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THE BLUES BAND
BBC Studio 3, Maida Vale, London 11 December 2006
Given the annual Blues Band Christmas show is an integral
part of the end of year BBC's Paul Jones R&B show, there were few
surprises in store. That said, the guests comprised the vivacious Maggie
Bell, the humorous Zoot Money and the musical excellence of one time James
Brown sax man Pee Wee Ellis.
And while it was Maggie who all but stole the show, it
was Pee Wee who upped the musical ante with some superb sax playing. For
their part the Blues band judged the evening perfectly, slipping into
their role as both hosts and house band with a minimum amount of fuss, but
with just about enough sparkle to make the connection with Christmas.
Guitarist Dave Kelly kicked things off with a seasonal
'Santa Claus is Back in Town', closely followed by Zoot Money delivering
the very impressive 'It Never Rains But It Pours' - originally written for
Jimmy Witherspoon.
Pee Wee Ellis took his turn on the stand and played
another highlight of the night, the funky instrumental 'Ham' from his
'Blues Mission' album. A word for the Blues Band at this point, as some of
the complex lines and stops and starts of Ellis's material were taken in
their stride by a band whose cool professionalism is often masked by their
laid back on-stage demeanour.
There was also a special moment when Pee Wee's sax and
Paul Jones's harp conjoined on some jazzy lines as they teased out the
theme tune of the song.
For the rest, the Blues Band shared the load with each
front line member taking a turn, before Maggie Bell added some real pith
on a couple of standards, notably 'As the Years Go Passing By' and 'I Just
Want To Make Love To You'. Maggie's sheer dynamism and abrasive phrasing
brought to life a brace of songs that too often have become pub rock fare.
As Maggie completed her last allotted song, the audience response was such
that you almost forgot this was being recorded for the radio, save for an
abortive 'Let the Good Times Roll' and a twice taken doowop classic 'What
Are You Doing New Years Eve' by the Oriels, on which Paul Jones made a
great fist of a difficult vocal line.
The bulk of the programme recorded, the band briefly
swung into some of their own back catalogue with Gary Fletcher taking the
mic for 'So Lonely' and the ensemble roared into the evening's finale
which included a staccato 'I'll Go Crazy' and a Zoot Money led 'High Heel
Sneakers', complete with Maggie Bell's improvised 'Bread and Butter'
lyrics by the Newbeats. In short a fun time was had by all.
Review by Pete Feenstra
From
Mr Kyps, June 2005
The
Blues Band : Friday 22 April
Five.
Not one rising star and his backing band. Not a has been twosome with a
rookie band looking to make their name. Not a power soul trio who were big
in the seventies. Five. Five internationally renowned blues musicians on
stage together at Mr Kyps on Friday night. It doesn't get much better than
that, does it? As soon as The Blues Band launched into their first tune,
you realised you were watching a class act. Paul Jones an his band have
been at the forefront of British Blues for over twenty years now, and
still play with the enthusiasm for the music that brought them together in
the first place. With over twenty albums to their name collectively, and
many more solo projects besides, the enthusiastic crowd were treated to
the whole gamut of the blues genre from standard 12 bar boogies to
delicate rootsy soul. Pedigree wise, this band has it all; reading through
the list of artists The Blues Band have worked with over the years is like
reading a who's who of the blues - Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Susan
Tedeschi, Matt Murphy, Santana - the list really is endless. (By the way,
did you know that Paul Jones declined the offer of joining The Rolling
Stones?) Every member of the band sang a tune, normally one of their own,
and usually appearing on a heavily plugged solo album (!), and it was
great fun watching the interplay between Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness,
duelling together with harmonica and guitar. Rhythm section wise we had it
good too, with solid performances from Gary Fletcher on bass and Rob
Townsend on drums, but the night's best performance came from Dave Kelly
on slide guitar with a great feel and some superlative licks, combined
with a groove that sat right with the band all night long. Once again Mr
Kyps proved itself to be one of the best venues in the south, and with the
integrity of the sound crew and bar staff left once again intact, it will
remain many music lovers' first choice. - Steve Finn.
From
Blues Matters! Issue 25 April/May 2005
www.bluesmatters.com
UK - THE BLUES BAND: Thank You Brother Ray.
Cobalt. 15 tracks.
This raised my eyebrows when it arrived. I had been trying
to think of who I'd like to hear doing a Ray Charles tribute album and
here it is! Who else but the Blues Band! Sometimes in recent years there
have been a few 'tired' BB tracks but here the energy and reverence is
apparent and obvious. The sleeve folds out to reveal multi-coloured (same)
images of Ray, pics of the band and some notes that tell us the band set
about discussing their first encounters with the sounds of Ray Charles. I
called Gary for a quick Q & A to find the inspiration for this release.
The band had previously recorded some six of the number that Charles made
famous and here recorded another nine numbers and re-tweaked those others
so that there is something different about them, to the previously
released versions. The album was actually an idea of Paul Jones' in that
when trying to sort out their various diaries for a new, original, Blues
Band album it was pretty obvious that it would be some time away and
discussion led to Ray Charles and the decision was made to do this. A
decision well made I say guys! I am sure that the many fans of the band
and of Ray will be thrilled with this album. What is here? Well here are a
few of the titles: Sticks And Stones, Hard Times, Lonely Avenue, Losing
Hand, I'm Movin' On and the one original, the closing track, l Thank You
brother Ray written by Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness. A super tribute from
the heart by one of the UK's top live acts..'D'
Dirty Linen (US magazine) Oct/Nov 2004
THE BLUES BAND :
Be My Guest BGOCD600
Led by several Manfred
Mann alumni - Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, and Dave Kelly - this English
blues ensemble has been rocking along for a quarter of a century. And this
anthology is a perfect place to hear its well-rounded repertoire. The
20-track selection includes a nice mix of rhythm-and-blues and
boogie-woogie, along with more conventional blues fare, and offers extra
treats in the form of several special guests. Charlie Watts and the
now-deceased Ian Stewart of The Rolling Stones show up on a few tracks, as
does the former zydeco accordionist Rockin' Dopsie, pianists Katie Webster
and Big Joe Duskin, Pretty Things guitarist Phil May, trad jazzman Chris
Barber, singers Jools Holland and Georgie Fame, and the famed Memphis
Horns. So you can imagine how tight and impassioned this sounds. The songs
are nearly evenly split between originals and well-known favorites, such
as "CC Rider" and "Big Boss Man". Although the band largely operated out
of the spotlight all these years and hasn't broken any new musical ground,
these guys know how to play, and this album rivals any swinging blues
collection released in the United States for many years.
Blues Matters! June-July 2004:
THE BLUES BAND :
Steppin' Out On Main DVD (Secret Films SECDVD126)
It's been a long wait
for a live Blues Band DVD but it's been worth it. Recorded in Digital 5.1
surround sound, here's the nation's veteran bluesers recorded live in
April 2002 a the Barnstaple Theatre. There's a good selection of 14
songs from their massive repertoire, a balance of stirring classics such
as Dust My Broom and Let The Good Times Roll with the added
bonus of every harmonica player's ultimate challenge, Flat Foot Sam,
on which Paul Jones demonstrates that, in technique alone, he's still
decades ahead of any harp competition. You get all the vibrant
ambience of a Blues Band gig, with Dave Kelly proving yet again that he
has one of the finest blues voices in Europe, to say nothing of being an
exhilarating slide player. Gary Fletcher rounds the whole thing off
with his legendary crowd-rouser, Green Stuff, and as a welcome
extra there's a fascinating exclusive interview with the band. All
in all, a fine 117 minutes of R&B entertainment at a decent price which,
if you pump up the volume on your DVD player will provide the equivalent
of a good night out in your own front room. After 25 years on the
road, it's nice to see that a group who are about ready to pick up their
bus passes can still inspire a younger generation. Are they legends?
Of course they are!
Blues & Rhythm, April 2004:
THE BLUES BAND : Be
My Guest (BGO Records BGOCD 600)
The basics of it are
that this is a collection of tracks by The Blues Band, featuring guest
artists. And there's no doubt about it, the guest list is pretty
impressive but so is the music. Included among the visitors, in no
particular order, are Plas Johnson, Jo Ann Kelly, Bob Hall, Rockin'
Dopsie, Chris Barber and Charlie Watts; that's just a few of 'em, there
are plenty of others but space precludes a mention. Bearing in mind
the longevity of The Blues Band, nigh on 25 years, it may not be
surprising as to the quality of the artists who have guested with the
group - but then credit to the band for attracting such a fine roster.
The band themselves are no slouches when it comes to musicianship, with
Paul Jones playing harmonica and vocalising on half of the tracks, Dave
Kelly turning in some nifty slide guitar playing and the contributions
from the other back-up musicians. Ultimately the quality of this
very acceptable collection comes shining through.
It's almost difficult to
select the best performances; I don't think there's a dud among these
twenty tracks. From the opening number, The Cat, with some
fine slide guitar work, through the Zydeco piece Hey Little Girl
(the guests on this track are Rockin' Dopsie and Chester Zeno), right on
to the final track, Resting On Jesus, the music is consistently
good. On the last named title Chris Barber plays some mean trombone and
there's some grand harmonica and slide guitar work to help things along.
Pianist Ian Stewart,
sometimes known as 'The Sixth Rolling Stone', appears on four tracks, one
of them being Bad Penny Blues, the number long associated with
Humphrey Lyttleton and filched for The Beatles' Lady Madonna.
Stewart does a pretty good job in recreating the part played by Johnny
Parker on the original Lyttleton version of this number; helped out by
Charlie Watts and Dave Green.
Plas Johnson, that
master of the tenor sax, features on three items, all of them excellent
listening, my favourite being Bad Boy on which Johnson has the
assistance of Big Joe Duskin's piano work. Also of note is Don't
Lie To Me, featuring the great Jo Ann Kelly, When I Itches I
Scratch with vocal from Katie Webster and the rousing big band number
Swing Out Dave. This track features Peter King and the
Onslaught Orchestra.
All in all I found this
compilation thoroughly enjoyable.
Pat Harrison
Wrexham local paper, 2004:
THE
BLUES BAND/William Aston Hall at NEWI, Wrexham
Hooker
Blues Club's first gig at their new home saw a return visit to Wrexham for
The Blues Band, currently out on a 25th anniversary tour - after starting
out as 'just a few gigs and some beer money'!
Fronted
by the charismatic Paul Jones, on harmonica and vocals - possibly the most
famous man in the British blues through his broadcasting - the other
members are Dave Kelly (guitars and vocals), Tom McGuinness (guitars,
mandolin and vocals), Gary Fletcher (bass, guitar and vocals) with Rob
Townsend on ddrums.
A
300-plus crowd were treated to two great sets - with an hour-long acoustic
set opening up proceedings. With 18 albums to their name, and a host
of solo projects, they have so much material to choose from that,
according to Paul Jones "whole albums can be overlooked".
With
marvellous playing and the fact that all four front-line members sing as
well, it made for a most exciting opening hour - highlights included a
lovely King Bee, from the pen of swamp legend Slim Harpo; a rousing
Dust My Blues, with slashing slide guitar form Dave Kelly, and a
fine vocal from Tom McGuinness on the timeless Sitting On Top Of The
World.
Part of
the band's appeal is their easygoing rapport on stage - with much humour,
eg Jones' highly amusing mocking of a new blues love songs compilation -
"Is there such a thing as a blues love song?"
After a
short break, the band returned in electric mode, kicking off with some
songs from the first album - The Blues Band Official Bootleg Album - was
it really 1979? The rollicking Going Home saw fine interplay
between the harmonica of Jones and Dave Kelly's guitar, followed by the
great Come On In - the band's first single. Son House's
Death Letter was another treat from the old days, with more superb
slide guitar form Dave Kelly.
For me
the highlight of the night was the superb interpretation by Paul Jones of
Gil Scott-Heron's Blue Collar with some gorgeous jazzy harmonica
and impassioned vocal delivery.
A brace
of well-merited encores featurd the band's tribute to the late, great
Curits Mayfield on the beautiful People Get Ready, and a dip back
again for the wry Green Stuff, complete with band introductions and
solo spots - with Rob Townsend performing one of the more entertaining
drum solos I have seen!
This
rounded off a most entertaining night in an impressive venue that will be
used for his year's Dragon Blues Festival, along with the hooker Blues
regular nights in the NEWI Students Union bar - make the effort to support
the guys!
Grahame
Rhodes. |
