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Jazz Articles about Charlie Musselwhite
John Lee Hooker: The Best of Friends
by Doug Collette
In contrast to his often (always?) irascible peer Chester Burnett, aka Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker has long been amenable to collaborations, reciprocal and otherwise. Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Charlie Musselwhite and Carlos Santana, among others, appeared on The Healer (Chameleon,1989) and all those artists also populate the credits for The Best of Friends. (Santana, the Mexican-born guitar hero, appears with two different iterations of his band). Fittingly titled, this anthology is a suitable companion piece to Whiskey ...
Continue ReadingVarious artists: Alligator Records: 50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music
by Jim Trageser
Maybe this half-century commemoration of the Chicago-based, blues-focused label should have been titled, “The Last of the Independents." Almost alone of the mid-major labels that formerly thrived in the 1980s and '90s by specializing in non-mainstream styles of music, Alligator has managed to navigate stunning changes in the music business--from the vinyl of LPs and 45s to cassettes and CDs, and then, most recently, the virtual collapse of the retail record business and wholesale pivot to online digital ...
Continue ReadingNew Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers: Vol. 2
by Doug Collette
The New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Volume 2 is replete with the same instinctual camaraderie and musicianly savvy as its predecessor. Likewise culled from sessions recorded in 2007, this sequel is decidedly not comprised of mere leftovers or otherwise sub-par tracks originally left unreleased. On the contrary, the alternately upbeat and reflective atmosphere reaffirms the realism and presence of Kevin Houston's recording of these eleven cuts at the Zebra Ranch studios that were subsequently produced to authentic effect by ...
Continue ReadingBlues Masters: Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite and New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers
by Doug Collette
The tradition of the blues remains tried but true over generations of musicians and fans, the devotion of the latter mirroring and complementing the loyalty of the former. And the twisting, turning geography of the music's evolution, from Africa to the Southern delta (and its adjacent hill country) up the Mississippi River to Chicago, is itself a reflection of that longstanding relationship. Likewise, the career paths of Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite long ran parallel before intersecting at the understated ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Musselwhite: Best of the Vanguard Years
by Ed Kopp
When 18-year-old Charlie Musselwhite left Memphis for Chicago in 1962, he wasn't even aware that the Windy City was the center of the blues universe. His only objective was to land a decent factory job. But Musselwhite would soon discover how vital the blues scene was in his new hometown. He would also notice that there were fewer harmonica players than guitarists working the blues clubs there. Since Musselwhite could play both instruments, he decided to focus on the harp ...
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