|
|
Big
Jesse Yawn Live At The Marquee
What
a way to kick off the new year, as Rochester welcomed home one of its
many great musical talents that have gone on to bigger and better
careers outside the flower city. The great blues singer-songwriter Jesse
Yawn performed a rare one-night stand at a great new club “The Marque”
(In the heart of downtown Rochester, just down the street from the
Dinosaur BBQ). Not since the long lost days of the B.K. Lounge has a
club offered an environment for an urban blues band to perform, and boy
did they ever perform.
Jesse backed by Tino
Gonzales on guitar along with a bass, drum, keyboard combo started the
evening off with the B.B. King classic “Paying The Cost To Be The
Boss”. He followed it up with a series of classic blues standards:
Albert Kings “I’ll Play the Blues For You”, Ray Charles “Georgia
On My Mind”, T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday”, Percy Mayfield’s
“Please Send Me Someone to Love” & “Rivers Invitation” and
Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working”.
Jesse also wrapped his vocals around several of his own classic tunes
from his outstanding CD “Forevermore” on Horseplay Records.
Besides the title track “Forevermore” Jesse also performed
“Catch Me When I Fall” and “Don’t Try to Change Me”.
A highlight of the evening occurred in the second set with Jesse belting
out the Charles Brown classic “Black Night” and workin’ the crowd
into a funky groove as he called Rochester’s own blues legend Joe
Beard up on stage. Joe, a long time friend of Jesse’s, playfully
dueted on a pair of Joe’s compositions “Feets Out In The Hall” and
“Telling Like It Is” both from Joe’s “Blues Union” CD.
With Joe walking off the stage, Jesse and the band slipped right back
into the “Black Night” groove, classic blues showmanship. Chris
Beard was called up on stage next and the “Prince Of the Blues”
ripped through a soaring instrumental tribute to the late great Luther
Allison and concluded his mini-jam with Jesse joining him for a
rousing version of Albert Kings “Crosscut Saw”.
Jesse ended his show with another classic tune, and fittingly the house
tune at the B.K., Z.Z. Hills “Down Home Blues”. Good times, good
friends and great music. Marvin Sease is next up at the Marque.
Rochester’s got a good thing going but you better catch it will its
hot.
Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown/Robert Jr. Lockwood at the Clemens Center, Elmira
Great music knows no boundaries and rabid music fans know no
distance.
With a blues double bill equivalent of seeing a World Series game
followed by the Super Bowl, a two-hour drive to see Robert Jr.
Lockwood and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was a no brainer.
Clemens Center, a beautifully refurbished music hall, located
in the heart of downtown Elmira, hosted an enchanted evening of the
blues. Robert Jr. dressed in a sharp black and white pin stripped
suit, stepped on stage to a richly deserved welcome and began a full
45-minute set. Backed by a stellar band, consisting of: 3 horn
players, a drummer, a keyboard player, a bassist and a rhythm guitar
player, Robert launched into T-Bone Walkers "Stormy Monday".
With his smooth jazz influenced fingerpicking style, Robert set the
tone for his entire set. He followed that with "What's the
Score", "Stake a Claim on My Woman","Hangin
On" and finally closed with "Everyday I Have the
Blues".
Next up another American music legend, Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown. Clarence is one few blues musicians (don't tell Clarence I
called him a blues musician as he despises that tag, as he considers
himself a musician period) who is equally adept at both the fiddle and
the guitar.
Clarence also backed by a superb band (Dennis Taylor-Sax, David
Peters-Drums, Harold Floyd-Bass and Joe Krown on Hammond B3) opened up
with a funk influenced version of the jazz classic " Sister Sadie". Clarence then strode on stage strapped on one of his
three available guitars and began to produce a night of music based
equally on the masters of big band (Basie and Ellington), classic
country, and his own compositions. Clarence and the band started with
"Bit's & Pieces" followed by Percy Mayfield's
"Strange Things Happening Everyday", "Front
Burner", "Guitar In My Hand", "Swamp Ghost"
and "I'm Beginning Too See The Light". Then the moment I was
waiting for, Clarence picked up one of the two fiddles that were
propped up on stage and began a six-song country medley. The titles of
instrumental tunes escaped me, but Clarence played each as they
related to an imaginary conversation between a man and a woman.
Gatemouth concluded his show with the song "Honeyboy"
and left to a standing ovation. Appearing back on stage for an encore,
he yelled backstage to go get "grandpa" (Lockwood) and then
proceeded to introduce his final number. It would be Lionel Hampton's
"Flying Home". Clarence noted that he hoped his guitar
playing would replicate the stinging wails of Illinois Jacquet
saxophone playing from Hamp's original. A job well accomplished.
Overall it was a magical night of music delivered by two
American music
legends.
(Dave Moskal)
|
