The News Review:
- ‘Giving Shelter Finding Peace’ featuring Saffire ‘” The Uppity Blues…
- Jimmy McGriff – acclaimed blues organist
- Top Tickets: Some of the week’s best live music
‘Giving Shelter Finding Peace’ featuring Saffire ‘” The Uppity Blues…
Roanoke Times – May 29, 2008
But the group consisting of Gaye Adegbalola Ann Rabson and Andra Faye are the main attraction of the night Brown said. “Their songs themes and the way they produce things are perfect for a place that serves mostly women” Brown said. Rabson founding member of the band describes the sound as blues from a woman’s perspective. “When we started [in 1981] there weren’t very many women represented in the blues” Rabson said. “I think we kind of pioneered that and I think that’s why we’ve come so far. Their performances are about half original music and half cover songs Rabson said. Most of the songs they cover are from the 1920s and ’30s and the originals are written mostly by Adegbalola followed by Rabson and then Faye… “When we started [in 1981] there weren’t very many women represented in the blues” Rabson said. “I think we kind of pioneered that and I think that’s why we’ve come so far. Their performances are about half original music and half cover songs Rabson said. Most of the songs they cover are from the 1920s and ’30s and the originals are written mostly by Adegbalola followed by Rabson and then Faye. “They’re [songs] about a wide variety of things everything from relationships and also songs about things like losing your hair to cancer some political songs” Rabson said. “In keeping with the domestic violence theme Gaye wrote one about staying in a relationship you shouldn’t and I have one about calling the domestic violence hotline. To provide services for sexual and domestic violence victims the Women’s Resource Center has an annual operating budget of about $1.
Jimmy McGriff – acclaimed blues organist
San Francisco Chronicle – May 29, 2008
Jimmy McGriff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis many years ago. Although sometimes described as a jazz organist Mr. McGriff considered himself a bluesman; the blues was what he felt when he played and what distinguished his music from other greats of the organ. “Jimmy Smith is the jazz king on the organ but when it comes to blues I can do things where he can’t touch me” Mr. Born April 3 1936 in Philadelphia Mr. McGriff’s love of the organ began when he was a boy… Afterward he entered the police academy and spent two years as a police officer in Philadelphia. McGriff trained at Julliard and the Combe College of Music in Philadelphia and also took private lessons from Smith and another legendary organist Richard “Groove” Holmes. McGriff was at a Trenton N. club playing his instrumental arrangement of Ray Charles’ hit “I’ve Got a Woman” when a talent scout for a record company offered him a recording contract.
Top Tickets: Some of the week’s best live music
Roanoke Times – May 29, 2008
Jason Ricci and New Blood Two of blues-rock?s hottest instrumentalists ? harmonica player Ricci and guitarist Shawn Starski ? are locked in to tear up Blue 5. Go to this story at roanoke. com for a link to a podcast with Ricci including several of the band?s songs from recent CD “Rocket No… Frontiers This Journey tribute band has been making plenty of music news lately what with singer Jeremey Hunsicker nearly getting a gig with the real Journey and then having one of the songs he co-wrote with that band winding up on the new Journey album. This is the last show with the current lineup as the band gears up to take advantage of its newfound status by spending more time touring.