With the music industry struggling to find its place in the 21st century, fans and bands alike are standing by, waiting to see if the big names in the business will figure out how to stay alive in this ever changing landscape. While some companies are focusing on fad-induced singles, others are suing coders and even teenagers in an attempt to deal with piracy and the rise of P2P sites like (old) Napster et al
In May 2009 I had the privilege of attending and photographing Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Blues for the first time and I was knocked out!
Johnny A. was the exemplary sideman in the late ’90s when he decided to become a solo artist.
Since January 2006, I’ve had the privilege, and the big fun, of working with and photographing the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
For his latest release with Telarc Records, bluesman Otis Taylor has enlisted an all-star cast of jazz musicians. Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs features Taylor on vocals, acoustic guitar, and banjo, Jason Moran on piano, Ron Miles on cornet, Tarus Mateen on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums. Aside from this core of musicians, Taylor has incorporated a slew of various instruments not commonly associated with blues music including African drums, violin, and cello. Otis’s daughter Cassie Taylor also provides vocals and bass on multiple tracks.
Joe Bonamassa dreamed of being a professional guitarist and playing the Royal Albert Hall ever since he was a young boy growing up in Utica, New York. This dream came true on May 4, 2009.
The Monterey Blues Festival is held each year over the last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in June. One of the things I like about the Monterey festival is that it’s more Afro-centric than many other festivals I’ve attended
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is special. That’s what I found out when I went to my first one in 1985. So special to me that I’ve been back every year since (okay, I missed one). It’s an immersion, an immersion in all things New Orleans and Louisiana; music, food, culture and fun.
As I walked out of the festival grounds the thought struck me that I’d just seen something special. I missed Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray Vaughn, the two blues musicians I would most like to have seen live, but I had now seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd in his prime. And it was a show I would remember.
I’d heard Kenny in 1996 at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium when he was 19 years old and remember thinking he was pretty good for a kid. But, this time he had matured as a guitar player and showman and I found him mesmerizing. Part of it was his appearance – in command of the stage and somewhat surly. Yet when he talked to the crowd he sounded polite and appreciative. With a white scarf wrapped around his neck he reminded me of a 1970’s guitar god. Kenny played four different Stratocasters, swapping them out every few songs. Maybe because he’s so partial to Strats, Fender named an Artist Series signature model after him!
