Blues on Center Stage

Blues, a music form that defines honesty in unforgettable ways, took center stage in Chicago last week.  Festivities and concerts were held in scores of venues north, south and west that celebrated all manifestations of the blues while commemorating the 50^th anniversary of Alligator Records.  Founded and still run by blues fan extraordinaire Bruce Iglauer, the label has evolved into something legendary.  Garnering every accolade possible for anyone who’s life calling is the blues and accumulating a pocketful of Grammy’s over the decades, Alligator has become the marquee label all blues artists respect and aspire to.   

Celebrations culminated in a blowout concert on the imminently versatile stage of the Pritzker Pavilion.  A magnet in the summer for showcasing the artistic talent of Chicago, the venue is at home just as much with the wails of the blues as it is with the grandeur of Bach.   Whatever the flavor of the entertainment, there are hordes of Chicagoans who not only appreciate but revel in all of its forms, ensuring the park is a blanket of humanity basking in the soothing powers of the arts.

Forged in the Mississippi Delta, Chicago really can’t lay claim to being the home of the blues even though it’s been highly influential in its proliferation.  Thanks to Mr. Iglauer and his late mentor Bob Koester of Delmark Records, the blues, as an art form, has had the chance to disseminate and spread throughout the nation and the world.  Many of its fans consider its truths so undeniable that it might as well be a religion.  Under the stars on another flawless summer night in Millennium Park, the salute to Alligator Records and Mr. Iglauer Saturday evening showed why.

Alligator Records has nurtured legions of astounding blues artists.  From Iglauer’s first favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, to Big Walter Horton, KoKo Taylor and current blues phenome Shemekia Copeland, the label looks for and promotes excellence.  A program paying tribute to Alligator’s impact could easily run days.  This one was compact, super-charged and highlighted the fact that much of the spectacular talent on display was homegrown. 

Opening with Nick Moss, a big guy with a great sound; we could see and hear how traditional blues are expressed in a 2021 context.  There was a lot of humor running through the lyrics of songs like his award winning Lucky Guy and the emotion he gets out of his guitar is nectar from blues heaven.  Moss and his crew provided an unassailable first course that prepped the palette for the exceptional.

Moss ended his set by calling Wayne Baker Brooks to join him onstage and turn up the heat.  The son of a pillar of Chicago blues, Lonnie Brooks, his offspring accomplished something of the unimaginable. Wielding a stunning midnight blue guitar and radiating a Latin chic in his choice of headgear; Brooks, the younger, dazzled with his musical virtuosity.  Performing his father’s Bewitched, which he helped compose, he commanded the stage with presence, power and real warmth.  Alternating between the poignancy you expect of the blues and the jubilation that you don’t, a theme was beginning to develop that would filter through the rest of the show.  It was a familiar one when it comes to the blues and had everything to do with a woman coming back home to her man.  It can be a desire, a plea or a command and have a thousand different sounds; many of them as wrenching in their honesty and as they are beautiful in their expression.

The blues have been electrified since the 30’s and never looked back.  Paired with a harmonica that can express the full emotional range of the human heart, and you’ve got magic.  The dialogue between the electric guitar and the harmonica swirled throughout the night.  Little Ed and the Imperials stood in the limelight for a while proving why their staying power is so fierce.  Featuring no less than three guitars and a set of killer drums, they ripped through a song line-up that was quintessential blues in every way.  Together since the 80’s, the band was as tight as they come.  When Billy Branch jumped in the mix with his harmonica and vocals, the audience was treated to one of those “you had to be there” moments that are always hard to forget. 

Seeing these artists perform live and in top form made for an enchanting evening of music.   Solid blues band the Cash Box Kings hailing from Wisconsin and featuring Chicago blues vocalist Oscar Wilson, were their usual exemplary selves when it was time bring the show home.  Wilson’s a natural whose voice defines the sound of the blues.  Even he had to take a backseat to a force of nature by the name of Shemekia Copeland.  Oozing charisma and confidence, Copeland’s It’s the Wine Talkin’ duet with Wilson was an exhilarating romp through innuendo.  But it was Copeland’s solo rendition of Ghetto Child that claimed the night.  Since her mic wouldn’t release from its stand, Copeland decided to forego its amplification, walk to the edge of stage and sing sans microphone to audience.  It was a bold expression of artistic freedom, chutzpah and trust in one’s natural gift.  The crowd adored her for the gesture.    

In Tune with the Blues

September 18, 2021

5:30pm

Millennium Park

Randolph & Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL   60610