April 2008                                                              © 2008 ChicagoBluesBeat.com

 

 

 

Sometimes I get so excited about the live Blues music scene here in Chicago, that I want to just pick you all up in my little Jetta and drag you around with me all weekend. It shouldn’t be a problem because, as you know, wherever you live it is a suburb of Chicago. Allow me to guide you through a typical blues odyssey here in the capital of the blues.
Friday we start out at Moe Joe’s southwest of the city center. We are going to enjoy Barrelhouse Chuck and Gerry Hundt with a side of great New Orleans cuisine. Barrelhouse learned at the side of his close friend Little Brother Montgomery and several other masters who have since gone to blues heaven. He sings and plays and tells stories about his heroes. Check out his website for pictures of his memorabilia from his museum/home. This year Gerry Hundt had the honor of several nominations for Blues Music Awards. One was for his spot as one of Nick Moss’ Fliptops and the other was for his Chicago Blues Mandolin cd. Tonight he would get to his guitar, harp, mandolin, vocals and even slide mandolin. Chuck and Gerry will sit and talk with us during the break, and I might recommend that you pick-up some of their recordings while you’re here so we can have them autographed. Let’s say hi to harpist Joe Filisko at another table then hit the road.
We jump on I-55 North for the short run between Plainfield and Darien, and stop at the 8700 Room. This is the bar area of The Carriage Greens Country Club. The Carl Davis Band is just getting ready to start, but I have just enough time to introduce you to Carl, Anthony Tabion (keyboards), Pete Scach (bass) and Lenny Spatafore (I love that name) on drums. It doesn’t take singer, guitarist and songwriter Carl Davis long to get the place up and dancing. This is too good, so we’ll stay for a few sets. I’m glad you asked, and yes they do have a new and successful cd titled Someday. After hearing some of those tracks live mixed in with some great new material we get Someday and ask when the next one will be out. It is only about 11:30, the night is young and you have already met six of the nicest guys in the biz.
Further on up I-55, which here in Chicago is the Stevenson Expressway, we exit at Harlem Avenue. Next stop (you guessed it) is The Harlem Avenue Lounge in Berwyn. The Pat Smillie Band is an R&B revue band that fills the large stage at HAL. That’s Brother Alton Woodley at the keys and Big John Merideth with his very large left handed six-string bass (think tree). That’s Al Wittek playing a Les Paul now, but before we leave we will hear him on the lap steel. The name on the bass drum says Sambo and is stomped by Arthur “Sambo” Irby. I think Sambo is one of the most talented guys around. He drums, he sings, he plays imaginary harmonica and…wait a minute he’s standing on his drum stool. The requisite girl backup singers are the lovely and talented Ashley Stevenson and Jackie Patton. I wish Tina Howell was with them tonight. You have to meet her sometime. Ashley and Jackie don’t spend the full set on stage. We can be gentlemen of course and let them share our bar stools. By the way, that hug was from Ramblin’ Rose. Wait until you hear her version of “Give Me One Reason”. Here is another signed cd to add to your collection. Well the party is over, for now. You and I just can not be the last ones out of this bar, so we talk to our bartender Dre (yeah I like blue jeans too), and Kenny Z the proprietor for a while. Dre prepares the best scotch on the rock around. I think they want to go home, so on to home. I love the chirping of birds in the morning, when the sun is coming up and I am coming in.
What do you know? It’s Saturday and as sure as night follows day, I will pick you up for round two. In the meantime, I have downloaded a bunch of photos to the computer, but have not had time to check them out.
Starting from the Southwest side again, we get to Vino Tinto in Oak Lawn early enough to get some seats. Melissa and Sara are the young sisters that run this wine bar. Not to worry, you can still have your beer and I can still have my shot. Melissa has hosted Marty Sammon before, but has never had the pleasure of seeing him play with tonight’s partner the Arkansas Razorback, Doug McDonald. Mike Krystol will also join in tonight on congas. There is some magic when Marty and Doug play together. Here is yet another cd for you. It is Live at Oratio's from the nineties. Even back then a very young Sammon and Doug (with Krystol on bass) were amazing. I stopped here so you can hear and see Buddy Guy’s piano man Marty Sammon while he’s in town. To get to hear the legendary McDonald at the same time is a special moment. Sure, I’ll drink to that. I don’t know when you’re coming back to town, so keep your eye out for a cd of Marty Sammon and Tom Holland which is due out soon. I had the pleasure of sitting in on the recording session and there were some goose bump moments for sure. Mike produced it so there is a great chance he digitized the goose bumps. Wow, it’s 11:45 already.
We’re now heading into the city limits, to North Halstead. It’s after midnight but the heavy traffic, bicycles and pedestrians would have you believing it was 6:00 PM. DePaul University is in the neighborhood so it is a cross between Beale Street and a college campus (with coeds of course). This guy will take our car in front of Kingston Mines and we will walk south a few hundred feet to B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted. This is not a nightclub. This is a bar. The long narrow room has a small stage in the back with Nellie “Tiger” Travis and her guys on it. Tiger is inciting a riot with her legion of fans. Fortunately, the bartender lady sees us coming and has my medicine ready. Give some kind of signal for your beer, because I’m not even going to try to yell an order for you. We get to the stage just as the set is over. Nellie and her stash of CDs are immediately circled by her fans. Nellie waves but if you want a CD, you’re on your own. In the room behind the stage there are a host of local musicians either done with their gigs or between sets from another venue. I agree, they are a friendly bunch of guys. I can introduce you to Nellie’s son the drummer and Ron Hicks the music director and keyboard man but the others have bolted for the outside where they can grab a quick smoke. Back up the street we go to The Kingston Mines. If you’re getting hungry they have Doc’s Rib Joint in back. On the smaller North stage we see Joanna Connor and her band. I’m not surprised that you have seen her before on a previous trip to the Holy land, because that girl is always playing somewhere and has a fan base to prove it. You look a little tired but just think! We have four more sets of music, between Joanna and the main stage tenants Big James & The Chicago Playboys. Yes James is big isn’t he. He does missionary work as he brings his band and Chicago blues around the world. This six man ensemble is surely one of the tightest, most professional acts in town. His trademark trombone is down often enough to hear his wonderful singing voice. Speaking of singers, Mike Wheeler that tall guy on guitar, is for my money, one of the best voices you will hear. It’s a good thing I’m not a reviewer, because my overuse of superlatives for this rhythm section would get me fired. Cleo Cole on drums and Larry Williams on a dyslexic bass are a show in themselves. Goldie Blocker runs that hi tech rig on the far left. It looks like keyboards, wires, vocal synth and more wires. He sings as well. The rest of the horn section is Charles Kimball on sax and vocals. They are all wearing big smiles and are moving in unison just like the crowd. By this time all the other musicians around town are done and have drifted in. That’s Magic Slim. There is R.J. Howson and etc. This time you decide to get the cd because the folks back home will not believe this band. Some great writer said “You can never go home”. Some great bartenders have said “Don’t you ever go home?” Well yes I do, because I have to get you home. Our friend has our chariot at the curb waiting. On the way back home we try to list all great people from the blues community you met, and all the CDs you collected from Lil Brother Montgomery to Big James Montgomery. With the sun coming up, I start thinking more about breakfast than sleep. Well actually I never did think about sleep. There will be plenty of time for that after the music stops. I can’t wait to see some of the pictures we took, but alas, it’s day job time until next weekend. You came here a blues fan and you are now a blues fanatic. Peace.