Willie Dixon was a legendary songwriter, bass player, record producer and influence on the development of Chicago Blues Music as it has evolved to the present, through his work with Chess Records and artists like Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Chuck Berry and contemporary modern interpreters of the blues like Led Zeppelin.
Willie Dixon’s songs appear on every blues rock set list on the planet from Jimmy Reed’s, Big Boss Man, Close To You, Muddy Waters, Shake for Me, Stevie Ray Vaughan, My Babe, Little Walter, Spoonful, Howling Wolf to I Just Want To Make Love To You, Etta James and countless more fantastic tunes. Willie Dixon’s son Bobby came to the Bleu Note with a top notch group of musicians to pay tribute to the music of his father and share some memories on Friday night in what turned out to be a spinechilling demonstration of passion and musical talent from the assemble musicians on stage.Bobby Dixon was on Keyboards flanked by Larry Taylor son of another legendary bluesman Eddie Taylor on superb drumming duties, Nathanial Peterson 5 string electric bass and smokey soulful vocals, Bobby Fields bluesy funk trumpet and the amazing Johnny O on tube screaming soul blues magic.
All the old standards provided a vehicle for each of these talents to display their ample wares, I’m Ready, The Thing’s That I Use To Do, I Should Have Quit You Baby, Let The Good Times Roll, Sex Machine as well as selections from their own individual recorded material.This was the children of the blues paying homage to their parents and heroes with a groove that represents everything that is good about contemporary blues when in the hands of a talented group of musicians. Johnny O is an exciting and talented guitarist comfortable with tradition and the connections with its neighbours Soul Avenue and Funky Rock Crescent proving his dexterity throughout with his well timed contributions.
All of these experienced musicians possess a natural entertainer’s flair with a confident warm and appealing air infusing the atmosphere, and the collective was sheer joy for the full house dancing out of their seats from the minute these guys walked on to the stage in the Bleu Note on Capel St in Dublin’s fair city. Johnny O’s blistering blues rock rhythm delivered with a proficient soul side salad was a joy blending forceful Albert King snarling bends with some wailing Albert Collins style squeals that had notes ricocheting off every wall in the Bleu Note.
Each song when handed over to the band by Bobby was constructed with controlled brilliance, fire and fury, each band member contributing his share with efficiency and class and never overstaying their welcome with spicy intense solo’s only constrained in its potential by Bobby’s rambling intro’s.The fleet precise rhythm section provided by Larry Taylor, the towering Nathaniel Peterson and Johnny O was a potent back drop for Bonie Fields walkabout trumpet solo’s through the delighted crowd which included Southside Eddie and Bluestrain 103.2 FM presenter Charlie Hussey.
This was a sturdy presentation from the Bleu Note who have brought some great music to the Northside of the Liffey over the past year with multiple attractions on offer on the main stage upstairs as well as offering a showcase to a new generation of talented musicians emerging from music colleges and studies in the jazzier downstairs lounge.
During the break I dropped downstairs to hear some laid back jazz from the charming Edel Meade Band featuring some fine fretwork from Scott Kohlmann who reminded me of a young Dixie Dreg Steve Morse supported by Steve Kohlmann on Drums and Bass Man Kevin Higgins physically countenancing each note as Edel seduced us all with her impassioned vocals on tunes like Black Coffee, You Don’t Know What Love Is and appealing lines like “softly as in the morning sunrise, as in the evening sunset”.
Although the technical proficiencies of Jazz is a slippery slope for my ears the genuine warmth and youthful energy of the Edel Meade Band permeate and it’s a delightful pleasure to relax in the comfortable lounge in the Bleu Note and chill out to groovy vibe while these young guns of the future cut their teeth. Back upstairs we finished the night off with Bobby Dixon’s All Stars with a real party atmosphere in the air on the eve of the Rolling Stones Slane Concert with two tickets raffled by the Bleu Note for local charity. Johnny O unleashed some wicked solo’s and guitar genius as the groove turned into a party and the front of the stage was cooking to a musigasm of excitement and dance and camera phones capturing the magic from this truly breathless funky Chicago Blues tour de force live in Dublin.
“The things that I used to do, Lord I won’t do no more
The things that I used to do Lord I won’t do no more
I use to sit and hold your hand baby
Cry baby do not go”
