Jay Blues, Shakura S'Aida with Brooke Blackburn, Virgil Scott, Garnetta Cromwell, Cheryl Lescom, Chuck Jackson with Tyler Yarema, Roberta Hunt, piano, Russ Boswell bass, Michelle Josef, drums, Rebecca Henessey & James Stager, horns, Margaret Stowe, guitar & bandleader. Johnny Max, host. Great Evening and many $$$ raised for the worthy Red Door Shelter programmes.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Sidemen & friends Hughs Room November 2024
The Sidemen were the "buzz band" on the blues scene when I arrived in Toronto in the early 90s. They were still youngsters and had built up a following and they had a home-made cassette that was selling like hotcakes. They had a reunion at Hugh's Room and invited some special guests, Selena Evangeline and Brtooke Blackburn. Jay Bleus trio opened the show
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Brian Blain's Toronto Blues Diary
Johnny Burgin Toronto Nov 2024
I got called to play bass with Johnny Burgin and Sugar Brown a couple of years ago and have kept in touch with Johnny (then known as "Rockin Johnn y") and was happy to see him coming back our way for a gig a Grossman's. He's currently based in Memphis. This time Gary Kendall got the call to play bass, but Sugar Brown sat in for a couple of tunes and so did Bobby Chorney. Johnny's a master bluesician and a real road-warrior (you have to be these days if you want to be a touring blues musician). Johnny is all over the YouTube with instructional videos and more. Check him out.
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Thursday, October 31, 2024
Monday, June 10, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Brandon Isaak at the 2024 Maple Blues Awards
Here's a tune that Brandon Isaak played at the Maple Blues Awards soiree. He was my "discovery" of the Summit, although I knew who he was and had watched him on YouTube but that guy knocked it out of the park with his showcase at the Blues Summit but when he hit the stage at the Awards show and announced that he was going to play "Reconsider Baby", one of the old nuggets that you've heard a million times, I went "Awwww..."
But from the first notes, it was like hearing that song for the first time. And his guitar tone was amazing. I ran into him at dinner the day before and asked what kind of pedal he used, he said no pedals, "but I've got a really good cord".
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Brian Blain's Toronto Blues Diary
Monday, January 15, 2024
Garnetta Cromwell and Sandra Bouza at Hugh’s Room Blues Night
My first outing of the New Year was a blues night at Hugh's Room Live organized and hosted by Quisha Wint (who will be hosting the Maple Blues Awards) with guest vocalists Garnetta Cromwell and Sandra Bouza You hear just a bit of Quisha nailing ab Aretha classic then bandleader Michael Occhipinti and organist Joel Visentin het into “trading fours”. That night got lift-off a few times even though the rhythm section were all new to me. I told organist Visentin he bore an uncanny resemblance to the dearly departed Rod Phillips (who he had not heard of) …the look, the rig, the wild abandon in his playing… Take a look at this 1998 video of me with Rod Phillips (on piano - the organ couldn't fit into that tiny club in Barrie) and (mostly) jazz drummer Don Vickery. When I told Rod Don would be subbing in on that gig he was concerned that he was not a blues drummer. I said he's played with Jay McShann, Big Joe Williams and many other blues greats. Rod was still a little grumpy anout it because he already had somebody in mind for the gig but by the time we were halfway into the first tune I looked over and he had a big grin on his face.
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Brian Blain's Toronto Blues Diary
Monday, January 1, 2024
The Last Blainletter
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Brian Blain's Toronto Blues Diary
Friday, December 1, 2023
Raoul and the Big Time celebrate 25 years
Some official blues at Hugh's Room Live tonight with Raoul and the Big Time celebrating 25 years. November 2023
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Brian Blain's Toronto Blues Diary
Sympathy for the Devil at Soulpepper Theatre November 2023
Now that MapleBlues is put to bed (watch for some big announcements), I made another iPhone mini-compilation from last week's outings - this from Raha Javanfar's tour-de-force, "Sympathy for the Devil" Check out the accidental "special effect" at the top
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Brian Blain's Toronto Blues Diary