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From the Used Bin 4

No, I don't have any idea why someone would sell these--but I sure bought them. Cheap.

I've wanted this one for a while but have never seen it for sale in the racks. JSP recordings from England are semi-rare in California. I love Roy Gaines and think he's very under-rated. This one has his outrageous strutting study of womanizing on it: "Sweet Pig Poker (aka Pig Poking Man)." Hush, Roy's gonna solo now. How does he get his tone to be cutting and mellow at the same time?



Fantasyland: Buddy Guy and Junior Wells have a broken radiator hose and while the guy at the gas station down at the crossroads is fixing it, Buddy and Junior accept our invite under the shade tree and Buddy hauls out his road 6 and 12 string Guilds and he and Junior run through about 15 mostly classic blues tunes.
That's what this 1981 set originally recorded as a quick one-shot for the French Isabel label is like (now on Alligator in North America). If you're looking for flash, this ain't it. It's unpretentious and the guys go downhome and into their memories of the cotton patch. "The big boat's up the river, on a bank of sand, ...." Only for those who've been around the blues for a while, Junior and Buddy play "Catfish", "Rollin' And Tumblin'", "I'm In The Mood (for Love)", "Boogie Children", "My Home Is On The Delta", and a bunch more.

UPDATE: I've now had a chance to listen to it a lot. I've been stealing things from it. Buddy and Junior put on an understated master class for serious blues fans and musicians. Probably not for casual and new fans who don't get the nuance and the simplicity, and the space Buddy and Junior leave. I'd like to change my rating from recommended to highly recommended.



What can I say, more stories from life by the storyteller of the blues. Play 'em Larry! Includes 'politically correct' songs about PMS and the swell life out in the country where everybody steals all your stuff.



I can't go on this way, with my sick love for Irma Thomas. She needs me so much and I'm such a bastard and I hurt her so much and she goes on loving me. Oh God Irma. I won't even try to explain.



I'm not too much of a Northern Soul fan, I likes mine Southern and greasy, But I make a big exception for Marvin Gaye. Must have been his growing up in his Daddy's holyroller church. And some of those early classics are so bluesy--"That's the Way Love Is" is a powerhouse. And the later stuff is great and "Trouble Man" has become a blues standard.

From the Used Bin 3

Wow! a four CD juke box of some of the most important blues of the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Even if you don't like "pre--war" blues this should knock your socks off. You'll have to forgive the slightly stupid name of this four CD series: "The Secret History of Rock and Roll." Promo title.

I'd intellectually known that a lot of the great songs I'd grown up with like Elmore's "When Things Go Wrong With You" and B.B.'s "How Blue Can You Get" came from some place else, I wasn't prepared for just how good the originals are. Man, is the sound good on these! Lots of downhome stuff on the first two volumes (including the ones re-made into hits by the 60s rockers), lots of great "Bluebird" Chicago stuff including piano blues on Vol. III, and great pre-chess stuff on Vol. IV. (Big Boy Crudup kills!).

Drawn from the Victor and Bluebird labels, these have been rarely re-issued. 100 great tunes. Recommended. I got these pretty cheap used. They are being sold now in the Year of the Blues, but if I know the RCA Victor people they'll disappear soon and this stuff will be unavailable again. Watch for them cheap.



Tracks for all four volumes: Tracks

From the Used Bin 2

In the 60s I bought a record called Blues at Newport. I learned much from that record. It has outstanding stuff on it. John Lee Hooker was in his early prime then and his acoustic work superb. Warm and personal. It's been reissued on CD and I'll buy it one of these days. Other Newport records on Vanguard had John Lee Hooker live on them with other songs, again superb. Over time I learned that there were other John Lee Newport recordings and I wanted them.

There it was, with a slightly beat case, looking at me, with a $8.00 sticker. I took it home.



Sometimes I put this on the player and hit the repeat button and play it for hours. It makes me pick up the guitar and play dirtfoot licks. The great Bill Lee is playing bass on a lot of it. I don't know how it could get any warmer or more in the living room or more on the porch.
Hooker in the glory of his maturity connecting with an audience and you, introducing songs, letting Bill take solos, holding an audience in his hand. Two versions of Tupelo, two versions of Hobo Blues, an incredible Natchez Fire, and incredible microphone nuzzling as he sings, "When you walk that walk and talk that talk." Stop me now!

Now I gotta find the CD (old VJ record) called "Concert at Newport" which has different versions and such.


and of course the one that started it all-


"Stop Baby, I can't take when you touch me, when you hold me that way!"

Update: The original point of the beginning post was to highlight John Lee Hooker's 1960s work in the almost unaccompanied "folk" idiom. Hooker himself near the end of his long life said the "coffeehouse" was one of his favorite periods, "I could just show up with my guitar and connect with the peoples."


Legend has it that this 1959 acoustic album was supposed cash in on the developing folk boom and its awareness of Leadbelly. Hooker came into the studio and didn't know any of Texan Leadbelly's tunes. The producers were upset. John said "Here's what I know." and proceeded to take them back to Clarksdale in the 30s and Memphis in the 40s. Spare, controlled, and a little bit scary.





Fantasy page of Riverside and Specialty Hooker recordings
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/hooker_j_cat.html

From the Used Bin

Saturday was one of those damn shopping days. I approached it like MacArthur reconquering the Philipines. This time it was the big periodic food shop, object: bulk food for stocking freezers and kids. I'm a cost concious shopper who goes with a plan and budget in mind. I don't like to wander around feeling things. Costco (equals eastern Price Club or Priceco) for real bulk items in a warehouse. Hundreds of dollars later off to Food 4 Less for everthing not already loaded into the pickup. Hundreds of dollars later I left massive strip malls behind. Having peeked twice into the dungeon of my wallet and discovered the secret rewards of thrift: blues money. I made a bee-line to The Last Record Store.

Shock! After many years as one of the great stores of Downtown Santa Rosa, Baby Huey refused to renew the Last Record Store's lease having other plans. I got there in the last hour in the old location and went right to the used racks. Bonanza! It's always pretty good but this time there was simply too much to buy.
People ask why anyone would part with these finds I bought. I've had a few answers, mostly economic. Now I'm forced to say: I just don't know. I can speculate that some are too out there for the casual blues fan, but how did they come by these in the first place? Several of these are Handy Nominee CDs and the Jessie Mae CD won the Handy in 1993.



new cover:
This is one of Jessie Mae Hemphill's two albums before her stroke in 1993. She was getting notice then. And North Mississippi Hill Country fans this is it! Jessie Mae is the great Sid Hemphill's daughter, one of the great drummers, and a fine stylist. A really fine singer in the old style, and you can tell she grew up next door to Fred McDowell. A fine CD if you have the hots for the southern style and North MS. Second picture is of the old-style Handy Award she won for this CD in 1993.



This is a field recording of Fred doing everything from traditional folk "John Henry" to Ray Charles's "I Got A Woman." And all of it sounding very North Mississippi and all Fred. Wow. On Fat Possum. Recommended for all folkie, country bluesers, and North Miss. types. A Handy Nominee CD.



This is a compilation of some of Junior Kimbrough's best stuff and it's really good. Real North Mississippi to the core. Recommended for those who can dig the North Mississippi style. A Handy Nominee CD.



Back to the Delta and Memphis with Big Jack.
Boy is this good! Big Jack and Kim Wilson do acoustic blues and they do them right! Pinetop Perkins joins them for a couple of swell tunes, and they have a drummer for a couple. Jack and Kim do stuff all the way back to plantation times ("Git Along Little Cindy"), from the Wolf and Delta tradition ("Smokestack Lightnin'"), Little Walter, Elmore James, and others, and some of Big Jack's originals based on Delta tradition. And Kim really plays the harp. Delicious. Recommended. Again, A Handy Award.



Joe Louis Walker plays acoustic blues in Memphis with help from Alvin Youngblood Hart, James Cotton, and Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, and kills! Mostly duets in classic style, Joe wrote all the songs except one Robert Nighthawk tune. Recommended. A Handy Nominee in 1999 or 2000.



Sonny Boy's output was all 78 or 45 rpm singles, he died at the dawn of blues LPs. This is one of the collections of singles Chess put out relatively late. It's all singles between 1955 when he signed with Chess, and 1962 just before he first went to Europe. I'm resolved now to buy almost anything the greatest sureallistic poet of the blues ever put out. I didn't go wrong with this one. It has two or three tunes that are on his greatest hits and 'essential' compilations. The rest are just as wild and crazy! And that great harp! And the backing by either the Muddy Waters band or by the Robert Lockwood/Willie Dixon/Fred Below studio band. Superb. Recommended. "One Way Out" done rhumba style and other crazyness. Why Sonny Boy was on the automatic first induction list of the Blues Hall of Fame.



This is wild and crazy blues and rock'n'roll of the west Texas type. Hilarious and really influential on all the roadhouse bands, the Fabulous Thunderbirds knew all this stuff. If you like the western style of blues this is hot! A postcard from another time and place in a wild Juarez bar. Recommended. Should have been on the Historical Album Nomination list.

Among the things I couldn't afford: an autographed copy of " The [Malaco] Best of Little Milton"; early CDs of James Armstrong, etc., etc. I would have needed $250 just for the first line stuff. So at the record store I went to Memphis and the Hill Country in my heart.

The Aces at Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa. 5/21/05

The Aces at Russian River Brewery, Santa Rosa, 5/21/05

The Russian River Brewery on 4th Street in Santa Rosa is a concrete walled concrete floored brewpub just getting started with weekend entertainment. They’ve hung hops sacks from suspended rods on the eastern wall and built the band a carpeted wooden riser in the corner. The dance floor and a lot of walls remain concrete or reflective surfaces. Sound is hard and sharp in the room, with the conversational buzz level high.

With a clientele of heavily 20-somethings either engaged in the pre-mating ritual, attempting to be, or in groups of twos and threes looking, the focus wasn’t really on the music. Almost any band would have been fine with a majority of the audience. I saw several blues and dance people and they were near the dance floor.

The Aces have been out of commission for a while and sometimes the rust showed. The "Punk Blues Band with Attitude" hasn’t played much in recent times. Their PA wasn’t up to the task; you couldn’t hear the vocals in that sound environment. I’ve heard Derek Irving really fly on guitar, and he showed flashes of that at this gig. The Aces have more gigs coming and Derek will work the rust off. When he’s doing flash he really can sell those licks. I particularly like the slide work it changes the way the band sounds and they have a really strong ensemble sound then.

David Burke, who I’m used to seeing at Jasper’s on Thursday night doing leads and rhythm guitar, in the Aces plays "guitar bass" as the Aces have no bassist. He does a magnificent job and really gets a lot of attitude into it, standing with his feet in the A-frame "Elvis spread." He really gets a thump out of that telecaster too, sort of like Brewer Phillips did with Hound Dog Taylor.

Mike Gutsch is unusual as a drummer: he plays standing up. His bass drum playing is steady from that unusual position. He’s visually much more a part of the show that way since he’s so much more visible moving and swaying as he plays. He really held things together in the sound environment. The basic bash-bash-bash of this punk blues band came from him and David Burke.

Sky O’Bannion when he’s on and operating is a powerful singer and harp player. His chromatic harp playing early on was strong and inventive. As the evening progressed Sky got in to his showmanship rolling-on-the-floor routine and some of the edge in his vocals was lost and his harp playing lessened. I did enjoy his Howling Wolf work playing the harp sticking out of his mouth.

The crowd was initially not dancing so blues regulars got to dance. As the young crowd got more lubricated they began to dance and girls began to dance even if the even if the young white guys wouldn’t (they mostly don’t know how). Huge numbers of people never danced at all but stayed glued to their tables or circulated up and down the bar. Large young guys with bald heads sat near me the entire evening never moving, working on their scowls. As people began to dance more and more they started to look uneasy like they were missing something.

I had a pretty fun night and I look forward to further improvements at the Russian River Brewing Co., you can see they’re trying and I hear they are getting their own P.A. for the hall. With more sound deadening for the reflecting treble and standing waves they’ll really have something. The bare concrete floor is hard to dance on over time; maybe they’ll get some parquet for that area.

I’m definitely looking forward to more Aces gigs. As they get back into the swing of performing they’ll really pick up the flow and be their raunchy selves again. They’re back at the Russian River Brewery June eleventh.

Andy Santana at 1351 Lounge, St. Helena. 5/20/05

MUSINGS & RAMBLINGS
MO'S MUSINGS & ROLF'S RAMBLINGS---SONOMA TUNE'S WEBLOG

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May 21, 2005
Andy Santana and the West Coast Playboys at 1351 Lounge, 5/20/05

Andy Santana and the West Coast Playboys at 1352 Lounge, St. Helena, 5/20/05

There it was on 1351’s calendar as I was compiling the Sonoma Tune’s calendar: Andy Santana. I’ve seen Andy’s name for years, always appearing at a joint to the south of me. I’d only seen him sitting in for a few numbers at Benefits. I knew from that he was a good harp player and singer, but I was clear I’d never seen him do his thing on his own. This was too good to miss and I highlighted it on the calendar.

The roadtrip call went out and Mo, Lis, Big Dave Z, and I rode over the Mayacamas to St. Helena in the Blues van. As always I had that feeling of sadness for what St. Helena’s become from the nice country town it was in the 70s. The 1351 Lounge is about 15 feet wide and 120 feet long. The band is shoehorned into a back corner with the dancers right on top of them.


Andy started just as we got there and from the sidewalk I heard the sounds of swamp. I zipped in and got a seat and the happiness of them old blues washed over me. Andy played a whole set of tunes that were swamp or Little Walter and the band was just so funky and laid back. I hadn’t heard slow laidback like this in a long time; it took me back to when I was a kid downhome and the bartender at the Stumble Inn first let me sneak in the back.

This is a mean old world,
tryin' to live in by yourself
This is a mean old world,
tryin' to live in by yourself
Can't get the one you're lovin',
have to use somebody else

I've got the blues,
gonna pack my things and go
Yes, I've got the blues,
gonna pack my things and go
Well I guess you don't love me,
you're lovin' Mr. So-And-So

Sometime I wonder why,
can your love be so cold
Sometime I wonder why,
can your love be so cold
Seem like to me you don't want me,
I'm just an unlucky So-And-So
(Marion Walter Jacobs-"Little Walter")

Andy’s drummer hadn’t shown for the gig, but it was a few minutes before I really caught on that there wasn’t a drummer, the band was doing rhythm as thick as molasses. On guitar was Robert Sidwell of the Hucklebucks out of Sacramento, and bassist Mike Phillips holding down a whole lot of rhythm. Robert Sidwell did a magnificent job being Slim Harpo and Robert Lockwood on rhythm guitar. It was just so danceable in a downhome way. It was like little jukes and the crazy local blues band "Little Obie and the Creepers" when I was nineteen; your shoulders just wanted to do the pleasure hunch.

When Robert Sidwell cut loose on a solo he was a knockout, sharp and witty and still a part of the rhythm, his old P-90 LP dripping out the licks. Andy really got down in the alley with his harp playing and then broke out his old rebuilt Harmony H-64 and laid the wood on us with tough sounding rhythm licks and hard leads.

Man, this gig took me back to small bars on the wrong side of town and my old buddy Lionel playing the bass on his porch (Mama: "Lio-Nel, you boys play me some of those Lightnin’ numbers like "Black Cadillac!" "Aw Mama, why do you like those old things, you should listen to Archie Bell and Drells." "Well, I just like them.") Three guys sitting down and playing them old blues, it wasn’t flash at all. The contrast with the mirror ball and black lights of the 1351 was crazy and funny. The lights in the back were way down and everything white showed up purple.

Aww I'm itchin’
And I don't know where to scratch
Come here baby--Scratch my back
I know you can do it, so baby get to it

Aww you're workin with it now
You got me feelin' so good
Just lookin' up to the sun now baby
Oooooooooooo
This little girl sho' knows how'd scratch

Now you're doin' the chicken scratch
Aww, its lookin' good baby
Just get to scratchin’
That's what I'm talkin' bout
(Slim Harpo)

I’d like to thank Andy Santana and the West Coast Playboys for an unexpected night and for really rising to the occasion and covering misfortune with professionalism and knowing the old ways. I loved it and so did the yuppy crowd. Big Dave was laughing, Mo was dancing, Lis danced and kept saying "I haven’t seen anything like this in years! I tried to remember how to do the Uncle Willy up and down the floor.

Metro Fountain Blues Festival, San Jose State. 5/14/05

Metro Fountain Blues Festival, San Jose State, 5/14/05

This time I pushed a bit for a road trip. A couple of weeks ahead I brought the subject up to Mo, driver of the blues van. "I dunno, that’s a long way." "Yeah, but it’s a great lineup." I left it at that and waited. Sure enough, the email came asking if there was interest. There was and, unusually leaving at 8:30 in the morning, off Mo, Terri, Dee, and myself went with full equipment and sufficient food for a scout troop on the three hour drive nearly the length of the Bay Area.

Did I say good lineup? Starting the show was David Jacobs-Strain, new young gun of the acoustic/semi-acoustic branch of the blues. Next was rising star Lara Price with her talked-about guitarist Laura Chavez. Mighty Craig Horton, with his soulful meld of the old and new and his hot guitar. Guitar master Chris Cain who we don’t see often enough. Tommy Castro with his smile and band. And far, far from last, and never least, the goddess diva, Etta James.

After wandering the confusing streets in the area of San Jose State, we found the free parking structure and made it into the festival grounds. For the first time in twenty-five years the festival asked for a donation of five dollars. For that lineup. I paid right away. We set up the chairs and blanket right on the front portion of the lawn about twenty-five feet back from the stage and it’s concrete apron/dance floor. Next time we won’t get quite so close.

David Jacobs-Strain is a hot young player with a talked about CD out right now. During the making of the CD his band came together and they are hot. David does some great old Delta numbers his way. I particularly remember "The Girl I’m Lovin’ Got Great Long Curly Hair", a real send up on Sleepy John Estes, including getting Brownsville Blues in there too. "Kokomo Me Baby" was another hot one.

Lara Price sings the blues because she’s meant to. A small woman with a huge voice, she can belt or purr. She can sing of lost love and bad lovers like the classic blues queens do, or strut and demand. A petite pretty woman, she’s definitely not portraying a victim. She opened her set with a huge rich vocal on "I Just Want To Make Love To You!" It was so powerful and her voice so full of harmonics that I raised my hands in the air, fell back in a chair, and yelled "Take me!"

Adding to the power was the driving Lara Price Band, a hard working group with an emerging star in hot guitarist Laura Chavez. Laura was getting big cheers with solos. She makes great faces as she plays, and she should. She looks fully engaged in playing.

Craig Horton came on as I was off buying records at Blue Beat’s stand. His opening guitar solo fired up the crowd and I hurried back to the blanket. Middle aged women were pushing forward and getting in tight to the stage. Calls of "That’s right!’ came from the crowd and the band leaned forward behind Craig. It’s a fine band too, with Henry Oden on bass, Steve Gannon on guitar, and Billy Mo on drums.

When Craig did "Elizabeth" off his new CD-

"I got a girl named Elizabeth
That woman moved way across town, (2X)
Why did you leave me baby
Why you didn’t tell me you was trying to put me down.

Ohh, I want to love you baby
Just like a man want a cigarette (2x)
If a man walk a mile for a cigarette
I’d walk a thousand miles for you
(c Craig Horton)

the sighs and the calls of "I’ll take you, Baby!" could be heard from very established-looking ladies. Craig has a very appealing vocal delivery. His hot guitar solos got people fired up, he has that down home feel.

Craig sang several songs off his new CD. I connected with "Life of Luxury" –"…everybody thinks I’m rich now…" –a wry look at the swell life and social pressure of the pro musician. It was a warm personal set.

Chris Cain plays a whole lot of guitar, a whole lot. Chris is a known guy—but not nearly enough. A wild friendly stage presence, a big bass voice and guitar licks from heaven make for one hell of a show. Guitar lick follows different lick, Chris pulls things from his guitar, his body in motion, his fingers all over the fretboard making the big brown guitar sing.

I could almost never see Chris on stage for the press of bodies. His fantastic solos drew people to the front. Pushing up against my chair was a young semi-leather punk couple. I’d seem them several times come to the front, each time more into the blues and more focussed to the stage. They were clearly having their minds re-channeled and getting the blues bug. Chris delivered another big hot solo and the young guy’s mouth fell open. I felt the same way. Chris is just so warm and masterful and in love with playing.

Tommy Castro put in one of his better sets, really connecting with playing, and really happy with the day and the crowd and his memories of San Jose. Tom Poe, the fine trumpeter joined his usual lineup and the full horn section really brought a more soulful feel to Tommy’s songs. He did a bunch from his new CD, and several classics. Within a few songs we were hit with the TC effect: trampled by Barbies in pink shorts or tight pants. They seemed to regard us as being inappropriate in having a sit down area. It got kind of funny, Tommy would do "the grin" and they would bob up and down.

I will forgive Etta James almost anything. Since I found "Tell Mama" on the jukebox in that crummy restaurant in 1967 I’ve been hooked. I’d become used to seeing a really large Etta, so it’s really good to see her 150 pounds lighter and able to walk small distances and move around on stage. Move she does, often with a certain intent. Etta did her classic show of great blues standards aided and abetted by the fine Roots Band with great solos from guitarist Bobby Murray and Dave ("one t") Mathews on keyboards. Etta can do that Jimmy Reed medley for me anytime. Etta and the band had just come from a series of casino gigs and seemed really knocked out over the completely positive crowd cheering good solos and great vocals.


But of course, it’s the Etta James classics I want to hear and she did "I Want A Sunday Kind Of Love", seemingly just for me:

"I want a Sunday kind of love
A love to last past Saturday night
And I'd like to know that it's more than love at first sight
I want a Sunday kind of love


I want a love that's on the square
Can't seem to find somebody
Someone to care
And I'm all alone on a road that leads to no where
I need a Sunday kind of love"
(c Bell, Prima)

And of course, she did "At Last" with its immortal opening line,

"At last, my love has come along…"

There was no encore; Etta’s health is guarded like a treasure by her family. The glow was left behind.

Thanks to the Metro Fountain Blues Festival (25th Anniversary too) and San Jose State for another great festival. This one is a one day treasure, don’t tell anybody so it doesn’t get too big.

Sonny Lowe's Blues Jam at Jasper's, Sebastopl. 5/12/05

Sonny Lowe’s Blues jam at Jasper’s, 5/12/05

"Jasper’s is back open" ran the word, "Sonny’s gonna have the Thursday Jam again!" I figured I go see what Jasper’s looked like now and if things have changed.

Jasper’s is one heck of a lot cleaner now, all the decayed beer company streamers and left over St. Paddy’s Day decorations are gone and the walls have lost their cobwebs. I got a Sierra pint from Vinnie the new owner (and former lead singer in a reggae band).

Looking at the bandstand, only the drums were set up at 9:00 and Jake Mackey was fooling with the drum set up. I didn’t see any of Jake’s guitars. In typical fashion Sonny Lowe, David Burke, and Tall Paul the bassman walked in and set up without comment; it was then I realized that Jake was the drummer! Sonny said to Jake, "You play everything else, please tell me you don’t play harmonica?" Jake gave him a big grin and said, "Yeah, I do, not as good though--yet." Sonny just shook his head.

David Burke, looking like he had a black cloud over him, cranked his guitar and they began with Wolf’s "I didn’t know." Right from the first Burke was hot and had that raw ‘Wolf’ sound. "I’m Ready" with Sonny sounding organ-like on chromatic harp and an aggressive guitar solo from David really cut through and people started gathering by the bandstand and dancing. Face after familiar face came in the back door until about half the blues and dance regulars were in the house.

Right here I have to rave about David Burke. What a great singer and guitar player! Whether "Someday Baby" or "Backdoor Man" the guy has the blues pipes and the tough sounding guitar to really take it places. What a talent, too bad he hates to travel. I guess he’ll remain a Sonoma County secret. Sonny and David and the guys worked their way through a whole set of classics done their way. Jake proved to be a solid basic drummer, and Tall Paul was his competent self on bass. We were dancing hard now and there was a good crowd for a Thursday.

After a long, long break, David started playing Wolf’s "Who’s Been Talking" and the others jumped back on the stand. Burke is one guy who can do Wolf; he has the vocal power for it. And the personal engagement for it.

My baby caught the train
Left me all alone
My baby caught the train
Left me all alone
She knows I love her
She doin' me wrong

My baby bought the ticket
Long as her right arm
My baby bought the ticket
Long as my right arm
She says she's gonna ride
Long as I been from home

Well, who been talking
Everything that I do
Well, who been talking
Everything that I do
Well, you is my baby
I hate to lose
(C. Burnett)

After several more powerful tunes, including a heartfelt "Oh Baby, You Don’t Need Me Like I Need You", other leading Sonoma County musicians began to join the band and the base group sat out. Sonny’s Jam is NOT an open jam, only recognized musicians known to the band sit in. It is an opportunity for the musicians to get to play together. Several musicians got to show their chops. Levi Lloyd sat in and did a fine job on Magic Sam’s "I Don’t Want It All (I just want a little bit)" with it’s funky riff.

The base band got back on stage and did several fine tunes; then Skye O’Bannion joined them. With a big chromatic tone Skye did a knock out jump rhythm "OH Baby, This Ain’t Too Good" and then did an outstanding slow drag Sonny Boy "Keep Your Hands Out My Pockets (I ain’t got nothing for you)". It was marinated in blues.

The last break started dragging on again and I decided to go home and get some sleep. Sonny, ya gotta do something about those breaks, you’ll lose the audience. A fine night and I’m real happy Jasper’s is back with new knowledgeable management, and I’m happy Sonny is back with his jam. It’s quietly one of the highlights of the Sonoma County scene. Thursday nights — be there!