VA - 17th Annual Blues Masters At The Crossroads: 6 Performance Collection (2015) [DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]

Blues Masters at the Crossroads. A global audience returns year-after-year to worship the blues at Blue Heaven Studios in Salina, Kansas. For the first time Analogue Productions presenting six sets recorded live in 2014 at Blues Masters at the Crossroads October 17-18. And it's the first live blues concert recorded entirely in Direct Stream Digital. Includes the sets by Rip Lee Pryor, Moreland & Arbuckle, Joe Beard+Lazy Lester, George Brock, Marquise Knox and his band, Sonny Green, and none-other than the soul-blues belter Mighty Sam McClain.

Chad Kassem and the entire cast and crew are to be commended for bringing us this lovely concert. An annual event produced by Acoustic Sounds, Blues At The Crossroads brings together great blues musicians with blues music lovers in Salina, Kansas for two days of righteous blues and soul. This is music without peer: Blues mud and jam band rhythm; gospel and blues meets Memphis soul; sizzling harp; fresh, confident songwriting; powerful old-style soul, and more! First-class musicianship - a great horn section, intricate guitar work and soaring vocals.

Rip's childhood was wrapped in rhythmic blues; his adult life focused on career success. Like his dad, Rip blows a mean harmonica. But, this Pryor is his own man - carrying on his dad's tradition while creating a new one. With an acoustic guitar, harmonica rack and an amplified foot, he's a one-man band kicking off the show. Pryor toured for a time, years ago with his father, and set out to hone his own career. He retired from a job in carpentry, battled cancer, then returned full-time to the music scene in 2011. An all-around man, Pryor's songwriting is fresh and his confident use of a few of his dad's songs helps cement his ties to the early days of post-war blues. Rip Lee Pryor looks an awful lot like his old man, the renowned bluesman Snooky Pryor. Snooky, long-time Blues Masters concert historians will recall, was the closing act for the very first Blues Masters Sept. 18 and 19, 1998. Needless to say, that family connection is special to us and having Rip in the 2014 Blues Masters lineup was special.

Tracklist:

01 - Introduction
02 - Crazy 'Bout You, Baby
03 - Hold Me In Your Arms
04 - Nobody But Me
05 - Pitch A Boogie Woogie
06 - Lonesome
07 - One Way Out
08 - Keep It To Yourself
09 - You Gotta Move
10 - Sloppy Drunk

Recorded in DSD on October 17, 2014 at The Crossroads.

Aaron Moreland and Dustin Arbuckle are Kansas homeboys. They describe themselves as "Roots Rock from the Heartland" and boy, do they deliver! The pair, from Wichita, came back to play Blues Masters 2014 and they tore it up with their new drummer. One leg deep in blues mud and the other in jam band rhythms, they crushed musical genres at the old church. Singer and harp man Dustin Arbuckle first met guitarist Aaron Moreland at an open mic jam in Wichita in 2001. Since then, they've been honing a relentless and haunting sound that merges Delta blues, folk, rock, traditional country and soul. The duo is actually most often booked as a three-piece, with new drummer Kendall Newby holding it down. Arbuckle takes the vocals and brings a throw-back-styled, rich-toned harmonica. Moreland plays all kinds of guitars, including a handcrafted cigar box model. The band made their way through 10 songs in this set — six of them their own, including the raw, garage blues opening track "Quivira" on their 2013 album for Telarc, 7 Cities. These bearded men offer up a range from sensitive — "Wrong I Do," "Red Moon" — to raucous — "Juke," and "The Legend of John Henry." They can't hold back and soon rip up the stage, blowing the reeds out of the harp and popping strings on the guitar. Touring with George Thorogood, ZZ Top, and Los Lonely Boys, they clearly learned how to make noise and have a rocking good time!

Tracklist:

01 - Wrong I Do
02 - Red Moon Rising
03 - Can't Leave Well Enough Alone
04 - Don't Wake Me
05 - Quivira
06 - Mount Comfort
07 - 18 Counties
08 - Juke
09 - Mona
10 - Legend of John Henry

Recorded in DSD on October 17, 2014 at The Crossroads.

This Friday night Blues Masters set is as good as it gets — and it gets pretty damn good in Salina when Blues Masters comes along. These three headliners are backed by young superstar, Marquise Knox and his pal, drummer Mike Battle. Bobby Bland's long-time bass player, Loui Villery sits in, keeping rock-solid time. Born and raised in Ashland, Mississippi, guitarist Joe Beard was surrounded by aspiring and veteran blues musicians. Matt "Guitar" Murphy and his brother Floyd were Beard's childhood buddies and his guitar inspiration. Beard moved to Rochester, New York, in the mid-1950s but time spent visiting his brothers in Chicago enamored him of the blues. Beard — always classy and understated — sings two of his own songs. It's over far too quickly, but he has more time on Saturday evening so it's just a teaser. Lester walks on stage and instantly connects with the audience; he's making jokes and can't wait to perform. Working with Knox, who has been by his side all day, Lester launches into some of his older tunes recorded for Excello. Big George Brock is Knox' cousin — although the one-time youthful boxer has many decades on Knox. His eyesight is fading but his thick harp playing and growl are in great shape as he conjures up Muddy and the Wolf. Youth was a factor in these timeless bluesmen's lives as they learned their craft. His father bought him a harmonica when Brock was 9 years old and by age 12 he was performing at Saturday night fish fries with friends Lee Kizart and Big Jack Johnson. Knox is still only in his early 20s. Hands down there's no other young bluesman who's worked with more of the masters — Henry Townsend, Brock, Pinetop Perkins, Michael Burks; Lester and more. Lester, born Leslie Johnson, as a boy growing up near Baton Rouge, worked at a grocery store, where he purchased a harmonica and Little Walter's famous "Juke" record. Lester learned to blow harp and strum his brother's guitar. Renowned for his harp work today, he loves to take up the acoustic guitar at every opportunity.

Tracklist:

01 - Joe Beard - Introductions
02 - Joe Beard - Reap What You Sow
03 - Joe Beard - When I Get Drunk
04 - Lazy Lester - Blues Stop Knockin'
05 - Lazy Lester - Patrol Blues
06 - Big George Brock & Marquise Knox - Instrumental Introduction
07 - Big George Brock & Marquise Knox - Two Trains Running
08 - Big George Brock & Marquise Knox - Killing Floor
09 - Big George Brock & Marquise Knox - Hoochie Coochie Man
10 - Big George Brock & Marquise Knox - You Don't Have To Go

Recorded in DSD on October 17, 2014 at The Crossroads.

Marquise Knox is so at ease on a stage, it's hard to believe that he's still only in his early 20s. Knox has worked with the masters — Henry Townsend, his cousin Big George Brock, Pinetop Perkins, Michael Burks, Lazy Lester and on and on. And, Knox says that he was born too early to meet all of his heroes — so he studies videos of Wolf, Muddy and anyone else he missed. This excerpt from Here I Am's liner notes says it best. "When you listen to Marquise — 19 years old when he recorded this title — you get the sense that this is what those masters must have sounded like as young men." Marquise's blues are so transparent and bare. It's so easy to feel his music as totally legitimate. The St. Louis blues prodigy has been rocking stages in his hometown and hitting the road hard, playing blues and folk festival dates in places like the Calgary International Blues Festival; Lowell, Mass.; Quincy Ill.; Clearwater, Fla., and many more. He writes most of his own material — occasionally getting the spirit when he's in front of the microphone. That's how "Throwing Away The Key" came about. He got pinched by the Salina cops on an unpaid traffic citation, in 2013. Here, Knox is working with a bunch of blues veterans for the first time. And, what a band. Led by Loui Villery, Bobby Bland's long-time sidemen readily accept Knox as bandleader and get right at it. For those of us present to hear Knox offer up "Clock On The Wall" or "Me and Myself Alone," it's history in the making.

Tracklist:

01 - Walking The Dog
02 - No Difference In You And I
03 - Shake That Thing
04 - Throwing Away The Key
05 - Spoken Intro
06 - Clock On The Wall
07 - Feel Like Going Home
08 - I'm Getting Wiser Every Day
09 - Me And Myself Alone
10 - The Thrill Is Gone

Recorded in DSD on October 17, 2014 at The Crossroads.

The three sets presented here demonstrate the range of musical talent showcased at Blues Masters at the Crossroads. Gentleman Joe Beard has logged a lot of miles from Mississippi to Rochester, New York, and all over the world. Beard used to woodshed with his neighbor, Son House, in Rochester. Joined by Lazy Lester — a blues legend who comes from the Southwest, loping, Louisiana tradition — the two instantly connect. Lester is renowned for his harp work but he loves to play acoustic guitar and it comes out before he leaves the stage. Finally, Sonny Green represents yet another world of roots music. He sang his way from his native, Monroe, Louisiana, to Los Angeles where he keeps deep, old-school soul alive. Beard has been around the Blues Masters gig before and he's been hanging out with Marquise Knox and Lester in the dining room for hours. Knox and Lester play music while Beard sits quietly — occasionally smiling at what the two men are putting down. On stage, Beard's set — first alone with just his guitar and his voice — is powerful. His long fingers work the strings and he sings gently into the microphone — finding his way through each song. "New York Woman" is his own and he soon owns Jimmy Reed's "Where Can You Be?" as well, joined by Lester. For the last three songs, Lester takes over alone on stage with an acoustic guitar. He offers up "Ya Ya," a favorite for anyone who has caught a set in the past. Sonny Green's appearance at the church is his first. His wife and daughter are along and sitting in the front row. The band, led by Loui Villery, is spectacular. This band backed the late Bobbby Bland for years; Green's set is dedicated to Bland — songs the master made famous. Though he hasn't worked with the band except for their sound check, the set is flawless.

Tracklist:

01 - Joe Beard - Introduction
02 - Joe Beard - New York Woman
03 - Joe Beard - Where Can You Be?
04 - Joe Beard - No More Cherry Rose
05 - Joe Beard & Lazy Lester - You're Something Else
06 - Lazy Lester - Nothing But The Devil
07 - Lazy Lester - My Home Is A Prison
08 - Lazy Lester - Ya-Ya
09 - Sonny Green - Introduction
10 - Sonny Green - Instrumental Introduction
11 - Sonny Green - Spoken Intro
12 - Sonny Green - That's The Way Love Is
13 - Sonny Green - Stormy Monday
14 - Sonny Green - St. James Infirmary
15 - Sonny Green - I'll Take Care Of You
16 - Sonny Green - Further On Up The Road
17 - Sonny Green - Ain't That Loving You?
18 - Sonny Green - Down Home Blues

Recorded in DSD on October 18, 2014 at The Crossroads.

Mighty Sam McClain got in late for the gig in Salina — hungry and tired. But, it was a homecoming of sorts and he was clearly pleased to be back. He'd been to Blue Heaven before for a recording session with Weepin' Willie Robinson and Susan Tedeschi, and he loved singing in the old church. And, he knew that he was going to see his grade school friend, singer Sonny Green, for the first time in about 50 years. As a kid, McClain followed Green into Melvin Underwood's band in their hometown of Monroe, Louisiana — first singing back-up while Green handled lead vocals and later taking over when Green left the band. McClain, at 5 years old, began singing in his mother's gospel church. He left home when he was 13 and followed R&B guitarist Underwood through the Chitlin' circuit. Throughout McClain's more than 50-year career, he has experienced everything from being homeless to being nominated for a Grammy Award. Still going strong at age 71, McClain's 2012 impressive album Too Much Jesus (not Enough Whiskey) garnered a nomination for Soul Blues Album of the Year from the Blues Foundation for the Blues Music Awards ( formerly W.C. Handy Awards), Song of the Year for the title track and a nomination for Mighty Sam as Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year. A Mighty Sam performance is always emotional. He takes church with him wherever he goes and this was a double dose. Saturday evening the gig got heavy quickly. McClain watched Green perform and then took the stage without a full band — just McClain's vocals, a keyboard, and guitar. Gospel meets the blues, delivering messages of hope and love. The set ends when Acoustic Sounds owner Chad Kassem encourages a reluctant Sonny Green, sitting near the front of the stage, to join his friend. The two take on "The Thrill is Gone," smiling throughout.

Tracklist:

01 - Introduction
02 - Witness
03 - Why Do We Have to Say Goodbye
04 - Don't Wanna Be
05 - Real Thing
06 - Please Mr. Foreman
07 - Respect Yourself
08 - Thank You
09 - The Thrill Is Gone

Recorded in DSD on October 18, 2014 at The Crossroads.


NOTE: Hi-Res FLAC version have been carefully converted from DSD.
Thanks to the Original customer!