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Lisa Mann’s Northwestern All-stars—Lisa Mann
& Groove Now Present the Great Women in
Blues Featuring Terri Odabi—Jay Ray

“Groove Now” concerts take place in Basel,
Switzerland. For one event, organiser Patrick
Kaiser invited singer/ bassist Lisa Mann and

drummer Jimi Bott to put together a Pacific North
West group for shows in 2023, asking if a tribute
to Blues women could be included among their

three shows. Two guitarists, Ben Rice and Jason “JT”
Thomas, and Portland, Oregon’s King Of The B-3
Louis Pain were added to the band, and singer Terrie Odabi out of Oakland, California

was also part of the line-up.

The show was recorded and this CD offers just over an hour’s worth of excellent
music. Lisa herself is no slouch as a singer, as several tracks here prove, including ‘I

Don’t Hurt Anymore’ as a tribute to Dinah Washington, and a homage to Sister
Rosetta Tharpe with ‘That’s All’. Koko Taylor is obviously a favourite, as evidenced
by ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ and ‘Let The Juke Joint Jump’ (and briefly on Etta James’ ‘I

Sing The Blues’), and others represented here include Mavis Staples, Big Mama
Thornton, Big Maybelle and Ruth Brown.

Terrie Odabi opens the set with a short introduction incorporating some short a

cappella snatches of spirituals to set the scene. Throughout the album she can be
heard duetting with Lisa, sparring or adding comments behind her to great effect.

It is a rare to find an album that is exciting, educational, impressive, and thoroughly

enjoyable. But here’s one…

Norman Darwen

(www.lisamannmusic.com)

Brad “Guitar” Wilson—The Californian —Cali
Bee Music

Just as the sleeve photos leave no doubt as to the
accuracy of the album title, the music on this, his
eighth album, proves that Brad sings and plays the

blues extremely well – if proof were needed. The
album is book ended by a powerful ‘It Hurts Me

Too’ and the deep Otis Rush/Willie Dixon song
‘Groaning The Blues’, and on the dozen tracks in
between, Brad explores many different forms of
blues, and the blues influence on other forms.