Welcome to the July edition of BLUES JUNCTION. This is the month that America celebrates its birthday by shooting fireworks into the sky. That seems about right. We have parades, baseball games, picnics and barbeques. I dig all of that. We also can celebrate America’s most enduring and beloved export, the quintessential American music, the blues. We celebrate this every single day here at the JUNCTION, so no big deal...right? I kind of think it is a big deal. When I hear this music being played with style and verve it makes me very happy. 

This past 4^th of July our country did in fact have something to celebrate...progress. Last month saw Confederate flags come down while rainbow flags were being raised. Since we are a flag waving people, this constitutes kind of a big deal in the symbolism wars.

Something that truly is not a big deal, but I feel incumbent to mention is one of the biggest “whoop-dee-freaking-do” moments of the new millennium. That is the decision to have the official release dates of new music move from Tuesdays to Fridays. This titanic news wasn’t driven by the sales of blues records, but the idea that the very second music, especially digital downloads, are made availalable that they can be accessed by everyone on the planet in the same day. This decision was made months ago and goes into effect this month. For the record (no pun intended) I wasn’t consulted. So to summarize, and of course editorialize at the same time, an industry that has no standards has a new industry standard. I hope this underscores and helps to illuminate my “whoop-dee-freaking-do” comment earlier.

We have a whole batch of new and soon to be released CDs featured in the Recommended Listening portion of our site. As always Charlie Lange gave me a hand with some of the selections.

Also, we have a wonderful new recording featured on our Monthly Album Spotlight. It is a brand new CD by Wee Willie Walker and it is just stunning. The album’s co-producer Rick Estrin was kind enough to share with our readers his thoughts on this project.

I urge you to visit the newest and very popular ongoing feature entitled, Re-Visited. This month we examine a relatively new 2 CD box set entitled Little Junior Parker Ride With Me Baby: The Singles 1952-1961. These are true paradise platters.

We are also proud to introduce to our readers a band out of Milan, Italy, who are part of that small, but dedicated worldwide contingent of musicians playing early electric, post war Chicago blues. The name of the band is Jesus On a Tortilla. Read about these young dedicated musicians in the piece entitled Jesus On a Tortilla: The Band. In doing my research on this band, I came across several newspaper articles and related stories
about folks across Texas (where else) who actually saw the face of Jesus on their bean
blankets. I thought I would share my thoughts on this wonderful slice of Americana in a piece entitled Jesus On a Tortilla: The Phenomenon.

Austin, Texas, is not only a city where a well documented Jesus on a tortilla sighting has taken place, it is also the long time home of one of the most prolific blues musicians of his generation, Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff. A couple of weeks ago I caught up with the man who has participated in some of the most renowned recordings, with the most acclaimed musicians in the blues. He has a brand new album out on The Vizztone label with his band The Texas Horns, entitled, Blues Gotta Hold of Me. Enjoy a conversation with Kaz.

Our Monthly Artist Spotlight feature comes by way of Houston, Texas, the great Jewel Brown. She has an incredible story to tell which includes a long stint as a featured vocalist with Louis Armstrong right up to her 2012 album on Eddie Stout’s Dialtone Records which features not only guitarist Milton Hopkins, but Kaz on tenor sax. She has a brand new album on Eddie’s new imprint Dynaflow Records entitled Roller Coaster Boogie. The album was recorded with a swinging big band in Japan called Bloodest Saxophone.

I also wrote an editorial. Your thoughts on that are not only welcome, but encouraged.

Thanks always for your loyal readership which continues to grow at an alarming rate. When I began this endeavor a few years ago I had no idea that there this many discerning blues fans out there. One day alone last month 504 new readers came through the JUNCTION. I welcome you to our little corner of the cyber world. One of our new readers who is a musician from Buenos Aires, turned me on to the band Jesus On A Tortilla who are featured in this month’s ezine. Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions.

Enjoy the July edition of BLUES JUNCTION and as always, be well and be in touch.

-    - David Mac