New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
George Baker Band set to perform
NEW HAVEN — Maybe you’re one of those people who heads out of town to try to soak up every last bit of summer on Labor Day weekend. But if you’re sticking around, you could do a lot worse than to squeeze every last bit out of summer with George Baker this afternoon at Cafe Nine.
Cafe Nine will throw in the barbecue.
The George Baker Band, featuring one of Greater New Haven’s great hidden assets, will perform at the Cygnus Radio End of Summer BBQ, part of the weekly Cygnus Radio “The Sunday Buzz” Matinee at Cafe Nine.
Showtime is 4 p.m. (doors at 3) and it’ll be all done by 7 p.m., so don’t dawdle. There’s a $10 suggested donation (or pay what you can). Cafe Nine is at 250 State St. (corner of State and Crown.)
For many years now, “Guitar George” Baker has been one of the great hidden assets of living in Greater New Haven — a world class, jazz-accented guitarist and silky blues and soul voice who per-
forms locally on a regular basis and always puts on a great show.
Somehow, out of all the places that Louisiana-raised Baker, who once served as Marvin Gaye’s band leader — and played guitar over the years for Melba Moore, the Drifters, the Flamingos and in the house band at the Apollo Theater in Harlem — could have gone, he ended up here in the mid-1980s.
Good for us!
Baker is a native of New Roads, Louisiana, who grew up with the Guy brothers — as in Buddy Guy and Phil Guy. His career spans more than six decades.
If you need to squeeze even more out of summer and party well into the night, the fun — and the music — will continue at Cafe Nine tonight with the monthly Cafe Nine Blues Jam featuring the George Lesiw Band.
Admission is free.
Sign-ups begin at 8 p.m. The house band plays a short set beginning at 8:30 and the jammers get added to the mix shortly thereafter. (Full disclosure: I’m usually part of said house band, although I won’t be there today.)
Unlike the weekly (Saturday afternoon) Cafe Nine Jazz Jam, the resurrected blues jam is still a monthly event. It takes place on Sunday night, although not always on the same Sunday night each month. Your best bet to be sure and find it on the right weekend is to consult the Cafe Nine website at cafenine.com.