As many of you are already aware, I grew up listening to a lot of music. My earliest memories are of my father spinning his vast collection of jazz records. It was his appreciation of jazz that introduced me to the music of Duke Ellington and so many other jazz greats… My love of music carried over into my late teens and throughout high school. Most of my friends were musicians and I could always be found hanging out in the music room. Even though I’m not a musician, I still enjoyed the atmosphere in the room as the school band rehearsed for a concert. I found it cool to witness a group of musicians come together and capture a piece of music inspired through the minds of legends like Duke Ellington and others influenced by him…
Chops Just Released
This documentary directed by Bruce Broder made me think of those high school years and also some neat memories of my dad. For all jazz lovers, but especially the younger generation, the movie will be very inspiring indeed!
CHOPS tells the story of a group of kids with extraordinary musical ability who learn to make the most of their gifts in an acclaimed public school jazz program in Jacksonville, FL.
From their early, squeaky scales to soaring, improvisational solos, we have a front row seat for their fascinating transformation. We’re with them as they stick together and as they fall apart. And we see up close how the events of their daily lives are expressed in their music. We follow their musical journey from Florida to New York City, where they compete against the top high school jazz bands in the nation at the prestigious Essentially Ellington Festival.
Win or lose, the Essentially Ellington experience puts them at the threshold of their dream, and reveals the incredible growth they’ve experienced personally and musically
Are you familiar with the Essentially Ellington High School jazz competition? The passion and dedication of these young artists is hard to overlook. What do you think? Your comments are welcome below.
Now that summer has definitely arrived, it was time to work on some long overdue yardwork. My deck was starting to rot and was in need of a slight overhaul. So Friday night I got all the necessities for the job and setup delivery for the following afternoon. So my plan was to wake up early enough on Saturday morning, take apart the deck and then hopefully by Sunday morning, have it back together again… Of course in order for this job to even have a chance of taking place, I needed the proper music for inspiration.
Earlier in the week I was asked to take a look at Hill Country Revue’s debut release Make a Move. So I loaded the album on my MP3 player and had a quick listen. I liked what I heard and found an energy that made it hard to keep still. So I decided to save it for the weekend where I could utilize its verve. The music on this album packs a punch and would become the driving force that motivated the work that was ahead.
Saturday Morning
The weather was perfect; a light cool breeze and a clear blue sky. I put on my Bluetooth headset and slowly began to take my old deck apart while listening to Hill Country Revue’s debut release. Later that morning, my wife and son decided to take off for the rest of the day because I scare them when I use power tools. And coming off my recent accident they couldn’t bear to watch. But being the stubborn guy I am, I forged ahead as I continued to listen several times to the raw gritty blues/rock riffs that would drive me forward throughout the course of my day.
Hill Country Revue
was formed in 2008 by Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew from The North Mississippi Allstars.The band also features Kirk Smithhart, Ed “Hot” Cleveland and Dixie Dan Coburn. Released last May by Razor and Tie Records, most of the material on Make A Move was written by the youngest of R.L and Alice Mae Burnside’s fourteen children Garry.
Cody Dickinson has shared the stage with artists such as Kid Rock, Dave Matthews Band and Mavis Staples. He’s toured all over the world consistently since 1996 and has built a following along the way. While older brother Luther went off to tour with The Black Crowes, HCR took shape and gave the younger Dickinson the opportunity to step out from behind the drum kit, strap on the axe and front his own band.
“The North Mississippi Allstars haven’t broken up,” Cody Dickinson says. “We’re just off doing different things. Hill Country Revue, for Chris and me, is like a big jolt of adrenaline. It changes our blood chemistry and has us firing on a whole different set of synapses. Also the input from the other guys in the band, both as musicians and friends, is amazing. So everybody gains!”
The idea that shaped Hill Country Revue was a show that the North Mississippi Allstars did at the Bonnaroo Festival in 2004. At the time they were joined by brothers Duwayne and Garry Burnside, their father R.L, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes and Cody’s father Jim. (Cody’s father had produced artists ranging from the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Replacements, Alvin Youngblood Hart and The Radiators.) The show in 2004 would also be R.L. Burnside’s last public performance before he passed away in 2005. Make a Move was recorded at Jim Dickinson’s Zebra Ranch Studio, as well as at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis, with Cody producing and his father Jim acting as director.
It all starts off with the tune “Alice Mae,” which I’ve included below. Some of the stand out songs I found myself replaying were “Let Me Love You,” “Highway Blues” and “Ramblin.” In addition to “Georgia Women,” which the opening riff I’ve adopted as my personal theme for this Father’s Day.
Now as you can tell, I’m not your usual music reviewer. I won’t dissect or criticize every note. Not interested in that. If the tunes inspire the type of adrenaline that shaped my weekend, then its all good to me. I’ve found that there’s enough energy on Hill Country Revue’s Make a Move to light up a small city. They’re loaded with lots of talent, good chemistry and experience. If you’re looking for a solid dose of energetic raw edgy blues and southern rock, then this release aims to please.
In The Backyard
Now that my yardwork work is complete, I sit on my newly reinforced deck writing this. It all worked out really well… One thing for sure, I can now say that I’ve recovered from my dirt bike accident from a few weeks back. And I can now enjoy Father’s Day and relax knowing it was a very productive weekend indeed… So how about you? Are you familiar with Hill Country Revue? Did you do anything interesting this Father’s Day?
I was asked to write a piece on Buddy Guy’s album Skin Deep, which at the time was close to being released. In the article I mentioned how I warmheartedly remembered the music legend’s work from the sixties… I listened to Skin Deep, and immediately loved what I heard, but for some reason it made me drift back to an album Guy came out with forty years earlier.
A Man & the Blues was released in 1968, and today I can still visualize the album cover in my mind… I associate that particular LP to the upbeat atmosphere I was surrounded by at the time… In last year’s article I had to restrain from drifting too much. So I thought it might be cool to take the reflective trip I wasn’t able to make last year…
Church Gig 1968
Now I never normally go to church. That’s because I was more familiar with the synagogue further down the road. I remember thinking even at eight years old, how the Cantor when he sang sounded like Jack Bruce from the band Cream. That’s where my imagination led me even at that young age. A wild association I still get a kick out of telling today… Yes, I fondly recall those times being very buoyant indeed. So you could imagine how anxious I was going to church for the first time.
I helped my brother’s friend and roadie The Big F load the gear out of the basement of our house (where they usually rehearsed) to the church hall. The guys were playing one their first live gigs that night and I was helping them set up. I remember they even brought in a horn section to back them up. The gig was going to be more of a family evening of entertainment; a moment in time where friends, music lovers and neighbors would get together and just have a blast.
My brother’s band eventually got a reputation as a great blues party band. In 1968 my brother and his friends were all teenagers looking for an outlet to express themselves through the love of the music that inspired them. Their enthusiasm and musicianship was well received. The guys loved what they did and it showed.
Several of the songs that my brother and his musician friends rehearsed leading up to that gig were from the album A Man & The Blues. The tunes the guys played were “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “One Room Country Shack” and they opened with the classic Berry Gordy tune “Money.” Many of those songs were versions Buddy covered on the album.
Back then I was too young to express how the music made me feel. All I knew was how important it felt to be around for some reason. And even though I knew deep down I wasn’t going to be a musician, I did know one thing: I needed to experience more of what was going on. I knew right then that music was going to play a big part in my life. It was just a matter of when.
Buddy Guy
was born in July 30th,1936 to a sharecropper’s family, and was one of five children raised on a plantation near the small town of Lettsworth, Louisiana. He learned to play guitar on a self made diddley bow and eventually began performing in the fifties with local acts in Baton Rouge.
Shorty after arriving in Chicago in 1957, Guy entered guitar battle contests on Sundays and Mondays against west side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush. With help from Muddy Waters, he eventually got a recording contract. Some of his early influences were T-Bone Walker and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Guy also learned a thing or two from Guitar Slim (a.k.a. Eddie Jones)
“The first guitar player I saw putting on a show was Guitar Slim—I must’ve been 13 years old—he came out riding that guitar, wearing a bright red suit. I thought; ‘I wanna sound like B.B. King, but I wanna play guitar like that.”
In 1960 Guy worked at Chess Records and recorded “First Time I Met The Blues.” Later that same year he started working the first of what would be many projects with Junior Wells. As the sixties progressed, Buddy left Chess and soon got on a serious roll. He entered Billboard’s R&B charts, toured all over the world and shared the stage with many of the best musicians around at the time.
A Man and & The Blues is Buddy Guy’s first full length solo LP. It featured Otis Spann on piano, bassist Jack Myers and drummer Fred Below. This recording is essential listening for any fan of the blues old or new. Hearing the music once again certainly reminded me of the impact it played in my life.
As the sixties closed, so did a chapter in many of our lives. My brother and several of his friend’s would leave home and head out to the bigger cities in hopes of that one gig which would get them the attention they deserved… Buddy Guy continued to record throughout the seventies and eighties, but as the blues scene softened, so did the high profile gigs. It would take close to 20 years of perseverance, until new opportunities would flourish for Guy. And when it did, they would be huge! But that’s a story for another post.
Buddy Guy Summer Tour Schedule 2009
You definitely don’t miss the opportunity to see this true blues music legend as he continues his tour throughout this summer… Dates and show times are subject to change, so make sure you double check. If you want more information on Buddy Guy you can go to his web site by clicking here….The following are some dates that are lined up for this summer’s tour:
Buddy Guy Summer Tour Schedule 2009
JUNE
06/19/09 Charleston, West Virginia Mountain Stage @ Clay Center
06/20/09 Atlantic City, New Jersey Showboat Atlantic City - HOB
06/21/09 Vienna, Virginia The Filene Center @ Wolf Trap
06/23/09 Savannah, Georgia Johnny Mercer Theatre
06/24/09 Atlanta, Georgia Chastain Park Amphitheater
06/26/09 Saskatoon, Sask., CANADA Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
06/27/09 Winnipeg, MB, Canada Winnipeg Jazz Festival
06/30/09 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Summerfest
JULY
07/02/09 Montreal, Quebec, CANADA Fest Int’l De Jazz De Montreal
07/04/09 Chicago, Illinois Petro Music Shell/Grant Pk.
07/05/09 Detroit, Michigan Comerica CityFest
07/09/09 Burlington, Vermont Quadracentennial Festival
07/10/09 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
07/18/09 Council Bluffs, Iowa Mid-America Center Ribfest
07/19/09 Commerce City, CO Mile High Music Festival
07/23/09 Hyannis, Massachusetts Cape Cod Melody Tent
07/24/09 Verona, New York Turning Stone Resort Casino
07/25/09 Montclair, New Jersey Wellmont Theatre
07/26/09 Bridgeport, Connecticut Gathering Of The Vibes
AUGUST
08/01/09 Notodden, Norway Brygga
08/11/09 San Juan Cap., California The Coach House
08/12/09 Los Angeles, California Hollywood Bowl
08/14/09 Primm, Nevada Primm Valley Resort
08/15/09 Saratoga, California Historic Mountain Winery
08/27/09 Bethel, New York Bethel Woods Center For Arts
08/29/09 Westbury, New York Capital One Bank Theatre
SEPTEMBER
09/05/09 Ocean Springs, Mississippi The Shedd BBQ & Blues Joint
09/06/09 Bedford, Texas Bedford Blues Festival
09/12/09 Lincoln, Rhode Island Twin River Events Center
09/19/09 Telluride, Colorado Telluride Blues & Brews Fest.
09/26/09 Birmingham, Alabama Alys Robinson Stephens PAC
Have you seen Buddy Guy in concert before? Anyone checking out the shows listed above? Where were you when Buddy Guy’s 1968 release A Man & The Blues came out? Your comments are always welcome.
The music seen and heard on this site are meant to enhance the enjoyment of the articles and the reader's overall experience. My intention is to honor the artists that have inspired me by weaving my personal experiences together with my love of their music... If you like the music you hear, I urge you to support them by attending their performances and/or purchasing their music. If you hold the copyright and would like me to remove your song or picture then please contact me. I will do so immediately upon request.
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Alice Mae [5:04m]: 
