John’s Blues Picks is the monthly album review column originally launched by the late Toronto-based blues historian and broadcaster, John Valenteyn. Submission can be sent to the TBS office for consideration and will be circulated to a pool of journalists and others for review in the monthly Maple Blues newsletter and placed at the Spotify playlist.
CURL is Helen Davies, Susan Johnson & Dee Cooper. They are based on Vancouver Island and Davies is the lead vocalist and plays guitar, with Johnson on bass and Cooper on keyboards. They are joined on this recording by Andy Okell, drums and Jazz Fouladianpour, guitar.
Gary Cain is a Kitchener-based guitarist who, as it says in his press release, has done very little else in his life. But it has led to a guitar style recognized by none other than Lee Ritenour, Cain placing as fourth unsigned blues guitarist in his Six String Theory guitar competition last year, judged by Joe Bonamassa, Ry Cooder and Joe Satriani, among others.
Nick Earle & Joe Coffin were finalists in this year’s East Coast Music Awards with their new disc released in February. They are from St. John’s and while their last disc was as an acoustic duo, these young men (still in school) are now rocking out with a full band. And they’re doing that with some fine original songs.
Florida-born Selwyn Birchwood won it all at the IBCs in 2013 and was signed by Alligator soon afterwards. His first disc, Don’t Call No Ambulance, was very well received, winning several awards. This new album takes him several stages further, with a songwriting variety and musical inventiveness that’s obvious from the getgo.
Guy Bélanger’s seventh disc touches on the various projects that this harmonica virtuoso has been involved in over the years. His long time membership in the Bob Walsh Band gets pride of place, the opening “My Dearest Friend” being dedicated to the late singer as indeed is the entire disc.
Guy Davis had long wanted to celebrate the great duo and working with the talented Italian harmonica ace, Fabrizzio Poggio gave him the chance. They call this disc ‘a love letter signed by both of us’.
This hard-touring quintet from Edmonton released their fourth album here at Fat City on April 14 and went on to play at the Kitchener Blues Festival Launch Party. Their touring schedule only shows Western Canadian dates for now which is most unfortunate as they have one fine new disc.
Celebrating his 70th birthday and fifty years of performing, Terry Gillespie assembled his various players for a series of concerts last summer at The Granary Beizle in his hometown of Vankleek Hill ON.
Electro-Fi Records knows how to celebrate anniversaries. This is their 20th year and 2016 JUNO Award winner Harrison Kennedy starts it off in style. He’s brought some famous friends along: Jimmy Bowskill, Jack de Keyzer, Julian Fauth and Alec Fraser.
The prolific Mr. Bibb wanted his new disc to open our minds to the plight of migrants everywhere, whether refugees of today or former sharecroppers leaving Clarksdale for Chicago. Helping out on this timely and worthy disc are our own Michael Jerome Browne and JJ Milteau, on harmonica, along with a couple of guests.
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TBS logo and WBR artwork by Barbara Klunder
The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
