Giving Thanks for the Blues
I know I've sparked lot of bytes on the screens of Cosmik Debris this past year to celebrate the Year of the Blues. It's been a great ride for blues junkies like me, but while I'm most appreciative of sponsors like Volkswagen and Experience Music Project for their support, let's face it: every year is the year of the blues for blues fans. We've been lucky to have a spotlight shone our way in 2003. This month, I'm going to celebrate Thanksgiving, see how Tommy Castro gives thanks, and report on the Sweet Home Chicago museum exhibit that will make its way from Seattle to Chicago after the first of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving
I'm going to celebrate Thanksgiving, as I usually do, at the Gran Pacifico Marathon in Mazatlan, Mexico with my family. This year, it will be a very special event.My son Paul will turn 21, and we'll run the 5K or the 10K race together. We'll likely shoot pool at Munchies' bar and boogie-board 'til exhaustion. Truth be told, however, I'm secretly hoping and praying that he'll be far more responsible than I was on that same birthday back in the day.
I've been trying for years to get Cosmik Debris leadership to set up shop in the "Pearl of the Pacific," because each time I go, I discover some great Mexican music. Like Mana, Flaco Jimenez, traditional mariachi music, or folk songs that extol the virtues of cities like Guadalajara or Mazatlan, as there's a wealth of music south of our border. It may be quite a departure from the blues for me, but I'm up for nearly anything when the sun shines and the palm trees sway. Each year, I bring a batch of blues CDs that I review poolside with a Pacifico. You'll hear more next month about a great new live compilation from the folks behind the W.C. Handy Awards, a Canadian roots-rock outfit called Blue Voodoo, the Delgado Brothers from East LA, and learn about the legend of Shorty Brown, courtesy of the Blue-Eyed Devils.
Tommy Castro's Gratitude
San Francisco-based bluesman Tommy Castro is one of my favorites. So, it's no surprise that I'm wild about Gratitude, the first CD released on his own label, Heart and Soul Records. On Gratitude, Tommy gives thanks to the music that has inspired him to play the blues, from Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin' Wolf, to Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, and James Brown. Gratitude features a dozen classics, and I particularly like his souped-up version of Chuck Berry's "Tulane" and a heartfelt tribute to John Lee Hooker, "It Serves You Right to Suffer." If friends need hints for holiday gifts this year, ask them to include this disc during the Festival of Lights, Kwanzaa, or Christmas.
Go To Sweet Home Chicago
I caught the opening night of the Sweet Home Chicago exhibit at Seattle's Experience Music Project, and wanted to give you my initial impressions of this unprecedented salute to Chicago blues. The exhibit focuses on the explosive growth in the blues from 1946 to 1966, and it is scheduled to open at Chicago's Museum of History and Industry in January. I was pretty skeptical about blues in a museum at first. The exhibit won me over as I saw up-close records, guitars, large-screen videos and full-length songs from the Delta to Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood and back. Singing, dancing, experiencing the blues and shouts of praise are definitely allowed in this exhibit.
The Sweet Home Chicago exhibit features many videos, including portions of the Maxwell Street documentary "And This is Free" as well as footage from The American Folk Blues Festival (just out on DVD, from Universal), originally produced by German television. Seeing Howlin' Wolf live on the big screen for the first time, for me, remains one of my favorite memories of this show. There's also a fitting tribute to guitarist Jody Williams, and shuffle master Sam Lay. Notebenders will appreciate the guitars from Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters, as well as samples of blues styles from the West Side to the South Side. There's a wealth of information and music from country blues, too, including the original handpainted sign from King Biscuit Time, the radio show from Helena, Arkansas, that brought the music of Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) and Robert Lockwood Jr. to the air. Sweet Home Chicago is not conducive to a traditional hushed walk through a museum. As I listened to the songs at each station through a handheld Museum Exhibit Guide (MEG) computer, I was transported back in time, back to when I first heard the records of Muddy making magic at 2120 South Michigan Avenue at Chess Records.
Until next month, give thanks in your own way. My way's to play the blues.
