“Living Proof” - The blues with a touch of soul coming to the CISCO OTTAWA BLUESFEST that starts on Tuesday July 5th. Music from Buddy Guy, John Primer, Smokin’ Joe Kubek & B’nois King, Andrew “Jr.Boy” Jones, Lonnie Brooks, Ray Bailey, The Funky Meters and many more. My name is John Tackaberry, host of Black & Blues every Sunday night from 9 to 11 p.m. filling in tonight for Ron Sweetman with some tips on what to catch in blues at FEST.
Tonight I want to highlight just a few of the performers with special appeal to blues fans amongst the numerous acts on a variety of stages.The FEST will get off to a “funky good time” on Tuesday July 5th down at “Le Breton Flats” with Bootsy Collins performing on the “Hard Rock Stage” at 9:30. Then Wednesday the eclectic California born musician who has roots in blues, jazz, reggae and rock Ben Harper returns to the FEST to play on the “MBNA Stage” at 9:15. Harper rocks as well as having cut a live disc with The Blind Boys of Alabama. Here Harper with a song off his latest disc Give Till It’s Gone – “Feel Love”. (All Music Guide to Rock, page 506)
Give Till It’s Gone [Cut 4] “Feel Love” 3:46
En duo [Cut 8] “Trouble In Mind” 2:44
From The Water [Cut 3] “Built Right On The Ground” 2:43
“Built Right On The Ground” – The great Canadian guitarist Colin Linden who is now based in Tennessee will be at the CISCO OTTAWA BLUESFEST on Sunday July 17th performing in the “Barney Danson Theatre” at 5:45. And he will playing on the “Hard Rock Café” on Saturday July 16th with Black & The Rodeo Kings. Dawn Tyler Watson and Paul Deslauriers gave us their version of “Trouble In Mind” off en duo from Justin Time. They are playing the “Barney Danson Theatre” at 6:15 on Saturday July 16th. And Ben Harper who gigs on Wednesday July 6th on the “MBNA Stage”. This is “Living Proof”a special In A Mellow Tone preview of blues with a touch of soul coming to the CISCO OTTAWA BLUESFEST. Thursday July 8th you can hear The Jimmy Bowskill Band at 7:30 on the “Hard Rock Café Stage” and the retro- rock of the Saskatchewan band The Sheepdogs play on the “Subway Stage” and at 9 o’clock the Canadian singer who has had his share of Blood, Sweat & Tears – David Clayton-Thomas is on the “Hard Rock Stage”. Over the years he has sung the blues but last year he released a collection of Soul Ballads. Here he is with his take on Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready”.
Soul Ballads [Cut 3] “People Get Ready” 3:46
Let Your Hair Down [Cut 1] “Snatch It Back And Hold It” 3:56
The Steve Miller Band and their cover of Buddy Guy and Junior Wells’ song “Snatch It Back And Hold It” off Let Your Hair Down from Roadhouse Records. That band is on the “MBNA Stage” at the FEST on Wednesday July 8th at 9:30. And we heard David Clayton- Thomas who is on the “Hard Rock Café Stage” at 9 with “People Get Ready”. “Living Proof” is name of this edition of In A Mellow Tone featuring some of the blues with a touch of the soul coming our way at the CISCO OTTAWA BLUESFEST. Miller who is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin came to fame in the sixties in San Francisco as a blues-rocker before his hits as a rock n’ roll man. But in the last couple of years he has gone back to the blues with the release of Bingo! an album of covers of blues songs in 2010. And he followed that one up this year with Let Your Hair Down, another set of blues covers on a disc dedicated to harmonica man Norton Buffalo who in October 2010 after blow on songs for the recording. On Friday a Louisiana born guitarist Sherman Robertson who grew up in Houston in the Fifth Ward the home of Albert Collins and his mentor Clarence Green will be on the “Barney Danson Stage” for the first of a couple of gigs at the label. Here is Robertson who spends a lot of time in Europe with “Guitar Man” off his 1998 disc on AudioQuest called Going Back Home. (All Music Guide to Blues, page 402 and Living Blues, Issue # 113, June 2010, page 44)
Going Back Home [Cut 1] “Guitar Man” 4:14
Born To Sing The Blues [Cut 7] “Worried Down With The Blues” 6:57
“Worried Down With The Blues” – Larry McCray with a song from his 1998 disc on House Of Blues. That man from Arkansas who grew up in Michigan will be back at the FEST for a couple of gigs including one on Saturday, July 9th at 6:30 on the “National Bank Stage”. And we heard blues out of Texas from Sherman Robertson who plays in the “Barney Danson Theatre” on Friday July 8th at 9 p.m. That night the popular blues influenced rockers out of Akron – The Black Keys are on the “MBNA Stage”. “Living Proof” – Blues with a touch of soul coming to the CISCO OTTAWA BLUESFEST from July 5th to 17th. McCray gigs at 6:30 on Saturday July 9th. This local blues band opens the FEST that day on the “Subway Stage”.
Here are Wicked Grin with “Midnight Howl” off down to the corner on Phoenix Records.
down to the corner [Cut 6] “Midnight Howl” 4:35
The Jesse Greene Band [Cut 1] “Mojo Man” 3:02
The Jesse Green Band with “Mojo Man” another fine local band playing at 6 p.m. on the “National Bank Stage” on Thursday July 14th. And we heard Wicked Grin who play on the “Subway Stage” at 2 p.m. on Saturday July 9th with “Midnight Howl” off down to the corner.
_____________________________________________________________
Bill Coleman, 1904-1981
About Me
- Ron Sweetman
- Ron Sweetman has been an activist for jazz and blues since arriving in Canada in 1969. He was a founder member of L’Atelier de Musique Experimentale (1972), Jazz Ottawa (1976), and Music Now (1997). He has written for CODA magazine since 1970, and has been a member of the Down Beat International Critics Poll since 1982. He has hosted his weekly jazz and blues radio show “In A Mellow Tone” on CKCU-FM 93.1 since May 1976. In his spare time, Ron is a management consultant.
