On average I listen to roughly 4-5 hours of music every single day. It is what keeps me sane, although that has been the subject of some serious conjecture through the years.

This music consumption is for my own pleasure. Plain and simple…I couldn’t do this if I didn’t love it. With this in mind, much of this listening is of older material. With decades of history in the rhythm & blues field there is plenty to choose from and quite a huge variety from which to choose. Exploring this vast history one song and one album (CD) at a time is a lot of fun. It also gives me perspective when reviewing new material.

One of these brand-new recordings is by the greatest blues/soul singer with whom you are likely not familiar, Sonny Green. This 77-year-old has just released his debut album entitled Found! One Soul Singer. This CD is the subject of our Monthly Album Spotlight feature.

I encourage you to check out our Recommended Listening feature where brand new recordings are discussed.

Getting back to some old noise we have a very special edition of Charlie’s Re-Issue Rodeo.

A new entry to the Rodeo is a great compilation by the Ace Record label out of the U.K. It is entitled Dirty Work Going On: Kent & Modern Records Blues Into The 60’s Volume 1. As Dick Shurman points out in his wonderful liner notes, this music will “...evoke a time and place that feels increasingly remote." He goes on to tell us “...most of these sides never made it to vinyl and remained largely or completely unheard for over 60 years.”  

These 26 tracks are simply stunning. They include west coast bluesmen who in some cases are somewhat obscure to the biggest names in the blues field. Tracks by B.B. King and Big Jay McNeely for example are marvelous. Yet the big surprise, and some of the greatest moments, is the four numbers performed by T-Bone Walker. I was aware that these tracks existed, but by this time in his career, many of Walker’s recording were sub-par by his standards. This is not the case here.

With no session logs, blues fans have to use their ears to figure out who is backing the various artists. Not surprisingly the common denominator on many of these songs is Maxwell Davis. It is the consummate arranger and tenor sax man who, it is strongly suggested by Shurman, accompanies T-Bone Walker on the Hammond B3. These are some of the most exiting tracks of Walker’s career. I sat in this very chair and cried upon hearing the first few notes. For a blues fan like me, this is like finding the holy grail.

Volume 2 of this series has just been released. It is entitled If I Have To Wreck L.A.: Kent & Modern Recordings Blues Into The 60’s. It is another wonderful exploration into the sounds of the overlooked and mostly forgotten Los Angeles blues.

We have had another record-breaking year of wild fires here in California. Our country has faced racially fueled civil unrest. We have seen peaceful protests being broken up by Trump’s goon squads. There was Trump’s performance during the Presidential debate, which was horrific by any measurable standards. It ranged from downright embarrassing to all Americans to frightening to those who aren’t members of the cult of Trump. All of this with the worst pandemic in 100 years as a backdrop to the Presidential race. Then the shocking, albeit understandably predictable news that Trump has tested positive for the novel corona virus. How this latest revelation plays itself out is anybody’s guess. What we do know for sure is that we won’t get a straight answer from the White House. Mixed messaging, obfuscation and flat-out bold-faced lies have always been standard operating procedure for the Trump administration. There is absolutely no reason to believe that this won't continue. 

Given all of these things, there have been times over the past few months that I get the feeling that what we do around here at BLUES JUNCTION can seem trivial. With all the suffering and uncertainty that this year has brought I sometimes wonder do people really want to read about music? Then I think of listening to that T-Bone Walker original Hey Hey Baby and my visceral reaction to hearing that song for the first time.

Most importantly I think of all the blues musicians who have had their livelihoods ripped from their grasps by this pandemic. The live performing aspect of their careers has been put on hold for the moment. That synergetic connection they have with their audiences is gone. They still are able to put out recorded music, although they can’t sell their product off of the bandstand obviously. We urge you to check out the music you read about here in BLUES JUNCTION. Remember by clicking on the album cover art you will be taken directly to Bluebeat Music. Support these artists by buying their music. Support the retail infrastructure, which like a lot of things these days is hanging on by a thread.

While visiting with my mother earlier this summer, while she was in hospice, she thought she had detected tears welling up in my eyes. She was probably right and gave me very explicit instructions which I followed. She said, “DON’T CRY!” She seemed very adamant about this. I followed her instructions up until T-Bone Walker opened the flood gates. She understood music and would have understood my emotional response to it.

Thank you all for understanding as well. Enjoy these and the other features we have cooked up for you here in October. Don’t forget to enjoy the articles, essays, editorials and other pieces in our rather voluminous Archive section.

As you know we are 100% reader supported, independent and advertising free. Thanks to our supporters and subscribers. It is also great to hear from our readers; thanks to all of you for your kind words and encouragement. It means more to me than I can express.

Be well and be in touch.

- David Mac

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