Page 33 - C:\Users\ikm\OneDrive\Documents\Flip PDF\BiTS_08_AUGUST_2020\

This album was produced by Stephanie Tice and recorded at Fukuda Studio, Osaka in May 2019 and
mastered by Steve Wagner at Delmark’s Riverside Studio in Chicago and features Chicago blues
guitarist Johnny Burgin playing with 14 Japanese players from Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto who he had
met during the 20-odd years that he's spent touring there. Johnny says "I was struck by the

selflessness and discipline that so many Japanese musicians displayed..." although none of the
musicians here are professionals. From the opening track Carey Bell's 'One Day You’re Gonna Get
Lucky' featuring Iper Onishi on vocals and harmonica, the sound is very authentic — not just the
playing but also the singing. Elmore James' slow blues 'Sunnyland' is even better with fabulous
big—toned Little Walter—esque harmonica from Kaz Nogio and vocals from Johnny. 'So Crazy About

You' is like a loping Jimmy Reed track with Nogio and pianist Lee Kanehira sharing the vocal duties
and Kanehira plays piano and also sings on the rocking 'Pumpkin’s Boogie', while “Hurry Up Baby”
is jump blues featuring another female vocalist Nacomi Tanaka.

The rest of the album continues with a mixture of versions of classic (though often obscure)
Chicago blues and songs written by Johnny Burgin, with Little Walter’s 'I Just Keep Loving Her
(Mada Sukinanda)' featuring a mixture of English and Japanese lyrics. The John Brim song

'Rattlesnake' sounds suitably down home and 'Two Telephones' has some lovely West—side guitar
from Minoru Maruyama, while 'Samurai Harp Attack' features all three harp players — Kaz Nogio,
Kotez and Iper Onishi. We finish with Burgin's rewrite of 'Sweet Home Chicago' 'Sweet Home
Osaka' which again features all the harp players as well as Johnny, Kotez and Nacomi Tanaka
sharing the vocals. I think if you heard any of these tracks you would not dream that they were

recorded in Japan with mainly Japanese musicians, the featured musicians are excellent but also
the ensemble playing and the rhythm section (drummer Takagiman and Yoshimi Hirata on bass)
are really good.

Graham Harrison

Various Artists—Lockdown Sessions—Crosscut Records— ASIN:

B088B5792W

This may be an authentic—sounding blues CD but it has emerged
Serif PagePlus X9.lnk in a most unusual way courtesy of the Covid—19 pandemic and
the resulting social distancing and lockdown of normal activities,

including live music and recording. As a result German—based
British harmonica player Roger C. Wade got these tracks together
with artists from eight countries sending their contributions via
the Internet. In fact some of the musicians had never actually met
the people that they are playing with! Roger first contacted other
German blues players like guitarist Kai Strauss and saxophonist Tommy Schneller but then also

added artists from the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Finland and France. He then followed this by
getting contributions from several top American players including Larry Garner, Fred Kaplan,
Nathan James, Aki Kumar and Big Daddy Wilson.

There is a great variety of styles here from the jump blues of the opener 'Lockdown Blues' —
‘Strange times we live in, just keep keeping to yourself’, to the Chicago band blues of 'Can't Get Too

Close' and 'Personal Shutdown' which also both have lockdown themes — "I've got to love my baby
from six feet away..." Abi Wallenstein & Roger Wade do a nice acoustic cover of Son House's very