The Chicago Bluesfest always brings out lots of fantastic musicians, but my lead image is meant to right the great wrong that those working in the air-guitar genre have suffered. This guy was having a grand old time, but I am not sure Dexter Allen appreciated the competition. Movement wise, the man in black, who was wearing a colorful Kingston Mines tee-shirt, was far more entertaining than Allen, although there can be no doubt that the Allen far surpassed the air guitarist in terms of the music played. At one point, the man producing the sounds of silence even played the guitar behind his back. I am surprised that he did not set his guitar on fire or smash it.

Our friend the air guitarist is representative of today’s audience. Bluesfest always brings out the dancers, but today for some reason, there were far more dancers than usual, particularly when it started raining during the evening performances. For me, the dancers were almost as entertaining as the musicians. Given all the chaos in the world, I enjoyed seeing people wearing happiness on their sleeves and bare shoulders, as well as under their umbrellas.

As usual, I once again ping-ponged back and forth between the Mississippi Juke Joint Stage on the South Promenade and the Rosa’s Lounge on the North Promenade. My day started with Mzz Reese and Reese’s Pieces. Mzz mines the Soul-Blues vein, sounding a bit like Gladys Knight.

At one point, she told the crowd that she is a cancer survivor, which produced sympathetic cheers, particularly when she told the audience that she “wants [them] to smell the flowers.” Like others, she followed Rule 2 of the Blues, telling us how she loved her man, but when she discovered he was cheating, she had to let him go. During the set, she also waxed philosophical, beginning by noting that when she was 15, she had her fun, but had become more serious with age.

Midway through Mzz Reese’s set, I returned to the Rosa’s Lounge tent, where Al Spears & The Hurricane Project had already launched into their set. Spears is a guitarist, but it was the singer who brought the blues to mind. Herman ”Hermanator” Hines, the Project’s vocalist, is the personification of the old Bluesman. Unfortunately, his vocal effort was largely drowned out by the amped up instrumentation, which is too bad. In a more club-like atmosphere, Hines probably develops a deep connection between the audience and himself. He looks like he might be a great storyteller.

It was then back to the South Promenade, where Melvin Taylor was showing off his guitar playing, which was both sophisticated and technically proficient. No surprise there given that his great aunt was none other than Sister Rosetta Thorpe.

During the remainder of the afternoon, I caught bits and pieces of the other acts who performed on the South and North Promenades. Probably the most notable was Jamiah “Dirty Deacon” Rogers and the Dirty Church Band. Fifty-five years after Jimi Hendrix first gained worldwide attention, his guitar skills and performance antics still mesmerize aspiring guitar players. Clearly, that is true in the case of Rogers, who incorporated all of Hendrix’s pyrotechnics and stage moves into the act. Rogers mines the early moves, but the sound is latter day Hendrix, when he teamed with drummer Buddy Miles, forming The Band of Gypsies.

I must confess, I was more intrigued by Dirty Church’s drummer, a young man who truly was enjoying himself. His facial expressions were priceless, often projecting wonderment at his own effort.

I returned twice to the Mississippi Juke stage; first catching several numbers by Ra’Shad The Blues Kid, and then Dexter Allen, who has worked with the great Bobby Rush. Ra’Shad had more energy, but Allen was clearly the more experienced and skilled player.

But the Pritzker Pavilion was calling, with another excellent lineup in store for the evening. The festivities began with the second of three centennial tributes: this one to singer Dinah Washington. One photographer noted that this tribute might be more suitable for Jazzfest at summer’s end, but I disagree. When it comes to vocalists, I sometimes have trouble ascertaining whether they fall into the Jazz or the Blues categories. Washington clearly straddled the line.

In Chicago, if you are going to stage a tribute to a female singer, there is no one better to call on then singer Dee Alexander and her encyclopedic knowledge of jazz songstresses. She has done them all—Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, and now Dinah Washington. As is typical for Alexander, she does not just do the singer’s signature songs. She adopts the singer’s looks using dresses, capes, jewelry, and shoes to evoke the singer. That’s exactly what she did tonight. She clearly was orchestrator behind the tribute, but she shared the stage with three other vocalists: Elizabeth Faye Butler, Kristin Atkins, and Bruce Henry.

Alexander also managed to work guitar virtuoso Melody Angel into the lineup. Angel apparently caught her foot on something, taking quite the tumble. But that didn’t stop her. She picked herself up, and laughed off the incident, following it with one of her signature Peter Townsend leaps.

I would be remiss if I did not note the three supporting musicians—Miquel de Cerna on piano, Charles Heath IV on drums, and Jeremiah Heath on bass. A classic Chicago rhythm section. I should single de Cerna out. Alexander has been working with him for years. My impression is that he is largely responsible for the arrangements.

Following the celebration of Dinah Washington, multi-instrumentalist Vanessa Collier took the stage, with guitar phenom Laura Chavez on lead guitar. From the standpoint of dress and temperament, the two are at odds with each other. Chavez was dressed in black from head to toe—well the cap was grey. While her guitar work is just as flamboyant as Melody Angels’ or Jamiah “Dirty Deacon” Rogers’, her demeanor is very reserved. No flailing, smiles, or leaps.

Collier, on the other hand, was dressed in stylish white surfer jeans, a sequined black sleeveless top, and a pair of stylish pink high-heeled shoes. She hardly flails, but she exudes exuberance, often projecting a self-satisfied smile—one that says, “I know the band is connecting with the audience.” Like Chavez, Collier plays guitar, but she also serves as the band’s saxophonist and vocalist.

The music, much of it penned by Collier, runs the gambit—Soul, Blues, and Funk, all connected by the sounds of Rock. During the set, she performed one number that she wrote during the Pandemic. Apparently, it, together with other Pandemic-penned songs, will be on a forthcoming album. I will be keeping an eye out for its release.

One thing is for sure. Collier and company must have been doing something right. The rain came down as the sun was setting. The dancers on the cement walkway behind the Pritzker Pavilion’s seating area were undeterred. Some danced under large umbrellas, while others simply got wet.

A Memphis-based band, Southern Avenue, closed the evening. Led by Israeli-born guitarist Ori Naftaly, the group features two female singers, the lead one being Tierinii Jackson. Not surprisingly, they brought to mind many of the old Stax recordings, particularly given the presence of a B6 organist. The group was good, but for my money, they should have been the opening act, with the Dinah Washington Centennial Tribute being the closer.

Overall, another great day of Blues.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]

Copyright 2024, Jack B. Siegel. All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Display, Distribute, Download, Duplicate, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.