By Devon Wendell Los Angeles. Buddy Guy kicked off the 2015-2016 Center For the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Thursday night with a truly mesmerizing performance. Buddy Guy is the last true prophet of the blues, especially since we recently lost B.B. King. Buddy and his Damn Right… Read More Live Music: Buddy Guy At UCLA’s Royce Hall
By Devon Wendell I just cannot process the fact that B.B. King is no longer on this earth. How can it be? It’s like trying to imagine life without oceans, trees, and air to breathe. No one in history changed the approach and sound of the electric guitar like B.B. King. Sure, there were T-Bone… Read More An Appreciation: Remembering The King
By Devon Wendell There has been quite a bit of hype for multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and sardonic poet Doc Wendell over the last decade. As a teen in New York City, Wendell worked in the studio with Donald Fagen and Steely Dan on their “comeback” album Two Against Nature. The late John Lee Hooker nicknamed… Read More Q&A: Doc Wendell – A Twist Of Misery
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”
By Devon Wendell September 18th, 2013 and all I can think about is Jimi. How his music and legacy has haunted me my entire life. Jimi Hendrix died 43 years ago today, over 5 years before I was even born. Yet every feedback drenched note, cascading soulful ballad, and harrowing wammy-bar dive bomb has almost… Read More A Twist of Doc – An Appreciation: The 43rd Anniversary Of The Death Of Jimi Hendrix
By Michael Katz Hollywood, CA. “I’m 74 years young,” sings Buddy Guy, “and there ain’t nothin’ I haven’t done.” After a few verses, Buddy admits to being 77, but the extra few years haven’t diminished anything, most importantly his ability to engage an audience. Dressed in his trademark polka dot shirt, Guy’s voice is clear… Read More Live Blues: Buddy Guy, the Funky Meters and Quinn Sullivan at the Hollywood Bowl
By Don Heckman It’s a short week of Picks, largely impacted by the end-of-Summer distractions and the frequent August closure of jazz clubs around the world. But there’s still a lot of music happening. Los Angeles – Aug. 21 (Wed.) Buddy Guy and the Funky Meters. The veteran blues great matches classic riffs with the… Read More Picks of the Week: August 21 – 25
By Michael Katz There is nothing like driving around in a remote area to underline the virtues of good music. So I’d like to say a few kind words about Sirius XM. And also Avis, whose rental car was equipped with it. I recently spent a week in Yellowstone National Park, the setting for my… Read More Radio Jazz: Time To Get Sirius?
By Devon Wendell Blues master Buddy Guy encountered the now 14 year old Quinn Sullivan six years ago after Guy invited the young Sullivan to sit in with him. And he’s mentored this budding electric six stringer ever since. Sullivan’s sophomore CD Getting There is an appropriate title for Sullivan’s blistering blues oriented rock-pop.… Read More CD Review: Quinn Sullivan: “Getting There” (SuperStar Records)
Shemekia Copeland 33 1/3 (Telarc) By Devon Wendell Shemekia Copeland has proven to be one of the most important and vital forces in the world of modern blues since she began recording and touring, as well as opening up shows for her father, the legendary late great Texas bluesman Johnny “Clyde” Copeland over 15 years… Read More Pop CD Review: Shemekia Copeland’s “33 1/3”
The International Review of Music 