Festival final day

The final day of the Blues and BBQ Festival was another hot one but less crowded. I missed the first two acts as I was watching football (England v Finland) and arrived to see Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s (pictured above). He is a regular at Porretta so I knew what to expect - New Orleans piano R and B. Not bad but not exceptional.

Next up was Eric Lindell who I thought was great. He's a blue eyed soul singer who moved from San Francisco to New Orleans in 1999 and has recorded for Alligator records. He has a relaxed style and a decent voice and was well supported by Samantha Pelham on vocals, Jay Stiles on keyboards and John Mueller on guitar (who also backed Marcia Ball). Songs included 'Lay Back Down', 'Bayou Country' and Jackie Moore's 'Precious'. Guesting for one song was Sunpie Barnes, who had his own set earlier which I missed.

The next act was the James Rivers Movement. James is a genuine New Orleans legend having played sax on many of the great hits recorded at Cosimo Matassa's studio in the fifties and sixties. He played with Deacon John at the very first Jazzfest in 1970 and aged 87 he is still performing. This was a jazzy set with some sax numbers and gentle vocals on a few songs including "Blue Monday' and 'Ain't That A Shame'. He also played the bagpipes on 'Amazing Grace' (in Ron's honour?) and the flute.

Over on the Camp Street stage things hotted up with Kenny Neal who was celebrating his 67th birthday, although he has the energy of a teenager. He began with 'Funny How Time Slips Away' and other songs included his dad Raful Neal's 'I Know Someone Cares', a Jimmy Reed medley including 'Honest I Do' and 'Rock Me Baby'. As usual it was very much a family affair with two brothers playing in his band and a third brother,harmonica player Larry, coming on to do 'Baby Scratch My Back'.

There was more blues next with Little Freddie King backed as usual by Wacko Wade on drums and Robert Louis diTullio Jr on harmonica. Immaculately dressed as ever Freddie was immobile as he sang and played his own songs such as 'Dr Bones' and 'Chicken Dance' and classics including 'Baby Please Don't Go' and 'Hello Josephine'. At 84 Freddie shows no sign of giving up any time soon for which I say, as he says after every song 'Thank you very much. Thank you'.

And so we got to the final act of the festival, folk singer Leyla McCalla. Leyla is of Haitian descent and plays a variety of stringed instruments including guitar, banjo and cello. She would go down well at a folk festival but seemed an odd choice to close out this particular one. Ron and I, along with quite a few others, voted with our feet and left. The pub beckoned.

Blues and BBQ Festival 1st full day

The first full day of the Blues and BBQ Festival was hot and annoyingly there were large no go areas in front of the two stages reserved for VIPs (of which Ron was one). But there was plenty of good music on offer. Best act for me, surprisingly, was Canadian singer/guitarist Sue Foley (pictured above) whose set included some old school R and B, blues and rock and roll. I particularly enjoyed 'Gaslight', 'Oh Why' and 'Barefoot Rock', a real rocker.

The first act of the day Les Getrex and Creole Cookin' was another performer who was new to me but he's been around in New Orleans for over 30 years and played in Fats Domino's band. Wearing a purple suit he certainly stood out visually and although his set comprised mostly covers of songs by Fats and Bobby Bland he was pretty good.

The next act, Sierra Green and the Giants, also looked good as Sierra was wearing a bright orange dress. But her Etta James style funky soul didn't do a lot for me.

Neither did the next act Joe Krown on keyboards, with Papa Mali providing convincing Dr John styled vocals on numbers like 'Such A Night','Don't You Just Know It' and 'Mardi Gras in New Orleans'.

Following this was a tribute to James Cotton featuring two seasoned blues veterans, Mark Hummel on harmonica and vocals, and Steve Freund on guitar. Stand out numbers were 'Don't Stop Me Talking', 'Rocket 88' and 'Boogie Man'. High quality blues I thought.

I was really looking forward to the next act Nikki Hill who I've always thought was a fantastic rock and roll artist. She still looks stunning and her voice is like being hit by an express train but her guitarist husband Matt Hill seems to be leading her towards heavy rock. Nonetheless I enjoyed such songs as 'Heavy Hearts Hard Fists', 'It's A Shame', 'Every Time I See You I Go Wow' and 'Don't Be The Sucker' from her album 'Feline Roots'.

Penultimate act of the day was Chris Thomas King, son of Tabby Thomas, wearing a top hat for some reason. He's an excellent guitarist as he showed on his opening numbers 'Hideaway' and 'The Thrill Has Gone', but by the end of his set he had strayed into Jimi Hendrix territory with 'Voodoo Child'.

Finally it was the turn of Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials who put on a polished and entertaining show. Wearing a pink suit and a glittering pink fez Ed's snarling guitar playing was first rate and a good way to close out the day.

Irma and Marcia at the Blues and BBQ festival

The Crescent City Blues and Barbecue Festival kicked off in terrific style with excellent sets by music legends Marcia Ball and Irma Thomas. Marcia's mix of rock and roll, swamp blues and boogie woogie went down a storm with the big crowd in Lafayette Square. Always an exciting performer, Marcia began with 'Natural Ball' and she kept things simmering with songs such as 'Red Beans Cooking', 'Shine Bright', 'Got To Find Somebody', 'Same Old Blues' and 'I Can't Trust My Heart', ending with the emotional 'Louisiana 1927'. Marcia is 75 now and her voice is beginning to get just a tiny bit ragged, but she's a superb pianist and a dynamic performer.

A great start but the next act, the Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas, took things to an even higher level. Her band the Professionals are just that and gave Irma superb backing as she ran through many of her great recordings, including 'Don't Mess With My Man', recorded, amazingly, as long ago as 1959. Other favourites included 'Ruler Of My Heart', 'Two Winters Long', 'It's Raining', 'Breakaway ', the poignant self penned 'Wish Someone Would Care' and 'Time Is On My Side ', which she sang with cover artists the Rolling Stones at Jazzfest this year. There was a duet with Marcia Ball on 'Sing It', which they recorded with Tracey Nelson in 1988. And a couple of newer songs, including 'Let It Be Me' from 2009 and 'Even Now', a fantastic song that she recorded with Walter 'Wolfman' Washington and which I remember brought the house down at Jazzfest last year. Irma is 83 but her voice is as good as ever and her warm personality shines through. I have so many great memories of seeing her at her Lions Den club over the years and it was great to see her doing a full set of her own material. She is pretty well the last link with the great days of New Orleans R and B and long may she prosper.

JAMNOLA and Lyle Lovett

It would be remiss of me if I went to New Orleans and didn't visit Euclid Records so i had a brouse around and bought a few 45s. On the way back we came across the JAMNOLA museum which celebrates Joy, Art and Music in New Orleans.It's very colourful and hands on and includes info on Mardi Gras traditions and big busts of Dr John, Irma Thomas, Louis Armstrong and other NOLA greats. We were shown around and entertained by Rocky Tornabene, who used to be Dr John's sound man and is now a story teller at the museum.

In the evening Ron and I went to Tipitina's to see Americana legend Lyle Lovett with his Large Band. The place was packed and the support act, fellow Texan Hayes Carll, was great on songs such as 'Drunken Poet's Dream' and 'Times Like These'. Lyle's band was certainly large with 14 members, including three backing singers, and no one could accuse him of relying on youth. These were experienced musicians, including veteran bass player Leland Sklar and former leader of yhe Muscle Shoals Horns trombonist Charles Rose. Lyle has always been a little bit quirky and this was a varied and highly enjoyable set. I had never seen him live before and I was impressed. Numbers included 'Church', 'Here I Am', from his 1990 'Large Band' album, 'It's A Naked Party ', 'She's No Lady' and 'I Know You Know'. Hayes joined him on stage for Guy Clark's 'LA Freeway' and 'Pancho and Lefty'. A great way to spend the evening and it was good to get back to Tipitina's again.

Back to New Orleans

I'm back in New Orleans for another chance to enjoy the city's unique music, food and culture. The weather is hot and sunny despite a damaging hurricane Milton coming on shore in Florida. On the flight over I watched Soulsville USA, a new four part series chronicling the rise and eventual fall of Stax. It features lots of footage I haven't seen before and interviews with everyone from Carla Thomas, co founder Jim Stewart and David Porter to Deanie Parker who saw it all from the inside. Part 1 covers the early days with Rufus and Carla, the second segment covers the emergence and death of Otis Redding, part 3 charts the label's comeback under Al Bell while the final episode covers Wattstax and the financial problems that led to the label's demise. Highly recommended.

i met up with Ron Cook at the St James Hotel on Magazine St and we spent our first day wandering along Decatur St to Frenchmens, which is looking run down, and back via Royale St. On the evening we went to Chickie Wah Wah to see English exile Jon Cleary do a solo show. Jon is a brilliant exponent of New Orleans style piano and he performed songs by Dr John, who was his first major influence, James Booker and Professor Longhair along with boogie woogie and blues numbers. Among them were superbly executed versions of 'Such A Night', 'Lonely Lonely Nights' 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy' and 'I Feel So Good' and he recounted stories about his first meeting with Dr John in London and his first New Orleans show at the Maple Leaf. Despite his roots Jon is a true New Orleans institution who is keeping the piano style of the city alive.

From there we took a Uber to the Dew Drop Inn, a New Orleans institution which reopened in February after being closed for many years. Founded in 1939 the Dew Drop was the City's major black music venue with artists like Guitar Slim and Earl King performing there. Today the place has a small museum and a weekly jam session featuring local African American singers and musicians. I wouldn't say that all the music was to my taste but the atmosphere was great and you could easily imagine how the place would have been in its heyday.

Cissy Houston RIP

Cissy Houston has died aged 91. A member of the Drinkard Singers and the Sweet Inspirations, she was the mother of Whitney Houston and the aunt of Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. She was also a fine solo singer in her own right. RIP to true Soul royalty.

Kris Kristofferson RIP

Singer, songwriter, actor, athlete, military man. Kris Kristofferson, who has died aged 88, was all of these, and a lot more. Born into a military family he was a successful athlete when he attended Pomona Collage in California and won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University where he won a boxing Blue and played rugby for the college. He came into contact with Larry Parnes who got him a recording contract with Top Rank under the name Kris Carson, although no records were released. He joined the US Army and rose to the rank of Captain, but left in 1965 to pursue a career in music and struggled for several years to make a name for himself in Nashville, giving tapes of his songs to June Carter, while also working as a helicopter pilot in Louisiana. His songwriting blossomed with 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' and 'Me and Bobby McGee', and a number of his songs were recorded by country artists, including Johnny Cash, Roy Drusky, Ray Stevens, Jerry Lee Lewis, Faron Young and Roger Miller. He signed with Monument records and released an album - 'Me and Bobby McGee' - which took off when the song was recorded by Janis Joplin. After four successful albums his recording career was put to one side as he concentrated on acting, appearing in such films as 'Cisco Pike', 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid' and 'A Star Is Born', which won him a Golden Globe award for Best Actor. He recorded an album with his second wife Rita Coolidge and although his record sales slumped somewhat he continued to write songs for other artists. In the eighties he teamed up with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash to form the Highwaymen, which prompted two successful albums. His career continued through to 2019 when he appeared in Hyde Park supporting Barbra Streisand as part of the Barclays Summertime Concert series. Kris always had a fairly rough voice but as a songwriter he was in the top tier, with countless memorable songs over the years. RIP

Cleo Sylvestre aka Honey B Mama RIP

I was shocked to read today that Cleo Sylvestre, a friend of the Woodies and a singer who has appeared at a Tales From The Woods show, has died at the age of 79. A couple of months ago I asked her if she would agree to an interview about her life and she said yes. Sadly it didn't happen. But she had a fascinating life and I have no doubt it would have been an interview full of interest. She was the first black woman to play a leading role in the National Theatre in London, but that was just one of many remarkable incidents in her life. In 1964 she recorded a version of 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' which was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and backed by the Rolling Stones. She had a relationship with Brian Jones after he left the Stones and by her own account was due to be part of a new group he was forming, a plan that was ended with his death. She went on to have a successful career as an actress with the Young Vic and in regional theatres. She also appeared in numerous TV shows including Dr Who, Up The Junction and Poor Cow, and parts in Coronation Street, Crossroads, Grange Hill and many others. She was artistic director of the Rosemany Branch theatre and her one woman show The Marvellous Adventure of Mary Seacole was well received. She was awarded an MBE in 2023 for her services to drama and charity. In recent years she returned to singing and appeared as Honey B Mama, Hackney's Queen of the Blues. At the 2021 Tales From The Woods show at the 100 Club (pictured above) she sang Bessie Smith's 'Jailhouse Blues', 'Sweet Home Chicago', 'Midnight Special' and 'Let's Work Together'. A few weeks ago she appeared on BBC's Antiques Roadshow, with treasured mementos from her early career, including a hand-made Christmas card from Jimmy Page. RIP Cleo. She will be missed by many, not least those in the Woodies community who got to know her in recent years.

Tito Jackson RIP

The latest music death is that of Tito Jackson at the young age of 70. Tito was, of course, an original member of the Jackson 5 so his early career is well documented, and his death has been widely reported. His solo career began in 2004 and he appeared at Under The Bridge in London in 2015. Renowned music journalist Seamus McGarvey contributed a review of his show to The Vinyl Word (and provided the photo above). Here's what he wrote: 'Tito opened with a great piece of rocking blues featuring good vocals and some nifty guitar work in the shape of 'I Gotta Play' from his first solo album, and a nicely paced version of T-Bone Walker's 'T-Bone Shuffle', the band hitting just the right tempo and Tito playing some easy strolling guitar. With some jokes about his voice not being as high-flying as his late brother Michael's, along with Denise Pearson and Haydon Eshun (Ultimate Kaos) Tito launched into a selection of The Jacksons hits from 'I Want You Back' to 'ABC' and 'Dancing Machine' from their Motown days, on to numbers from the brothers' or Michael's days with Epic including 'This Place Hotel', 'Black Or White' and 'Blame It On The Boogie'. Both Denise and Haydon were in good voice and danced energetically, while Tito himself remained well to the fore and kept it all moving along. For the final section of the show, Tito returned to his solo role and featured songs from his forthcoming album, demonstrating versatility across a range of musical styles. The numbers included a fine funky piece called 'Jammer St.' with Tito playing some nice solo guitar, the medium stepping 'So Far So Good' and the punchy 'Get It Baby'. He changed the pace for a country number, 'On My Way Home To You' which, as he explained, was 'where I started back in the day', and a medium-tempo reggae-styled number called 'Home Is Where the Heart Is', once again featuring some tasteful guitar picking. Despite all of this being new material, Tito managed to get the crowd onside and singing along, ending with another medium-stepper, 'We Made It', before the full line-up was reassembled for the closing 'Shake Your Body'. Despite loud calls for 'more!' and much chanting of 'Ti-To! Ti-To!', that was it; the end of a well-balanced 75-minute set, and an entertaining evening.' RIP Tito.

Another death. at the age of 93, is that of Caterina Valente, an Italian/French/German multilingual singer who enjoyed success across Europe and the US in the late fifties and early sixties. She appeared with many of the established artists of the era including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin.

Frankie Beverly and Jimmy Gilmer RIP

Music deaths are coming through thick and fast at the moment with two more being brought to my attention today. Frankie Beverly, who has died aged 77, was a big name in the soul and funk world and his band Maze had a huge following. Born in Philadelphia he joined a doowop group before forming a band called the Butlers (later Frankie Beverly and the Butlers), who recorded several singles from 1963 onwards, including 'If That's What You Want' in 1967, which bcame a Northern Soul favourite. The band caught the attention of Kenny Gamble and changed their name to Raw Soul, and subsequently to Maze when they met up with Marvin Gaye's sister in law. They became well known on the London funk scene in the early eighties and had a minor hit with 'Joy and Pain'. I saw them at the New Orleans Jazzfest last year but, good though they were musically, I wasn't over impressed. I wrote: 'I waited for quite a while for Maze featuring Frankie Beverly along with a big crowd which was 99 per cent African American but was a bit disappointed when they did come on. Frankie's vocals were muffled and he barely acknowledged the audience facing the band instead. But the crowd seemed happy enough and were singing along.'

Another death, at the age of 83, is that of Jimmy Gilmer, who had a big h1t in 1963 with 'Sugar Shack' along with the Fireballs, a group which was formed in the late fifties and recorded at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Their early hits included 'Torquay', 'Bulldog' and 'Quite A Party'. Jimmy wasn't an original member but, with his name added to that of the Fireballs, he followed up 'Sugar Shack' with 'Daisy Petal Pickin', which was a hit, and other singles including 'Ain't Gonna Tell Nobody' and 'Look At Me'. Th Fireballs backed several other artists during the sixties, recording with Norman Petty, but were probably best known for adding backing tracks to early home demo recordings by Buddy Holly which became hits. in 1967 the Fireballs had a further hit with 'Bottle of Wine. Jimmy was still a member of the group but didn't feature in the band's name. The group disbanded in 1969.