34th Anual San Francisco Blues Festival 2006

34th Anual San Francisco Blues Festival
Friday through Sunday September 22-24, 2006

When it comes to this Festival, it almost seems like my internal clock is set for the third weekend in September and the anticipation usually starts sometime in late August every year. The 34th Annual San Francisco Blues Festival was right where I needed to be. Two-and-a-half days of great music, great blues fans, and a great Venue! Tom Mazzolini, the founder and producer of the San Francisco Blues Festival has been bringing blues legends here for this well known event since 1973, and this year's line-up was nothing short of spectacular talent!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, KICKOFF CONCERT AT JUSTIN HERMAN PLAZA

Friday, September 22nd was the free "kickoff" concert which was held at Justin Herman Plaza. This was an afternoon show from 12:00 to 1:30, featuring the Mofo Party Band, and special guests Chicago Bob Nelson and Dave Maxwell. I had never seen the Mofo Party Band, but had to assume that a MoFo Party Band would have to be great! These guys are noted for their high-energy performances, playing mostly old-school Chicago blues and West Coast jump. The band consists of John Clifton (Harp & Vocals), Bill Clifton (Guitar), Jake Finney (Upright Bass), and Daniel Burt (Drums). These guys were certainly having a great time, and the crowd, (a mix of blues fans and local San Francisco day workers on lunch break), got livelier throughout the performance. Not too many people were sitting, and after Jake Finney played almost an entire tune while standing on his upright bass. Who wanted to sit down anyway? Midway through the set the band brought out special guest Dave Maxwell for some "Maximum Blues" piano. Dave has played for over 30 years with way too many blues legends to list, and his command of the piano certainly shows his longevity playing blues. The MoFo's ended the one-and-a-half hour set bringing out Chicago Bob Nelson on Harp & Vocals. Chicago Bob, as named by the late Muddy Waters, played some great harp and sang with deep and smoky vocals. The show was too short, but certainly sweet! I suppose it's not a bad thing to want more from players like these guys.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, "CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF NEW ORLEANS" AT GREAT MEADOW, FORT MASON PARK

Saturday, September 23rd was dedicated to celebrating the music of New Orleans. I can assure you that this was the case for this beautiful day at Fort Mason Park. We arrived around 10:15 checking in and greeting our old friends from over the past four years. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed in the background behind the stage, and that feeling of "Everything Is Gonna' Be Alright" was in the air. The usual gathering of dedicated blues fans rolled in slowly, setting up blankets and chairs (that wouldn't be used too much)! Many of the fans were dressed for the occasion in New Orleans party attire.

The show kicked off around 11:00 AM with the Brass Monkey Brass Band. These guys are a powerhouse eight-piece band in the style of New Orleans' own Dirty Dozen and Rebirth Brass Bands, with the traditional lineup of tuba, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, bass drum, and snare. These guys put on one hell of an opening act performance starting with a tune called "Flank Steak", and ending with the band marching off stage through the crowd, playing "When the Saints Go Marching In". They also performed an incredible rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy", that really showcased the talents of the musicians in the band. A collaboration of various sidemen from the Bay area, these guys ripped it up, and definitely got things going!

The Mitch Woods Big Band (Big Easy Boogie) with Herb Hardesty & the Blue Monday Horns took the stage next. Also sitting in was Anthony Paule on guitar. The music was certainly New Orleans inspired. Opening up with a tune called "Crawfishin", the music which has been described by some as Rock-a-Boogie, featured Mitch's swing & jump boogie piano, swinging horns, thumping bass, and jungle style drums!

At around 12:30, the ex-cabbie from New Orleans Mem Shannon took the stage with his band "The Membership", featuring Robert "Rhock" Dabbon (Keyboards), Jeff Herbert (Drums), and Angelo Nocentelli (Bass). Bringing the energy level up a notch, Mem and the Membership played a 40-minute set of material that blended funk, R&B, jazz, and even a little country, highlighting tunes from Mem's latest CD, "I'm From Phunkville". I was privileged to get a short interview backstage with Mem after the performance which you can check out here.

Next up was Betty Harris. Betty has been referred to as "The True Soul Queen of New Orleans", and I now understand why. Her performance included many of her early soul recordings, including "Cry to Me" and "He's Such a Mean Man". From extremely subtle to growling vocals, Betty had the audience on board from the first note! Joining Betty on stage were singer Jackie Payne and guitarist Steve Edmonson. Jackie sang a couple of duets with Betty, while Steve backed things up with some very flavorful guitar work. Someone was right on the money with this combination of talent!

From here things got even better. Tutu Jones took the stage with a vengeance following Betty's set. With no lack of energy, Tutu played some blistering "Texas" guitar, and sang with that post-Stax records soul. 45-minutes were just not enough, and the short set was over before I knew it.

Getting back to more of a New Orleans flavor, Sunpie Barnes and the Sunspots performed the real "Nawlins" stuff. Sunpie Barnes has a very interesting story. For a guy who works as a Park Ranger, played football for the Kansas City Chiefs, and has a degree in Marine Biology, Sunpie plays one hell of an accordion and blues harmonica! Not too many fans were seated for Sunpie's performance, and the party was really starting to take off. Beads were flying everywhere, and the fans were all up dancing!

Irma Thomas shared the stage next with the legendary Keyboardist Henry Butler and Trumpet player Kermit Ruffins. With Irma's rich and beautiful voice, along with a great smile, it was a definite toss-up as to who the title of "Soul Queen of New Orleans" really belonged to. The highlight for me was Irma performing her hit "You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don't Mess With My Man". Henry Butler joined Irma, playing a blend of piano styles from boogie woogie to jazz, and certainly left no one with any misunderstanding of his legendary status! Kermit Ruffins ended the set with two tunes, featuring some of his great New Orleans "swing" style trumpet playing.

The grand finale for the day on Saturday was The Louisiana Voice of the Wetlands All Stars, featuring: Cyril Neville (Vocalist and Percussionist – Neville Brothers band), Tab Benoit (Guitar and Vocals), Jumpin' Johnny Sansone (Harp and Vocals), Waylon Thibodeaux (Violin), Big Chief Monk Bodreaux (Vocals and Tambourine), and Anders Osborne (Guitar and Vocals). What a treat with this phenomenal line-up of the most talented New Orleans musicians all on one stage! This group was conceived by Tab Benoit to draw attention to the serious erosion of the Louisiana Wetlands, and to also carry the message of the sad plight of the devastation of Louisiana's music, culture, and heritage, following the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The band carried their message through their music, and the crowd was on their feet enjoying every note. Playing a mix of Zydeco, Blues, R&B, Funk, Jazz, and Soul (the list could go on), the band played an hour-and-fifteen minute set. Tab Benoit spoke from his heart mid-way through the set, speaking of the incredible damage caused by Katrina, and the total disregard of the devastation of New Orleans by the leaders of our country. The highlight for me was seeing Chief Monk Bodreaux dressed in full New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian gear as he came onto the stage and joined the band. The message of hope was clear, and carried well through this great performance. As the fog rolled in that evening I felt it once again, that this is what the blues is all about!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, "ROCKIN' THE BLUES!" AT GREAT MEADOW, FORT MASON PARK

Sunday, September 24th was themed Rockin' The Blues. I supposed this was based on the outstanding line-up of various Blues Artists along the Festival Headliner, Little Richard. It was again another beautiful day at Fort Mason Park. The venue was already getting crowded at 10:00 AM when we arrived.

Anthony Paule and the Tone Kings took the stage at 11:00 and got the crowd going. Anthony Paule (Guitar and Vocals) played a lot of T-Bone Walker-type solos while making some of the greatest guitar faces I've seen over the years. He really was into his tunes, and showed no lack of energy during his performance. Anthony did a smoking version of Elmore James' "TV Momma (the one with the big wide screen)", after switching guitars and playing slide. Mz. Dee Richon joined the band for the end of the set, singing with a Big Mamma Thorton type rasp. I know Mz. Dee had my attention, as well as the rest of the crowd, as she sang "I've Got Leaving On My Mind", followed by a finale of Etta James' "I'd rather Go Blind". That one always gets me!

After the performance by Mz. Dee, Phil Guy hit the stage playing with the Tone Kings for a 45-minute set of Chicago Blues. In a gray suit, donning some dark sunglasses, and looking a little disheveled, Phil definitely proved himself to be a talented guitarist and an astute entertainer. He really got the crowd going again. It certainly can't be easy for Phil having to play in the shadow of his more famous brother Buddy, but Phil really is a very talented performer with his own style. Playing a few Albert King numbers, a few other covers, and a few self penned tunes, his vocals and guitar playing shifted throughout the set from Chicago Blues, to Delta, to R&B, and Soul. All in all, he played some blistering licks, and set the stage for some more great Chicago players.

Around 12:30, The Chicago Harmonica Project took the stage, featuring: Larry Cox (Harp and Vocals), Omar Coleman (Harp and Vocals), Big D (Harp and Vocals), Russ Green (Harp and Vocals), Twist Turner (Drums), Rick Kreher (Guitar and Vocals), Mark Brumbach (Piano and Vocals), and Rich Kirch (Guitar and Vocals). Taking from the sounds of the great Chicago Harp Masters, including: Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Mac Simmons, Carey Bell, Paul Butterfield, and Charlie Musselwhite, The Chicago Blues Project seems to be all about carrying on the Chicago Harp Sound through a new generation of harp players steeped in the Chicago school. No real egos here as everyone shared the stage and had their moment. The younger players, especially Big D and Russ Green, made it look easy, and the one-hour set ended with all of the players joining in a harp blowout!

Well, just when I thought it couldn't get any better.............it did! Jimbo Mathus' Knockdown South came on with a stellar performance. Described by others as Hill Country Blues meshed with Honky Tonk, Hip-Hop, and other styles, all I can say is who cares what you want to call it, it's ALL GOOD! These guys could play anything and it would sound good! My personal description of the performance would be a combination of good old juke joint boogie, honky tonk, and nasty gutbucket blues. Things were starting to get hot, and the energy level was rising!

I knew there would be no disappointment with the next act, The Hollywood Blue Flames. Carrying on the tradition of the Hollywood Fats Band, this mix of former Hollywood Fats Band musicians and other musicians continue to blend influences from Chicago, Texas, and the West Coast. The lineup that afternoon consisted of: Al Blake (Harp and Vocals), Fred Kaplan (Piano and Vocals); Larry Taylor (Upright Bass), Richard Innes (Drums), and Rick Holstrom (Guitar). These guys tore it up playing material from their two recent CDs, "Soul Sanctuary" and "Road to Rio/Larger Than Life". Al Blakes' powerful vocals and harp playing, steady bass playing by Larry Taylor, smooth keys by Fred Kaplan, steadfast drumming by Richard Innes, and fiery guitar licks by Rick Holstrom, carried throughout the entire set. The band was then joined by Jr. Watson (Guitar and Vocals) and Mitch Kashmar (Harp and Vocals), kicking things up another notch! As I watched Jr. and Mitch perform various material from previous releases, it really became clear as day once again as to why I love live music and the Festival atmosphere. These guys have the ability to take us to that special place where we can leave our worries behind for a while! And as always, the experience was over before I knew it.

Next up was Ruth Brown. At 78 years of age, Ruth deserved to sit during the performance. After all, she has been named as the original Queen of Rhythm 'n' Blues, and she certainly has the right to do whatever the hell she wants! For 78 years of age Ruth looks fantastic and can still sing with a powerful, or sultry, or suttle style depending on the tune at hand. The highlight was her version of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World", which certainly got the goose bumps going!

I stepped backstage after Ruth's set and got together briefly with Randy Chortkoff (Delta Groove Productions). Things were a little too crazy backstage upon Little Richard's arrival, so we decided that we would do a short podcast interview on the lawn, talking about Delta Groove Productions. You can listen to the podcast HERE. My sincere thanks to Randy for the interview in such an impromptu setting. I think you'll enjoy it.

Well at this point things were definitely heating up with the crowd. Little Richard was in the house, and all access to the backstage and pit areas were deemed off-limits. There was quite a bit of commotion getting the stage ready for the "King of Rock & Roll". Little Richards' band came on in all blazing glory, with a full horn section and double drummers. These guys were ready to rock without a doubt! After a short intro and instrumental number by the band, Little Richard took the stage and played several hits, including: "Tutti-Frutti,", "Lucille", "Keep a Knockin", and "Good Golly Miss Molly". Little Richard spoke to the crowd between songs, with humorous interjections about wanting a big fat woman to come up on stage and dance for him. At one point he did get several women on stage to dance, but none of them appeared to fit his request of big and fat! Ruth Brown also joined Little Richard for a short duet which was the only blues song of the set. After about two encores following a long set, the show was over. All good things must come to an end!

Glodow of Glodow Nead Communications LLC, for pit and backstage access during the Festival, Mem Shannon for the podcast interview, Randy Chortkoff for the podcast interview, Sam Varnado for helping me keep my head on straight, and to Charles Rhome for the beautiful photo of Mavis Staples from last years Festival. We are truly grateful to be able to experience such great music and be around such gifted people! It always keeps us coming back for more!

Regards Blues Fans, Until Next Time.............

Check out the Slideshow of this Event!

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