Tom's Got The Reel Blues
Aero Force One
June 14, 2005
"I had a great experience a couple of weekends ago. A friend of ours named James Montgomery is a gifted practitioner of the Blues. He's been a friend of ours since we first moved to Boston and set up the band. When we weren't too busy rehearsing and writing, his band was one of the few in Boston we would go out to see. Eventually we did a few gigs together which was cool because he was already established on the local scene.
These days he's nationally known as one of the finest Blues Harp player's around. He started an organization recently that helps blues musicians who don't have health insurance.
A few months ago he and I played at an event for a charity called 'Peace Games' which is an organization that's involved in teaching kids how to resolve issues without using violence. While we were there he asked if I would come to an event he was putting on to raise money for the Reel Blues Fest (a 501(C)(3) – a non-profit that provides musicians and first time film makers with medical care).
It was held at an awesome place on Cape Cod right on the ocean. There's a huge inn there that had a room big enough for a stage and about three hundred people. James and his hotter than hot band played a bunch of cookin' blues songs and then announced the night's special guest, James Cotton. That name alone will stop any knowledgeable blues fan in his tracks. This guy is a true legend who was a star back in the era that was so influential in the formation of rock music. When heavy hitters from Britain like the Yardbirds, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After would talk about their influences he was part of the discussion. He's well known for being closely associated musically with Muddy Waters who was another of the elite grandfathers of Rock and Roll.
James introduced him and he hit the stage. In a few seconds the band was cookin' again and James and Muddy were trading eerie bellowing harp riffs that chilled the soul. After a few songs James announced that he wanted to give me an award to receive on the band's behalf thanking us for helping out when they were getting the organization started. I was pretty nervous. James' bass player, an old friend of ours who totally kicks ass lent me his bass so I could come up and join in. I forget the name of the song we played but it was based on the old 'Green Onion' riff that everybody knows. We got it movin' and I started to relax and jam around a bit. Right after playing a weird little lick up high near the twelfth fret James Cotton turned around and looked at me with this big smile on his face. I hope it was an appreciation smile and not a 'what the hell did you just play?' smile.
Anyway I can now add the experience to my collection.
After that a singer went on named Shamika Copeland who is the daughter of the late Johnny Clyde Copeland. I remember seeing him and his band play at the house of Blues in Cambridge and being absolutely floored. It definitely rubbed off on Shamika because she can sing her ass off to put it plainly. She's gifted musically as is her whole band. The bass player had awesome tone and was totally locked with the relentless snap of the drummer. They had a keyboard player whose fingers were soulful and sparse one minute and a blur the next as he alternated between electric piano and Hammond B3 - (a real one as opposed to a synth.) The guitar player's hands reminded me of robots as they flowed through the chord progressions but the sound that came out was anything but mechanical. It dripped like liquid.
Altogether it was a great night both from the musical part to the hanging out with old friends part. Many thanks to James. Any of you who would like to check out the cause should go to the following website www.thereelbluesfest.com
Thanks
TH"
June 14, 2005
"I had a great experience a couple of weekends ago. A friend of ours named James Montgomery is a gifted practitioner of the Blues. He's been a friend of ours since we first moved to Boston and set up the band. When we weren't too busy rehearsing and writing, his band was one of the few in Boston we would go out to see. Eventually we did a few gigs together which was cool because he was already established on the local scene.
These days he's nationally known as one of the finest Blues Harp player's around. He started an organization recently that helps blues musicians who don't have health insurance.
A few months ago he and I played at an event for a charity called 'Peace Games' which is an organization that's involved in teaching kids how to resolve issues without using violence. While we were there he asked if I would come to an event he was putting on to raise money for the Reel Blues Fest (a 501(C)(3) – a non-profit that provides musicians and first time film makers with medical care).
It was held at an awesome place on Cape Cod right on the ocean. There's a huge inn there that had a room big enough for a stage and about three hundred people. James and his hotter than hot band played a bunch of cookin' blues songs and then announced the night's special guest, James Cotton. That name alone will stop any knowledgeable blues fan in his tracks. This guy is a true legend who was a star back in the era that was so influential in the formation of rock music. When heavy hitters from Britain like the Yardbirds, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After would talk about their influences he was part of the discussion. He's well known for being closely associated musically with Muddy Waters who was another of the elite grandfathers of Rock and Roll.
James introduced him and he hit the stage. In a few seconds the band was cookin' again and James and Muddy were trading eerie bellowing harp riffs that chilled the soul. After a few songs James announced that he wanted to give me an award to receive on the band's behalf thanking us for helping out when they were getting the organization started. I was pretty nervous. James' bass player, an old friend of ours who totally kicks ass lent me his bass so I could come up and join in. I forget the name of the song we played but it was based on the old 'Green Onion' riff that everybody knows. We got it movin' and I started to relax and jam around a bit. Right after playing a weird little lick up high near the twelfth fret James Cotton turned around and looked at me with this big smile on his face. I hope it was an appreciation smile and not a 'what the hell did you just play?' smile.
Anyway I can now add the experience to my collection.
After that a singer went on named Shamika Copeland who is the daughter of the late Johnny Clyde Copeland. I remember seeing him and his band play at the house of Blues in Cambridge and being absolutely floored. It definitely rubbed off on Shamika because she can sing her ass off to put it plainly. She's gifted musically as is her whole band. The bass player had awesome tone and was totally locked with the relentless snap of the drummer. They had a keyboard player whose fingers were soulful and sparse one minute and a blur the next as he alternated between electric piano and Hammond B3 - (a real one as opposed to a synth.) The guitar player's hands reminded me of robots as they flowed through the chord progressions but the sound that came out was anything but mechanical. It dripped like liquid.
Altogether it was a great night both from the musical part to the hanging out with old friends part. Many thanks to James. Any of you who would like to check out the cause should go to the following website www.thereelbluesfest.com
Thanks
TH"
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