If you ever get the chance to hang out with D.K. Harrell and his band, make sure it’s over the breakfast table. The conversation flows fast and thick like our biscuits and gravy and the subject matter ranges from everything family and friends, good times, hard times and all things music. The entire band is well-versed in the latter and all speak fluent blues, jazz, soul, R&B and roots dialects. Not only young and talented, they openly display a shared enthusiasm and serious commitment to the music they love. You see it clearly when they acknowledge influences or when praising those who paved the way, but it grabs you by the throat when they step on stage and you witness it up close and personal with every note they play.

D.K. let’s start with early life; you’re originally from the Peach Capital of Louisiana… “Ruston, Louisiana is my hometown, I was born there on April 24th, 1998. I was there because I marked it on the calendar.” He grins. “And it is the Peach Capital of Louisiana. I spent a lot of my childhood listening to blues music with my grandfather, C. H. Jackson from Spearsville, Louisiana which was 36 minutes North of Ruston, way up in the country. My mother, Christal Jackson was also my inspiration when it came to blues because my grandfather kept blues not only around me, but around the whole family. He was a blues fanatic and he loved old school R&B from the 50s and 60s because during that time in his life he was in his late teens and early 20s. A college kid at HBCU listening to Otis Redding, B.B. King and Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and it stayed with him throughout his life…and he hipped his grandson to it. His other grandchildren and my cousins were more into Hip-hop, that’s what they liked. But there was something about the blues and R&B music that just stuck with me and I loved being around my grandfather. We actually counted how many vinyl albums he had and it amounted to 322 vinyl records in his home. And it was a vast variety of music; blues, gospel, R&B, soul and he liked Elvis. Which kind of blew my mind…but he told me Elvis had come to the Monroe Civic Center which is just 30 minutes away from Ruston and B.B. King had played there, Albert King had played there, and Johnny Cash because back then it was considered the chitlin’ circuit. And my grandfather actually housed Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and his band at his home in 1977 when they were traveling from Jackson, Mississippi to Dallas and instead of staying in a hotel in Monroe they came across my grandfather, who was an educator and he said, ‘you know what, I’ll save you guys some money you can stay at my home.’ If you know about Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland at that time, there were about 8 or 10 people in the band. And we’re talking about a three bedroom, two bath room home; he said he had so many pallets lying out through his house…” (laughing)

Is it true some of your first words were singing along to B.B.’s ‘The Thrill is Gone?’ “I was about 18 months old and I didn’t make much noise as a baby. I rarely cried or didn’t babble or say momma or dada and it worried my family to the point they almost had me tested for vocal cord issues. My grandfather said, ‘Maybe he just doesn’t have anything to say, right now.'” (laughing) “One day my mother and I were going to Shreveport and my grandfather gave her a copy of B.B.’s ‘Deuces Wild’ to listen to and she heard a little voice in the background in a car seat singing ‘The Thrill is Gone.’ And that’s stamped as the day I started talking. But the way my mother puts it, ‘that’s how he started talking and since then I haven’t been able to get him to shut up.” (laughing)

“To play that guitar, I was done living right then, my life was done. Take me now, Lord!”
—D.K. Harrell on playing ‘Lucille’ B.B. King’s guitar.

You got to meet B.B. at a concert, didn’t you? “Russ Bryant, my musical director…” D.K. starts to shake his head. “…the way the universe works is strange. Russ runs PSS the Premier Production and Sound Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana…Russ, you tell him.“

Russ Bryant: “My company PSS…we were doing all the sound production for B.B. King’s performance at the Baton Rouge River Center Theater and unbeknownst to me, I had never met D.K. but he was there, and Andrew Moss our bass player was there as well. We were all at this show before we met each other and eventually we all realized we had experienced B.B. King together and I still have the microphone that B.B. King sang on. And I think it was one of the last shows he did in Louisiana before he passed.”

DK: “It was January 19th 2013. It was a late Christmas present and my mother had a manila envelope and I opened it and it was two tickets to see B.B. King in the Orchestra section; it was beautiful. At the end of the show I kind of pushed my way through the audience to the front of the stage and everybody is yelling, ‘BB, sign my hat. Sign my shirt,’ and I’m like, Mr. King, Mr. King and he looked dead at me and I swear my legs turned to jelly and he goes, ‘Hey young man.’ And I said I want to be just like you, I got my haircut just like you from the 50s. And he goes ‘Yeah, I remember when I had hair like that, but I don’t have hair like that anymore.’ And he gave me one of his picks and he shook my hand and said, ‘Young man, you can be whatever you want to be, and if you want to be like this old man you gotta’ work hard.’ And as soon as I got out the door of the theater, I busted out in tears and haven’t been to another concert since. It was a very magic moment. My grandfather came to Baton Rouge with us and picked us up after the show and said, ‘Did you get a chance to shake his hand?’ I said, yes sir. He said, ‘Well, maybe B.B. put some good mojo on you.’ And look, ten years later, this is what you got.” (laughing)

I don’t think many people realize you didn’t start on guitar, but on the harp. “Yes. Not harp like classical music, but harp as in harmonica… the Louisiana saxophone. My cousin, Jamari Harris is older than me and around 2009 or 2010 said there’s a movie called ‘Cadillac Records’ and it’s got blues and stuff in it, so you’ll like it. I watched the film and it had music from Little Walter, who is actually from Marksville, Louisiana and I said man, I want a harmonica. I asked momma, can I please have some harmonicas and she said okay as long as you actually play them. She got me three in the key of A, C and D and I blew the reeds out of them in two days.” (laughing) “I shattered them all! I’m pretty sure over the course of two years I went through like fifty harmonicas.“

You’ve mentioned Guitar Slim as another influence for you. “He did a song called ‘Think it over one more time’ and I was like, I really like this song. I like the way this guy’s playing because what I like about the old cats is they just had an ear for music and then of course however they played was just how they played. It was so interesting because he just had a different playing style and it almost sounded sloppy to me. When you listened to the guitar solo in ‘Think it Over’ it’s a weird solo when he starts it but it folds out better as he goes on. My grandfather and I would stay up till like two in the morning watching different artists on his computer like Big Joe Williams, Big Joe Turner, Sarah Vaughan, Slim Gaylord…what I liked about Slim was his humor, but in my opinion his was one of the most underrated jazz guitarists, Slim Gaylord was a very talented musician from piano to guitar he could play anything. That’s one thing I’ve tried to bring to my show from Slim Gaylord…is the humor in the stage presence and lyric wise with the vocals.

Another big influence when I first started playing guitar was Elmore James and Muddy Waters, but I’ve got stupid fingers. I can’t play slide to save my life.” (laughing) “…very stupid fingers. I also listened to Chuck Berry, but the Stones got him down and the Animals and all these guitar players have his sound down so I thought to myself, this was like 2012, who’s an artist that people try to get tone-wise and style-wise and try to have that same approach but just can’t get it? And it’s B.B. because if you think about it B.B.’s playing to me as a guitar virtuoso, is very similar to the approach of Miles Davis an how he handled trumpet because Miles took advantage of space just like B.B. took advantage of space. And that goes hand-in-hand on what my grandfather used to tell me, time waits for no one, so do what you can now. In other words you have to take advantage of time and space because once it’s gone you can’t get it back.“

Russ: “It’s not about how many notes you play or how much you can shred as a guitar player, but rather can you play the right note, at the right time and the right place. And that was B.B.’s style.“

Let’s talk a little about your songwriting, do you write with your guitar, do you have a process? “My process is usually, I sit down, not with my guitar but by myself in a room and sometimes I watch movies or TV or talk to random people and sometimes they’ll say something that just clicks and I’ll go…Oh there’s a song in there somewhere and I’ll write it down on my phone but I still believe in a pen and paper, but the phone is right there and I’ll take it out and make notes. And I’ll come back to it and then I’ll sit there and really focus on the lyrics. A lot of people like music specifically for the music; you know the sound of the instruments but I feel like a real artist is concerned for what the audience listens to on a lyrical basis. Because the lyrics are really what makes the audience connect with you. If you think about it, every poet, every painter has details in their speech and in their art and if there is one little thing missing or one word is missing it wouldn’t make sense. It’s the little things that matter and that’s what changes you. When I write songs, I try to be as personal as possible. Even if you haven’t been through it, you can understand it because I’m trying to describe it in detail…and that’s the process I try to use.“

Blues has always been considered a form of communication; do you consider yourself a storyteller? “Oh yeah, watch this…Once upon a time.” (laughing) “I do consider myself a storyteller but the words I use really matter and you know that saying, ‘words hurt.’ What’s the actual saying…the pen is mightier than the sword. That saying is true. If you tell hurtful things to some people, they can hurt themselves or other people just because of what you said. So storytelling is important you try to make it positive and even if it’s a negative subject the idea should be that you overcame whatever it was that was hurting you and that you continue moving forward. Either way, life is short, take it with a grain of sand and keep moving.“

Tell me about your album ‘The Right Man.’ “Jim Pugh is the president of the Little Village Foundation recording label and I owe a great deal of gratitude to this man. About two years ago we met at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and I really owe my recording career to Jim Pugh and Michael Kinsman. ‘The Right Man’ was recorded in three days with Kid Andersen; we also had Tony Coleman who was B.B. King’s drummer for 35 years. We had Doc Kupka from Tower of Power do horns for us along with Neil Levonius, John Halbleib, Mike Rinta, Mike Peloquin and Aaron Lington. But a real highlight of the whole recording session is we had the original bass player on the recording of B.B.’s ‘The Thrill is Gone’ Mr. Jerry Jemmott.

Jerry is in his mid-70s now and we were recording ‘Leave it at the Door’ and I was sitting there playing my guitar part in the studio and Jerry was listening and said, ‘the red Gibson you’re playing’ it belonged to Kid Andersen and was like a ’66 or ’68, ‘it’s the very same style of guitar that B.B. had when he recorded ‘The Thrill is Gone.’ It wasn’t the exact one, not his, but it looks just like it. He told me recording on this session these past few days has brought back so many memories of recording with B.B. and it’s an honor to be on the record with you. And I wanted to cry; because I was thinking…I should be saying that to him.” (laughing) “But recording that session was like a match made in heaven and Jim Pugh…I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

You had the unique opportunity to play B.B.’s guitar ‘Lucille’ at one time, didn’t you? “Yes! September 9th, 2019. I was 21 years old and my very first gig, my first show, was the B.B. King Symposium in Indianola, Mississippi near Itta Bena, B.B.’s home town. Lil’ Ray Neal is usually the guy that plays B.B.’s guitar, he’s part of Kenny Neal’s band and I think he’s his little brother; and Lil’ Ray pulls out ‘Lucille.’ There were several of them but this was the ‘Lucille’ that Gibson made for B.B. when they opened the museum in 2005. At that time only three people had played it; B.B. himself, Keb Mo and Lil’ Ray Neal. I said to Ray, Oh, are you going to play it? And he said, ‘No, today is your day!’ And the first song I played on that guitar was ‘Sweet Little Sixteen.’ To play that guitar, I was done living right then, my life was done. Take me now, Lord!“

Introduce your touring band? “Russ Bryant is our production manager, musical director and saxophone player. Andrew ‘Fingers’ Moss on bass, Orlando Henry on keys, Dan Isbell on trumpet who now goes by Doctor because he’s a professor of music at Penn State University. And the youngest member of the group is Justin ‘the Giant’ Brown on drums from Vicksburg, Mississippi. This band is my dream band. We like hanging out together and I really like how close everyone is. Having a relationship on stage is great but having a relationship offstage makes the energy on stage ten times better.“

Your music draws from so many musical influences; the grittier hill country blues, the Chicago city sound to a soulful R&B feel. Do you consider yourself a student of the music you play? “You know I became a fan of hill country blues after I discovered a film called ‘Black Snake Moan’ and I really see that film paying homage to R.L. Burnside. And that’s when I first heard hill country style music and fell in love with it. The song ‘Alice May’ was one of my favorites, and ‘Stagolee’ which is very vulgar and raw and much grittier than the original…that’s R.L. Burnside. I also get a lot of influence when it comes to guitar from jazz players, Grant Green, Django Reinhardt and even horn players like we mentioned earlier, Miles Davis. I heard some of the licks he does and apply them to what I do on stage. I like to do a mixture of morphed jazz and blues…“

Russ adds, “We try to pull from every area and all the masters, it helps you develop your own sound and your own style. Drawing from everybody helps you create your own vocabulary and rearrange it to what fits your heart.“

DK: “If you listen to ‘The Right Man’ record, in my opinion, of course its blues but to categorize it into a certain genre, it would be difficult because the record contains so much blues, jazz, pop and R&B influence it becomes a mixture of everything. So, sound-wise the record is very unique.“

A number of musicians I’ve spoken with throughout the years have told me that a bands’ energy comes directly from their audiences, does the D.K. Harrell band every experience that? Russ says, “At a show in Lucerne, Switzerland last year we played a special dinner show and D.K. went into the crowd and everybody got up and surrounded him and he was just singing his heart out and they wanted to be in the moment. It was special because we not only want to play for them, but to actually connect with them while we do it. Because if we don’t have the people to connect with, what’s the point? We might as well play in a vacuum, music is meant to be shared and experienced.”

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RJ Mischo has been dropping blues records and discs since the 90s and his latest is out right now. The new release was captured ‘live’ in Studio late, last year at Suprovox Analog Recording in Karkkila, Finland. That certainly comes as no surprise when you consider RJ’s popularity and fan base in Scandinavia and throughout Europe is just as wide-ranging as it is across the U.S.

RJ Mischo and the Tomi Leino Trio

Mischo’s style of play has that rich, Chicago blues tone with an uptempo West Coast swing. It’s the type of music that forces you to get up and get on your feet. And what’s really interesting, you can almost hear his influences in his playing. From ‘Mojo’ Buford and Lynwood Slim to Rod Piazza and Kim Wilson; Mischo’s sound has that feel of the familiar but with added bends and phrasing that create the unexpected. How does that even happen? “I’m a very spontaneous musician,” RJ says. “And I work with so many pick up bands, that all shows are one of a kind, I can’t repeat myself even if I try.”

The new CD has 12 tracks, eleven of which are Mischo originals and one track ‘She Got Next to Me’ in homage to the late Sonny Boy Williamson II. “The one Sonny Boy cover has no real significance.” RJ shares. “Other than Sonny Boy is one of my major influences and I usually cut at least one of his tunes on every CD project.” That tradition continues even if you are recording in Finland. “What happened here is after we cut all my originals, then we just jammed out for some tunes off the cuff and that one made it, but actually I had no plan in advance to do that tune.”

The Blues are truly a universal language and RJ reinforces this by putting together a very tight and extremely talented rhythm section. “The Finnish band on this CD is the Tomi Leino Trio, I’ve known and have toured in Europe many times so we have great chemistry, we have never rehearsed…and those guys can play! I love ’em! The band includes Tomi Leino and Jonne Kulluvaara on guitars, Jaska Prepula on bass and Mikko Peltola on drums.

Whether you like shuffles, slow blues or uptempo boogies; ‘In Finland’ offers up a little taste for everyone. RJ Mischo is without a doubt a performance artist and that is the best way to experience his blues. ‘In Finland’ captured ‘live’ as it happened, is a strong second. Enjoy.

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Before I left for my trip, I asked a random sampling – three friends – what comes to mind when they think of the Big Easy: Party town, they said, Mardi Gras, of course. Cajun food, oyster shooters. Music, jazz. So I sought out three personalities who perpetuate this image of New Orleans to get their take on the town they lovingly call home.

I asked Sophie Lee, a jazz vocalist and part owner of the Three Muses Restaurant and jazz club, what folks should know about the New Orleans music scene. “When people think of New Orleans and jazz, they’re just skimming the surface. Jazz goes beyond the traditional sounds most people associate with the name; there’s also the brass band variety and blues and zydeco, Dixieland and bluegrass, gospel and improvisational. There’s even bounce — a newer higher-energy form of hip-hop that not everyone knows about — and you can hear every variant somewhere in the city.”

Most people coming to New Orleans are drawn to Bourbon Street but really that’s more honky tonk than music immersion. According to Lee, Frenchmen Street is where the really good bands hang out. There are close to a dozen clubs within a two-block radius and you’re as likely to be mingling with locals as you are tourists. After all, says Lee, “New Orleans is a music town even if no one is visiting.”

And, of course, it’s also a food town. Michael Broadway, also known as Hollywood for reasons that became more and more obvious as the interview progressed, has been a Master Oyster Shucker and resident showman at Acme’s Oyster Bar, a restaurant that itself opened over 102 years ago, for 34 years.

The oysters are the same wherever you go in the city; it’s the shucker that makes the difference. As Hollywood explains it, “The difference between an oyster opener and a shucker is the whole presentation; shucking oysters as performance art.” Claiming that he can talk about anything with anybody – that shucking and jivin’ is how he rolls – he makes it a point to know what’s going on in New Orleans and the world. “I know what’s happening in town and out of town, where to go for the best music, the best desserts, the best anything in the city – and outside it.”

And he’s traveled far outside it as a representative of the Oyster Promotion Board, teaching a Safety Awareness Course he started 10 years ago to all the shuckers in the French Quarter as well as in other cities around the country. He even has his own DVD called “Hollywood’s Shucking 101: The Making of a Master Shucker.”

Lessons on life in New Orleans – and life in general — are part of what Hollywood serves up along with his oysters: “New Orleans is all about the food, the culture and the people. It’s our job to make you want to come back. There’s so much going on here and we want to make sure you enjoy it all. New Orleans may be the party capital of the world but I always suggest people get out of the French Quarter, ride the trolley, see the old houses, visit historical neighborhoods, sit by the river with a good book and a picnic lunch – there are a lot of ways to party in this town without all the craziness.” Or with it. Clearly, Hollywood loves what he does. By his own admission, “If I won the lottery today, I’d be here tomorrow.”

But as much as New Orleans is known for its food and music, it’s Mardi Gras that defines it – at least once a year. And what defines Mardi Gras are its masks. If Hollywood is one of the city’s Master Shuckers, then Dalili can be called a Master Mask Maker – and he counts only three of them in the city worthy of that title. Most of the other masks, he claims, are either mass-produced or Chinese knock-offs.

Stepping into his shop/studio, Mask Gallery, is like entering a masquerade marketplace. The vast variety of masks range from fanciful to substantive, a whole court full of jester masks to a veterinary shop of cats, cows and owls; some full of feathers or glitter, others representing nature, abstract designs or multiple two-faced versions of the comedy/tragedy theme. There are as many different kinds of masks as there are types of jazz.

And that’s equally true of what they’re made out of. Different artists have different specialties: some work with leather as a base, others a variety of fabrics, and still others use paper mache. Dalili relies on skins from alligators, pythons, sting rays and lizards for his decorations. His contemporaries use feathers, Swarovski crystals, bells, wires and macramé. Once again, a familiar refrain repeats itself: anything goes — that’s the beauty of New Orleans!

Queried as to his own favorite masks, Dalili replied, “The ones that are sold, or those that I haven’t made yet. Some people bring in their own designs for me to construct and I tell them that it will look nothing like they imagine — but they are usually happy with the finished product nonetheless. If not, no problem. I make what I like and I know I can sell it, even if not to them.”

And masks are very personal, according to Dalili. “They take on their own spirit once they’re put on, and the wearer takes on the identity of the mask. Masks bring out the true personalities of the person donning them because people think they’re invisible.” Mardi Gras is full of invisible people.

Dalili’s masks range from $75 to $500 depending upon size, intricacy of design and materials, and can take from 5 hours to 25 or more to create As many people buy masks as decoration for their homes as they do to hide behind. When Halloween comes around they may take them down from the wall to double as wearable art, and then put them back to visually entertain others the rest of the year.

Although wearing Halloween masks, eating oysters at a raw bar or going to a hometown music club are always fun, doing any or all of them in New Orleans takes on a whole new dimension of experience that just can’t be duplicated elsewhere. New Orleans, no surprise, is a unique city and while you’re there, don’t forget — ANYTHING goes. For more information about visiting New Orleans, visit neworleanscvb.com; about Sophie Lee, visit sophieleemusic.com; about Michael Broadway, visit acmeoyster.com; about Dalili, neworleansmask.com.

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Persistence and word of mouth led to studio session work with two different Queen City record labels; King and Fraternity. And it would change everything for Lonnie Mack. Musical associations through the 60s, 70s and 80s with James Brown, Freddie King, the Doors and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name a few, just added to Mack’s legend. When we spoke at the Long Beach Blues Festival in September 1990, I asked him about playing in one of the most prestigious concert venues in America.

In 1963 your first big hit reached No.#5 on the Billboard charts and peaked at No#4 on the R&B charts. Talk a little about recording Chuck Berry’s ‘Memphis’?

“Well, it really wasn’t my decision. It was just one of the songs I was doing at the time. A friend, Carl Edmonson that produced the first album was actually the one that wanted me to do that. So, I went into Fraternity and played a little for the guy and he said, ‘let’s do it.’ And I said, ‘Alright!’ And we cut it and went on the road with somebody else and it became a hit, and I didn’t even know it.”

A lot of people credit you with reshaping the sound of the 60s.

“Well, it makes me feel good. Sometimes I have lot of trouble figuring out how I was supposed to do that!” (laughing) “But if I did, that’s what it’s all about, trying to give, you know? It’s just from a lot of hard work and practice.”

You have influenced so many guitarists; I’ve seen quotes from Clapton, Duane Allman, Dickie Betts and Keith Richards crediting you and your style of play with being an influence on their playing.

“I have no idea! I didn’t know it was?”(laughing) “I play too simple, maybe. Simplicity works.”

You credit George Jones and Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland as influences.

“Yeah, take a listen to them. I can hear those guys doing a show together, for sure.”

You have background in promotion?

“I did a little of that, just local stuff at home…nothing big time.”

You worked in L.A. for a record company for awhile, didn’t you?

“Electra, yeah. I worked in A&R.”

The Doors – Blues For Lonnie

I was blown away to see you listed in the album credits on the Morrison Hotel album, how did you connect up with Jim Morrison and the Doors.

“They were on Electra and I was doing A&R for Electra and I knew all those people. They didn’t have a bass player, so I played bass on the Morrison Hotel album.”

Your list of recording credits is insane! Freddie King…James Brown!

“Yeah!” How did you get to work with James Brown? “He was with King Records out of Cincinnati and my whole horn section that used to play with me; I had a group called the Cincinnati Kids and the whole horn section went on to work with James Brown. And my old bass player, Tim Drummond he did all that earlier stuff with James Brown. When you hear James say, ‘Take it, Tim!’ He lives in L.A. now. And Freddie King, we did a whole album with him.”

(Authors note: Keep in mind this interview was recorded just weeks after the passing of Stevie Ray Vaughan in a tragic helicopter accident in Wisconsin. And Lonnie’s shoulders slumped a little when I brought up Strike Like Lightning.)

In 1985 you released ‘Strike Like Lightning’ co-produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

‘”We met Stevie in Texas when I was putting together a band called ‘South.’ The album never happened but his brother introduced me. Actually, Jimmy told me to go see Stevie and another friend introduced me to him. We instantly became friends and we stayed in touch all the way through, you know?”

Oreo Cookie Blues with Stevie Ray

Did you ever think the blues would be as popular as they are today?

“You know the blues combined with Rock and Roll back in the 60s did pretty good, too. I remember we did the Seattle Pop Festival and there was a lot of blues there. There was a lot of blues at Woodstock! It’s back around and I’m sure glad to see it because the bullshit we went through in the 80s man, really sucked.” (laughing)

You’ve always worked though…

“It wasn’t that big a struggle. I just went back and played where people still liked it, you know? I learned how to live cheap, I can live cheap and I can live ‘high on the hog.’ They’re all the same to me. Actually cheap is a lot more fun, really.” (laughing)

Speaking of ‘high on the hog’…you have loyal following from motorcycle riders.

“Yeah, we do a lot of Harley parties. I’m a big Harley fan, you know? I’ve had my share of Harley’s.

Lonnie Mack always seemed low-key and soft-spoken, until he picked up his guitar. He let the music speak for itself. Check out ‘The Wham Of That Memphis Man’ from 1963 or the album ‘Strike Like Lightning’ from 1985. For the more adventurous and those who love the diversity of an artist, listen to Lonnie’s 1971 album ‘The Hills of Indiana.’

Lonnie Mack – Memphis (Stereo Remix)

We lost Lonnie Mack on April 21, 2016, he was 74 years old.

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Surviving members of the Muddy Waters Band – just one of the highlights of the ’93 Long Beach Blues Festival. Photo: T.E. Mattox

A Delta blues overload most certainly, but the highpoint for me was the opportunity to sit for a few minutes with Robert Jr. Lockwood and talk briefly about his life, the music and his amazing longevity in the blues. It started with the most obvious topic, growing up around the mythical King of the Delta Blues Singers; Robert Johnson. Lockwood was often referred to as the stepson of the legend, but he was adamant about their relationship.

Was your mother married to Robert Johnson? “No, she was not!” Lockwood said. “My mother lived with Robert Johnson.” Was that your introduction to the guitar? “No, there were guitar players all over the country out there where I was born.” Lockwood was born in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas March 27, 1915 and he smiles when he adds. “Well, I guess Robert Johnson was my choice, but I knew a whole lot of other guitar players.”

What were your first memories of Robert Johnson? “He followed my mother home. And she couldn’t get rid of him.” (laughing) He was so young when he passed. “I don’t know how old he was when he died. He was a young man, yeah.” Why do you think he remains so popular? “Why?” Lockwood repeats. “The reason he’s so popular today is because he was before his time.”

Did you learn a lot from him? “He was my teacher.”

Your road is filled with blues elders, when did you first meet Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller)? “I first met him when he came to my home in 1929.” Did you play on the street with him for awhile? “Yeah, around Arkansas and in Mississippi.” When did you start on ‘King Biscuit Time’ on KFFA? “That started in 1940. SonnyBoy had that first.”

In the 1950s you moved to Chicago, tell me a little about Roosevelt Sykes? “Well, I don’t have a favorite story, but he was a very nice man. We was like brothers, yeah. I worked with Roosevelt’s band about, close to two years. We did quite a bit of moving around, yes.”

You also worked with Eddie Boyd. “Yeah, I worked with Eddie about four years.”
Muddy? “You got everybody on there!? How’d you find all that stuff out?” (laughing)
I told you, I was a fan! (laughing) “Well, I played a little bit with Muddy’s band, not a lot. But I done a lot of recording with him.”

Sunnyland Slim? “Sunnyland and me had a trio together and a 4-piece together.”

The blues have taken you all over the world; you’ve toured in Europe and weren’t you one of the first blues players to tour in the Far East? “I was one of the first to go to Japan. My first trip to Japan was Tokyo and Osaka.” Did they give you a nice reception? “A lot better than America!” (laughing) “You trying to get me in trouble?” (laughing)

Johnny Winter once said he believed audiences overseas have more respect for American blues and American blues players because they don’t have as much access to it as the U.S. does. So, European and Asian blues fans show more appreciation for it when it comes their way.

Robert Jr. just smiles and says. “They treat me pretty good in the States, but they treat me better outside the States.”

Did you know Charlie Christian? “I never got a chance to meet him, I heard a lot about him and we were doing some of the same type of things when he was living, but Charlie was a horn player and a lot of people don’t know that. Yeah, he was an alto player.”

I didn’t know that. Do you play other instruments? “I play bass and piano a little bit.”

Tell me about the ‘Grapes of Wrath’ in Cleveland? “Ohhh! That was a little small place when I first started and tried to put a band together, I worked down there.”

Any rowdy clubs you can recall? “I don’t know…what do you mean by rowdy? 90% of the clubs have fights, how can I pick out one?” (laughing)

Can you describe Robert Jr. Lockwood’s blues? “Un-uh! My blues is so wide, my blues runs in every direction.”

Any new recordings what can we anticipate from Robert Jr. Lockwood? “I intend to do some more recording in the near future with about 9-pieces. And it’ll be jazz, too!” That’s great; jazz isn’t really new to you, is it? “Well, I’ve been playing it practically all of my life! There’s not a big difference between jazz and blues, because blues comes in all forms.”

You knew Willie Dixon? “He was a very good friend. I worked for Chess for 17 years.”

Robert Jr Lockwood on stage in France. Courtesy Lioneldecoster, Wkimedia Commons

At this festival they recreated KFFA’s ‘King Biscuit Time’ radio with Pinetop Perkins, Rufus Thomas and host, ‘Sunshine’ Sonny Paine; will you continue to perform with them? “I’ll help them out if they need it.” Do you like playing festivals? “It’s alright, it’s all work…it’s all work.”

And the man was nothing if not productive. Talking with producer, friend and fellow musician, Bob Corritore, he remembered a number of wonderful memories and time spent with Robert Jr. Lockwood. “I first met Robert in probably 1977 or ’78?” Bob says. “It was when the Paradise Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma had just opened up. I was going to college there, and Robert Lockwood whom I’d been a fan of for years at that point…from the Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson records…and he was playing in Tulsa for three or four days. So I went…everyday! I sat with him on breaks and he just kind of took me in as an adopted blues child. And that was the roll I would have with him for the rest of his life.”

Bob Corritore and Robert Jr. in studio. Photo courtesy of Dick Rice

You produced the album, ‘The Legend Live!’ “I got to take him into recording situations five times, which I feel good about!” Corritore says. “Robert was so disciplined, every time he came into town he’d ask me to bring him a practice amp so he could work on his music. He practiced every day, and he did pushups every day to stay in shape. He was filled with discipline and if you think about it, he had learned that style of Robert Johnson as a young man and that style was so physically involved, you had to have so much co-ordination between playing the bass notes and the melody lines spontaneously and he studied that every day. In the process he added his own embellishments and he actually made it more decorative than Robert Johnson had done…and I so admired him for that.”

As we wrapped up our conversation with Mr. Lockwood I asked if he’d ever thought about retirement. “It’s too late for me to retire!” He laughed. Did you ever work outside of music, other jobs? “No, no, no. I don’t know what I would have done. I started playing when I was eight years old. I started playing music at eight, yeah. So, I ain’t done too much work!”

We lost Robert Jr. Lockwood from respiratory failure November 21, 2006 at the age of 91. According to Bob Corritore the funeral held in the city of Cleveland was truly befitting “a statesman…a King’s sendoff.”And that is as it should be.

The post Robert Jr. Lockwood: ‘My Blues Is So Wide, It Runs in Every Direction’ appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Gems: Volume 2 is composed of what Sue refers to as “personal favorites” recorded by several of her bands dating back to the 1980’s. The most recent track recorded just this past summer with old friends and special guests at the Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio. It’s a wealth of material that truly reflects her lifetime in music. So I asked if putting together this project made her a little nostalgic. “Yes.” Sue says. “Most of the time, over the last 70 years really, I was always looking forward to the next project. I’m still like that now, but I guess I’m old enough to want to write my memoirs, musically speaking. I find it interesting to figure out why I came to be playing a certain way. They say everything you do is just preparation for the rest of your life, forever preparing. I have found that everything I have done musically, I have eventually used.”  

Time and space prevent a complete description of the total project, but to whet the appetite let’s examine a few nuggets. Songs that jump out at you… “Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere” is a beautiful and loving homage to Hadda Brooks. Vocalist Deejha Marie spells it out and the lushness of the Motel Swing Orchestra adds so much texture, its music you can feel.

“Freak Lover” is a little different, reminiscent of the Prohibition/Speakeasy era, with Candye Kane at her bawdy best. ‘Come and see about me, Daddy!’ The violin of Eric Hokkanen gives you some Papa John Creach attitude in this uptempo romp.

No big band can call itself a ‘big band’ without some Ellington and this fresh take on “East St. Louis Toodle-oo” from 2015 is ageless. The muted brass of Phil Shopoff and April West make Sue’s piano shine all that much brighter. It’s like stepping back in time. Speaking of which “Fish for Supper” is my absolute favorite track. The legendary Preston Coleman has that Louis Armstrong growl as he laments over his gastronomical woes. Watch out for bones!

“Ladies Shoes” is a slow blues where once again, vocalist Deejha Marie takes it to the street. The track also features the unrelenting and masterful blues guitar of Steve Wilcox. Add the rest of the orchestra and you grasp the true meaning of ‘smoke-filled room!’

That’s just five of the 20 tracks available on this star-studded album. Sue says, “I have played with some wonderfully talented and charismatic people over the years… Preston Coleman and Candye Kane definitely among them! AND I still do!!” An incredible rotating cast of musicians but a long-time core rhythm section of side players like sax man, Jonny Viau and rock solid time keeper and drummer, Sharon Shufelt. Vocalists Deejha Marie and daughter, Sharifah add even more depth and emotion to the big band songbook. Bass player Pete Harrison, guitarist Steve Wilcox and the trombone of April West round out the current lineup and all have been instrumental in Sue Palmer’s musical journey. And Sue is the first to recognize it. “I always remember that Duke Ellington considered his orchestra his instrument… and I feel like that too. If one has a wonderful band, you want to highlight them!!!”

Sue will highlight her entire Motel Swing Orchestra with guest vocalists, Sharifah Muhammad and Laura Jane Willcock at her upcoming ‘Gems: Volume 2’ release party January 7, 2020 at Tio Leos, 5302 Napa St. San Diego. More info is as close as www.suepalmer.com

The post Sue Palmer Doubles Down — Gems: Volume 2 appeared first on Traveling Archive.

For almost forty years Jonny Viau, when not fronting his own band, has been the ‘go-to’ sax man for most of Southern California. He’s recorded with the very best and the list is long; Duke Robillard, Solomon Burke, Kim Wilson, and Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown are just a snapshot. Viau has put in the time and the miles, playing his way around the globe in support of Mitch Woods, Earl King, Candye Kane, the Blues Beatles and who could possibly forget, The Pleasure Barons.

Jonny is the first to admit as a young musician, having the opportunity to open for legendary bluesmen like Muddy Waters and B.B. King “I was definitely star-struck…meeting ALL those guys!” And to this day he continues to credit the influences of Jazz, Rock and R&B icons as diverse as Sun Ra, Frank Zappa, King Curtis and “a lot of Stax stuff, Sam and Dave and Otis Redding.”

Our conversation began like most, where’s home? “San Diego, baby!” Jonny says proudly, “I’m a third generation Californian and a native San Diegan.”

Was your family musical? “Well, as a matter-of-fact, yeah!” Jonny smiles. “My grandfather played the violin, the clarinet… and the saw! The musical saw! And my mom would back him up on piano and he’d do shows at the Lion’s Club. He’d have a guy with a giant apple on his head and he’d take a gun and shoot it over his shoulder, with a mirror in one hand and a big spring-loaded worm would come out of the apple, cornball stuff, you know?” (laughing) “I have all of his instruments, though. I have his saw, his violin and his clarinet. He was a pharmacist and his name was John Nemes. He was a big wig up in Artesia, near Long Beach. He had a pharmacy. I remember they sold leeches for black eyes and bruises.” (laughing) “I have a jar they kept the leeches in. We got a couple of those.”

Was saxophone your first instrument? “No, not by far! When the Beatles came out, that’s what started this whole, damn thing. That Ed Sullivan appearance really started a whole wave of people wanting to be musicians. A friend of mine, Mike lived on the same street and we started taking guitar lessons in Escondido at the same time. I was probably seven years old then and that lasted almost a year. Then, I started getting into baseball so they didn’t know what direction I was going to go in… sports or music? There was a piano at my Grandmother’s house and a box of toys with a harmonica in there. And I’d be running around with one of those. So in the 7^th or 8^th grade I had a paper route in Poway and I bought a set of drums from Apex Music down on Broadway in downtown San Diego with my paper route money. I played drums for maybe two years until freshman football.”

Battered and bruised, Viau had enough of football and naturally “got a flute.” (laughing) “I had listened to a Jethro Tull record and I really liked it. So I went from football to flute… and then from flute to sax. My flute teacher kept telling me, ‘Man you need to play sax. Sax would mean a lot more work and enjoyment and it fits in with more types of music.’”

But music was always on your radar. “Pretty much. With my good friend, Mike, the first time I heard Sgt. Pepper’s was at his house. And he says, ‘when he was listening to Herman’s Hermit’s, I was listening to Cream and Black Sabbath.’” (laughing) “But anyway, I started playing sax around the 9^th grade, and by the 10^th grade I sorta’ joined a band. My friend, Reuben says ‘I got band practice.’ And I said, ‘I want to be in your band.’ He goes, ‘well come to practice.’ I go, ‘okay.’ I went to practice and I didn’t know what I was doing. I just stood in a corner while they played… and tried to find notes that sounded good to play along with them. The bass player gave me a ride home and I thought that was fun to just go and rehearse once. And he said, ‘You going to show up tomorrow?” I said, ‘Yeah!’ So from that point on I just showed up for rehearsals.” (laughing)

Seems to have worked out well for you? “Yeah! I’ve never actually been asked to join a band…I just sort of show up.” (laughing)

So that was your first band experience? “That was a great band!” Jonny says. “And at first we were doing a lot of Allman Brothers stuff and had two drummers. We were called ‘SkyDog’ Duane Allman’s nickname. And then we became more and more eclectic doing all kinds of other material and whittled it down to one drummer and we called ourselves, ‘Orbis Max.’ We were the shit in North County and Poway. We played all the big, big parties. We played some of the finest keggers that were ever thrown. It was a full-size band; we had three guitars, keyboards, singers ‘cause we didn’t care. We didn’t care about making money. We never did make money.

 We played school dances and we borrowed some money off my mom to buy a real PA system and she gave us three years to pay it back. We paid it back in a year. We played at Camp Pendleton. We’d drive out there not knowing where they were going to send us, and it’s a huge place… and you’d be playing at a Quonset hut with about 80 men and one bar maid.”

Nice you were supporting the troops and cool that your mom encouraged you… “She got involved whether she wanted to, or not.” (laughing) “But she always supported my musical endeavors.”

Can you talk about your ability to adapt your style of play? “Being in ‘Orbis Max’ helped me learn how to adapt, we were super eclectic and we played everything from jazz to rock and contemporary Top 40. Some blues, I mean we thought we could play blues. We weren’t really real blues players. Another thing that really helped me out with those guys; from day one they would record. They would record live gigs; we’d turn our band houses into a recording studio and recorded originals. I was thrown into that whole recording scene which is completely different from playing live.”

Most call that honing your chops or higher education. “Later, when recording I was very familiar with the process and for the most part wasn’t nervous at all. There were a couple of times when I was a little nervous. Doing the Solomon Burke sessions was a high profile deal.”

Who were some of your earliest influences in blues? “I would have to say the Rolling Stones, only I didn’t know it was the blues at the time. I didn’t really know much about the blues until I joined the King Biscuit Blues band. In February 1980, I was 22 years old and they had a steady gig down at the Mandolin Wind on University and 3^rd. They played every Thursday, Friday and Saturday which is unheard of in today’s world.” (Just as Jonny says the late blues harp player Ken Schoppmeyer’s name, his phone begins to ring. Remember his ringtone is a wailing solo harmonica.)

Jonny’s eyes are now wider as he says, “I say the name Ken Schoppmeyer and the harmonica goes off on my phone. That’s weird… talk about spooky shit. (laughing) But Ken had a huge, huge, huge blues record collection and he told me to come over to his house and I brought a bunch of blank cassette tapes and just recorded King Curtis, and all these sax players I’d never heard of before and he turned me on to whole bunch of good music. Then I had to learn, I don’t know, like 40 songs in two weeks to start playing with those guys. And that ran through almost all of 1987. Right when I get in the band, we’re gonna’ record a record and I’m going, ‘Oh my God! I’m not really ready for this.’ But the next thing you know, we’re opening up for Albert King and B.B. King and Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. So, I got to meet all these guys and take a picture. For a green, 22-year old meeting B.B. King was like meeting Babe Ruth or something. I was definitely star- struck… meeting ALL those guys! Especially the first time and they were all, nothing but nice. B.B. was just the nicest guy. I was so tongue-tied and the only thing I could say to him, he had this giant, glob of gold on his finger, and I said, ‘Nice ring, B.B.!’” (laughing) “But the King Biscuit Blues band is where I definitely cut my teeth and learned a lot about life in general!”

How about Jazz influences? “Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stanley Turrentine, Charlie Parker, I mean there’s so many.” And what was your take away from them? “With Jump Blues and King Curtis what I noticed was and especially with the sax players, they blurred the line between jazz and blues. Is this jazz, is this blues, is it jazzy-blues or bluesy-jazz? I don’t know, but it was good. I think with the saxophone, it’s so associated with jazz so people come up and go ‘you guys play some great Jazz.’ Well, we’re a blues band.”

You must have a pretty large R&B catalog, did you mine that genre? “A lot of Stax stuff, Sam and Dave and Otis Redding. When I left King Biscuit, the band sort of imploded one night. You know with bands; that happens. And everybody quit the group on the 3^rd break just before the last set. (laughing) “I formed a little group with Eric Lieberman eventually, but before that I was in all-black Soul band from the Bay Area called C.P. Love and the Southbound Transit Band. Right after King Biscuit, in late 1987 and into 1988. They would fly me up to the Bay Area and I’d do gigs up there. And we went to Telluride, Colorado. These guys were from New Orleans and they’d never driven in the snow before. We’re driving on that road from Silverton to Telluride in a van pulling a trailer. Which was fine going up, but on the way down it was snowing like no tomorrow and we were just sliding down that mountain. Nobody said a word, we were just scared shitless. But they treated me like family, they were nothing but nice to me.”

“After that I was just bouncing around, freelancing and playing with anybody I could. I moved into an apartment in Oceanside, so I was taking any gigs I could to pay the rent. I would play with the Mudsharks and Scottie Blinn. And with Eric and the Rhumboogies and we played every Tuesday night at Winston’s in Ocean Beach. I would get my horn player friends to come down and sit in. Sometimes we would have 3, 4, 5 or 6 horns and it was just organized chaos, with an emphasis on chaos. You’ve got to be somewhat organized and play together unless you’re Sun Ra, you know?”

Did you listen to Sun Ra? “Yeah! And I listen to a lot of Zappa, too. When I was locked in the blues closet, I didn’t make that a selling point. And I would go see him when I could. I’m still a huge Zappa fan.”

What was your first tour experience? “In 1990, I went out with Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s from the Bay Area. That was my first real experience with touring, six weeks all across the country. I was touring with Mitch and backing up Earl King. I backed up Earl King several times and he was another guy who was just phenomenal. He wrote ‘Let the Good Times Roll.’ ‘People see me, but they just don’t know.’ Not the one by the Cars.” (laughing) “Just watching him tune his guitar was a musical experience. He would have his guitar tuned to these really weird tunings and that’s how he got some of those cools leads he would do.”

Gary Primich? “Oh My God! Oh My God! You know that session just happened to coincide with the Rodney King/L.A. Riots! And these guys (laughing) had never been to California, they came out from Texas and it was a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday session. Wednesday is when they were beating up people, they took Reginald Denny out of the truck and just about killed him. Thursday was loot, scoot and shoot day and we saw so much shit, so many fires and people with shopping carts full of stuff. A refrigerator in the back seat of a Cadillac with the convertible top down, people pushing big screen TV’s in those little red wagons… I’m telling you, we got the most done in the shortest amount of time you can imagine. We almost did that record in about six hours. They’d get on the talkback and go, ‘Fellas that sounded good, we don’t need to listen to it, trust me. Let’s move on to the next song!’ You really didn’t know there was a riot going on until you went to the bathroom, this tiny little window, you could hear sirens and helicopters and stuff. They had a curfew that day and we had to get out before it got dark and we were all fine with that.”

The title of the album was ‘My Pleasure.’

Tell us about the Pleasure Barons? “From ‘89 to ’93, I did two spectacular tours with the ‘Pleasure Barons.’ Oh My God it was Country Dick, Mojo Nixon, Dave Alvin, Joey Harris, Juke Logan… and we all wore tuxedoes. Country Dick was doing Tom Jones songs two octaves below Tom Jones. It was so much fun. And so funny, during rehearsals we were laughing so hard learning this stuff and then we did it again in ’93. The album was recorded in ’89, I believe. It says ‘Live in Las Vegas’ but it was actually recorded in the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.” (laughing) “In ’93 we had a tour bus that used to belong to John Denver and it was a really nice bus. And we had John Doe and Rosie Flores and Katie Moffett and it was a much more polished show. We had a bar on stage; it was when the swing revival and the martini revival was going, so if you weren’t playing on a particular song, you’d be making martini’s for the guys. We only did two tours and then Dick died in ’95.”

Country Dick Montana was larger than life… “I don’t know if you knew about Dick and the Beat Farmers, but he was always getting doused with beer from the audience or from himself, you know? He went after someone one time who was throwing excessive amounts of beer on him and he jumped off the stage and grabbed a guy…and started spanking him! Little did he know it was wrong guy?” (laughing) “He started spanking him.” (laughing) “He put him over his knee.” What did the band do? “We were laughing, ‘oh, there goes Dick! Just keep playing you guys.’”

Kid Ramos ‘Two Hands, One Heart.’ “Oh that was a fun session. He (Ramos) decided to make an album with a cavalcade of guitar players. So, it was two days of a revolving door of all these great guitar players. Duke Robillard, Junior Watson and ‘Gatemouth’ Brown.  We had three saxophones and a trumpet, Jeff Turmes being one of them, who’s Mavis’ bass player but he’s also a great sax player. He wrote out some arrangements but when Gatemouth came in, he wanted to change up everything. We had everything worked out with the solo’s but okay…we’re going to have to make some adjustments here. He’d say let’s do it this way and when the tape would run, he’d do it a different way. It kept going on and on… till Kid goes, ‘why don’t we do it like the record?’ Gatemouth goes, ‘why do you want to do that for?’ And Kid goes, ‘I don’t know, it’s a T-Bone song.’ Jonny laughs as he says, ‘Gatemouth goes, ‘I don’t care if it’s a Jesus Christ song; we’re gonna’ do it my way!’” (laughing) “Larry Taylor and I were looking at each other and laughing.”

Can we talk about how your solo projects came together, let’s start with your first CD called Jonny Viau and Friends… Sideman? “I just got all my friends to come in and play a song or two and it was so much fun. I had it in the can in ’96, but then I ran out of money so it sat and didn’t get released until about 2000. Then, I put together my own band, Jonny Viau and the Blues All Stars at the insistence of Larry Matranga the owner of Patrick’s. Because I was playing down at Patrick’s with so many different bands I coulda’ put a cot in the back room and slept there. The band I put together was called the All Stars so it could have anybody I wanted in it. It didn’t have to be a set lineup. At any given time it would be Marcus Bashore, Mike Cherry, Dave Pruitt, Billy Seward, Adrian Demain, Troy Jennings, a piano player named Neil Walkup and then we did the Live at Dizzy’s CD in 2002.

Rod Piazza pops up regularly in your discography? “Yeah, I did about four or five albums with Rod. He was cool to work with and in the studio he really brings out the best in his players without being an asshole, you know? With Rod, you wanted to be as good as you could. I traveled a lot with Rod around the United States; we did the Santa Cruz Blues Festival and another festival in West Virginia.”

How did you guys meet? “Well, I met Rod Piazza and James Harman at the Mandolin Wind where I used to play with King Biscuit. I’d see them at the Belly Up and sit in with them. I guess Allen Ortiz introduced me to Rod; he also introduced me to the King Biscuit guys. He was pretty instrumental in me getting my foot in the door with those guys.”

You mentioned James Harman. “I love James. He was just the coolest from day one when he had Hollywood Fats and Kid Ramos in the same band!? With Willie J. Campbell on bass and Steven Hodges on drums… C’mon! They were definitely ‘Those Dangerous Gentlemen’s.’ We opened up for them at the Belly Up and go see them at the Mandolin Wind. And I got to record with them.”

Talk a little about Candye Kane. “Well, I recorded with her for several years before I was actually asked to join the band. I joined her band when that big swing revival in the mid-90s was resurging. She had me and Robbie Smith on trumpet and we did that for a couple of years. Candye was the first one to take me to Europe. She and I had a falling out, we kissed and made up and I went over to Europe again with her and recorded on ‘Super Hero.’ But I am so glad we made up and didn’t leave that tension and bullshit we went through, we put it behind us.”

How did you become a Blues Beatle? “Scottie Blinn gave my information to the guitar player who contacted me and said their sax player wasn’t able to come to Denmark, so last year I went to Denmark for a month and played with those guys. They play Beatles songs in a blues vein and they’re all from Brazil and speak Portuguese. So, I’m with these guys who just speak Portuguese and Danish and very little English. I did another tour with them on the East Coast and it was Fun. Nice guys and good players. Funny. You’ve got to have a sense of humor, you gotta’ laugh. They liked steak and cake and Coca Cola.” (laughing) “Every time we’d go someplace, they had to eat steak.”

Sue Palmer. “She and her band are the greatest people. I’ve been with them almost twenty years now; I think, where we’ve had the same line-up. We do these jazz festivals, blues festivals, concerts in the park…she does so many styles; she can cater to the event. We do the San Diego Blues Festival; we do more R&B and Blues. If we do the San Diego Traditional Jazz Festival, well you know.”

Sue’s band can also range in size. “She can do a solo, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 pieces. That’s a big band, and when you add both singers, Sharifah and Dheeja…”

Speaking of Sharifah… “Sharifah is Dheeja’s daughter and Sharifah’s been coming and singing with Sue for a long time, probably fifteen years, since she was very young. She would just nail me; kill me when she would do the Margie Hendrix part of Ray Charles’ ‘Night Time is the Right Time.’ ‘Baby!’ Oh My God! Something would just come over me. So I said, I want to put a band behind you one of these days. And kept saying it and saying it until finally, let’s do it. We did some rehearsals up at my house, found the best players I could find… Marty Dodson, Troy Sandow, Steve Wilcox, Sharifah and me. Small band, big sound. We learned all these obscure Soul and R&B tunes, everybody contributed songs and we had more than enough material to do a CD. We went to Nathan James’ Sacred Cat studio and we cut 16 songs in two days. You have the basic studio room where everybody’s playing and you have the other room where singers and horn players can play and be isolated and do stuff over. I asked Sharifah, ‘Why don’t you go in to the other room in case you’re not happy with your vocal? She says, ‘No, I want to be in here with you guys!’ A lot of the tracks she cut ‘live’ with us all at the same time. We never did more than three takes on any song.”

The result was the CD ‘Sharifah and the Good Thing.’ “We have a different rhythm section now, but she’s still playing and kicking ass… and taking names!”

For you personally, any wow moments along the way? “I was able to go and record at Capitol Records. It was probably one of the highlights of my recording career even though they just brought me in to play about 16 bars of solo. They had a whole, full on horn section of these session players and I said, ‘Am I going to have to play with those guys?’ They said, “No man, you just have to play the solo, that’s all.” You mean I’m getting 300 bucks to play 16 bars? Okay! Capitol Records here we are!” Jonny shakes his head. “That was an amazing place, all the way to the ceiling… gold records. Abbey Road, real serious records, you know?”

Last call, any wisdom to share from your journey, so far? “What I’ve learned through the music, by experimenting with different notes and rhythm’s is that people don’t understand it, when you’re playing over their heads. It’s why people don’t gravitate toward jazz. Charles McPherson summed it up perfectly when he said, ‘Jazz is like Shakespeare, everybody appreciates it, but nobody wants to read it.’” (laughing) “I’ve learned playing the simpler horn parts, friendly voicing’s that aren’t super jazzy and my solos too, I don’t try to play a million notes or try to sound like Charlie Parker. I just want to play what people like and can relate to. Keep it relatively simple, but fun… fun for me! It’s fun to pick the perfect note for the perfect moment.”

The post Jonny Viau – Sideman appeared first on Traveling Archive.

You know it’s going to be a good day when your mailman delivers a big fat CD right to your front door. And it’s extra special when it comes from the reigning Queen of Boogie, Sue Palmer. Sue has put together a collection of 20 songs that she says are “particular favorites” from an immense archive that dates back almost 40 years. With an extended musical cast of peers, old friends and special guests, GEMS Volume One is a snapshot into the life and career of this gifted performer.

From the moment the disc opens, the left hand of Sue gives notice that Boogie Woogie is where her heart beats. The remaining 19 tracks show how prolific and versatile the woman can be. The homage to Duke Ellington with Sue’s Motel Swing Orchestra is stellar as are all the straight ahead jazz elements found in this recording, and there are many.

Janiva Magness makes a surprise appearance with 2000 LBS of Blues in a cajun-flavored ‘Why Did You Go Last Night?’ This Clifton Chenier classic is a pure West Coast stroll with Sue’s accordion skills being offset by Roger Baldwin’s thick, nasty harmonica!

The years Sue spent working with Candye Kane are lovingly preserved here so expect an abundance of fun and quirkiness. Their version of ‘These Boots are made for Walkin’ prove accordions, banjo’s and Nancy Sinatra rock. ‘Motel Mambo’ evokes the golden days of Johnny Otis’ Barrelhouse and Central Avenue’s Club Alabam. ‘Git it’ by Suaro is from Sue’s earliest recordings when she was part of Ms. B. Haven “an all women’s rock band from the late 70s.” Each track seems to capture a moment in time and that is reinforced on ‘Aloha Oe.’ Adrian Demain is a monster on the lap steel and when Sue breaks out a ukulele you can almost feel the North Shore breeze.

There are so many other vocalists, Deejha Marie, Sharifah Muhammad, Missy Andersen, Preston Coleman, Earl Thomas, Molly Stone, David Mosby… and guitarists, Steve Wilcox, Jimmy Woodard, Heine Andersen, Laura Chavez… and an unbelievable horn and rhythm section, Sharon Shufelt, Jonny Viau, April West, Pete Harrison, Thomas Yearsley, Daniel Jackson, Gilbert Castellanos, Rob Thorsen… and a cast of thousands.

If you want the complete lineup, pick up your own copy at the CD Release party for Sue Palmer’s GEMS Volume One, Tuesday July 3^rd, 2018. Bring your friends and your dancing shoes to Tio Leo’s at 5302 Napa Street in San Diego. Show starts at 7:30PM, don’t be late.

The post Sue Palmer Drops a Few GEMS appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Johnny Vana’s Big Band Alumni with two superlative vocalists, Bill A. Jones and Bonnie Bowden, are a cherished American treasure who come together every Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Las Hadas, a Mexican restaurant in Northridge, California where the dance floor is packed with a collection of spirited people, ages ranging from top to bottom, who love to move their feet to big band swing and electrifying jazz solos that lift the room with a radiating vitality.

The restaurant could be placed smack dab into the center of a 1930’s Warner Bros. Movie set with its ceiling fans, glowing neon lights, and black-and-white photos of long-forgotten bull fighters and Mexican actors. Out front are tired rest rooms wearing makeup from another time just steps from a large front door in need of minor repair. These intricate pieces of the setting are the backdrop to the red-headed lady named Edye who sits on a stool collecting $8 from each guest and carefully making change from an envelope.

The festive morning ambience inside sweeps music aficionados into an extraordinary convivial mood, unique to Southern California, if not the entire United States. The room is a spiritual space for a collection of some of the finest swing musicians on the planet, talented artists of age performing the language of high-end musicianship and exhibiting a multiplicity of stylistic virtues.

Las Hadas is a feel-good place where upon entering the room the ills of the world are brushed away by the harmony, jazz riffs, and spectacular rhythm section that lifts the spirit. It’s a place where smiles are part of the scene as servers work their way through crowded aisles to booths that line one wall while the bouquet of Huevos Rancheros mixes nicely with Count Basie’s One O’clock Jump.

Johnny Vana, with his quick wit and enormous sense of humor, has been leading the Big Band for some 20 years. A drummer from age three when he won at an amateur show, he has enjoyed a long-lasting career, star-studded with performances with many of the top big bands of the day.

Honored with a graduate degree in music from the University of Texas, Vana was the Principal Percussionist with the Omaha and El Paso Symphonies, has backed Bette Midler, Peggy Lee, and Tony Bennett, among a host of others, and performed on television and movie sound tracks, all a short preview of his incredible accomplishments.

At 10:30 a.m., while some people are enjoying their second cup of coffee and browsing the newspaper, “Heeaaar’s Johnny” is the upbeat for 18 musicians, a compilation of unsurpassed musical talent whose average age is 78. Most have played with the big bands of the past, can sight read with great skill, have worked as prestigious studio musicians, performed in major films and television, traveled the world with concert tours, and recorded countless CD’s, such as tenor player Lanny Aplanalp’s, Future Memories.

Vana calls out numbers from 300 charts with another 1,000 to 1,500 arrangements he rotates from time-to-time including some original compositions written by band members. The music ranges from Woody Herman’s upbeat Wood Choppers Ball, to Latin arrangements and ballads, all great for East or West Coast Swing dancing, and for some of the Las Hadas dancers who originate new steps yet to be catalogued.

Gordon Bash, the youngest musician in the band playing a 1995 Engelhardt stand up bass, jives and sings an up-tempo, Caledonia, over a rhythm section anchored by highly-trained pianist and composer, Cengis Yaltkaya, and guitarist, Ron Hersehe. A few charts later Curt Sletten steps up front singing The Hucklebuck, and with great trumpet skill easily moves above High C with astonishing agility that rattles the ice in the Bloody Marys.

Bill A. Jones, arms spread, head back, his rich baritone voice vibrating off the back wall of the dance floor, sings the classic 12-bar blues, Every Day I Have the Blues, the band romping behind him with splendid solo jazz improvising, drummer, Gary Gibbons, holding the tempo with absolute skill. The band sounds as if it is performing in Carnegie Hall, effortlessly holding the timeless lyrics in an up-tempo goove with Jones’ bluesy interpretation, “Nobody loves me, Nobody seems to care…I’m going to pack my suitcase and move on down the line.”

Jones, noted for his voice-overs, and named one of LA’s Best Cabaret/Concert Artists, is Sinatra-influenced with a relaxed informal body language, an impressive stage presence, and, similar to Vana, an entertaining and humorous personality as he introduces his songs and chats with the dancers and listeners. His friendly and positive singing demeanor is closely related to his engaging acting career in television, commercials, and concert appearances.

Bonnie Bowden, the other half of the dynamic vocal duo, an eye-catching Coloratura Soprano, and a regular on Tuesday mornings, sings in Spanish, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, French, German, and Japanese. Nominated for a Grammy in the Best Female Pop Vocal Category, Bowden is also an accomplished opera performer, and sings with her husband and guitarist, David Amaro.

Among a number of morning highlights are Jack Redmond’s inventive trombone work, and then when Bowden scat sings Just Friends in unison with the band on complex up beat riffs accentuating a four-octave range. Las Hadas listeners with a sense of melodic imagination and closed eyes can let the ambience whisk them to a dimly-lit nightclub at 2 a.m. while the band and Bonnie are deep into a session, dancers embracing, John Thomas’ trumpet rearranging the ceiling tiles, Vana leading.  www.vanabigband.com

Photos courtesy of Halina Kubalski.

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