Men som vanligt när det gäller blues så inser jag efter ett tag att det handlar om en enda låt, sen ledsnar jag.. Men det är låten som ÄR blues för mig! Den liksom omsluter och innefattar hela genren.. Har man hört den har man hört allt.. Den går inte att slå hål på!

och det är denna:

Boogie chillen´- John Lee Hooker

ett enda riff har aldrig svängt så mycket….

Listen
Shopping-Eek A Mouse
Buying a Book – Joe Tex
How Much is that Doggie in the Window – Annie Jackson, Barbara Jones, Matz Ztefrens, Joe Livoti and Rolf Harris
Lost in the Supermarket – The Clash
Billy Broke my Heart at Walgreens (I cried all the Way to Sears) – Ruby Wright
Ayres the Bakers – Boycott Coca Cola Experience
Warrior in Woolworths – X-Ray Spex
Duo – Carlos D’Allessio
Fairytale in the Supermarket – The Raincoats
Can’t Buy Me Love – The Beatles
Shopping Mall – R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders
Bargain Store – Dolly Parton
The Lonely Little Thrift Store – Jonathan Richman
Window Shopping – The Beach Bullies
La Petite Boutique – Edith Piaf
Luxury Mood – Superthriller
La Fille de Checkout – Men in Grey Suits
Ballad of a Teenage Queen – Johnny Cash
Manager in Love – Kissogram
Drugstore Woman – John Lee Hooker

Click on the picture for the official John Lee Hooker site.

Benvolguts amics,

Avui és dimecres i per tant podeu sintonitzar altre cop amb La Pedalera. Us recordem que ens podeu escoltar des del 90.3 de la FM (Ràdio Vic) o bé des d’Internet a través de l’enllaç que us adjuntem. Els continguts d’avui són els següents:

- Do it yourself: l’Iris Palou va assistir la setmana passada al concert que oferien els Rammstein a Barcelona. Per avui ens oferirà una crònica del que va poder veure i, sobretot, escoltar.

- Més enllà del so: avui en Mike ens porta el més nou de Joaquín Sabina, l’últim disc Vinagre y rosas.

- Eclipsa: amb l’Ester Ferre recordarem el so de John Lee Hooker y de Mckinley Morganfield.

- A banda: Supertramp és la banda que ens analitzarà aquesta setmana en Jow.

- Agenda: tota l’actualitat musical del que podem fer i deixar de fer, de la mà de Jordi Gonzàlez.

- Top 5: el rànquing format per les maquetes d’artistes i bandes que mica en mica anem rebent a La Pedalera.

Aquesta és la programació que us tenim preparada per avui i que esperem que us agradi. A continuació us adjuntem l’enllaç per poder-nos escoltar online.

http://kara.fast-serv.com:8700/listen.pls

La Pedalera
Miquel Cornellà

“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” – John Lee Hooker

To buy the music of John Lee Hooker click HERE

Oh brother, do I have the blues today. In situations like these, where the blues just seem to last forever, you gotta have an album, a blues album, that never ends just to cope. In my mind (or, at the least, my album collection), there is only one antidote for the endless blues, and that’s John Lee Hooker’s Endless Boogie:

As much of a student of The Blues I may claim to be from time to time, I have to admit that John Lee Hooker, one of the genre’s most revered legends, is a bit of an enigma to me. I know that his style was unique, he was based in Detroit, and the man had The Blues like no other, but past that, I can’t even find much information on this album, even the cast of other musicians is inconsistent across various websites. I guess it’s my fault for only possessing this album digitally, thanks death of tangible media!

Anyways, none of that truly matters, though it usually helps to flesh out these writeups for me to have actual information. There’s not a lot you have to know about John Lee Hooker, the man had the good fortune to live long enough to put out like 300 albums, and this the only one of those I actually have. Thing is, I also have a “best of” John Lee Hooker compilation, and have had that thing for over half my life, and when I was looking at this album initially, I was kind of worried because a large chunk of that “best of” album are tracks that are on this album too, so is it truly an album or just another compilation?

I found out, through some crack research, that the reason there are so many of the songs from this album is because it’s just that good. They also weren’t kidding when they said it was “endless”, it’s a double album of mostly 6+ minute tracks, totalling about an hour and a half.

Thing is, when it comes to John Lee Hooker, you’re not going to get an album of generic blues songs with their usual 12 bars and 1 – 4 – 5 chord structure. Nah, anybody who listens to John Lee for long enough will probably realize that there’s no actual need for bars, because there are usually no actual chord changes, and John just sings whenever he pleases. Heck, there’s not even a set melody to these songs, and sometimes the rhythm gets changed half-way through the song (not in this album, though). Basically, all there is to the sound of John Lee Hooker is the boogie, and the instruments that ride along with it.

In the case of Endless Boogie, those instruments are played by John’s usual bassist and drummer (I really have to pity that poor bassist, I can hardly play two notes in a row, much less just one note for 11 minutes straight) and a host of other musicians who are white (I don’t see how this is a big deal, white people often assisted with the blues in the 70’s), including some prominent “weird guitar” solos from Steve Miller.

To call this a “jam” album would be an understatement. I mean, what else are you going to do with a 6 minute long song that doesn’t have any chord changes? As I understand, John Lee was pretty much illiterate, so it’s not like he could write down 6 minutes’ worth of lyrics (often his lyrics were just a few lines repeated endlessly and the rest was just made up on the spot). Still, this isn’t the kind of “jamming” where all the musicians just take predictable turns going “Hey look how good I am!”, but the whole song just kind of swells up with extra playing, like the whole band would feel the waves of musical passion at the same time, and would respond accordingly. This is a way of playing the blues that I believe is actually extinct nowadays, but I haven’t done much exploring lately in what’s going on with the genre lately, so that’s only a theory.

Even if the songs are jams, that doesn’t mean they aren’t clever. Something like “Standin’ At The Crossroads” is just a standard song about his baby leaving him, but there are some memorable numbers to be found, especially with the song “House Rent Boogie”. In it, John tells the story about how he lost his long-time job, and being kicked out of his house, being turned down by his old friends, and then eventually conning his way back into his old place by sweet-talking the landlady. Though this story sounds fairly mundane, it’s the way that John Lee tells it, with his knack for dialogue and timing and, of course, the stunning yet subtle musicianship at work, and it’s a Blues song you could easily listen to even if you’re not a fan of the Blues. You find yourself rooting for John’s vagrancy and arrogance he displays at the very end of the song, when he knows everything is working out in his favor.

Still, there wouldn’t need to be lyrics in the album’s centerpiece, the 11 minute long “Pots On, Gas On High”, because it’s the first instance of a “fast” boogie in the album, and the beat is so addicting (there are almost no fills in the entire duration of the song, only slight modifications to the core beat here and there), you just want to tap your foot or shake it to this song forever. Of course, there is a song in there somewhere, but since I just discredited it in the beginning of this paragraph, we’ll try and forget about it.

Another bit of a surprise in this album is the song “Kick Hit 4 Hit Kix U” (a nearly-illiterate way of saying “Kick it before it kicks you”). The song tells, in the most straight-forward, no-nonsense way imaginable, the fact that Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both died recently, of drugs, and that you should not do drugs, and that you should quit drugs, even if you don’t want to. The song’s pretty lyrically dense, as John goes on and on about not doing drugs, and it’s just fascinating to listen to, because there’s no real “tribute” here to the fallen heroes, only a plain spoken appeal to logic. It’s a fascinating song, to be sure.

The album touches on many more points in the interim, such as depression (I know that depression is implicit in Blues lyrics, but “Sittin’ In My Dark Room” takes an uncharacteristically isolationist view of it), having sex with women (“Doin’ The Shout” is probably the stand-out classic of the album), leaving women, having women leave you, and the wonderfully titled “We Might As Well Call It Through (I Didn’t Get Married To Your Two-Timing Mother)”.

Still, the whole thing amounts to what is one of my very favorite Blues songs ever, the 9 minute, psychedelic-tinged “Endless Boogie, Parts 27 and 28“. In it, an infectious guitar riff (that I am pretty sure I heard in a ZZ Top song or something somewhere) introduces an even faster, straight-forward blues beat. This song actually does have chord changes, but it’s no problem, because the instrumentation is fairly unique among even the other songs on the album, blending acoustic (maybe even unplugged electric?) picking with effects-laden solos that sometimes stray adorably out of the song’s actual key (and remember, effects were actually awesome back in 1971). When the few words do come in, you may expect something profound after such a concerted jam, but in fact this is all John Lee Hooker has to say about it:

Hey, what can I say
Hey, what can I say to you baby
To make you mad this time?

All the cats have got together and just cookin’
Sit down in the studio and just cooking
They call it the jam
Let’s go!

And exactly how can someone stay down after hearing that? I feel better already.

Don’t let us get sick
Don’t let us get old
Don’t let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight
- Warren Zevon

It is Social Justice Awareness Week again at KUST – the twice yearly opportunity for us to explore an issue of importance to our community, nation or world in the context of music. Great River Radio has decided to tackle the very current and very hot problem of health care reform – the topic that we hear about every day, from the extremist pundits and the self interests and the sincere reformers. It is a very personal issue – if we haven’t found ourselves sick and broken and in need of healing yet, our loved ones have, and it is inevitable that we will all interact with America’s huge and complex health care system at some point in our lives.

We want to take this opportunity to bring to GRR listeners some songs that came to mind (including many requests from our listeners) as we ponder the health care debate that is underway in this country this very day. We will supplement the music this afternoon with some readings and thoughts on the situation – one which is too often obscured by rhetorical excess, misinformation and outright lies. If you have (like we have) tried to sort out the accurate information from the politics, you may have just thrown up your hands in frustration.

Unfortunately, we can’t explain the intricacies of the bill which just passed the House, or what the Senate will do to it next. We can’t tell you how the doctor and hospital you go to price their services. We can’t explain what constitutes a “pre-existing condition” and why it isn’t covered by your insurance. But we can entertain you for two hours with music about health, healing, hospitals, illness and, finally, mercy. Tune in to Great River Radio this afternoon as we tackle health care reform in our own tiny way, and catch music by Panda Bear, Fountains of Wayne, Loudon Wainwright, Tom Waits, Annie Lennox, Conor Oberst, Ben Kweller, Ted Hawkins, The Band, Mary Gauthier, The Replacements and others – songs selected by Brian, Dan and YOU.

Next week we’ll return to regular programming at Great River Radio, bringing you a mix of the music we’ve been listening to lately. Our regular feature, Confluence, will concern our best friends: dogs. Let us know your favorite dog songs and maybe Brian and I will bring Sonny and Finn into the studio!

Playlist
Chest Fever-The Band
Rockin’ Pneumonia and th Boogie Woogie Flu-Dr. John
Sick Day-Fountains of Wayne
Hurt-Johnny Cash
Everybody Hurts-REM
Rattle My Bones-The Suburbs
Everything Is Broken-Bob Dylan
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live-The Del Lords
Don’t Let Us Get Sick-Jill Sobule
Allergies-Paul Simon
Sorry You’re Sick-Ted Hawkins
Doctor Robert-The Beatles
Doctor Blind-Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
Bitter Pill-Annie Lennox
The Healing Game-John Lee Hooker/Van Morrison
That Hospital-Loudon Wainwright III
Hospital Bed-Ben Kweller
Take Me Down To the Hospital-The Replacements
I Don’t Want to Die (In The Hospital)-Conor Oberst
When Water Comes To Life-Cloud Cult
Mercy Now-Mary Gauthier
Handle Me With Care-Travelling Wilburys

Heute ist so ein Tag. Im wesentlichen ein Novembertag wie er im Bilderbuche steht. Der Seebär liegt vor Madagaskar 28 00 S 45 35 E mit Kurs auf Durban. Alle Piratenangst ist von mir abgefallen und das ist wirklich sehr erleichternd.  Puh. Und es geht dann nach Brasilien und nicht noch mal zurück.

Natürlich kommt schon die nächste schlechte Nachricht, er hat einen wilden wind erwischt, bft 9, 45 Wind und NE, aber mittlerweile bin ich schon abgebrüht.

Die passende Musik zum Gefühl wäre doch John lee Hooker…. it’s raining here, raining here, and storming out on the deep blue sea.

Fredag 6. november spiller Toumani Diabaté på Rockefeller i anledning Oslo World Music Festival. Jeg bruker anledningen til å varmt anbefale det siste albumet til Diabatés gamle samarbeidspartner, Ali Farka Touré (1939-2006).

Ali Farka Touré
Savane
World Circuit Records/Playground 2006
5/6

Et verdig farvel fra blueskongen fra Mali.

I dokumentarfilmen The Blues – A Musical Journey dro regissør Martin Scorcese på jakt etter bluesens historie, og overraskende for flere bluespurister stoppet han ikke i Mississippi-deltaet. Scorcese fortsatte østover, til Vest-Afrika, der han blant annet intervjuet gitaristen Ali Farka Touré fra Mali.

Touré, best kjent for sitt samarbeid med Ry Cooder på albumet Talking Timbuktu (1994), og kalt “kongen av ørkenblues-sangerne” og ”den afrikanske John Lee Hooker”, døde av kreft i mars, 66 eller 67 år gammel. Heldigvis rakk han å spille inn dette albumet først.

Savane utgjør finalen i Hotel Mandé-trilogien, som også omfatter Grammy-vinneren In the Heart of the Moon med Ali og Toumani Diabaté og Boulevard de l’Indépendance med Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra. Dette er derimot en soloplate, spilt inn i Bamako med Tourés faste medmusikanter, og for en hypnotisk plate det er. Her dykker Touré dypt ned i sine musikalske røtter, samtidig som båndene til den amerikanske bluesen sjelden har vært tydeligere.

Omslaget viser Touré dypt tilbakelent i en stol, med gitaren over lårene, en sigarett i munnviken og ansiktet delvis skjult bak en hatt og mørke solbriller. Musikken har det samme mystiske og tilbakelente preget, med 13 stykker Sahara-blues preget av Tourés minimalistiske, men ekspressive gitarstil, drømmende melodiskisser og afrikanske harmonier.

Hans faste samarbeidspartner, produsenten Nick Gold, gir god plass og tid til Tourés stemme og gitar, samtidig som han lekkert danderer det hele med suggererende perkusjon, melodisk koring, afrikanske strengeinstrumenter som njarka og ngoni, munnspill fra engelske Little George Sueref og den såre saksofonen til Pee Wee Ellis, kjent fra James Browns band.

Tekstene er også pur Afrika-blues, der den tidligere bonden Touré ber om flere jordbruksredskaper og færre våpen, og synger om den afrikanske diasporaen, ørkenspredningen og ødeleggelsen av savannene i en miks av originale låter og malisk tradisjonsmusikk.

Savane er et bemerkelsesverdig musikalsk testamente, og vi har heldigvis ikke hørt det siste fra Touré-klanen. Til høsten får vi igjen høre hans magiske gitarspill på debutalbumet til sønnen Vieux Farka Touré.

Bonus: Mer afrikansk gull

Fire album gir fire helt forskjellige inngangsporter til afrikansk musikk. Men alle er verdt investeringen.

Si «afrikansk musikk» og det som renner musikkinteresserte nordmenn først i hu er enkelte superstjerner som svært ofte nådde ut til et vestlig publikum via franske musikkprodusenter: Youssou N’Dour, Mory Kante, Angelique Kidjo og Baaba Maal for å nevne noen. Inngangsportene til afrikansk musikk er fortsatt ofte vestlige artister, plateselskap eller produsenter – men hva gjør vel det når det blir så variert og interessant som disse fire eksemplene?

Salif Keita fra Mali er et av disse store navnene som for alvor gjorde seg bemerket i Europa på 1980- og 90-tallet. Keita er av malisk kongeslekt, men ble fornektet av sin egen far fordi han valgte en musikalsk karriere. På mange vis utgjør Keita essensen av den typiske «world music»-stjernen – han bygget seg opp et stort navn i Afrika før musikken ble finslipt lydmessig i Europa. Så rotet han seg bort i mer uinteressant fusion, jazzrock og funk i samarbeid med Joe Zawinul og Vernon Reid fra Living Color.

Men med Moffou vender han tilbake til musikken som gjorde ham til en stjerne. Albumet er i hovedsak en stille og svært vakker affære, i hovedsak spunnet rundt Keitas lyse stemme og finstemte akustiske strengelek, krydret med tradisjonelle maliske instrumenter – selv om den også rommer flere eksempler på mer dansbar musikk. Ingen tvil, Malis store Stemme er tilbake med et av sine beste album.

Når Damon Albarn i popgruppa Blur tar turen til Mali for å spille sammen med lokale musikere er det fristende å latterligjøre engelskmannen som britpopens Ry Cooder eller indie-utgaven av Peter Gabriel, men da har du ikke hørt på resultatet. For Mali Music er blitt et spennende møte der Albarn mest holder seg i bakgrunnen, samtidig som han gir hele uttrykket en innpakning som gjør den maliske musikken mer spiselig for et publikum vant til dub, chillout – det høres nærmest ut som en afrikansk utgave av Albarns hiphop/dub-prosjekt Gorillaz.

Albarn spilte inn materiale med stjerner som Toumani Diabeté, Afel Bocoum, Lobi Traore og Neba Solo, samt ukjente gatemusikanter og kom hjem til England med over 40 timers råmateriale. Etter en råmiks sendte Albarn albumet tilbake til Bocoum, som mikset inn flere biter av Mali igjen.

Og i motsetning til prosjekter som Deep Forest, der folkemusikken bare blir luftig krydder, inntar Albarn en omvendt misjonærrolle – den vestlige musikeren som med dyp respekt spiller med svært dyktige lokale musikere og sangere og stiller seg selv i bakgrunnen. Det kunne endt som en arrogant katastrofe, men ble isteden en respektfull hyllest til malisk musikk.

Men selv om det kommer mye bra musikk ut av vestlige musikeres møte med Afrika, blir det først virkelig moro når afrikanske musikere tar opp i seg vestlige tradisjoner. På 1970-tallet het den store musikalske helten i det sørvestlige Afrika James Brown, og resultatet ble en utrolig vital scene for afrikansk funk – med Nigerias Fela Kuti i spissen. Samleren The Best Best of Fela Kuti gir en uvurderlig innsikt i mesterens gyldne år og 13 minutter lange afrofunk-symfonier på 70-tallet, men mannens stadig stigende status etter hans død i 1997 har skygget for mye annen flott musikk.

Det finnes flere flott afrofunk-samlere, men juvelen i pølsa er utvilsomt Nigeria 70, som ikke bare samler to cd-plater med obskur og feiende flott nigeriansk funk. Den hever også lista for samleplater ved å inkludere en hel radiodokumentar om nigeriansk funkhistorie. Det blir nesten for mye av det gode.

Men ønsker du et innblikk i hva som skjer i Vest-Afrika i dag heter det essensielle kjøpet Africa Raps – en samling hiphop fra Senegal, Mali og Gambia. For på samme måte som James Brown var helten på 70-tallet, er det amerikanske rappere som er de store forbildene blant dagens afrikanske ungdom. Bare Dakar i Senegal, Hiphop-Afrikas hovedstad, har visstnok 2000 forskjellige hiphopgrupper, og tilgjengeligheten og den lave kostnadsgrensen for å spille inn hiphop har ført til en eksplosiv utvikling.

Det var den mer melodiske og tilbakelente hiphopen fra California som førte til hiphops store gjennombrudd i Afrika framfor de mer kalde og industrielle tonene til New York-grupper som Public Enemy og Gang Starr. Og den senegalesiske rappingen er fantastisk; her snakkes det på fransk, engelsk, wolof og malinka, og musikken er både r&b-søt og gangsta-hard – med tradisjonelle beats og synthlyder utvidet med samplinger av afrikanske stjerner som Youssou N’Dour og lokale instrumenter som kora, balafon og ngoni.

Resultatet blir en unik og lokal form for hiphop, og gruppene i Mali og Gambia stormer etter. Hiphop har bare vært stort i Afrika i ti år, men har allerede fått slik status at politikerne i Senegal ikke kan ignorere rappernes budskap.

Opprinnelig publisert i Ny Tid i 2002.

I will.

Pulled out this gem (Remember Me) today; I don’t know why. But damn, if it isn’t fine. Not a famous guy, but makes you wonder how much great stuff just goes untapped.  Clue yourselves.

Here’s my original take for Bucketfull of Brains from 2004…

The late Charles Caldwell never made any money playing his music, but the liquor flowed fast enough in its place. He squeezed every drop of pain out of a hollow body Gibson that he bought at fourteen and was still playing forty-five years later. Sadly, just when archivists at Fat Possum discovered him and convinced him to record, pancreatic cancer came along and kicked his ass. But somehow he summoned up enough willpower to get into the studio and capture his magic for posterity.

And what a record! More John Lee Hooker than Junior Kimbrough, Caldwell’s country blues is immediately accessible; his stark stomp and strum style only occasionally accompanied by subservient percussion. “I Know I Done You Wrong”. “Hadn’t I Been Good To You”. “I’ll Do Anything You Say”. The man is hurt.

When Keith Richards hears this record, he’ll dig up Brian Jones and start the Rolling Stones all over again.

Listen here.

JOHN LEE HOOKER: VOCAL, GUITAR
TOM PARKER: PIANO
TONY McPhee: GUITAR
PETE CRUICKSHANK: BASS
DAVE BOORMAN: DRUMS

Lyrics:
Boom boom boom boom
I’m gonna shoot you right down,
right offa your feet
Take you home with me,
put you in my house
Boom boom boom boom
A-haw haw haw haw
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm
Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm

I love to see you strut,
up and down the floor
When you talking to me,
that baby talk
I like it like that
Whoa, yeah!
Talk that talk, walk that walk

When she walk that walk,
and talk that talk,
and whisper in my ear,
tell me that you love me
I love that talk
When you talk like that,
you knocks me out,
right off of my feet
Hoo hoo hoo
Talk that talk, and walk that walk

Breve recopilación das mellores actuacións que pasaron polo programa the Beat Room da televisión inglesa e na que podemos disfrutar das presentacións de Tom Jones, Julie Rogers, The Kinks, Wayne Gibson & The Dynamic Sounds, John Lee Hooker e The Syndicats.

We are now fast approaching the end of the promotion  that was “Alcohol Awareness Week” whilst the weeks events made every effort to get over some very important facts and messages it does not mean we can’t have a laugh along the way.

Laugh and Learn

For the facts and the frights relating to alcohol awareness click HERE

“One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer” – John Lee Hooker

……………….and that’s more than enough.

To buy the music of John lee Hooker click HERE

Tra$htalk

Seems that in this 1965 NME concert event The Animals are not getting fan reaction enjoyed by certain other groups whose names starts with ‘The’.  Maybe because Eric Burdon looked like a sozzled old drunkard even before he actually became one?  Whatever the cause, EB never did become as big a pop icon as some others working in a similar vein, even though he was the only British Invader who actually sounded convincing singing John Lee Hooker songs. In pop, looks are everything.

Meanwhile, the real John Lee Hooker was enjoying the renewed interest in his work. It took a horde of long-haired Brits yapping about their heroes to get Hooker and the other old blues masters on television. There’s been some indignation about white folks stealing black music, especially the blues-aping British Invaders. It’s true and it’s unfair, but it’s thanks to guys like EB that guys like JLH were able to pay their alcohol bills and get their records back in people’s hands. And unlike the people who stole hits off the ‘colored charts’ and gave them to Elvis, the Brits gave credit where credit was due, including the paying of royalties.

(Above: Robert Randolph and the Family Band examine the “Man in the Mirror.”)

By Joel Francis
The Kasnas City Star

As the temperature dipped into the low 60s Saturday night at Crossroads, Robert Randolph and his family band mounted a two-front war: against the elements and against early onset hibernation in the crowd.

Pedal steel virtuoso Randolph and his six-piece band immediately conquered the weather. Opening with the buoyant “Good Times (3 Stroke),” Randolph frequently jumped out from behind his instrument to hop around like his own hype man. That proved more than enough to get the blood flowing.

For whatever reason, the band had more trouble winning over the audience. The third-full venue was populated with people who would rather converse and take their pictures on cell phones than dance and listen. The only times the crowd was engaged was when Randolph gave them something to do, like clap or sing. Everything else was background music.

When the night’s first Michael Jackson tribute – “Man in the Mirror,” delivered gospel-style by Randolph’s sister Lenesha Randolph – failed to rouse the crowd, Randolph segued into a John Lee Hooker boogie. Inviting dozens of ladies onstage to shake their hips did the trick during the number, but once the song was over it seemed everyone wanted to talk about what or who they saw onstage.

“Nobody” offered plenty of participation during the chorus and several encouraged call-and-responses.  For a moment it seemed like everything would gel, but mic problems capsized “Gilligan,” scat-vocal number about the Minnow’s castaways played on a square Bo Diddley guitar, and the crowd grew restless with the ensuing jam.

Finally, after 75 minutes onstage, Randolph got the crowd on board. “I Don’t Know What You Come To Do” had plenty of cues to clap and stomp along and the audience joyously obliged. That bled into “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That,” which teased the riff to “Whole Lotta Love” and featured an organ sound straight out of “96 Tears.”

The second Jackson tribute went over better than the first. Sliding into the melody of “Rock With You” after a brief encore break, Randolph, who has been playing MJ songs long before the King of Pop’s passing, gave the crowd a forum to both sing and dance. The night ended with “Roll Up,” an unreleased number similar to what Randolph had been serving all night. This time everyone was up for it.

Randolph’s upbeat music rocks the middle ground between gospel and funk, and his songs are basically vamps and choruses. His band can ride a groove into the sunset, but when the organ player leaned into his B3 with some gospel chords the performance kicked up another level.

Wearing a silk do-rag, pink tie, dress shirt, black vest, plaid shorts and knee-high black nylon socks, Randolph looked like a cross between LL Cool J and a middle infielder.  If he was frustrated by the distracted crowd, Randolph didn’t show it. He grinned from ear to ear all night, dancing in his seat under the pedal steel or two-stepping across the stage behind a six-string.

When the parade of ladies left the stage after “Shake Your Hips” several of them planted a kiss on Randolph’s cheek. Lost in his playing, Randolph never looked up or acknowledged the gesture. He was wise to ignore the adulation from a crowd that gave little more than lip service for most of the night.

Setlist: Good Times (3 Stroke), Deliver Me, Man in the Mirror, Shake Your Hips, Black Betty, Nobody, Das EFX, Gilligan, I Don’t Know What You Come To Do, Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That, (Encore) Rock With You, Roll Up

(Below: Paper setlists are so passe. Photo by Joe Hutchison.)

Keep Reading:
Robert Randolph and the Family Band at Voodoo Lounge, 2008