Album of the month

In 1962 two German promoters, Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau, sensed a commercial opportunity to present a yearly blues package tour to European audiences that would run for the next nine years and then have a renaissance in the eighties. They brought over a collection of some of the finest African American blues musicians on the USA scene. Legendary names over the years included T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, Son House and Skip James. These blues performers were transplanted from performing in loud American neighborhood bars and plunged into playing in concert halls and theaters designed for hosting operas and classical music concerts with perfectly designed acoustics and silent and sophisticated European audiences. These audiences would sit stony faced, dressed up for an up-market concert experience sitting silently and focusing on the stage and concentrating on every single note sung and played by each artist – like they would an opera singer, orchestra or string quartet. All the artists got a rapturous reception, but in the 1963 tour one artist stood out above the rest, for the critics and the audiences alike. The undisputed star of the show was blues harmonica master Sonny Boy Williamson. When we look at the video footage today, some of these classic blues artists noticeably struggle to relax and work the highly formalised situation and with much less volume but far more detail than a bar gig would require. Not Sonny Boy, Sonny Boy flourished in these conditions. He captivated these huge, sophisticated and deadly quiet audiences by holding back when playing and singing. When he performed it wasn’t a just thoughtless surge of incredible musical talent. The spine-chilling musical magic came from the knife edge tension he created by restraining himself and trying to play as few notes as possible but infusing each note with as much musical thought and sensitivity (rhythmical, textural, dynamic, tonal and emotional) as he could. He seemed, when performing, to be as much trying to fascinate himself as fascinate the audience and all the while hiding this complexity behind a couldn’t care less attitude – a classic ironical double bluff that the audience was subtly informed of by the not unaware glint in his eye.  His approach was described by no less than The Sunday Times as “Perfect artistry” and by a European newspaper reviewer from Strasbourg described him as “Homo Ludens (the spirit of play) in human form”. Sonny Boy stayed on in Europe after the tour had finished and continued working across Europe with the trio of pianist Memphis Slim, guitarist Matt Guitar Murphy and drummer Billie Stepney. In November 1963 all of Sonny Boy’s artistic qualities described above, and more, were captured in a marathon recording session for Denmark’s Storyville Records in the Copenhagen studio of sound engineer Ivar Rosenberg which was located in a small cinema. I think they recorded about 19 tracks in one evening which were split over several releases during the following years and the critics went wild at the time – Paul Oliver, the famous Blues writer, considered the recordings Sonny Boy’s best, and there were rave reviews in the British Jazz and Blues magazines. The best compilation of the recordings was by Bruce Igluaer of Alligator Records who called his release in the early 1990s “Keep It To Ourselves”. It has since been described as one of the best sounding blues records of all time and had audiophile releases on 200g vinyl. I first heard Sonny Boy’s harmonica introduction to the album’s first track, ‘The Sky Is Crying’, when I was nineteen years old I got shivers and was captivated by the intimate musical and emotional detail of the whole album. This is an up close album with the feel and dynamics of classical chamber music or low volume jazz reflecting the live experience of what was being played in the concert halls.

One evening in 1984 or 85 my father came home with this album – Albert King ‘New Orleans Heat’. He told me he had heard it on the radio late at night and had to get it because he loved the song he had heard ‘The Feeling’. I was 14 or 15 and already developed a rising interest in Blues. As a guitar playing teenager in the mid 80’s naturally my main blues guitar hero was Stevie Ray Vaughan but I guess this Albert King album opened the door for me into the real deal guys like Otis Rush, Little Milton, Jimmy Johnson and others. Why this late 70’s mix of deep Blues and lush, funky arrangements struck a chord with a German teenager – I don’t know. I guess you don’t choose your taste in music – it just happens when you can connect to it.  I spent many hours jamming to ‘New Orleans Heat’ in my room and I think it influenced my style of playing and my taste in blues music to this day although I was also strongly into Texas guitar players and Jump Blues in my twenties. Albert King to me is like a slow driving Ferrari. You can feel the immense power and energy but he doesn’t have to prove it – it’s there all the time. The „Velvet Bulldozer“ also had the fitting authority for his mostly no-nonsense song material. Albert King’s singing and playing was always strong and relaxed at the same time. He never overplayed but very rarely he did fire from all cylinders and showed everybody how it’s done with just a few notes.

‘Beware of the Dog’ to me is a masterpiece where every note is infused with pure raw blues energy. The album touches me deep in my soul and brings back a lot of memories. The electrifying opening track “Give Me Back My Wig” immediately sets the right tone. The raw, unpolished sounds of Hound Dog Taylor’s guitar grab attention and weave a story of passion and authenticity. His unique playing style, characterized by raw slide guitar and intense, emotional vocals, immediately plunge you into the depth of his musical expression. Other highlights of the album include: “Let’s Get Funky,” “Comin’ Around The Mountain,” “It’s Allright” and “Freddies Blues. Each song feels like a voyage of discovery within the blues world, with Hound Dog Taylor making his own mark with his idiosyncratic guitar playing that is complemented by the tight rhythm section of Brewer Phillips & Ted Harvey, which propels the music with an irresistible energy. What makes the album truly remarkable is the unpolished, spontaneous live atmosphere it exudes. It instantly transports you to a sultry intimate blues club. This creates a unique listening experience that stimulates the senses and evokes a profound appreciation for the raw beauty of blues culture. ‘Beware of the Dog’ is not just another album: it is a musical treasure that transcends time. It has the power to awaken emotions, evoke memories and send you reeling on the waves of timeless blues. Hound Dog Taylor’s legacy lives on in this masterpiece, and it remains a source of joy and inspiration for anyone who opens up to the power of sincere music. So it was this album that inspired me to record my own Hound Dog Taylor Tribute. Thus, the following songs come from ‘Beware Of The Dog’: ‘Give Me Back My Wig’, ‘Let’s Get Funky’ and ‘Freddie’s Blues’. I very much enjoyed the live shows I got to play with Richard van Bergen and King Berik, where we wanted to bring back the raw energetic music experience of Hound Dog Taylor. Our second album “How How How How” was also completely inspired by the music and energy of Hound Dog Taylor. Beware Of The Dog: highly recommended!

Almost 20 years old and living in rooms for the first time. One room to be exact, but using the common kitchen and shower. After two weeks of tasting this immeasurable freedom, an unexpected phone call came. “Father here, I’m coming to see you.” Fright, excitement, but fun. Quickly cleaned up the mess. Two weeks of frank and free living had now turned the room into an amazingly large mess. Where is the laundry basket? Hm, I don’t have one. Then everything under the bed. The bottle of cologne mother gave me came in handy in this one. Father came in with a huge box. “Here Leendert, I’m sure you can put this to good use.” The box bulged with cans of canned goods and home-made preserves. That whole week I ate canned soup, green beans and hachee. The box was still almost full after this week but I threw it all in the trash. It must all have spoiled after about seven days, I thought. Only much later did I understand the concept of canned food. Canned and preserved vegetables last for years. Oops, mistake. I never dared tell Dad. Thinking you already know a lot. It was the same way with music. The Stones, Zeppelin, Hendrix, I knew it all. Also, by now I had a real pickup with about 50/ 60 records. My collection was already quite something. But did you really know that much? No, of course not. The great voyage of discovery had only just begun. Fortunately. Our landlord – a tad eccentric, but oh so sweet man – was a bit older than us and played very different music during dinner cooking than we were used to. Admittedly, at first I ignored his musical tastes but gradually I began to understand a little more. Not long after that came the big hit. Landlord Joop was playing music I had never heard before. Music that from then on changed everything. Music that was nothing like the rock, blues and pop I was used to. On the turntable was the LP “Bongo Fury” by Frank Zappa. A live record from 1975 with a guest appearance by the legendary Captain Beefhart. Totally unknown territory for me. Well, I knew the name Zappa from a Top 40 hit, but that penny hadn’t dropped yet. But now this record! Totally absurd but also very catchy music that had me completely in its grip. I wanted to hear more of this. Quickly went to the store and bought the LP. For weeks that thing was on the pickup. After work, playing it right away, the a and b sides, one after the other. Sound at 10. My roommates didn’t like it as much but then that was too bad. They just had to get used to my new love. In the months and years that followed I bought just about everything by Zappa. The man became my hero. Also went to two concerts. They are my fondest memories. For the layman, this is somewhat difficult to understand. Zappa`s music is often not very accessible, but if you take your time and are open to it, a world will open up for you. My musical world opened up with “Bongo Fury. The record that turned everything upside down. The record that had malingering with everything that belonged in music. The record that has been so important to me. Thank you Joop, I hope you are doing well. “Music is the best” FZ    

When I was about 14 in the early 1980s, I had a cassette tape with Prince’s music on it, the song Purple Rain. I also knew from the magazines pictures of him dressed in purple with wide blouse, collar and puff sleeves, the fashion at that time. It had something Hendrix-like about it that I had also seen in pictures but I didn’t know his music then. Actually, I was confusing two artists. Now my brother played in a band and with its drummer I was talking about that Prince cassette tape. I said to him ‘This is a nice song by Prince but I think his name used to be Jimi Hendrix’ to which the drummer said that Jimi Hendrix made very different music. ‘Give me that cassette tape and I’ll put Jimi Hendrix music on the rest of it.’This became the album The Jimi Hendrix Concerts. I bought this record myself shortly afterwards. I played a little guitar myself but after hearing this album I thought ‘what the hell is this?’The record was recorded live with all that feedback, and banging against the amp, smashing the amps and with songs like I Don’t Live Today and Red House. That last song starts out as blues but ends up very wild on the record. I didn’t understand it at all, live and then so rough and crude But the more I listened, I found this quite different and wonderful. Especially the song Little Wing, what a sound, full-bodied! This tasted like more and then I also bought Are You Experienced? This was a studio album and a bit more manageable and easier to sort out as a guitarist but by then I was already captivated by live performances of Hendrix. And I’ve always loved him. A word about the album, its cover is a true work of art, a painting with vague outlines in yellow and blue but unmistakably the image of Jimi with his guitar.  

It was usually in the middle of the night, around 4 a.m. or so. For the first few seconds, which seemed like minutes, I didn’t remember exactly where I was or what time it really was. Beside my bed, the green, orange and red lights of the equalizer on my stereo still danced up and down full of energy. As in my now tired ears Freddy King sings “If you keep trying you’ll make it through” and his guitar playing continues to echo, I realize that by now it is time to turn off the music and go to sleep without headphones on my head. Tomorrow is another day. And assume that’s another day where ‘Freddy King – His Early Years’ will be played. In my late teens I found out about the existence of blues through Jimi Hendrix. An uncle of mine was a musician and he had recorded a number of records on cassette tapes, including this compilation LP of Freddie King: His Early Years. And in no time I was obsessed with old blues in which the early recordings of Muddy Waters and Freddy King were at the top of my rankings. I had just picked up the guitar again after years of illness had prevented me from playing.And Freddy’s howling, screaming vocals that he perfectly interspersed with those pointed and then screaming, howling notes on his guitar fit that period perfectly. And if there was one goal in my life, it was to learn to play guitar like Freddy. And so I decided to brainwash myself by putting the cassette tape of Freddy King – His Early Years back on repeat at night and falling asleep to the beautiful sounds of this giant.

The Soul of Blues Harmonica from 1964 (Chess) by Big Walter “Shakey” Horton was the first record that has been very important for my harmonica playing. His melodic way of playing is what touched me. I saw Walter live at the Blues Estafette in Utrecht in 1981. Very impressive and I was floored. No photos were allowed of him I can remember. He was particularly bothered by the flash light. I was there with Klaas Vermeulen (harmonica player friend, who died on 27 November 2020) and Rien and Marion Wisse of the then Blues Magazine Block. Easy is one of Big Walter’s songs that I still play (derived from Ivory Joe Hunter’s ‘l Almost lost My mind’, which was recorded by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis. Big Walter Horton’s melodic way of playing is what appeals to me so much, his influences come from the music of his time and that can be heard, such as Bigband and Jazz bands. Easy also features on my CD ‘Gait’, released in 2010. I can recommend everyone to have a listen to that.

Why this album? And not an old blues hero, like ‘John Lee Hooker’ or ‘Muddy Waters’? This album is for me the best blues album of today! It is a solo album and also an acoustic album. Two things I stand for myself and as icing on the cake also live…. The perfection of not being perfect at all is perfection to me! His ‘National’ guitar sounds so pure and direct, his voice is not yet lubricated… Ian puts on something very special this afternoon. He is on top form, his playing is pure raw and full of passion. The setlist this afternoon is fantastic, from old blues classics to Gospel, supplemented with his own work. He chats it all up with great stories and anecdotes. The album was recorded by the BBC, live at the Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 31, 2013. “THE concert you should have been at!” Thank goodness this live album was made of it. I’m sure there are now more people who claim to have attended this concert than were actually there…that’s how it works: “Oh yes I was there that night, it was unprecedentedly good!” The album begins with the song “The Silver Spurs,” right in with an uptempo blues. You can hear him sigh and support not yet played hot at all. He sets it the way you want to hear it and then his voice comes, this one breaks and it’s perfect. So the songs follow each other and after the 3rd song you are there, that afternoon in October. So the songs follow each other and after the 3rd song you are there, that afternoon in October. Sweat is running through your living room speakers and the smell of alcohol and cigarettes from the night before permeate your nostrils like incense. With the announcement of the last song, an 1850’s Traditional “Hard Times” by Stephen Foster (a great songwriter from the 1800’s), the album is over… All that remains is, “If only I had been there on that afternoon in October 2013 in London!” Happy listening!    

When I received this request to name my favourite/most important LP, chaos immediately ensued in my head. Help! Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Howlin’ Wolf (very audibly present), Ray Charles, Robert Wilkins, Snooks Eaglin, Otis Rush all reported as my favourite…Van Morrison dealt out a few hefty shoves left and right, because he was my favourite, wasn’t he? What about Hank Williams, and Steve Winwood? No, I’m not going to come out of this, there is stupidly too much good music made. Favourite band then? Stones, Duke Ellington, The Band, Little Feat (Oh yes, Lowell George… was also among them. How he sings Long distance love, so beautiful). And now I’ve certainly not mentioned 10 other “favourites”…. In short, I’m going to limit myself to an LP that actually turned me on to singing the blues as a 15-year-old. Then, admittedly, another choice-stress moment immediately presents itself. I was gripped by the blues in the way it was known at the time (and I am talking about the mid/late 60s): through the Dutch and English blues bands. And then through their sources of inspiration. I was particularly fond of (and also a bit in love with Eelco Gelling) the LP Greetings from Grolloo by Cuby & the Blizzards, in the line-up at the time, also with Herman Brood. The song Somebody will know someday was the absolute favourite, with that beautiful piano part and masterful solo by Eelco. But then John Lee Hooker came into my life. I had been playing guitar myself for quite some time but at that age I actually preferred to sing, and the song that actually made me become a blues singer was on an LP by John Lee Hooker. That was Something Else for a while: that voice, those hypnotic guitar licks. I discovered that I could play quite a blues scheme, and one of my favourite songs was “I’m in the mood” on that particular record. This was what I wanted to be able to do, make music with that intensity! Of course, at first only in my room…. 5 years later, at age 20, I was asked by Barrelhouse and that same song became the successful final song of our gigs for a very long time. Of course in a really exciting Barrelhouse arrangement…. So, hence the choice of: John Lee Hooker Anthology du Blues No.4 ! Also check out young John Lee Hooker on Youtube with Serves me right to suffer from 1969 and you’ll see what I mean….  

The LP that most influenced me as a guitarist is (almost naturally for a blues/rock guitarist of my generation) “John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. Also called the Beano album because Clapton is reading the comic book of the same name on the cover. This LP was at our house because my (much) older brothers bought and played this and many other blues records So I don’t want to talk so much about this album but rather about Freddie King’s 1971 LP ‘Getting Ready’. Because that was the 1st LP I bought myself and it had at least as much influence on my career as the Beano album. Although my aforementioned brothers also had Freddie King records, that was mainly material from the early 60s. Only much later, by the way, did I discover that people like Clapton, Richards, Beck, Hendrix had also listened to these records and derived a lot of inspiration from them. In the early 1970s I lived in my hometown of Assen and was in high school there. I did make music with friends and/or classmates back then. In those days bands regularly performed in the theater De Kolk in Assen (now DNK; at the same location but renovated). Of course Cuby & the Blizzards but also Living Blues and others. It must have been around 1972 that Freddie King was programmed. Actually I had no idea what to expect, but with some music friends we went to De Kolk. And I have not regretted it to this day. Perhaps the most impressive concert I have ever seen Now in my case that is not so difficult because I am not exactly a concert-goer. Anyway…to be confronted with such American showmanship at that age, in the early seventies of the last century, in a provincial town like Assen…mindblowing. The band began to play. All black musicians except for the white 2nd guitarist..and then Freddie King came on. 2 meters tall, one meter wide and one meter deep in my experience and the guitar pruning and pruning hard. At the end of the show he put his Gibson ES in the neck while he kept looking at the audience. Compared to Freddie’s head, that guitar looked like a ukulele. And his voice…devastatingly good. So full of soul and blues. So yes…not surprising that the next day I rushed to the record store (where De Koppelpaarden café now sits) and bought the record ‘Getting Ready’ and plucked it out note by note, as I had done with the Beano album. There were more of those, by the way: Gary Moore, Eddie van Halen to name a few. I still have the record …full of scratches from putting the needle back over and over again to pick out a guitar piece.