Jazz & Blues Lounge

I am declaring this Mingus Monday. I have no idea why other than I was rooting around online for some cool jazz to listen to and came across some of Charles and his and from 1975 which you will see below. He was playing live at Montreux at the time and playing his classic “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.” I don’t even know what a Pork Pie Hat is, but I like the music.
For me, my all-time favorite Charles Mingus tune is called “Haitian Fight Song.” You will be hard-pressed to find a tune that builds …read more

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Well, the 25th Annual Chicago Blues Festival kicked off officially today. I did not get a chance to go downtown and see the concerts today because I have this, you know, job thing to take care of. However, thanks to radio station WXRT I was able to listen to performers from the Blues Festival. XRT is a great radio station and they still play a lot of blues music.
Tonight they had a show celebrating the start of the Blues Festival and it was at Buddy Guy’s Legends. Buddy Guy was performing, but the one guy who …read more

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Well, as you know, we lost one of the biggest names and influences on modern music this week. He is known as a bluesman, but he really influenced rock and roll right along with some of the earliest rock and roll musicians. I felt like I hadn’t really done the man justice with my little blurb-like blog entry on the day he passed away. What better way to appreciate Bo, however, than watching and listening to the man. So, thanks to YouTube for the following:
Here’s Bo in the 60s, complete with 60s clothing and freaky background …read more

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Over the past couple of day, since Herbie Hancock pulled out a surprise win for Album of the Year during this year’s Grammys, I have noticed a bit of a backlash against the Grammy people.  Of course, this is nothing new.  Every year, there are dozens of people who claim to be music experts who say that the Grammys got something wrong.  Let us not forget the year, so many years ago now, when they gave out their first Heavy Metal award to Jethro Tull.
The most interesting complain I heard at one time, however, was that the award this year …read more

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The problem with the older blues musicians is the exact same problem we have with the older jazz musicians.  Namely, the problem is, they keep dying off.  Of course, sometimes they die off for reasons that seem rather stupid.  In this case, it wasn’t drug use, but it was smoking and the fire a cigarette caused.
This story is from the Associated Press and is copyright 2007 by The Associated Press and was found on my Comcast News home page:
Blues Artist “Weepin” Willie Dies at 81
Weepin’ Willie Robinson, a blues singer who performed with Steven Tyler and Bonnie Raitt but also spent …read more

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I am kind of psyched about this Buddy Guy performing throughout January thing.  I have not seen him perform live and in person.  I have seen Buddy performing live on television and his performance during his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame still leaves me breathless to think about, but I have never stood in a crowd and watched him play.  I am thinking that this January I may have to change that.
I do strongly suggest you check out Buddy Guy’s Legends home page.  You can do so by clicking right HERE.  You can find out directions …read more

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When you start to get involved in the jazz scene and you take the time to go back and study the earliest of the jazz albums, certain names begin to pop up again and again.  You can probably rattle them off yourself.  The other thing is that jazz fans tend to be the types who want to know who all of the musicians are that they are listening to.  So, you often get to know the “side-men” just as well as the stars.
You know that Jelly Roll Morton is often credited (whether he should be or not) with helping create …read more

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Chicago lost one of the all-time greats last week with the death of jazz string player, Johnny Frigo.  Frigo was 90 years old.
Frigo started his career as a violin player.  He switched, eventually, to playing the bass.  He played as part of the band for Jimmy Dorsey and Chico Marx.  He found most of his pay and work from playing for commercials and session work.
Two weeks ago Frigo fell in his condo.  He was hospitalized and continued to get worse as the weeks went by.  He was actually  preparing to start playing in local clubs and then make a trip …read more

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