Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 192 #235)

Papa Lightfoot!!!

This week's transcription is the Papa Lightfoot tune "Blue Lights", also known as "After-While". The song is available on the "Blues Harmonica Wizards" CD.

"Blue Lights" starts off with a powerful, attitude-driven riff-based head. The recording only features twelve bars of solo, so this song would lend itself to expanding and writing your own solo section. Use the head at both ends, learn the solo section Lightfoot lays down which milks the three draw bends and then add your own verses!

In addition to pointing out Papa Lightfoot's masterful bending, he also spent time talking about the vibrato and how to achieve it. Great class!

Blues Cemetery Tour!!!

Legendary Chicago blues musicians Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Hound Dog Taylor, Jazz Gillum, Walter Horton and Daddy Stovepipe are all buried in Restvale Cemetery and Arlo Leach is offering a free walking tour there this Sunday. Full details here.

Blues Photo Collection Released!!!

- This comes to us courtesy of Bob Corritore

"The amazing blues photo collection of Jillina Arrigo Pope is posted on Facebook! Jillina Arrigo Pope was an active blues promoter in Chicago during the mid to late 1970s into the early 1980s. She encouraged, booked, befriended, and managed many great Chicago blues and soul artists in that time period. You may know her from the Big Walter Horton album, Can't Keep Lovin' You, on Blind Pig Records, where she is pictured on the back kissing a surprised Big Walter on the cheek. She kept a large archive of photos from that time period which, thanks to the great effort of drummer and producer Twist Turner, have been scanned and appear on Twist's Facebook page. Over 300 priceless photos have been posted that include images of Johnny Littlejohn, Chico Chism, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Walter Horton, David Dee, Artie White, Tyrone Davis, Jimmy Johnson, The Staple Singers, Koko Taylor, Bob Koester, Big Moose Walker, Louis Myers, Lavelle White, Little Mack Simmons, Johnny Dollar, Sunnyland Slim, Carey Bell, and many more. To enjoy these photos and to take a trip back in time, click here and scroll down to photo albums. Thanks Jillina, for preserving these memories."

And thanks Twist for making them available!

Class Notes
  • Recital date announced: Friday, December 10 at the Harlem Avenue Lounge. As always, all Joe's group and private students are encouraged to perform. Due to travel schedules this fall, it is important for Joe to have your recital sign-up sheet much earlier than usual. Fill it out for him, whether you're playing or not, by October 18!
  • Shoji has a My Babe practice track available here.
- Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew