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Next up was
what was called the “Acoustic Delta Blues Guys and More”
hosted by and featured Brian Blain along with
Manitoba Hal, Mo’ Kauffey and Mr. Rick. These fine players
sang and picked away on two tunes each during their performance. The
highlight in this group of musicians was Manitoba Hal. He had
a spiritual side to his songs and was the only one to play slide
guitar. We were quite surprised to find out he wasn’t given a solo
spot during the festival and hope that changes with a well-deserved
return next year. Friday night closed out with Juno Blues Award
winner, the “6 String Lover”, Jack de Keyzer who
rocked and Blues’d the large crowd with tracks from his new CD and
many of his songs that we have gotten to known and love over the
years. What a great way to end the night and the first evening of
the festival. The Blues started a little earlier on Saturday with
traditionalist Bo Basiuk on a vintage Gibson and National
steel guitar and singing songs by Robert Johnson,
Leadbelly and Blind Boy Fuller, all the time backed up with
Ken Yoshioka on harmonica. Bo is one of finest guitar pickers we
have in Canada and really puts a lot of feeling into his
performances. The stage was soon set for Mo’ Kauffey
vocalizing and playing an early Silvertone guitar and accompanied by
his good friend, harmonicist Ken Moore. Mo’ is a true Folk
Blues artist writing many of his own songs and only covering a few
standards like Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Fan It’. He is
becoming quite a favourite among club patrons in southern Ontario.
Next up on the bill was award winning Blues vocalist Suzie
Vinnick, accompanied by her small parlor guitar. Though Suzie
has gone on to the more contemporary route she’s still one of the
best singers around and sure knows how to play that guitar. She was
joined on a few numbers by Brian Blain on guitar and at the
end of her set did get down to the Blues and got great response from
the audience with her version of “Oreo Cookie Blues”. It was
long before Brian Blain who was already set up to start his
portion of the evening. Brian is a singer/songwriter with a new
slant in his songs to the Blues. He played many of “his” standards
from his first CD and a few from his forth coming new one and even
sang in French. A return favour was in store when Suzie Vinnick
joined Brian for a few cuts. Festival organizer, with his
psychedelic painted guitar, Brian Gladstone sang his way
through a number of his “Back to the Dirt” folkie Blues with
his full band featuring the great guitarist Tony Quarrington
and rhythm supplied by Allen Soberman on bass and Maureen
Brown on drums. |
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The artist we both
came to hear, Josh White Jr. was soon to appear on stage. Josh is
the son of the legendary Folk and Blues man Josh White, whose
recordings during the 30s to the 50’s have become standards for many
a Blues performer. On this night he shared the stage with our own
Michael Pickett and soon it was a time not to be forgotten. One
tall, one short, one white, one black, one north of the border, one
south of the border, but both Bluesmen with a history of the Blues
in their respective countries, with well over sixty years of musical
experience between them. They are also both returnees from the
inaugural
Winterfolk Festival.
They got along on stage like
long lost brothers and truly appreciated each other’s involvement in
the Blues. Michael and Josh traded off songs during their set. Josh
started with the spiritual tune “Let It Shine” and was soon
joined by Michael on harmonica. Michael broke into a fine version of
“Christine” originally done by Sonny Terry and Brownie
McGhee and whom Josh knew and had performed with. It was back
and forth between these exceptional Blues artists with Michael
donning his National steel guitar and rack harmonica and getting’
down to the Blues with “World in an Uproar”, “Blues is a
Friend of Mine”, “Terraplane Blues” and a new song he has
written “Amo”. Josh came back pickin’ on his guitar and
singing one of his father’s songs from 1939 about “Payday comes”,
“Walk Hand in Hand, We Shall be Free”, an accappella
tune and “I Believe” in which Michael joined him on harp and
guitar. What a beautiful pairing of Bluesmen that really held the
crowd spellbound with their enormous talents. This is what the Blues
is all about sharing - that feeling with others. Let’s hope
something like this happens again in Winterfolk III next
year. The night finished off with Slowpoke getting to the
acoustic roots of the New Orleans beat and a few Blues standards
with Eddy Baltimore singin’ and slidin’ away on his steel and
Dobro guitars and David Raven on the second guitar. This band
does rock and gets every crowd they play for entranced in their
style of Blues. A special thanks to all the musicians that took part
in this great and hopefully continuing festival, for the sake of the
artists and the profile it can achieve for the music community in
the city of Toronto. Thanks to Brian Gladstone and all of the
volunteers for creating such a needed event. Indeed, we had a
fantastic Blues time at the second Winterfolk Festival; we will
surely be back for number III. Eddy B
(photo of Josh
White Jr. by Eddy B
- January 31 2004) |
