Showing posts with label Jimbo Mathus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jimbo Mathus. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2022

#569 > Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival - 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival - 2022

Clarksdale, Mississippi

August 11-14, 2022

By Phillip Smith; August 15, 2022

Original Source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com


I had a terrific time on my third trip down to Clarksdale, Mississippi for the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival.  The festivities began Thursday evening at the Grits, Greens & BBQ VIP party where we were treated to a delicious meal.  Live entertainment was provided by Stan Street and Jaxx Nassar, Sean “Bad” Apple, and Terry “Big T” Williams.  It was an absolutely fabulous time.

After catching a few live acts (Steve Kolbus, Jaxx Nassar, Lala Craig, and Lucious Spiller) at the Ground Zero Blues Club on Friday afternoon, court was held at the main stage next to the Delta Blues Museum.  The artist lineup was outstanding.  It featured The Delta Blues Museum Band, Heavy Suga & the SweetTones, Lucious Spiller, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, and James “Super Chikan” Johnson.  

Saturday, I started off at Ground Zero for more blues from Steve Kolbus, Mark Miller, Walter Busby, and Lee Williams.  Afterwards, I headed off to Cat Head to catch their 20th year festivities with a lovely live front-porch performance from Australia “Honeybee” Jones and 19th Street Red.  Knowing Jaxx Nassar was playing again at Ground Zero, we headed back to catch one more set from her, and staying for Big Train and the Loco Motives from Norman Oklahoma was a must.  Immediately following their captivating performance, it was time to settle back down again at the main stage for Brad Money Maker, Mark “Mule Man” Massey, and riveting set from Jimbo Mathus.  

It was a phenomenal time from start to finish.   Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival is an event I highly recommend paying a visit to.

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Previous blog entries for this festival:

PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: #513 : Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival - 2021 (phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com)

PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: #403 : Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival 2019 (phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com)

 

 

Websites of places mentioned:

 

Delta Cultural Center - www.arkansasheritage.com/delta-cultural-center/delta-cultural-center-home

Shack Up Inn – shackupinn.com

Ground Zero Blues Club – groundzerobluesclub.com

Delta Blues Museum – deltabluesmuseum.org

Hooker Grocery -- www.hookergrocer.com

Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Artwww.cathead.biz

 

 

 

 

Websites of artists mentioned:

 

Big Train & the Loco Motives – bigtrainsblues.com

Jimbo Mathus - www.therealjimbomathus.com

Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Reviewwww.stevekolbus.com

 

 

For more information about the festival, visit this website - www.sunflowerfest.org

 

 

 

All Photos by Phillip Smith


Mark Miller & Steve Kolbus

Ground Zero Blues Club

Jaxx Nassar & Stan Street

Sean "Bad" Apple

Terry "Big T" Williams

Steve Kolbus and Mark Miller

Jaxx Nassar

Jaxx Nassar

Lala Craig

Lucious Spiller

Delta Blues Museum Band

Heavy Suga & SweetTones

Walt Busby

Heather Crosse

Lucious Spiller

Lucious Spiller Band

Lucious Spiller Band - Jaxx Nassar 

Lucious Spiller Band

Lucious Spiller

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod Band

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod

Anthony "Big A" Sherrod

James "Super Chikan" Johnson

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Band 

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Band - Lala Craig

Super Chikan

Super Chikan

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Band - Heather Falduto

Lee Williams

Mark Miller

Steve Kolbus

Walt Busby

 

Bill "Howl-N-Madd" and Shy Perry

Australia "Honeybee" Jones and 19th Street Red

Australia "Honeybee" Jones and 19th Street Red

Big Train & the Loco Motives - Casey Saunders

Big Train & the Loco Motives

Mike Lander & Bill Cummins

Big Train & the Loco Motives

Brad Money Maker Band

Heather Crosse

Heather Cross, Lee Williams, & Walt Busby

Mark "Mule Man" Massey

Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus


  

All Photos by Phillip Smith


Saturday, January 16, 2021

#482 : Alabama Slim - The Parlor



2020 – Cornelius Chapel

Music Maker Relief Foundation

Release Date: Jan. 29, 2021

By Phillip Smith; Jan. 16, 2021

 

Originally from Vance, Alabama, Milton Frazier aka Alabama Slim was born in 1939 and moved to New Orleans in 1965.  It was there when he started jamming occasionally with his cousin Little Freddie King.  By the 1990’s they had become best of friends, and spoke to each other on a daily basis.  In 2007, with the help of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, they cut an album together called The Mighty Flood.  In 2010 Alabama Slim recorded his first solo album Blue & Lonesome, which was also made with the help of the MMRF.  And now, a little over ten years later he has a brand new fabulous record of fresh downhome blues called The Parlor.  The album was recorded in New Orleans at The Parlor Recording Studio in four hours’ time, and incorporates the talents of Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers) on piano/organ, and Matt Patton (Drive-By Truckers, Dexateens) on bass and Ardie Dean on drums, with Alabama Slim front and center on guitar and vocals.  As an added bonus, Little Freddie King even steps into the studio with guitar in hand to record a track. 

From the first few measures of “Hot Foot”, I knew this was going to be an extraordinary record.  Slim’s guitar picking is a blues-lovers delight.  Next up, Slim brings his cousin Freddie in for the hard-driving “Freddie’s Voodoo Boogie”.  It’s absolutely wonderful.  Slim slows it down and sings about a woman who steals his heart in “Rob Me Without a Gun”.  Story-telling songs like this one really grab me, especially when sung with the conviction Slim incorporates into his performance.  Mathus and Slim form a most interesting partnership of guitar and piano in the slow blues of “All Night Long”, a first-person account of a man in search of his two-timing gal.  A soulful Stax-like groove runs through “Forty Jive”, a political satire number which goes right for the jugular.  His cover of Sleepy John Estes’ “Someday Baby” is played with finesse and puts a smile on my blues-loving face.

The Parlor is certainly a recording to be embraced.  It captures Alabama Slim in a non-filtered environment, allowing the music to be heard the way it was meant to be.  Records like this just aren’t made this way anymore.          

         

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : Alabama Slim - Music Maker Relief Foundation