Blues and BBQ at the Hudson River

August 20th Today we headed down to Chelsea and Pier 54 on the Hudson River where the Blues and BBQ festival was being held. We didn't want to get there too early and melt in the heat, which was s till intense so we missed Eden Brent, the first act. The crowd was huge and boy it was HOT, weather wise and music wise! We caught about 40 minutes of the Homemade Jamz Band, one of the hottest new acts on the blues scene. Three siblings from the Perry family make up the band, Unbelievably Ryan (Gtr and vocals) is only 17, Kyle (bass, vocals) 15 and Taya on drums is only 10! She was only 7 when they started playing together! They hail from Tupelo Mississippi and say that blues is in their blood and they are doing what comes naturally! They played tunes from their first album `Pay me no mind' and their latest `I got blues for you' and drew a great response from the crowd. On the last number the boys came down into the crowd and strutted their stuff. You have to wonder what these guys will be like in 10 or 20 years!

Eddy `the Chief' Clearwater was next on stage. Eddy is a veteran of the Chicago blues scene and is known for his flamboyant stage act. Now that he's well in his 70's the performance is more laid back but still exciting. He played several songs from his most recent album `West Side Strut' like `Too old to get married' !Walkin' thro' the park' and I came up the hard way' and classics like `I just wanna make love'. There was some rock 'n roll in there and some slow blues, all in all a great mix!




Next up was Texas blues singer Diunna Greenleaf. I had heard a live concert last year on the radio so I knew she could deliver! My other favourite blues singer right now is Trudy Lynn who also hails from Houston. There must be something about the air there! Diunna has a similar gutsy gospel tinged style which really came through on her version of `If I had possession over judgment day'. Backed by her band `Blue Mercy' Duanna got the audience rockin' with the song .`The backdoor man' and other numbers from her `Cotton field to coffee house' album which we ended up buying afterwards! There was also a tribute to John Lee Hooker and a couple of powerful slow blues. These included one of my favourites `Mother earth' by Memphis Slim. Guitarist John Deltorro Richardson played some nice leads complementing Duanna's gutsy voice. Even the downpour that occurred halfway through the set, prompting everyone to get their umbrellas out, couldn't dampen the spirit of this great Texas blues belter! I'm sure we'll be hearing more of her!







Last to hit the stage was Michael `Iron man' Burks. Burks showed that he's not called `Iron man' for nothing! He has a powerful voice and great guitar tone. He plays with a quartet comprising Wayne Sharp on organ, Don Garrett on bass and Chuck `Popcorn' Louden on drums. Burks has been playing for many years but has become more recognized since signing with Alligator in 2001. Unlike many bluesmen he plays all original material. He performed material from last year's album `Iron man' and his earlier albums and even though most of the audience were unfamiliar with the tunes, many were up dancing and rockin! . .

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

August 7th We headed off to the park early to get a seat for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. They are a young up and coming band who play retro rock and blues/rock led by Grace Potter who has a voice like Janis Joplin. She's only 26 and hails from Vermont, not the usual location for a soulful mama! Bonnie Raiit called her band `One of the most soulful bands around!' Potter also plays Hammond B3 organ and the flying V guitar but leaves the leads to the guitarists. The band came on stage and immediately had the audience rockin' They play all original material and it's high energy all the way! They are a five piece outfit with 2 guitarists mostly playing Gibson 335's and SG's. They played some pumpin' double leads which drew a big reaction. Catherine Popper the bass player playeed a Fender which probably weighed more than she did! She harmonised with Potter on some of the vocals and this gave the tunes a retro feel reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac. The drummer also had a style similar to Mick Fleetwood but heavier. They all had long hair and looked like a band from ther 60's or 70's as you'll see from the pic!

Larry Carlton

This was the first time I'd seen virtuoso guitarist Larry Carlton live although I've been a fan since his days with the Jazz Crusaders in the early 70's and loved his work on `The Royal Scam' album which I have on vinyl. When I saw him play I realised what I'd been missing all these years. I've heard plenty of his recordings but to hear him play live was just music heaven! I have seen many great guitarists from jazz, rock and blues play live including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Freddie King, Derek Trucks, George Benson, John Mclaughlin, Jeff Beck, Duke Robillard, Frank Zappa, Bob Brozman and many more but this was seriously the most outstanding performance out of all of them! To Larry and the trio it was just another regular gig but to me it was amazing music! Carlton is a 3 time Grammy award winner and has musical collaborations with jazz, rock and blues artists as well as writing film scores and TV themes but is probably best known for his jazz fusion style which is what an audience at the Blues Note expected to hear.


Carlton began with a couple of solo tunes which set the scene. One was called `Song for Katie' and was dedicated to his daughter. Next he brought his son Travis to the stage. Travis has been playing bass guitar with him for 5 years and at only 27 is already a monster in total command of his instrument! He played two outstanding solos during the set demonstrating his incredible technique but he could lay low when Larry was soloing laying down some solid grooves especially on the slow blues in C. Next he brought up the drummer, Gene Coye, also a young gun with formidable chops. On the last number he let it rip with a fantastic solo! The intensity of the music increased but then Carlton could bring it right back down again. He didn't announce many of the tunes and as he's recorded so many it was hard to remember what they all were. One was a haunting melody called `Sunrise' and then there was the groovy `Smiles and smiles to go'. there was also a great instrumental version of `Aja' originally recorded back in `76. Another tune sounded like `Cold duck time' but not quite. He uses a Gibson 335 for all numbers and gets a full clean sound and without having to play loud He was able to play powerful chord and leads in combination. There are many clones but only one Larry Carlton!

Hall & Oates

August 6th Tonight was a perfect night to go to Coney Island to see rock 'n soul duo Hall and Oates. These guys were huge in the 70's and 80's so it was a night of nostalgia. These concerts tend to draw an older crowd (like us!) and tonight the crowd was huge. We managed to get seats but people were standing about 10 deep as far back as the Boardwalk so perhaps there were 20,000 there. The audience want to hear all the old hits and that is mostly what they got. Hall & Oates had 6 no.1 hits and many more songs that made the charts. They hail from Philadelphia and their specialty is blues eyed soul or as they call it rock 'n soul! They had some great ballads too. Who could ever forget `She's gone?' They played one long set which began with their big hit `Maneater'.and worked their way through all their big hits like ``One on one' `Say it isn't so' `Family man' `Out of touch' and `Sara smile and ending with Kiss on my list' and `Private eyes'. They included some lesser known songs too. The audience loved all the old tunes and sang along especially with `Everybody's high on consolation' which was what they called `She's gone' . I've been checking out the Tavares version which is also great. The 8 piece band were very tight and Tom `T Bone' Wolk on guitar played some outstanding solos on an amplified acoustic guitar especially on `Its uncanny' a lesser known funky tune from their earlier period.


Sax player Charles deChant was also fantastic. He could sound like Maceo Parker but also get mellow with the soprano sax and flute. With Darryl Hall on amplified acoustic rhythm guitar for most of the set and John Oates also playing some great solos on electric guitar plus a band consisting of keyboards, drums. congas and bass, the band had a great groove. For the last few numbers Hall moved to the keyboard which gave an even fuller sound. These guys must be around 60 as they had their first hit back in 1976 and were recording long before that but they looked and sounded great even though some friends felt their voices had lost their edge. Their recordings always had high quality production and I felt that they managed to almost reproduce the smooth sounds of their records. Everyone loved these guys and even young people seemed to know all their songs!

Robert Cray and The Sweet Divines

Celebrate Brooklyn July 17th The first band were a Brooklyn funk/soul/doo wop band the Sweet Divines which turned out to be four young girls and a seven piece backing band who sounded like the Markeys. the band did a good job of warming up the audience. Their first number was Big train by Booker T and I'm sure there wouldn't have been many, if any in the audience who have that tune on vinyl as I do! There was a short break before Robert Cray came on and there was music playing over the PA system to set the mood. I was surprised and delighted when I heard a familiar guitar solo and realised it was `I'm leavin' you' by John Earl Walker! John had not given them any music so the guy must have bought it. It is John's best seller. John was getting a drink and hurried back to his seat. I had told the people sitting near me that it was him and they were all surprised and impressed and asked why wasn't he playing at the concerts?



Robert Cray hit the stage and hit the spot right away! He has a great voice and distinctive guitar style. He worked his way through many of his hits like `Smokin gun', `I guess I showed her' `Phone booth' and `~Right next door', and tunes from his soon to be released vinyl album. I especially liked `Love 2009' `That's what keeps me rockin' and ~Chicken in the kitchen'. His version of Elmore James's `12 year old boy' was awesome and got a huge audience response! He had four guitars on stage and while playing a guy would be tuning one and so after almost every number he changed guitars. A few numbers into the set the predicted thunderstorm hit! This just seemed to add to the atmosphere! Everyone came prepared. Ponchos were brought out and umbrellas went up! The VIP's moved back to their tent or under the stage awning. No one left. How could you? The music was unbelievable! The whole audience was mesmerised! People were dancing in the rain and calling out their appreciation of this great performer. Robert Cray and his band let their appreciation of the audience be known too. Jim Pugh on piano and organ played some great gospel grooves and drummer Tony Braunegal and bass man Richard Cousins provided a solid rhythm section. This was definately a night to remember!
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Naomi Shelton and Burning Spear

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens and .Burning Spear
Naomi Shelton grew up in Alabama and like most soul and gospel singers began singing in church at a young age. Later she moved to New York and got into the soul scene. She had club hits on the 41st St. Breakdown” and “Wind Your Clock Beginning with the familiar `Wade in the water' she went on to sing songs from her new album `What have you done my brother' out on Daptone Records I loved `I'll take the long road' and `Lift my burdens' but all the tunes were great. She has a deep rich voice. On some tunes one of the 3 gospel Queens took the lead. The group were backed by a local quartet some of which had performed with other bands at these concerts and have a Booker T and the MG's type of sound but also including Cliff Driver on organ and keyboard. Often the sound was reminiscent of early James Brown material.



Burning Spear is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist and black activist. His philosophy was influenced by Pan African advocate Marcus Garvey who was born in the same town in Jamaica as Spear as was Bob Marley. There is a huge Jamaican community in Brooklyn and they were out in force along with many other fans of Burning Spear. We saw Asians, Mexicans and young and old in the audience. This concert drew a bigger crowd than any others we've been to in the park. Backed by an 8 piece band which included 3 horns Burning Spear performed his most famous songs Africa, Marcus Garvey, Slavery days, Calling Rasiafari and African postman all of which drew a huge response from the crowd. Literally everyone was on their feet on the 1st number and didn't sit down again! Spear is great on the congas and did several long solos often dueting with the keyboard. The guitarist played some wild solos on some of the tunes.

Fiona Boyes

July 3Oth We headed off to Lower Manhattan to see Fiona Boyes perform at a lunchtime concert at the Financial Centre. Due to subway delays we only saw the second half. The audience seemed to enjoy hearing an Aussie woman sing the blues. She charmed everyone with a mix of originals and old blues classic performed in her fingerpickin' style and as usual had some inteesting anecdotes to relate!! Fiona is doing very well with her new CD `Blues woman' which is high in the Blues & Roots chart. We are also happy that John Earl's `Live in Germany' CD has crept in there and is selling very well. Afterwards we hung out for a while wih Fiona, her mother Margaret from Melbourne and David Spellman from the New York Guitar Festival before going to grab pizza for a late lunch!