A cool week for the blues scene in Old Strathcona
Blues fans can rejoice when two veteran road warriors return to Old Strathcona this weekend with their eclectic, vintage sounds. Both are defined by the wide breadth of influences they embrace.
Calgary’s Tim Williams is a walking textbook of blues history best known for his mastery of acoustic strings, all sorts of guitars (slide, Hawaiian), mandolins and more. He’s a genius at pulling out those regional styles that defined blues music early on, but that only hints at the multi-faceted expertise in this man’s fingers, his talents as an original songwriter and singer and why he has drawn acclaim and awards across North America.
In recent months, Williams has been looking back to his roots in the waterfront San Pedro district of Los Angeles, paying tribute to his friends in the Hispanic community and to the minority families that play such a big role in California. His excellent new disc Corazones Y Murallas (or Hearts And High Walls) is simultaneously a trip back in time and a look at current border politics between the White House and Mexican migrants, a mix of protest songs and cultural memoirs.
“I grew up and went to school in heavily Hispanic parts of southern California and I’ve always been appalled about the border policies. I was hearing these guitar styles and taught in a music store in Santa Barbara that was owned and operated by Mexican-American musicians, so I was kind of adopted into their pool of players. I think the first time I heard a Mexican guitar player, I was eight, on a street in downtown L.A., and I was blown away.”
Williams’ tune Abre los Ojos was specifically inspired by the separation of children from their families at the border, while his Tijuana Mama reflects the predicament of migrant workers. But the album also includes covers like Woody Guthrie’s Plane Wreck at Los Gatos and A Matter of Time from Los Lobos co-leader David Hidalgo, all of it delivered with real finesse from Williams and a few friends guesting, like singer Jossy Gallegos and bassist Tony Zamora from Tremoloco.
After thinking about doing this sort of themed album for years, Williams admitted topical events made this the right time. For a closer reflection of his shows, check out previous albums So Low or Blue Highway. When he hits the Yardbird Friday and Saturday, his longtime groove man Kevin Belzner will be playing a standup Cuban “cocktail drum kit” to keep the pulse going. After some 25 years together, it doesn’t matter that Williams usually calls sets “off the top of my head.” He promises an assortment of musical gems in varied shades of blues and Hispanic roots.
Tim Williams plays Yardbird Suite (86 Avenue at Gateway Boulevard.) at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday with tickets $20 for members, $24 for guests from Tix on the Square or at the door.
Rockin’ Jake’s groove pocket
The harmonica man known as Rockin’ Jake (a.k.a. Jake Jacobs) is another excellent case of an artist who followed his creative instincts — all over the map, stylistically.
Growing up in Connecticut in the 1970s, he heard bluesy rock like the Allman Brothers on radio and saw older greats tour the local blues scene. Jacobs experienced regional blues first-hand after moving to New Orleans in 1990, spending later stints in St. Louis and now southern Florida.
Jacobs pays a nod of respect to Paul Butterfield, Lee Oskar (War), James Cotton, Little Walter, Sugar Ray Norcia (who inspired him to take up harmonica at 15) and especially Big Walter Horton.
After decades on stage, he has his own versatile approach to the harp, employing it in classic and rocking blues, what he calls swamp funk, zydeco and other grooves. Lately, he’s exploring the sometimes sweet, melodic side of the instrument, but he’s obviously a master craftsman who goes where he wants so that each night is different from the next.
“I try to play from a musician’s standpoint,” he said, “not to wow somebody with technique, but to make them feel good with my instrument.”
After starting out in jams in his teens, Jacobs began performing professionally at 20 and formed his first band in 1985. He began writing songs around 1995 and has recorded several albums since then (he’s hoping to record again this summer).
“These days I listen more to players on saxophone, piano, organ or other instruments for ideas. I love so many kinds of music and I want to expand what the harmonica can do, to play what I want to play whether that’s New Orleans traditional music or funk or blues or bluegrass. I love it all.”
The Rockin’ Jake Blues Band has been together since 1995 and most members of the current lineup have been with him for more than a decade, starting with Steve Laudicina, guitarist foil to Jacob’s harp and vocals. Add expert grooves from Charles Gaspar on bass and (Roomful of Blues) drummer Ephraim Lowell.
“Those guys are what I call a rock-solid rhythm section, in-the-pocket players who can be very melodic and interesting and they really lay a great foundation for Steve and I to solo over. We’re all very passionate and we love what we do.”
Rockin’ Jake and his band play Commercial Hotel’s Blues on Whyte until Sunday, 9 p.m., with a $6 cover Friday and Saturday.