Blues Caravan 09 Hamburg

I meant to post this on Friday morning, but the need to let 150 people climb in the trees to celebrate Valentines Day in the freezing snow has, unfortunately, let my timeline slip. Still, I hope those of you on the forum who were celebrating with your Valentine had a great day.

I’m going to ramble on a bit here so I apologise in advance. I’m not much of a reviewer so I shall understand completely if I am moderated into oblivion.

I caught the “Blues Caravan 2009“ offering at Fabrik in Hamburg on Thursday night featuring Oli Brown, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Erja Lyytinen. What a great showcase for the three artists. Good atmosphere, a couple of hundred people and a lot of fun for the public, and the performers as well by the look of it.

I didn’t make any set lists as I wasn’t familiar with their material anyway so last night was all about just seeing and hearing for the first time. First up was Joanne Shaw Taylor. She’s became 23 on Friday but she played like she wouldn’t be seeing another birthday. I’m no blues expert but it felt and sounded like her roots are in SRV and she serves his memory well. She began with a fret frying instrumental opening and overall her sound has a real bar room blues edge to it. I wondered if at times her playing was a little too frantic, but then this bill is a ‘showcase’ and she had about 6 songs to get her point over and show what she can do. Slowed down, she demonstrated some very nice touches, building and phrasing the solos carefully. She seems an instinctive and inventive player without the need for excessive “widdling” about. The delivery is direct without effects. Vocally, I had noted some comments on the forum that maybe it was an area that needed some work but I was pleasantly surprised. Her vocals match her playing well. Gutsy. She has quite a deep vocal tone but with a nice range which she showed to good effect later on one of the encore numbers “Never Make Your Move Too Soon” where she was gutsy to the point of Joplinesque.

Verdict for me: would I pay money to see her again doing her own show? Emphatically yes! I would have bought the album ‘White Sugar’ too but I didn’t have enough cash on me, which was dumb. If you get a chance to see her, do so. I certainly shall. Artists like this need our support as talent, (which she clearly has) isn’t always enough.

So to Oli Brown. JST had warmed us up nicely and OB traded on that from the off. It was initially a real contrast in style. Oli seemed to display a much more traditional sound on his first number but that was to be just the start. His thumb plucking, finger picking style is a blur at times. He sets about the guitar like a precocious teenager, but then, of course, he is just that! Surprising though for one so young to be so confident, not just in his playing, but with his interaction with the audience. Having now listened to his CD, it’s tremendous to note how his delivery (on the material I saw and heard) has developed in such a short time . Oli Brown is a BIG BIG talent. He displays a traditional flair in his material and yet there is so much else going on. At times, a little jazzy, at others more than a little funk for good measure. But it always comes back to the Blues in the end. I daresay, he would give this Blues Defining committee I’ve been reading about on the forum more than a little headache. Standout number for me was “Stone Cold (Roxanne)”, where he demonstrated what a solid set of pipes he has as well. In short, I think this guy has it all. Great player, great singer, engaging and sets out to get everyone involved. Such was the length of his off stage walkabout in the crowd I thought we would all get an up close and personal exhibition!

I had the chance to meet him after the show and you get what you see. In his own words “ all I ever wanted to do was play and sing, travel and meet people, and I’m already doing it. It’s a lot of fun”
It certainly is as I’m still smiling.

Verdict for me: It’s going to interesting watching him develop over time and see what directions he takes, but wherever he goes the blues won’t be far away and I will definitely be prepared to pay money to go along with him.

I’m sad to say Erja Lyytinen didn’t do it for me. She was 3rd act up and it was going to take something special to supplant the impression of the first two. To me, she wasn’t. She can play, sure, and if slide is your thing, and lots of it, then maybe she is for you. She certainly treads a more commercially, poppy even, line. Singing is ok, she’s a looker and smiles a lot. What’s not to like? I dunno, maybe it was the glitter guitars, the singalongs. I just suddenly felt I was at a wedding. I’m probably being very unfair and I apologise to any of her fans here, but you can’t like all of the people all of the time. Maybe on another day……..

Talking of another day. It is nearly already. David Gogo and Wishbone Ash tonight!