Capitol Blues
kevin forder | Washington, D.C. | 02/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Despite its image as a staid government town, D.C. has long been a veritable fertile crescent of roots music, nuturing a vibrant club scene that for 50 years has generated international blues stars, as well as hot regional acts and sidemen touring with national acts. "The Blues You Would Just Hate to Lose, Vol 1" (and Vol 2, for that matter), offers a sharply focused and wonderfully detailed snapshot of that scene, as it played out in small clubs around the city in the late '90's. Right on Rhythm Records' Wayne Kahn did it the hard way, and the right way: He got to know the musicians, the tunes and the clubs, and night after night hunkered down next to the stage under his headphones, memorializing the scene on DAT. And what a scene: Nap Turner, the Godfather of D.C. blues, shows you that Percy Mayfield will never die; The Carey Bell Band's Steve Jacobs, a local boy, lacerates some Albert Collins; Ex-Nighthawk Danny Morris shows that Freddy King and Dick Dale can borrow the same set of fingers for a tune; Big Joe Maher sings like Smiley Lewis was his babysitter; Joe Stanley brings what sounds like 200 years of road experience to his bar-walking sax style, and keyboard virtuoso Kevin McKendree (now w/Delbert McClinton) channels Professor Longhair and Jimmy Smith right into your home. The sound kills, too: It's clean, loud, up-front and full of sweaty club vibe. Most importantly, the scene itself comes through -- young and old, black and white, these musicians generate a lot of passion and a lot of love, and you can hear it."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1