By Devon Wendell There have been countless films made about the blues and about B.B. King. A large percentage of these films merely focus on how King (Born Riley B. King on September 16th, 1925, between Itta Bena and Indianola Mississippi) inspired a plethora of overdriven, unoriginal rock guitarists from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Very… Read More Film Review: B.B. King “The Life Of Riley”
Paul Simon Live in New York City (Hear Music) By Brian Arsenault Deep into Paul Simon Live in New York City, on “Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes,” Paul’s voice seems to strengthen and the song becomes one of the jewels of the album. At least until the gratuitous, hackneyed drum solo at the… Read More CD Review: “Paul Simon Live in New York City”
By Brian Arsenault Randy Sharp, Sharon Rays, Jack Routh and Maia Sharp Dreams of the San Joaquin (Blix St. Records) It seems to me that Dreams of the San Joaquin should be the birth of a band. They are that good together, whatever their sterling individual credits and talents. And San Joaquin wouldn’t be a bad… Read More Short Takes: New CDs featuring Randy Sharp, Sharon Rays, Jack Routh and Maia Sharp
By Devon Wendell What was designated as “Blues Night” at the Hollywood Bowl Wednesday night turned out to be what must have been one of the strangest evenings the Bowl has seen in a long time, due to a rather sloppy, chaotic set from B.B. King. But let’s first talk about the Tedeschi Trucks band,… Read More Live Blues: B.B. King And The Tedeschi Trucks Band At The Hollywood Bowl,
By Michael Katz Summertime has always meant the opportunity for long road trips, the most notable joy of which is putting my favorite music on the stereo and cranking it up as I cruise into what Ed Abbey called the Back of Beyond. In the old days I would spend untold hours in preparation, transferring… Read More Traveling Music: Five For The Road
EG Kight Lip Service (Vizzitone) By Brian Arsenault When this album started my first reaction was, “If Bonnie Raitt was Southern, this is what she’d sound like.” But that may just be my Yankee self talking, because what you really feel when you’re moving through Lip Service, E G Kight’s latest CD, is that you… Read More CD Review: EG Kight’s “Lip Service”
Marty Grebb High Steppin’ (Luna Chica) By Devon Wendell As is the case with many of the most talented artists, Marty Grebb is a household name among mostly the top and more well known musicians — most of whom he’s played with as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer over the past four decades —… Read More Blues CD Review: Marty Grebb’s “High Steppin'”
The State Of The Blues of Yesterday And Today By Devon Wendell I recently had a candid conversation with Kim Wilson. Wilson has been the front man and co-founder of The Fabulous Thunderbirds for over 30 years now and has also enjoyed a fruitful and influential solo career. Considered by many to be one of… Read More Q & A: Kim Wilson
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – April 28. (Tues.) The Trio: Terry Trotter, Peter Erskine, Chuck Berghofer. The label might seem a little prepossessive in some hands, but not with these guys, whose playing defines the notion of interactive musical intimacy. Charlie O’s. (818) 994-3058 http://www.charlieos.com. – April 29. (Wed.) Mitch Forman Trio, with Darek… Read More Picks of the Week: April 27 – May 3
The International Review of Music 