me around

Ever since buying a copy of the 1990 W.C.Handy award winning album Harp Attack, Billy Branch has had me intrigued. He’s pictured on the cover as the new kid on the block, alongside three legends – Junior Wells, James Cotton and Carey Bell. Billy provides fresh reinforcement for the old guard, enlisted to extend the Chicago Harp tradition rather than bend it (as Sugar Blue might have done). The album is of course a valuable celebration of ChiTown honking, however the full extent of Branch’s artistic ability was probably hidden under the barrage.

So it was when I heard his 1995 solo album, The Blues Keep Following Me Around, that I really began to appreciate Billy’s work. Again it stems directly from the Chicago idiom – how could it not – but it makes a fearless march forward. It is new, energetic and wonderfully varied. Billy’s passion for the blues shines through the whole recording and he takes no prisoners. His cover of Tony Joe White’s Polk Salad Annie is a particular classic. With a heap of soul in the vocals and a brooding, pulsating groove, Mr. Branch takes you down in Louisiana and dumps you right on your…corn patch. Which reminds me – Billy is not only a cool harp player, he is also a magnificent singer. (more…)