Blues With A Feelin'

I first discovered the Blues in the mid '70s, the radio was starting to let me down there had to be something better than the Disco that was starting to take over...there just had to be.

I began to read biographies of some of my favorite artists and they all had the same common denominator...The Blues...so I started reading up on these artists and soon found myself on a life long journey of discovery and love with the Blues.

With the books "The Story Of The Blues" by Paul Oliver and "Feel Like Going Home" by Peter Guralnick as my guide I took the trip of a life time into music full of life and passion.



B.B. King was the first artist I found, the school library had "His Best: The Electric B.B. King".

Here's a photo I took around 1984 the first time I saw him live.



Sweet Sixteen


Muddy Waters was probably next discovery, I saw him live once around 1979, one of the most powerful singers ever.

I Got My Mojo Workin'


One of the best shows ever was Junior Wells & Buddy Guy. It's a shame the camera man in this video couldn't find Buddy Guy when he takes the second guitar solo and instead shows Jimmie Johnson doing rhythm.

Messin' With The Kid


I saw Albert Collins live at The Union bar here in Minneapolis when he returned after recording his "Frozen Alive" album there.

I Ain't Drunk (I'm Just Drinkin')


I had the chance to see one of America's greatest songwriters live at Summerfest in Milwaukee in the early eighties, man what a presence.

Seventh Son


Luther Allison was a great guitar player that doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

Why I Love The Blues


I had the pleasure to see the great piano player Blind John Davis live at an outdoor concert, he had a tumbler of whiskey and a stogy in his left hand while doing runs with his right, an awesome sight.

My Own Boogie




to be continued

The Blues will take a short break for a little Jazz Break.
If you have to ask what Jazz is, you'll never know. ~
Louis Armstrong

Like many the first Jazz album I owned was "Kind Of Blue" by Miles Davis, and it is the best album I have ever heard of any genre, if you look at my LastFM the most played song is "So What". So this is where I will start on a Sunday Morning Jazz Break.




John Coltrane is probably my favorite artist, I say probably because there are about ten I can claim as a fave but today I will say it's Trane.
Getting into the music of John Coltrane was a little more difficult than the immediate love of "Kind Of Blue". I had found a best of that covered mostly the end of his career and that was not a very good starting point, then I stumbled on "Live At The Village Vanguard" and the tune "Chasin' The Trane" coming from being a fan of Jimi Hendrix this made sense to me.




The Sonny Rollins tune "ST. Thomas" off of the "Saxophone Colossus" album is one of the great classics of Jazz.




Be-Bop came into being during World War II and because of the recording ban during that time not a lot of the very early Bop was recorded, it started after the players were done with their gigs with the big bands they would go to the smaller Jazz clubs and jam all night for free thus inventing the new sound of Be-Bop. Two of the best of the new music were Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, here is "Hot House"



Also out of the Bop scene cam Thelonious Monk, one ogf the great composers of Jazz. "Round About Midnight" is one of his best known tunes.



In the late 1950s Jazz music was the sound of the College Campus and one of the most popular artists was Dave Brubeck and the album "Time Out" which featured the song "Take Five".



Clifford Brown was on the path of greatness when his life and the life of piano player Ritchie Powell were cut short by an auto accident. "Joy Spring" is one of the tunes he wrote for the Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet.



Django Reinhardt the Elegant Gypsy is one of the greatest guitarists to ever pick up the instrument and without the use of two fingers on his left hand. here is "J'attendrai Swing" with Stéphane Grappelli.



Charlie Christian is the guitarist who took the electric guitar out of the shadows of the rhythm section into the limelight. Here is one of the first recordings ever made of the new sound of Be-Bop. "Swing To Bop" was recorded at a late night session at Minton's Playhouse in May of 1941 just a few months before the World War II recording ban.