Jack DeJohnette/Larry Grenadier/John Medeski/John Scofield ‘Hudson’ (Motéma) 4/5

The reference is in homage to New York’s Hudson River Valley and the various group members who reside around this location, and in turn recorded this album near the Woodstock venue that has obvious historical musical references. Thus the choice of pieces selected reflects the 1960s with Dylan, Hendrix and Joni Mitchell all receiving compositional makeovers, and a few choice originals that echo other aspects of the area, more particularly the Native Americans who first inhabited the Hudson Valley.

A reggae-tinged cover of Dylan’s, ‘Lay lady lay’, is one of the album’s highlights with a somewhat abstracted take on the classic, but with the firmest of reggae back beats supplied by DeJohnette. Indeed, this fine new interpretation rivals that of Jamaican keyboardist/vocalist Glenn Brown. John Scofield offers a new composition in, ‘El swing’, which does precisely what it says on the tin; a Spanish-themed undercurrent that hints at Corea’s Spain’, while some straight ahead swing and an extended, loping solo from Scofield. Another winner of a tune. Melodicism is the order of the day equally on, ‘Song for world forgiveness’, which is a DeJohnette piece with a long intro and some beautiful playing on electric guitar from John Scofield and piano by John Medeski.

One connecting feature between the two elder statesmen on the band is tenure at different periods with Miles Davis. This is celebrated on, ‘Tony then Jack’, the Tony in question presumably being drummer Tony Williams who preceded DeJohnette in the Miles band. If the piece starts off unexpectedly as a soul-jazz Hammond outing that Pat Martino might have featured on in the late 1960s, thereafter it then rapidly morphs into something entirely different. Miles was a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and the latter’s, ‘Wait until tomorrow’, receives a rousing version with Medeski operating on Hammond. The near eleven minute title track is in fact a brooding number that bears a strong resemblance to the ‘Bitches Brew’ era in Miles illustrious career, and the title serves also as the name for this collective supergroup.

At seventy-five minutes some of the numbers are lengthy and demanding, but with this quality of musicianship there is precious little fat to be cut off the bone. On the final piece, ‘Great peace spirit chant’, the listener is greeted by a host of flutes with an ode to Native Americans that incorporates collective chanting, authentic drum beats. A successful coming together of minds and devoid of any egos.

Tim Stenhouse

Carmen Lundy ‘Code Noir’ CD (Afrasia) 4/5

This latest offering from a jazz singer, who has long enjoyed an intimate relationship with her British audience after the rapturous reception to, ‘Good morning kiss’, back in the mid-1980s, is a subtle dislocation from the norm insofar as the music is devoid of any horns. Instead the fine electric guitar of Jeff Parker creates a more spaced out feel (Anita Baker tried a similar formula in her 1990 album, ‘Compositions’ to stunning effect) where jazz and soul elements interact, but otherwise it is pretty much business as usual with the same attention to personalised storytelling and exquisite delivery. Accompanying the singer is a strong line-up of instrumentalists including keyboardist Patrice Rushen, Ben Williams on acoustic and electric bass, Kendrick Scott on drums and percussion.

Recorded in California, some of that guaranteed Californian sunshine has clearly rubbed off and has informed the music itself, with a joyful and optimistic tone permeating the entire album. This is no more so than on the outstanding summer breeze of a song that is, ‘The island, the sea and you’, with wordless vocals that may possibly have been inspired by the 1970s work of Flora Purim, another adopted Californian singer, with fine electric piano accompaniment from Rushen who revels in this atmosphere. In a more intimate vein and with carefully phrased diction, ‘You came into my life’, features a lovely bassline and the most sensitive of piano accompaniment with Carmen Lundy at her sensitive. If that is the favourite song this writer warmed to on the album, then a close contender is surely the uptempo, ‘Afterglow’, where there is both real intent and urgency in the delivery and the subtlest of latinization on the drums, and wordless vocalising once again emerging.

Anita Baker terrain is explored on another ballad, ‘Whatever it takes’, and with acoustic guitar to accompany the singer, Lundy is at her most soulful in this setting. It is a late night rendez-vous that is evocatively conjured up on, ‘I got your number’, which is a delightful mid-tempo number. In stark contrast, the lovely wordless vocals of the catchy and uptempo ditty, ‘Have a little faith’, cannot fail but impress, and the tandem of guitar and piano works a treat.

As with previous album sleeves, the gatefold sleeve on this new recording reveals colour art work by the musician and a telling inscription on one painting that speaks a thousand words, ‘Colored entrance only’. A strong return to her best on this highly enjoyable listen.

[You can read our 2016 interview with Carmen Lundy here]

Tim Stenhouse

Various ‘Honeybeat: Groovy 60s Girl-Pop’ (Real Gone/Sony Legacy) 4/5

Taking a leaf out of the numerous ACE compilations devoted to female singers, this excellent new anthology complete with lavishly illustrated inner sleeve, focuses attention on some of the lesser known singers who recorded 45s on major and independent labels, and cuts across stylistic frontiers to incorporate examples of soul, rootsy country and pop genres.

It is in fact pop with an R & B flavour that opens up the CD with, ‘I’m gonna destroy that boy’, by the What Four, while for a soulful take on a jazz standard, ‘Why don’t you do right’, which Peggy Lee memorably interpreted. Here Michelle Nichols takes over vocal duties and is accompanied by instrumentation that betrays a strong Motown influence. One of the real discoveries on this compilation is the stunning 1967 45 by Detroit singer Sandra Phillips who delivers, ‘I wish I had known’, which features a gorgeous piano vamp with fine percussion work. This voice exudes soulfulness. Another uplifting soul number is, ‘I don’t want no mama’s boy’ , by Erma Franklin which was recorded in 1963 and another number with a Motown feel, including hand claps. Quality songwriters do not come much more highly praised than the combination of Jerry Goffin and Carole King and an early composition from 1961, ‘Talk that sweet talk’, receives a warm, relaxed and soulful reading from Dorothy James.

Some of the poppier oriented material has other influences such as the country-pop of Skeeter Davis with, ‘I can’t stay mad at you’, or the lush production by Van McCoy (later of the ‘Hustle’ disco phenomenon) for the 1965 girl group the Sweet Things and, ‘You’ re my loving baby’. Another group the Glories impress on what sounds like an attempt to replicate the Supremes sound on, ‘No news’, from 1968. This writer was similarly impressed by the mid-tempo R & B groove to, ‘Hangin’ on to my baby’, by Tracey Dey. Only the somewhat limp version of, ‘Stand by me’, by Little Eva (1965), does not stand comparison with the towering original penned by Ben E. King, but is worth the listening experience nonetheless. Overall, a well researched, annotated and delivered compilation that makes one wonder what other little known gems might still be out there. Full marks to Real Gone for the effort taken.

Tim Stenhouse

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes ‘The Fever: The Remastered Epic Recordings’ 2CD (Real Gone/Sony) 5/5

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are a more urban take on the blue-eyed soul groups that more usually are to be found in the southern states, such as the Allman Brothers, and the recent sad passing of Gregg Allman will at some point be worthy of a major re-issue programme of his solo work as well as part of the larger band. However, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were a suburban New York band with significant input from Bruce Springsteen in his capacity as a songwriter and from band member and later Sopranos actor, Steven Van Zandt.
This outstanding re-issue package groups together some of the key albums the band recorded for Epic including the lesser known and hard to find live album, and collectively are taken from the master tapes and have frankly never sounded better.

First up are the Jukes live at the Bottom Lane concert from 1976 and this was originally aimed to be a promotional release for radio airplay in order to introduce a wider audience to the group’s music. Listening to the music now, one can hear multiple influences from the country-folk of Sonny Boy Williamson through to big band jazz and the Basie band, and even the vocal talents of Louis Prima as well as early R & B and doo-wop harmonies. An early Springsteen composition for the band, ‘The fever’, is the pick of the songs on offer. An uptempo Sam and Dave influenced song, ‘You mean so much to me’, features Ronnie Spector on vocals, while a rendition of Sam Cooke’s classic, ‘Havin’ a party’, was released as a 45, complete with handclaps and collective vocals. Luther Vandross would reprise this song and make a hit out of it again in the mid-1980s. Later in 1976 the first studio album surfaced in, ‘I don’t want to go home’, and included no less than Stax musician Steve Cropper on, ‘Broke down piece of man’.

This was followed up by what is generally regarded as the strongest of all the Asbury Jukes mid-late 1970s albums in ‘This time it’s for real’ from 1977. This featured guest appearances by some of the band’s musical heroes such as the Coasters and the Drifters, and consequently the band raised their level as on the wonderful New Orleans-influenced title track (that features Lee Dorsey and Eddie Bo), ‘Love on the wrong side of town’, with its proto-Motown feel, and, ‘Without love’, a song originally composed by Joe Hunter and Carolyn Franklin. There is soul-blues with a doo-wop input on, ‘She got me where she wants me’, while the mid-tempo groove plus mariachi-style trumpet of, ‘Little girl so fine’, rounds off a wonderful album.

By 1978 and the album, ‘Heart of stone’, Steven Van Zandt was writing the majority of the songs and these were quality compositions such as, Got to be a better way home’, and, ‘This time baby’s gone for good’. The instrumental sound was tighter and included fine horn work including the tenor saxophone of Stan Harrison. The latter would unexpectedly turn up on some of the early-mid 1980s Serge Gainsbourg albums.

An extended interview with Southside Johnny casts invaluable light on how the albums were recorded and how the band sound evolved over the recordings. Of note to the present is that the Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes will be performing a rare concert in the UK on 22 June at the Forum in London. This is a great opportunity to follow up on this wonderful anthology of their tenure at Epic records contained within.

Tim Stenhouse

Chick Corea ‘The Musician’ 3CD (Concord/Universal) 4/5

Celebrating the musical career of Chick Corea, this wide-ranging release features the musician in a variety of settings with multiple musical collaborators and should be viewed very much as a summation of the myriad influences Chick Corea has incorporated to date. They are new and live recordings, but clearly hark back to different periods in his illustrious career and form part of a wider world tour that he undertook.

Corea first came to wider attention via his tenure with Miles Davis and this sideman period is commemorated via a trio plus trumpet (Wallace Roney) rendition of, ‘If I were a bell’, which Miles actually recorded back in the 1950s whereas Corea will be forever associated with the late 1960s fusion era of Miles’ numerous incarnations. The piece has something of a floating waltz feel. The leader engages in a restrained solo on a Miles self-penned composition, ‘Nefertiti’, with the likes of Jack DeJohnette and Eddie Gomez in attendance.

One really interesting new line-up is that of the Five Peace Band comprising John McLaughlin on guitar, Kenny garret on alto saxophone, John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums. Collectively, they are on fire on, ‘Spirit rides’, with guitarist and saxophonist trading intricate licks, and with a shifting rhythm pattern from Blade making the experience all the more memorable.

A particular favourite of this writer has been the flamenco-jazz fusion collaborations that Corea has entered into and on the Spanish leg of the world tour, Corea enlisted some heavyweight musicians with whom to perform. They included Jorge Pardo on flute, Carles Benavent on bass, Jeff Ballard on drums and Nio Josele on flamenco guitar. A Paco de Lucia original, ‘Zyryab’, receives a fiery interpretation with handclaps and an emotional and inspirational duet between Corea and Pardo, the former revelling in some delightful Latin piano vamps. Singer Concha Buika contributes on, ‘Mi Niña Lola!’ which is an intimate, yet nonetheless uplifting number with guitar in a largely supportive role, and a tasty flute solo from Pardo. This reviewer for one would liked to have heard a whole concert worth of this king of music.

In the early 1970s Chick Corea recorded some memorable music with Stan Getz and from the band Return to Forever Unplugged (i.e. an acoustic version of that band), we hear a lovely reading of, ‘Captain Marvel’, with Stanley Clarke on bass, Lenny White on drums and Frank Gambale on guitar. Building on this, the group then perform a mid-tempo version of, ‘Light as a feather’, that gains in intensity, with the melodic support of Gambale especially attractive.

Piano duets were not at all fashionable in the late 1970s, but this is precisely what Chick Corea worked on together on a stunning double album and this is fondly remembered on two Hancock compositions, a gentle interpretation of, ‘Dolphin dance’, and, ‘Cantaloupe island’. Elsewhere, Corea duets with Bobby Mcferrin. Only the Elektric Band reunion sounds a tad dated. The re-working of the jazz standard, ‘Caravan’, works a treat with a most delicate delivery, but no indications of with whom Corea is collaborating here. Chick Corea is now rightly featured in the Downbeat jazz hall of fame and this highly attractive overview provides answers as to why he is so loved and revered.

[Note: A separate blu-ray edition is available]

Tim Stenhouse

Alice Coltrane ‘World Sprituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’ CD/2LP/DIG (Luaka Bop) 4/5

Spiritual jazz has its seminal influences and arguably Alice Coltrane is one of the key musicians to have influenced a new generation of jazz musicians who have taken on that mantle. This collection of audio cassette recordings is taken from the masters and it should be stated from the outset that this is not really a jazz release in the sense of the Impulse albums that Alice Coltrane recorded. Rather, it is devotional music that draws upon Indian classical and that of the African-American Baptist church with the use of idiosyncratic instrumentation. As a whole, one can convincingly argue that this is spiritual music in the literal sense with vocal chanting and repetitive riffs throughout, and as such worthy of attention in presenting a more panoramic collage of how jazz and spiritual music fit together.

Dating between 1982-1995, this music is about as far away from commercial considerations as one can possibly imagine and was only available on local audio cassettes. However, it does make for a cohesive whole, and thus provides a tantalising glimpse into what motivated Alice Coltrane as a human being, especially her deeply held religious beliefs and her role as a swami in Los Angeles where she served for over three decades and where the music contained within was recorded. The uplifting nature of the music is emphasized from the opening piece, ‘Om Rama’, with the use of synthesizer to add layered texture to proceedings, and with gospel inflections in the form of a call and response male lead that gels together beautifully. Coltrane was very much a product of a Baptist upbringing and her conversion to a more Eastern looking spiritual life did not discard some of her earlier influences. Of great interest to fans of her Impulse period is the radical re-working of, ‘Journey to Satchidananda’, that frankly sounds here as though it is an entirely new composition.

One can only speculate on how John Coltrane might have sounded had he lived on into the 1970s. Quite possibly, with the more commercial side of jazz coming to the fore with jazz-fusion, he might have retreated into a similar music environment. Alice Coltrane was pioneering in her use of instrumentation (Dorothy Ashby was another such musician on the harp), and here one hears her performing on a simple organ (not of the Hammond variety, though) and harmonium. It is pity that her piano skills are absent and even her harp playing is largely invisible. Combining those with spiritual sounds, as on some of the Impulse albums, was a thrilling listening experience. However, this release offers other options and the music is on less enticing for all that.

Luka Bop is to be commended for releasing this music, and it certainly makes a fascinating companion to the spiritual jazz sounds of John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders and others. This release will appeal as much to devotee of world roots music as it will to strictly jazz fans. It is to be hoped that this will inspire other companies to release interview and musical material by Alice Coltrane, most particularly the radio interview with Marion McPartland that was briefly released on CD. The musician passed away in January 2007 aged seventy.

Tim Stenhouse

Daryl Runswick – The Jazz Years 2CD (ASC) 5/5

There was a time in the 1970’s when Daryl Runswick was the man to watch on double bass. This double CD charts that period when he was most active in jazz. He was held in high esteem equally by his musical peers and jazz fans. Over the years he has worked with the cream of the British jazz crop. Indeed, we have saxophonist Bobby Wellins to thank for encouraging him to enter the jazz world full time, as Runswick was all set to become a producer at BBC Radio 3. What a loss that would have been. However, Runswick was not lost to the BBC entirely, as your reviewer remembers many times that he would be featured in many and various jazz groupings on BBC’s Jazz Club.

So eponymous was Runswick that it would be almost impossible to document on CD every jazz setting that he found himself in. These recordings concentrate largely on groups under Daryl’s leadership.

This compilation covers the period 1970-1978 – a period in British contemporary jazz that was particularly fertile with musicians such as John Taylor, John Surman and Mike Gibbs, to name just three consolidating on foundations laid in the late 1960’s.

All of the pieces were recorded in pubs and clubs with no intention that they should ever be released commercially. Despite this, the recording quality is very good and the musicianship is perhaps of a more elevated standard than if the participants were expecting to be immortalised on vinyl.
CD one opens with five pieces from the Runswick Quartet from November 1973. This group was interesting as it included the veteran Don Rendell on flute, tenor and soprano saxophones alongside Alan Branscombe, a pianist of a slightly later generation also featuring the then fashionable Fender Rhodes electric piano, together with the young Turks, Spike Wells at the drums and Runswick.

The opening track is a Runswick blues based on a lick often played by fellow pianist Wynton Kelly and named ‘Wyntones’. Here we get lovely flute from Rendell and a delightful solo from the pianist coping manfully with a less than perfect instrument. A delight for me is that the bassist is not submerged in the general sound mix as so often is the case in live recordings and indeed, turns in a wonderful solo.

The next piece is a Calypso, again written by Runswick. Here we get to hear Rendell’s tenor saxophone in full flight. The whole joyous performance is underpinned by Runswick’s bass.

‘Lainey’s Tune’ written for the bassist’s then wife, Elaine, is a more reflective piece and seems to take on a more contemporary persona with the introduction of the electric piano. Again, we are treated to a fabulous solo from the keyboardist and more tenor from Rendell.
‘Starkers’ is next – an upbeat tune with Rendell on soprano and more electronic wizardry from Branscombe, surely a forgotten master on his instrument. Wells is particularly busy on this piece too.

The longest of these pieces is the ‘standard’ ‘There is No Great Love’ clocking in at over seven minutes and featuring opening bass pyrotechnics before piano and drums enter on the melody statement. Thereafter it is swing all the way. Rendell delivers a typically questing solo, as does the bassist, before ending the piece by re-stating the melody.

All of this was recorded only two days after Runswick returned from Cleo Laine’s legendary ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’ tour, that album having been recorded in October 1973.

The Jimmy Webb tune ‘MacArthur Park’ follows and runs for over eighteen minutes. This is a feature for the London Jazz Four. Jim Phillip blows with vigour on soprano saxophone. A calm piano interlude follows before the pianist Mike McNaught ups the tempo once more. Philip switches to tenor for a more contemplative passage before the bassist takes centre stage for a fabulous arco passage. The piece ends with more frantic soprano saxophone with the band in full flight.

The mood changes again with Harry Nilsson’s ‘Without Her’. This time Philp shows his versatility on flute and is equally passionate as on soprano saxophone. Mention too should also be given to Mike Travis whose drumming is featured to good effect on this piece.
The oldest piece on the album actually pre-dates the 1970’s and is from 1967 and features Runswick singing a Clive James lyric to his own tune ‘Song of the Double Bass Player’.

Space doesn’t permit me to go into any greater depth other than to say, disk 2 contains a further eight tracks in similar vein including two tracks from a 1974 quartet session with musicians largely contemporary to Runswick, Stan Sulzmann on tenor sax and flute, Tony Hymas on keyboards with Spike Wells remaining from the previous incarnation of the quartet. Thereafter there are three tracks from a similar lineup but with Harold Fisher replacing Wells and the collection conclude with three pieces from a quartet featuring Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, Mick Pyne on piano and Fisher at the drums and dating from 1978. All exemplary performances.

Sadly for the jazz world, Runswick was shortly to forsake “the late nights and low pay of the jazz scene for the friendlier hours and greater security of the session world”. He finally hung up his bass in 1983 to join vocal group Electric Phoenix as their tenor singer and resident composer.

Alan Musson

Various ‘Keep It Light: A Panorama Of British Jazz – The Modernists’ 3CD (ÉL) 4/5

For anyone who remembers the jazz being made at this time or anyone who is curious to hear what British jazz was like at the time, this is an indispensable release.

Clearly taking its influence from the modern jazz masters in the USA, one can start to hear British jazz forming its own identity.

Opening in an upbeat manner with the Don Rendell Jazz Six and ‘Hit the Road to Dreamland’ with clear West Coast influences and the ghost of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan is never far away. More adventurous however is ‘Ignis Fatuus’ by the same group.

This is a 3 CD anthology of British modern jazz spanning the decade from the mid-fifties until eclipsed by the advent of The Beatles, R&B and Beat.
The early jazz modernists of the late 1940’s such as Johnny Dankworth were clearly influenced by such American masters as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. The rise of the modernists coincided with the opening of the original Ronnie Scott’s Club in Gerrard Street in London’s famed Soho district and saw the birth of a new generation of exceptional musicians who were to create a musical identity for British jazz, laying the foundations for what was to come in the late 1960s and beyond.

This three-disc set includes so many gems from the period that it is impossible to comment on them all and so I’ll pick a few personal highlights to give a flavour of what you can expect to hear.

‘Bellini’ by vocalist Annie Ross with the Tony Kinsey Quintet follows with clever contemporary references in the lyrics.

It’s not until disk two that we start to hear true originality with the emergence of the Joe Harriott Quintet. Four tracks from the quintet are included here.

Featured artists include Ronnie Scott, Jimmy Deuchar, Tubby Hayes, Stan Tracey, Tony Crombie, Cleo Laine, Jack Parnell, Humphrey Lyttelton, and many more.

Although it is good to have this collection available and it is a valuable document of what was happening in British jazz at the time, I feel that this was a period when the British musicians had not yet established an identifiable sound that one could call ‘British’. Except perhaps with the exception of Joe Harriott and Stan Tracey, many of the other artists featured here were still in the shadow of their American counterparts. The really exciting times for British jazz were just months away and it would be good to have those moments documented too, perhaps in a companion set.
Much of the emphasis here is placed on the big bands of the time, perhaps to the detriment of those more adventurous musicians of the next generation of musicians who were just starting to emerge onto the scene.

Alan Musson

Damien Chazelle Soundtrack ‘Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench’ (Editions Milan Music) 3/5

This is the music to a new film soundtrack, and only part of it is jazz, while the rest is light western classical with elements of jazz instrumentation. At is best, the most draws inspiration from the sounds of Louis Armstrong circa 1930 with, ‘Cincinnati’, featuring vocals and trumpet playing, while, ‘Love in the fall’, comprises a piano jazz trio plus male vocalist. The female vocals are those of an actress who is trying her hand at singing rather than a seasoned professional and it is in this vein that one should approach the quasi-spoken delivery of, ‘It happened at dawn’. A duet between electric piano and vibraphone is an interesting diversion. Elsewhere, think of a Woody Allen soundtrack with classical influences, and piccolo soloing with accompanying strings.

With just under half an hour’s music, this release could certainly benefit from more examples of jazz-related content. Otherwise, a pleasant, if unexceptional listening experience.

Tim Stenhouse

Albert King ‘On My Merry Way – Singles As & Bs: The Earliest Sessions of the Guitar 1954-1962’ (Jasmine) 4/5

Blues guitar legend Albert King was born in Indianola, Mississippi, back in 1923, but his earliest recordings date from 1953 in Chicago. In fact it was blues bassist Willie Dixon who encouraged King to audition for Parrot records, owned by Chicago DJ, Al Benson. The first 45 is included here, with, ‘Be on your merry way’, and ‘Bad luck blues’, a fine A/B side combination to commence what would turn out to be a glittering career. However, despite the presence of both Dixon and guitarist Elmore James, the 45 was not in fact an immediate success. This, even though Chess records would eventually buy the titles and release these and other songs on the album, ‘Door to door’, which shared six titles on one side with Otis Rush.

If the first single was a respectable seller, it did not earn King a follow-up session with Parrot records and, instead, Albert King moved on in 1956 to St. Louis where he began playing regular gigs on the local circuit and honed his guitar skills. Indeed it was during this period that King came across what would become his signature guitar, the Gibson Flying, that he would rename ‘Lucy’. King came back to the recording studio with a significantly enhanced personal sound on the guitar and the resulting early 1960s 45, ‘Don’t throw your love on me so strong’, became a minor R & B hit in 1961, and was released on King records that same year. Elsewhere, ten unissued tracks (five apiece from Parrot and Bobbin records) are the main source of interest for aficionados, and of note here is the Albert King reading of Tampa Red’s, ‘Little boy blue’. Three songs from the ‘Door to Door’ album are included and, aside from the compilation title track, they include, ‘Bad luck’ and ‘Murder’.

Albert King would later join Stax records where he would enjoy his greatest success with songs as immortal as, ‘Born under a bad sign’, and, ‘I’ll play the blues for you’. He died in 1992 following a major heart attack, but continued to be a seminal influences on blues guitarists old and new alike.

Tim Stenhouse