Fre. 8. nov. 21 – 22
| JW-Jones | Guitar / vocal |
| Jacob Clarke | Bass / vocal |
| Joel Oppong-Boateng | Drums / vocal |
JOHN PRIMER & GILES ROBSON
Tusindvis af musikere sværger troskab til Chicago blues, men kun få har evnen og det særlige talent til at tage musikken til et ubeskriveligt, unikt niveau. Giles Robson og John Primer er sådanne magikere, og deres samarbejdsalbum, Ten Chicago Blues Classics, udstråler en ubøjelig ærlighed og en sjælden kontrolleret intensitet.
Primer har haft den gyldne berøring i årtier. Hans enestående fornemmelse for den rå blues, der findes i South Side-tavernerne, blev styrket gennem de utallige nætter, hvor han spillede guitar dér i fornemt selskab med Muddy Waters, Junior Wells og blandt andre de passende navngivne Magic Sam og Magic Slim. I dag er den ungdommelige 70-årige den primære vogter af Chicago blues-traditionen. Og, heldigvis, har Primers storhed smittet af på Robson, der er baseret i Jersey (Kanaløerne). Robsons tekniske dygtighed, disciplinerede fantasi og rene overbevisning gør ham til en mundharmonikaspiller i verdensklasse.
Albummet Ten Chicago Blues Classics blev til i 2023, da Robson og Primer først mødtes og optrådte sammen på en UK-turné arrangeret af Robson, der præsenterede guitaristen og andre “Chicago Blues Legends”. De fandt hurtigt kemien, og Robson inviterede Primer tilbage til Storbritannien i begyndelsen af 2024 for en turné sammen med ham og en europæisk rytmesektion. Flere måneder senere vendte Primer tilbage til England, hvor de optrådte som duo på fem spillesteder, inklusive Giles’ hjemby Jersey. Det gik så godt, at Primer begejstret råbte til det entusiastiske publikum: “Når Giles og jeg spiller blues, så kommer vi hot sauce på, så I virkelig kan mærke det!”
Vennerne besluttede, at de skulle lave et studiealbum, mens Primer var i England. Robson fortæller begejstret: “At indspille denne session med John var en af de mest mindeværdige og magiske oplevelser i min musikkarriere. En drøm, der gik i opfyldelse.”
Den begejstrede mundharmonika-virtuos synger med stor dygtighed på syv numre, og hans amerikanske helt afviser gamle klichéer og undgår at dvæle ved nostalgi. Robson siger: “Mens jeg er stor fortaler for innovation, originale sange og friskhed, er jeg også stor fan af blues og jazz som en fortolkende kunstform. Miraklet ved disse musikalske stilarter er, at selv de mest kendte numre (som Willie Dixons ‘My Babe’) kan lyde friske og levende, uanset hvor mange gange de genindspilles — men kun hvis hver version tilgås med spontanitet, kreativitet og energi med dyb respekt.” De lever op til alle disse kriterier.
Robson udbryder: “Jeg føler mig heldig over at have haft muligheden for at indspille med John… En magisk oplevelse… Han er som et enmandsorkester, og hans rytmiske spil skaber en utrolig, vedvarende og hypnotiserende energi fra begyndelsen til slutningen af hver sang, hvilket er sjældent.”
John Primer Bio.
John Primer har uden tvivl været med til at forme lyden og stilen af Chicago blues, som vi kender den i dag. Ekkoet af traditionerne, der stammer fra de ikoniske steder, han spillede på, såsom Maxwell Street, Theresa’s, Checkerboard og Rosa’s Lounges, pulserer stadig i hver akkord, han spiller i dag. John Primer er tre gange Grammy-nomineret, medlem af Blues Hall of Fame og en levende legende inden for Chicago blues.
Han voksede op i 1945 på en landbrugsejendom i Mississippi, hvor han blev inspireret af sin families hårde arbejde og markarbejdersange i hverdagen, deres dybe hengivenhed til spirituals om søndagen og bluesmusikken om lørdagen. John drømte om en dag at spille sammen med den legendariske Muddy Waters!
Da han flyttede til Chicago i 1963, begyndte han at forfølge sin drøm om at blive en stor bluesmusiker. Han fik sit første faste job, hvor han spillede for drikkepenge på det legendariske Maxwell Street i Chicago om søndagen med Pat Rushing Band. Han blev hurtigt bemærket og blev hyret til at spille på det berømte Theresa’s Lounge som guitarist i Junior Wells Band (husorkestret) – syv nætter om ugen i syv år! John lærte fra alle bluesmestrene. Han arbejdede hårdt og imponerede Willie Dixon så meget, at han blev inviteret til at tage på turné med ham og hans Chicago Blues All-Stars Band. På dette tidspunkt var John allerede kendt, og hans drøm gik endelig i opfyldelse i slutningen af 1979, da han fik mulighed for at spille med sit idol, Muddy Waters! Muddy bad ham om at lede sit band, hvilket ændrede Johns liv for altid.
John turnerede verden rundt og åbnede shows for The Rolling Stones, samtidig med at han mødte og spillede med mange berømte blues- og rockmusikere. Efter Muddy Waters’ tragiske død i 1983 sluttede John sig til Magic Slim & The Teardrops og tilbragte de næste 13 år med at rejse jorden rundt og bringe Chicago blues til verdens fjerneste hjørner – mange mennesker havde aldrig før hørt blues!
John har betalt sine lærepenge, og i 1995 begyndte han at lede sit eget band, The Real Deal Blues Band. Han har indspillet mere end 100 albums, hvoraf 17 bærer hans eget navn. Han har skrevet og produceret mere end 55 sange fordelt på mere end seks pladeselskaber, herunder sit eget, Blues House Productions.
John er blevet optaget i Blues Hall of Fame, har modtaget tre Grammy-nomineringer, to Lifetime Achievement Awards, Muddy Award som en Traditionel Blues-Ikon, og har vundet adskillige Blues Music Awards og Blues Blast Awards samt mange andre priser. Fra sine ydmyge begyndelser har han arbejdet hårdt for at nå der, hvor han er i dag. Han er stolt af at have vejledt mange utrolige musikere. Han holder bluesmusikken i live og er en sand legendarisk blues-ikon!
Giles Robson Bio
Den flerfoldigt prisvindende, internationalt anerkendte bluesmundharmonika-virtuos, sanger og mesterlige entertainer Giles Robson har haft en drømmekarriere inden for musik.
Han er den eneste britiske eller europæiske artist, der har optrådt på Chicagos legendariske Alligator Records, som beskrev ham som: “En bluesgigant, en sand mester i genren.” Han er også én af kun tre britiske bluesartister, sammen med Eric Clapton og Peter Green, der har vundet en eftertragtet Blues Music Award i Memphis (bluesens svar på Grammy-prisen).
Hans albums har opnået topplaceringer i verdens mest prestigefyldte musikkritikeres afstemninger – herunder Mojo Magazine, Living Blues og Downbeat, og han turnerer årligt i over 15 lande verden over.
Giles Robson spiller og synger smuk, kraftfuld, følelsesladet og tidløs blues med et dybt groove og intens følelse. Han betragtes som en af verdens mest fremragende bluesmundharmonika-virtuoser. Han spiller med en dygtighed og karakteristisk stil, der fanger publikums hjerter og fantasi med sin sublime teknik, rytmiske kraft, tonale kontrol og følsomme følelsesmæssige udtryk.
At opleve Giles Robson live er en betagende og uforglemmelig oplevelse, hvilket publikum verden over konstant opdager.
🇬🇧 ENGLISH 🇬🇧
Thousands of musicians pledge allegiance to Chicago blues, but only a few have the wherewithal, the stuff, to take the music to an ineffable, unique place. Giles Robson and John Primer are such magic-makers, and their collaborative album, Ten Chicago Blues Classics, shows an unyielding honesty and a controlled intensity of a rare sort.
Primer has had the golden touch for decades. His uncanny affinity for the gritty blues found in South Side taverns was strengthened on the countless nights he spent playing guitar there in the exalted company of Muddy Waters, Junior Wells and, among others, the aptly nicknamed Magic Sam and Magic Slim. Today, the youthful septuagenarian is the primary guardian of the Chicago blues tradition. And, glad to say, Primer’s splendidness has rubbed off on Jersey (Channel Islands) – based Robson, whose technical prowess, disciplined imagination, and plain conviction peg him as a world-class blues harmonica player.
The genesis of Ten Chicago Blues Classics began in 2023 when Robson and Primer first met and performed together on a Robson organized UK tour that starred the guitarist and other “Chicago Blues Legends.” They hit it off and Robson invited Primer back to the UK, in early 2024, for a tour with him and a European rhythm section. Several months later, Primer’s next jaunt across the pond saw them performing as a duo at five venues including Giles’ hometown of Jersey. Things went so well that Primer shouted to an enthusiastic audience: “When Giles and I play the blues, we put hot sauce on it so you can feel it!”
The friends should do a studio album while Primer was in England. Robson enthuses, “Recording this session with John was one of my musical career’s most memorable and magical experiences. A dream come true.”
The enthralled harmonica ace sings skilfully on seven tracks, and his American hero rejects musty cliches and avoids wallowing in nostalgia. Robson says, “While I greatly advocate innovation, original material, and freshness, I am also a big fan of Blues and Jazz as an interpretive art. The miracle of these musical forms is that even the most well-known tunes (Willie Dixon’s “My Babe,” to name one) can sound fresh and alive no matter how many times they are rerecorded but only if the approach to each rendition is approached with spontaneity, creativity, and energy with deep respect.” They check all the boxes.
Robson exclaims, “I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to record with John…. A magical experience…. He’s like a one-man orchestra and his rhythmical playing generates an incredible, consistent, transfixing energy from the beginning to the end of each song, which is rare.”
John Primer
John Primer has undisputedly helped build the sound and style of Chicago blues as we know it today. The echoes of tradition bellowing from the birthplaces he played such as Maxwell Street, Theresa’s, Checkerboard and Rosa’s Lounges, pulse from every chord in his fingers today. John Primer is a 3 time Grammy Nominated, Blues Hall of Fame, Chicago Blues, Living Legend.
Growing up on Mississippi sharecropper land in 1945, inspired by his family’s hard work and field songs daily, deep devotion to spirituals on Sundays, and blues on Saturdays. John dreamed of one day playing with the legendary Muddy Waters!
Moving to Chicago in 1963, he started on that path of becoming a great bluesman, getting his first steady gig working for tips at the legendary Maxwell Street in Chicago on Sunday’s with the Pat Rushing Band. He quickly became noticed and was hired at the famous Theresa’s Lounge working for The Junior Wells Band (the house band), seven nights a week for seven years! John was taught by all the Master’s of the blues. He worked hard and impressed Willie Dixon enough to go on tour with him and his Chicago Blues All-Stars Band. At this point he was known, and John’s dream finally came true in late 1979 when he got to play with his idol, Muddy Waters! Muddy called for him to lead his band and changed his life forever. John was touring all over the world and opening up the show for the Rolling Stones and meeting and playing with many famous Blues and Rock & Roll musicians. After Muddy’s untimely death in 1983, he joined up with Magic Slim & The Teardrops for the next 13 years, traveling all over the world, bringing Chicago Blues to every corner of the planet. Many people had never heard Blues before!
John paid his dues and in 1995 he began leading his own band, The Real Deal Blues Band. He has recorded more than 100 albums with 17 albums in his own name. He has written and produced more than 55 songs on more than 6 record labels including his own, Blues House Productions. John was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, has earned 3 Grammy Award nominations, was given 2 Lifetime Achievement Awards, awarded the “Muddy Award” for being a Traditional Blues Icon, winning several Blues Music Awards and Blues Blast Awards as well as many other awards. Coming from very humble beginnings, he has managed to work very hard to get where he is today. He takes pride in mentoring so many incredible musicians. He is keeping the blues alive and is a Legendary Blues Icon!
Giles Robson
Multi award winning, internationally recognized Blues harmonica virtuoso, singer and masterful showman Giles Robson has had a dream musical career. The ONLY UK or European artist to appear on Chicago’s legendaryAlligator Records who described him as“A blues giant, absolute master of the form”. He is only one of THREE UK blues artists alongside Eric Clapton and Peter Green to win a coveted Blues Music Award in Memphis (The Grammys of the Blues). His albums are in the top of the world’s most prestigious music magazines critics polls – Mojo Magazine, Living Blues and Downbeat, and he tours over 15 countries worldwide yearly.
He plays and sings beautiful, powerful, emotional, timeless blues with a deep groove and intense feeling. He is considered one of the world’s most terrific blues harmonica virtuosos. He plays in an accomplished and distinct style that captures stunned audience’s hearts and imaginations with his superb technique, rhythmic power, tonal control and sensitive emotional expressiveness. Witnessing Giles Robson live is a dazzling, unforgettable experience as audiences worldwide constantly discover.