B.B. King: One Kind Favor

Though he's created some of the most essential, elemental blues in musical history, B.B. King has never shied away from exploring different directions, and some might say he's occasionally ventured too far afield. ONE KIND FAVOR should silence those doubters; with the help of superproducer T-Bone Burnett's roots noir approach, it finds King delivering gritty, impassioned interpretations of the tunes that influenced him in the 1950s. From his soulful, syncopated take on Blind Lemon Jefferson's country blues classic "See That My Grave is Kept Clean" to the Chicago-style stomping takeover of the Mississippi Sheiks' "The World Is Gone Wrong," King proves that at the age of 82 he can still turn out fiery, energetic music as undeniably vital as anything being produced by artists a third of his age.

B.B. King Museum Grand Opening

Blues giant B.B. King will christen the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Miss., September 13 and 14 and just released a new CD. Get more info at the website.

B.B. King - Premier Collection

As part of Acrobat Music’s U.S. label launch, B.B. King’s B.B. King & His Orchestra Live will be released October 21, 2008, marking the recording’s first availability in the U.S. The album was recorded in January 1983 in Cannes during the international music industry gathering known as MIDEM. The concert, sponsored by Kool, was held at the Palais des Congres, where King shared the stage with Dave Brubeck Quartet and Pat Matheny.

B.B. King & His Orchestra Live presents many of King’s hits and standards recorded under the band directorship of Calvin Owens. King and famous guitar Lucille and the band were in top form on such hits as “Why I Sing the Blues,” “The Thrill is Gone,” “Everyday I Have the Blues,” “Sweet Little Angel,” and a world-class reading of Louis Jordan’s “Caldonia.”

The collection features liner notes by British music historian Neil Slaven, who says, “Instead of chitlin’ circuit gigs that paid the rent and touring bills, King was elevated to concert stages on the U.S. and Europe and ultimately, around the world. Since then, apart from winning a string of music awards including Grammys and Handys, he’s been awarded Doctorates, Lifetime Achievement Awards, Humanitarian Awards and has played at the White House for two presidents.”

Slaven quotes King biographer Charles Sawyer as observing, “His penetration into the mainstream has given blues a distinct place and a clearly defined identity as a result of his success,” adding, “Amen to that.”

Acrobat is a UK-based record label specializing in collectors’ and reissue CDs across just about every genre of music. In 2007, Acrobat Music Group purchased the Kruger Organisation catalog, a library of more than 22,000 original tracks by Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, among scores of others. Launching its U.S. label out of New York this October 21, Acrobat will establish its presence as a premier independent reissue label in the U.S. through its distribution with TVT Distribution.

The U.S. label debut features 15 reissues that offer high quality, historical significance and excellent value. The first set of releases includes jazz/big band, blues, country, R&B, doo-wop and rock. All the Premier Collection titles are showcased in “deluxe packaging,” with o-cards, extensive liner notes and either a large number of tracks or lengthy play time.

Uncle John Turner Benefit Recap

If there is one concert that I wish I wouldn't have missed, it's got to be the benefit concert that Johnny Winter and friends did at Antone's in Austin this past summer in honor of Uncle John Turner. Turner was Johnny Winter's drummer in the late 60s and died of complications from Hepatitis C in July of this year. He was 62. I met him a number of years back in a bar in Austin and reminisced about a concert I saw him play with Tommy Shannon when they had a band called, "Krackerjack."

Turner later performed with such artists as Hendrix, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Muddy Waters and B.B. King.

“Man, I can set my watch to your time,” King is said to have once exclaimed after a jam with Uncle John, who played Woodstock with Winter.

The Essential Fleetwood Mac

The Essential Fleetwood Mac

Artist: FLEETWOOD MAC

Genre: Others

(Sony BMG)

Reviewer: MARTIN VENGADESAN

LONG before Fleetwood Mac put together the blockbuster album Rumours (1977) and the superb comeback Tango in the Night (1987), the group was formed as a spin-off of seminal British blues outfit John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. While drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie rode a host of changes to lead a revamped version of the group to the promised land of multi-platinum sales, the original incarnation of Mac was a different beast altogether.

Powered by the sheer genius of singer/guitarist Peter Green, the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac made excellent plaintive blues music. Inspired by masters like Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King (whose style definitely influenced Green) and Elmore James, Fleetwood Mac was master of the art.

Mixing tasteful covers like those of Wolf’s No Place to Go and Little Willie John’s Need Your Love So Bad with scintillating originals like Black Magic Woman (yes, it was a Peter Green composition) and the spine-chilling Love That Burns (Green’s solo made me scream like a giddy schoolgirl), this incarnation of the Mac is magic. Check out the change of pace on the instrumental chart-topper Albatross.

Unfortunately even though they only lasted through three full albums of original material, I’ve yet to find a compilation that didn’t leave one essential track or another off its selection. In this case, Mac’s first two albums are very strongly represented, but there are glaring omissions in the form of highlights from the final Green album Then Play On (Oh Well, Closing My Eyes and Rattlesnake Shake) as well as a pair of hit singles, Man of the World and The Green Manalishi (and the Two-Pronged Clown).

It remains a tragedy that Green suffered a breakdown (followed eerily by his two proteges, guitarists Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan) and that the Mac lost its innocence. Still, despite the aforementioned absences, the music here is outstanding, and at less than RM30, this double CD collection is the best value-for-money purchase available in our record stores today.

Buy it now.

B.B. King is out of the hospital and doing fine

B.B. King is out of the hospital and is ready to start gigging again. The 81-year-old was said to be "be back to his old self" according to Tina France, vice president of Liberman Management in New York. King is scheduled to play in Ft. Worth on Tuesday, January 24th. The rest of his Texas tour will go on as scheduled.

Someone shout Hallelujah!