So Blue So Funk & A Little Bit 'Cool'
So Blue So Funky
The Niagara Blues & Jazz Society’ “Live On Request International Blues & Jazz Festival” was a huge success despite the weather being a little on the cool side & the threat of rain. Hundreds of people showed up to sit out doors in Welland Market Square under propane heaters & hear some very soulful, funky blues & jazz. When I got there around 5 pm, local group The Ants were on stage groovin’ out their early 60’s R ‘n B party sound a ‘la Muscle Shoals & Memphis. It was like a flash back to ’64. They have a great tenor sax in Al Robertson & bassist Bill Neudorf belts out the vocals. The group is rounded out by drummer Jim Casson & the funky Warren Stirtzinger on guitar. They create a wonderful danceable sound. For a number of tunes at the end of their set they were joined by a great sounding Hammond B3 player, who turned out to be Roger Niznik, the next act on the bill.
Roger Niznik’s mother, who was at the event, sent Roger to Buffalo from their home in Port Colborne in the early 60’s for Hammond organ lessons & did they ever take! You’d swear it was Buffalo back in the early 60’s where the B3 reigned supreme. Working with a drummer & a guitar player Roger opened his set with a rousing & one of my all time organ favourites “All About My Girl”. Fast & funky versions of jazz & B3 standards such as “Summertime” followed then Al Robertson from the Ants came up & we suddenly we had the classic Jimmy Smith style B3 quartet. The crowd ate it up along with some very fine ribs being served at the barbeque.
Toronto based Johnny Max Band was up next & having never seen Johnny before, it was a revelation! Great funky blues originals & the odd cover including a great fresh take on Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me”. Much to my surprise, former Fathead guitarist Teddy Leonard was in the band. Teddy is my favourite Canadian all round blues & r ‘n b guitarist & he is a perfect addition to Max’s sound. Johnny Max is one dancin’ fool & plays dance-a-matic music which again is based on the early 60’s r ‘n b evolving to soul sound especially the early Toronto soul sound. The crowd loved it and hit the dance floor. Funky blues & r ‘n b was the order of the day.
The event was capped by Bill King’s Saturday Night Fish Fry, which featured Diane Braithwaite on vocals & the Shuffle Demon’s Richard Underhill on alto sax...and they were rockin’…rockin’ & a boppin’ & a jumpin’ to the end of the event.
Next year on the Labour Day weekend, in honour of Welland’s 150th birthday, the Niagara Blues & Jazz Society is planning a 3 day blues & jazz festival. After the success of this years event that should be some long blues filled weekend!
The Blues is back in Niagara in Thorold in mid-October. It’s the return of the Canal Bank Shuffle which will feature Sugar Ray Norcia & the Hammer’s own Jack De Keyser () as well as Harrison Kennedy. More about the Shuffle another time.
In other Hammer related Blues news, Andy Grigg’s website, reallivingblues.com is carrying welcome news about an upcoming re-release by & a biography of Richard Newell aka King Biscuit Boy. In Andy’s words… “…two long-postponed projects will be coming to fruition in the Fall of 2007; a King Biscuit Boy compilation CD using unreleased tracks from 2 (and possibly 3…) KBB albums plus tunes from unreleased sessions. I can assure you that all the tracks so far assembled are killer numbers with Richard’s greatest vocal and harmonica performances among these gems. Also, we hope to have completed the manuscript for Richard’s biography by Nov 2007. It’s amazing just how revered Richard Newell a.k.a. King Biscuit Boy is in the U.S. and Europe and while many artists in recent years have laid claim to being Canada’s Top Blues Performer, the veteran Blues Stars from London, England to Chicago, Illinois seem to be aware only of King Biscuit Boy. One tidbit from the upcoming KBB biography is that ex-Beatle Paul McCartney invited Richard to play at his 40th Birthday Bash on the Queen Mary. While Professor Longhair and The Meters showed for the Giant Party, Richard did not, dismissing Paul and The Beatles as “…the ones who destroyed American Radio!” Needless to say, managing Richard became a task for the fearless! But, we should all remember The Music that King Biscuit Boy/Richard Newell left us and it truly was revolutionary in its’ day. No artist before or since has turned more Canadians on to The Blues and while Music Industry Politics still interfere with Richard Newell’s induction into various Canadian ‘Halls Of Fame’ (shame on you folks!) KBB fans know the difference between ‘shit-and-shinola’ and KBB was pure Shinola! If any of our readers have King Biscuit Boy memories or stories they’d like to share with us (for possible inclusion in the book) please email us at realblues@realbluesmagazine.com. (By the way, listening to King Biscuit Boy’s “Urban Re: Newell” album on Stony Plain/Blue Wave for the 1,000th time I have to rank “That’s No Lie” as the Greatest Canadian Blues tune ever released with his “New Orleans” a close second…)"
Hey! Hey! The Blues is alright!
Photos: from top: Bill King’s Saturday Night Fish Fry; Johnny Max Band;Roger Niznik Trio; The Ants)
