March 2004 Newsletter

• American Folk Blues Festival DVD •
• Tab Benoit •
• Chet Cannon & the Committee •
• Rockie Charles •
• Eric Clapton •
• Deborah Coleman •
• Robert Cray •
• BuddyGuy •
• Jus Von •
• Bryan Lee •
• Hip Linkchain •
• Sam McClain •
• Nick Moss and the FlipTops •
• Stew Moss •
• Charlie Musselwhite •
• Robert Randolph •
• Rock the Joint •
• Lil' Buck Sinegal •
• Jimmy Thackery •
• Walter Trout & the Radicals •
• Carl Weathersby •
• Joe Lewis Walker •
• Tony Joe White •

The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966 - Volumes 1 & 2 DVD
Various Artists
Reelin’ in the Years Productions w/ Experience Hendrix
www.reelinintheyears.com & www.jimi-hendrix.com
Hip-O Records - www.hip-o.com

Fasten your seatbelts, fellow Blues lovers !!!!  This collection is guaranteed to have you watching the TV screen for hours, marveling at a time when the acknowledged giants of  the Blues world walked this earth in their prime.

Recorded in Germany in a small studio, these clips feature, in crystal clear images and fine sound, the undisputed masters in all their glory. How about Muddy Waters singing "Got My Mojo Working" with all-star accompaniment from Sonny Boy Williamson (harp), Otis Spann (piano), Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Willie Dixon on bass. That’s just one of the treats on Vol. 1. Other highlights include Otis Rush cutting loose with a blood-curdling scream to start " I Can’t Quit You Baby". (Robert Plant, eat your heart out !!!) There is a youthful looking John Lee Hooker on guitar doing a dramatic version of "Hobo Blues". Junior Wells does his classic "Hoodoo Man Blues" with Otis Rush on guitar. Other musicians appearing include T-Bone Walker, the country blues duo of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Memphis Slim, Lonnie Johnson, Sippie Wallace, piano man Eddie Boyd, harpman Walter "Shakey" Horton, Big Joe Williams and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Seventeen tracks of pure, unadulterated blues that closes with most of the musicians jamming’ on "Bye Bye Blues".

But the Blues aren’t gone - because you still have to watch Volume 2, which has plenty of gems of it’s own. Sonny Boy Williamson starts this one off with two clips, demonstrating why he is rightfully considered one of the great harp players of all-time. The piano is featured on segments from Sunnyland Slim, Memphis Slim and Roosevelt Sykes. Texas bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins uses his classic "Mojo Hand" to demonstrate that he could hold his own with anyone.

The real treasures in Vol. 2 are the three tracks from 1964 of the incomparable Howlin’ Wolf. Backed by Dixon, Sunnyland Slim and long-time guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Wolf does a performance that is stunning in it’s intensity. His voice comes booming out of his massive frame,
his face captured by the cameras in close-up shots that reveal a man caught in the passion and fury of his music. I doubt that we will ever get tired of watching these tracks. And the finale brings out Big Mama Thornton, who tears it up on the harp as she battles with Shakey Horton, J.B. Lenoir, Dr. Ross and Mr. Hooker on "Down Home Shakedown".

Both DVD’s have bonus tracks. Vol. 1 features the under-appreciated Chicago guitarist Earl Hooker clowning around on a version of the country classic "Walking the Floor Over You", followed by a ferocious instrumental that proves he had the right stuff. Even better is the Vol. 2 bonus cuts - possibly the only two pieces of video of the late, great Magic Sam. If you don’t know much about this west-side of Chicago legend, you’ll certainly want to find out more after seeing this footage.

Go out and buy these DVD’s right away!! If you don’t have a DVD player, buy these discs and then go get a player!! Buy them so that if the folks that released these titles will put out more stuff like this if they have any left. I can’t make it any plainer than that. These discs are that good. No collection should be without them. 

- reviewed by Mark Thompson