Canned Heat, the doomed boogie-blues revivalists, only made a lone appearance at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival. Yet they still managed some star-crossed magic.

NICK DERISO: The story goes: Someone asked Fats Waller what jazz is. His reply? “If you don’t know, don’t mess with it.” Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown messed with it on “Just Got Lucky,” and with fine results. In fact, it seemed his string-bending solos found themselves most at home in the straight-ahead surroundings that made up the last third of thisRead More

The late Louisiana blues legend Gatemouth Brown could be a grouchy man. How grouchy? Let’s find out.

by Nick DeRiso “Sitting on a suitcase, in the Memphis depot – wishing to God I could fly,” sings Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown on my old record. “Catching this train is my way of telling Memphis and Mildred goodbye.” People have actually asked me to bring it to parties. The album – and it is an album, on vinyl pressed inRead More