Bob Margolin
All-star Blues Jam
Tel-Arc –83579
Release – 2003
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also available on amazon
For this disc Bob Margolin, former lead guitar player for Muddy Waters, has assembled a stellar cast of Chicago musicians. These are all long time veteran players with pedigrees in Howlin’ Wolf’s Band and Muddy Water’s Band among others, with the exception of Mookie Brill on vocals, bass and harmonica, who more than holds his own with this fine assemblage. The band is tight and well used to jamming, and this shows with their playing of these 15 songs that sound as if they come out of the Chicago Blues Handbook. Most of them are standards, however such songwriters as Brook Benton and of course Bob Margolin contributed a couple. A standout on the disc is the rendition of “Mean Old Chicago” which Bob wrote on the way to Jimmy Rogers' funeral. This was recorded live, as were most of the cuts, at a gig he was doing in Salina. On this version of it he is joined on guitar by Jimmy D. Lane Jr., who is Jimmy’s son. The
couple of songs he recorded with Hubert Sumlin were done in Bob’s living room with the 2 of them picking and Mookie joining in on acoustic guitar or harp. It has that wonderful live feel of spontaneous playing that has a true spirit to it.
Bob Margolin – guitar, vocals
Carey Bell – harmonica, vocals
Mookie Brill – harmonica, bass, guitar, vocals
Pinetop Perkins – piano, vocals
Willie “Big Eyes” Smith – drums, vocals, harmonica
Hubert Sumlin – guitar, vocals
Jimmy D. Lane - guitar