No comments about Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, Vol. 3.

1 comments about Vintage Live: 1975.

1. This is early Rod Piazza. He was young and full of energy. Here on this live set we see him burn through plenty of tracks a la Paul Butterfield. Although many people get tired of that kind of blues, you can't go wrong. It will always sound good. Rod also has a good band playing with him. One of whom is Larry Taylor on bass who played with John Mayall on the "Jazz Blues Fusion" and "USA Union" albums. If you are a true Piazza fan then you don't need convincing and if you want a good solid blues harp album, pick this up, it is tough stuff.

2 comments about Along the Blues Highway.

1. This CD is great. I can't quit listening to it. Chris Thomas King's voice is haunting at times it is so good, and the guitar work is excellent as well. He is a great musician who is somewhat undiscovered. The tracks by Blind Mississppi add a different style, but are also very good. If you like blues or roots music, buy this CD!



2. Every so often there is an album that just jumps out at you ~ "Along the Blues Highway", is a wonderful return to those days when our parents and grandparents enjoyed the music of times ~ BLUES! A CD that gives you the roots of America then, right up to the present time.

   Chris Thomas King takes the listener into the 21st Century of Blues with "RED MUD", "I'M ON FIRE", "ME, MY GUITAR AND THE BLUES" and "O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU", all compositions penned by Mr. King reflecting his deep commitment in keeping blues right up there where we can see and hear it ~ remember King from the film "O Brother Where Art Thou", when he traded his soul for guitar lessons. Great film and wonderful performance by Chris.

   Blind Mississippi Morris opens with a head banging blues cue "DUST MY BROOM" ~ followed by a rhythmic tune "YOU KNOW I LIKE THAT" ~ next we have a cha cha tempo "WILLIE" ~ now the joints jumping so put your dancin' shoes on with "BEALE STREET TONIGHT" ~ now why not try on some funky tunes as we listen "BAD TO WORSE" ~ get ready to board the bus as we're "GOING BACK TO LOUISIANA", this takes care of our mojo.

   Great job by Varese Records featuring the rockin' bluesman King and funky bluesman Morris with total enjoyment of some rare performances sure to please all ages among our fans ~ Blues is alive and well...gotta love it!

   Total Time: 58:13 on 14 Tracks ~ Varese 64912 ~ (7/29/2003)

4 comments about Nighthawks Live.

1. Another must have by the nighthawks, Their live performances are without a doubt the best shows money can buy. If you have never been to a live show this is what you can look forward to.



2. "The Nighthawks Live" was released in 1997 as a double-EP combining both "Live at the Psychedelly" in Bethesda, MD 1976 and "Live from The El Macombo" in Toronto, Canada in 1977. The disc shows the Hawks in prime form, bringing bar-band 12-bar to the two packed clubs. Their version of Little Feat's "Tripe Face Boogie" is done with scalpel-thin precision, and Jan Zukowski's bass track is near-unbelievable. Mark Wenner's harp does the ghost of Little Walter justice as they cover Muddy Waters' "19 Years Old". The lightning take of "Shake Your Moneymaker" tears through a hill-country take of the classic tune with a gratuitous harmonica for all. Never truly appreciated for their work in the 1970's as blues-revisionists, the group has stayed together and has recently released a DVD with Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin. Please check out their webpage at www.thenighthawks.com. All content copyright www.maximumink.com



3. What a great blues band. The Psyche Delly in Bethesda M.D. was the site of this amazing live performance by the Nighthawks. Jim Thackery and Mark Wenner tear through "Shake Your Moneymaker". "Can't Get Next To You" is played like no band I've ever heard. There are bonus tracks here not on the original release. Check out "Ubangi Stomp", and try to keep still. .... Even the intro is good. A must have blues cd.



4. The Nighthawks have been called "the world's greatest bar band" and with this album you can catch some of the excitment that is felt at their concerts. A Blues band for over 20 years, they still know how to rock and this album goes all out to prove it.

No comments about The London Concert.

5 comments about Inspiration.

1. Enjoyed the enthusiastic blue-sy voice and excellent piano! The quality was amazing and I'd buy this one AGAIN and AGAIN!! I especially enjoyed Queen of the 88's, a great boogie beat! It's an incredible 9 minutes long at least! I hope to see Kelley Live in concert soon.



2. I've seen Kelley Hunt perform several times & she is one I will never tire of seeing. Inspiration is just the album she needed to put out to the fans as anyone who has seen her live knows this is where she truly shines! She gives it all she's got the entire show & never, ever lets up. Queen of the '88s is a real pleaser as it has Kelley telling us a little bit of her history & how she got to be the boogie woogie mama that she is! No one can sing & play that piano like she can - very, very powerful & clear whether it be rock n roll, the blues or gospel. And getting help from the great Mike Finnegan is just an added bonus. Check it out - people from Kansas can rock with the best of them anytime! And go to a concert when she comes to town - you won't regret it for a moment.




3. I picked up Inspiration after seeing Kelley perform live, she is soooo phenomenal! Recorded live at three different venues between 1998 to 2000, Inspiration keeps the listener hooked by showcasing Kelley's phenomenal range - from blues to gospel to boogie woogie. And while this CD only has nine tracks, only 2 are under 5 minutes, and two of them are over eight.

   The CD kicks off with Kelley's 'lusty growl' and killer drum beats in a story of "I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N" (think Aretha Franklin's "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"), thanking an ex-lover for letting her find herself. "Stronger Wings" is a very gospel-feeling tune and Kelley's vocals soar. "Treat Me Right", "Back in the Saddle", and "Forgive and Forget" are all upbeat romps that showcase Kelley's trademark boogie-woogie style of piano playing and show her as a strong woman. The guitar throughout "Just Like Oxygen" is awesome and Kelley's 'bluesy' voice grabs you and tells you a tale of wanting. "Natural Thing" is another great gospel-type tune, heavy on the piano and drums. "Love Never Dies" (Lullaby for Charles) is a soaring ballad which gives me chills when I listen to it. I saved my fave song for last..."Queen of the 88s" is Kelley's tribute to her childhood piano teacher, Mary Burke Norton, also known as the 'last of the red-hot mamas'. Kelley alternates between speaking the story and singing it and while it is over nine minutes in length, it not 'long'. It is an AWESOME song!

   If Mary Burke Norton was the Queen of the 88s, than Kelley Hunt is the Princess, ready to ascend the throne. She may not be mainstream, but I have never seen anyone tickle the ivories like her and I don't think the mainstream is ready for such a talented, diverse artist!




4. After hearing Kelly Hunt perform at Boondocks in Amarillo, TX, I was sold on this lady! Not only can she play the 88's like no one around today, but she can sing as well. Her voice can make you cry or laugh or shout out loud. What a blues singer!



5. Kelley Hunt has one of the most versatile voices I've ever heard. She seems equally at home belting out raucus lowdown blues, crooning like a gospel queen, or torching low and sexy. Her vocals are strong but perceptive, penetrating and sensitive at the same time. And you would be hard pressed to find a keyboardest with a better left hand. Kelley can boogie-woogie with the best. Don't pass up a chance to see her live.

No comments about Live! At the King Club.

5 comments about Live at the Fillmore.

1. Muddy Waters said "another mule been kickin' in your stall" (Long Distance Call).
   It's all about the sexual tension between men and women - the life blood of rock 'n' roll.
   This CD pulls and yanks that tension to amazing places with a heavy emphasis on the interrelationship of blues and R&B. As I'm writing I'm on my second listening to this CD and thinking, if it weren't for rock'n'roll and hockey, why are we here?
   I cannot fathom why some reviewers have problems with this CD. Maybe they just don't get that the blues and R&B are innseparable.



2. This CD is excellent - just like every other CD put out by The Tommy Castro Band. You will be hopping and bopping - to soulful, fun blues. A "bad sax solo" out of Mr. Crossan? NEVER - and if you buy this CD - you won't hear one either. CMD in Mass.



3. This cd seems to not quite get it.Tommy is a fantastic blues guitar player.He has made great cd`s in exception to the rule and right as rain,but those were in the blues mode.I don`t want to hear a talent like this just trying to make you boogie,come on this guy is a great guitar player.Tommy please,stick to the blues.



4. you can't separate the power of blues and the spirit of soul...and trust me, every lick of tommy's guitar and every shriek or whisper of his raspy soulful voice, will knock you off your feet, and if your booty ain't shaking by the end of the first track, i suggest you have cpr administered immeaditely...buy this cd...you wont regret it one second...better yet see the band live..you will walk away a firm believer...that they are the real deal



5. Tommy Castro rocks. He sings like Delbert & plays guitar like Buddy & Stevie. If you listen to this in you car, be careful to watch your odometer because the uptempo boogie-woogie blues will have you speeding in no time.

2 comments about American Folk Blues Festival, 1962-1965.

1. This is one of the finest collections of the blues I have heard. Well worth the money. From Mississippi Delta to Chicago, it's all here.



2. This is one of the best compilations of live blues available. Many of the modern and historic blues greats are represented here and are in fine voice. While some of the artists may be near the end of there career when these performances took place it dosen't matter as they give it their all. Wonderful stuff. Thanks Evidence. I am now ready for 1966 through 1971!

2 comments about Leadbelly: A Tribute.

1. LEADBELLY: A TRIBUTE is a transcription of a concert that took place at the Hunter College Assembly Hall (New York City), on March 15, 1976. Besides vintage recorded narration and music by Huddie Ledbetter himself, appearing on stage were Arlo Guthrie, the Lunenberg Travelers, Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Alan Lomax. The program consists of songs written and/or popularized by Leadbelly.
   
   Sound quality of this over 30 year-old folk concert is quite good and the performances are competent.



2. Obviously, when you die you have to stop making records (unless you're Jimi Hendrix, but that's another story). And the only way to keep your songs alive is to make sure that your pals keep singing them. This concert, recorded around 1977, brings together some of Leadbelly's friends and acquaintances, who then pay tribute to the man by basically phoning in their performances.

   We get decent, but not stellar performances from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, who by this time were pretty much sick of each other and on the verge of breaking up. Sonny introduces "Poor Howard" by telling a story that even Leadbelly once said was wrong; Pete Seeger, an old friend, appears to be embellishing the stories he tells, too. His performances of "In the Pines" and "Bourgeois Blues" are pretty good, though.

   The only really great performances here belong to Arlo Guthrie. Always a showman, and clearly standing in for his late father (since he's way too young to have any kind of recollection of Leadbelly himself), he works the audience with "The Grey Goose" and keeps things bouncing along with "On a Monday." He then stays at the piano for the obligatory group finale with all the performers present.

   If you collect any of these artists, then by all means buy this. But otherwise, get a real Leadbelly album.