Music and Blues

Porgy and Bess takes centre stage at Edinburgh International Festival

Opéra de Lyon's production of Gershwins' crossover classic

16 Jul 2010

As operas go, it’s fair to say that Porgy and Bess blew in like a hurricane. When George and Ira Gershwin’s self-styled ‘American folk opera’ featuring a libretto by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward appeared on the New York stage in 1935, its cast of…

The Phantom Band

19 Feb 2009

The Phantom Band are a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped inside an enigma. OK, they’re not really, they’re just six guys living in Glasgow making music, but as their ephemeral name suggests there is something shadowy and unfathomable about both the…

Music In The Digital Age

Technology's impact on the artform

2 Oct 2009

To paraphrase the Creme Egg adverts, when it comes to music, how do you hear yours? Streaming over the internet? Nicking stuff from torrents on the web? A bag full of goodies from Fopp? Crates of obscure vinyl from your local specialist…

Musicians' guide: Open mic nights

27 Nov 2008

Mondays Glasgow Nice 'n' Sleazy 421 Sauchiehall St, 333 0900. 8pm. The Monday Acoustic Jam, 8pm–midnight. Free to all performers. Bring your instrument and join in the fun. Open Mic NIght - Pivo Pivo 15 Waterloo Street, 564 8100. 6pm.

Eat, sleep and breathe: Alabama Shakes

The bluesy foursome's guitarist Heath Fogg talks us through his tour habits

27 Mar 2012

What time is breakfast? 1pm. Tea or coffee? Coffee, though [lead singer, pictured…

Celtic Connections 2012 line-up announced

Glasgow traditional music festival features 2100 artists and 300 events over 18 days in 20 venues

26 Oct 2011

This year's festival will include 2100 artists, 300 events, 20 venues all over 18 days. Being that winter is in the offing, you now wake up in the morning for work and its dark, you then head home from work and its dark. One thing that will surely…

Wilko Johnson - The Caves, Edinburgh, Thu 15 Sep 2011

A winner set from the ex Blockheads guitarist turned bluesman

22 Sep 2011

Canvey Island rocking bluesman Wilko Johnson kicked off his nationwide tour from the other end of the UK with a stonking set that compared favourably to the Essex man’s glory days as lead guitarist for Dr Feelgood in the 1970s and Ian Dury and the…

Lone Pigeon - Time Capsule 001-010: A Selection

A collection of the Fife musician's finest tracks from the last decade

21 Mar 2011

(Domino) You don’t see him for years and then he pops up with this. Get ready to (re)introduce yourself to Gordon Anderson, aka Fife’s maverick songwriting talent Lone Pigeon, a man who counts The Beta Band, the Aliens and the Fence Collective among…

Music festivals 2010: Festivals timeline

28 May 2010

From Rock Ness to Roskilde, Glastonbury to Glasgow Jazz Festival, we list the best of the many great fests happening throughout the summer. Which one(s) will you choose?

Best of the Rest - Jazz and Blues

Highlights of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

13 Jul 2009

Jazz on a Summer's Day, Eric Burdon and The Animals, The Hot Club of Cowtown, Martin Taylor/Sylvain Luc, Niki King, Baptiste Trotignon and Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

The Gossip - Music for Men

11 Jun 2009

The Gossip’s extravagant firebrand Beth Ditto has bagged herself stardom in bountiful guises: disco-blues diva, brawling fashionista, feminist defender, media provocateur, political agitator — and, not least, the sexiest catsuit inhabitant since…

Tom Brosseau - Posthumous Success

30 Apr 2009

FOLK BLUES Bobbins to the album title, Tommy B; this finger pickin’ North Dakota man won’t have to wait until his expiration date to enjoy basking in a little glory. His style has evolved from the basic one voice, one acoustic guitar set-up (as seen…

Seasick Steve

9 Aug 2007

Every now and then pop culture throws something into the public consciousness based solely on quality. It may not be fashionable, it’s not part of a new movement, it doesn’t fit into any scene, it’s just good. This year’s phenomenal anomaly is…

Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers – Luck (Re:Peater)

20 May 2011

Hallelujah! The ghost of Uncle John & Whitelock, Glasgow's seriously demented purveyors of their self-styled horror r n' b, is reborn and delivered here in the still possessed shape of Jabob Yates (nee Lovatt), former howler of that parish. Lovatt and…

Ali McGregor – Jazz Cigarette

A sexy soulful rendition of songs that inspire

30 Jul 2010

It’s a fine woman who can wrap her vocal chords round Ella, Billie and, er, Britney, with suitable pizzazz. This is sexy soulfulness at its finest, with a harp thrown in. Having warmed up with stints in La Clique and Variety-Nite, here she keeps it real…

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2010 begins

China Moses, Niki King and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble among highlights

22 Jul 2010

The ten-day fest kicks off again, and among our recommendations, we would include China Moses, an American singer based in Paris, with a soul background and a near obsession for the troubled diva, Dinah Washington; Niki King, Scotland’s own smoky-voiced…

Three Blind Wolves - The Sound of the Storm

14 Apr 2010

(Instinctive Raccoon) Three Blind Wolves, see how they run? That’s right, they run like lovesick delinquents through decades of vintage Scottish rock – by way of country, blues and folk – and come out sounding downright affable. The new and…

Niki King pays tribute to Billie Holliday

1 Feb 2010

Cool Edinburgh jazz vocalist Niki King continues her tribute to one of the true greats of jazz Billie Holliday. ‘The time of prejudice that she worked through, the hardship and awful situations endured growing up; all of this pain and vulnerability…

Natalie Merchant, The Chieftains and Ry Cooder set for Celtic Connection 2010

30 Oct 2009

Celtic Connections launched with a suitable level of expectation this fortnight – and it doesn’t look set to disappoint. Comprising 1500 artists, 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, workshops, free events and late-night sessions, the programme of events will…

Various - Kats Karavan: The History of John Peel on the Radio

16 Oct 2009

There has already been plenty released to celebrate John Peel’s legacy, and now this expansive four-disc set tries to replicate the magic of a quintessential John Peel show. By that we mean throwing the tough techno of Dave Clarke up against the…

James Apollo - The Caves, Edinburgh, Tue 6 Oct

Ecstatic Americana

15 Oct 2009

Some people might say that rock’n’roll isn’t all about having great hair. But these people are fools! James Apollo has a truly spectacular quiff and a rockabilly sound of equally high calibre that both get an awe-inspiring showcasing in the…

Hitlist: Music

Another fortnight of fantastic gigs

15 Oct 2009

Camera Obscura, Oxjam 2009, Phoenix, Biffy Clyro, Julie Fowlis, Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, Cluthc, Kylsea, Kamchatka

The Dead Weather

Jack White's other other band

2 Oct 2009

Jack White appears to be addicted to making music, and after the genius of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs he returns with yet another project as The Dead Weather make their Scottish debut. Expect raw sleazy rock as he joins forces with Alison…

Richard Hawley interview

Chatting with the Sheffield troubadour

1 Oct 2009

‘Someone call 999, Richard Hawley’s been robbed!’ shouted Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner on accepting the Mercury Prize in 2006, indicating the high esteem he had for his fellow Sheffielder, an esteem shared by the likes of Elbow, REM and Jarvis…

T-Model Ford

Authentic blues from the octogenarian

3 Sep 2009

Born James Lewis Carter Ford in Forrest, a small community in Scott County, Mississippi, myth, mystery and awe surround the life of the blues musician better known as T-Model Ford. His exact age, for instance, is unknown even to him, although he is…

Terry Reid and The Fortunate Sons - Winchester Club, Glasgow, 29 Aug

The blues maestro plays Glasgow

3 Sep 2009

Roll’n’roll folklore states that he turned down overtures from Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, but tonight blues maestro Terry Reid joins forces with Glasgow outfit The Fortunate Sons. It seems, however, less of an amalgamation of musical wits than might…

Bob Log III

Delta blues madness at King Tut's

3 Sep 2009

For a unique take on the Delta blues, Bob Log III is your man. He is clad in a crash helmet and cat suit with a telephone wired into his face-plate, leaving his hands free to concentrate on slide guitar while he uses his feet to drum. Expect a bizarre…

Terry Reid & The Fortunate Sons

Looking forward to the man who turned down Led Zeppelin

21 Aug 2009

Nicknamed ‘superlungs’ Terry Reid turned down positions in both Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and has a long and prestigious history in rock working with the likes of Jackson Browne, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, The Eagles, The Who and The Police through…

Preston Reed

Under the hammer

20 Aug 2009

Guitarist Preston Reed is a dazzling exponent of the guitar technique broadly known as ‘hammering-on’, a percussive method of playing on the neck that looks as impressive as it sounds. You can get a flavour from his CDs, but there is no substitute for…

Tam White and the Sermon Orchestra

Preaching a funky lesson

20 Aug 2009

Tam White is Scotland’s best-known blues voice, but he has a lot more than a 12-bar in his locker. His baptism as a pop singer in the 60s eventually led to the jazz-tinged blues of The Dexters, and on to settings that ranged from a celebrated duo with…

Joint Effort: Soulsavers and Mark Lanegan

The blues man joins forces with the electronica outfit

14 Aug 2009

Gravelly voice-for-hire Mark Lanegan loves a good collaboration, from Isobel Campbell to Queens of the Stone Age to fellow grunge veteran Greg Dulli, but how did he come to be singing with English production and remix duo Soulsavers? ‘I’ve been a big…

Top 5 Things To Do This Week

14 Aug 2009

Bloody Beetroot (clubs), Inglourious Basterds (film), Emergent Artists (Visual Art), Soulsavers (music), Christopher Brookmyre (books)

Barbara Morrison

Ebullient and expressive jazz singer

29 Jul 2009

Los Angeles-based singer Barbara Morrison has been a popular visitor to Scotland in recent years, and settles in to a Fringe residency via a couple of outings within the Jazz Festival programme. Raised in Michigan, she has an ebullient, wise-cracking…

Southern Fried Festival - country music comes to Perth

23 Jul 2009

Glen Lyon, 1982, is as good a place to start as any. That summer Andy Shearer, son of the local deerstalking ghillie, met Will Oldham, a young American holidaying on the estate with his family. They struck up a friendship and began to swap music…

Lost boy - a tribute to Chet Baker

A play, talk, film documentary and recital commemorate the jazz pin-up

13 Jul 2009

On 16 June 1952, Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker and Chet Baker played together in a small restaurant club in Inglewood, California. Baker was fresh out of the army and played trumpet to both Parker and Sonny Criss’ mercurial, blues-drenched alto sax. Within…

New York Dolls

9 Jul 2009

Having burned brightly for just a few short years in the early 1970s, seminal glam-punk band the New York Dolls reformed 27 years later for what was supposedly a one-off gig at the Morrissey-curated 2004 Meltdown festival. A rapturous reception from the…

Profile - Stuart Staples (Tindersticks)

9 Jul 2009

Born Stuart Ashton Staples, 14 November 1965. Background Staples is the lead singer of Tindersticks, an originally Nottingham-based band formed in late 1991. Initially called Asphalt Ribbons, the band changed their name after Staples found a box of…

First Word - Terry Callier

28 May 2009

First record you ever bought The first record I ever bought was ‘Crying In the Chapel’ by Sonny Til and the Orioles. Last time you were chatted up The last time I was seriously chatted up was after a concert last year at Wayne State University…

Glasgow Americana Festival

14 May 2009

Scotland in general, and Glasgow in particular, has had a long love affair with the dusty backroad heartbreak of Americana and anything with a folky bent from across the pond. In the past the Big Big Country festival run by late promoter Billy Kelly was…

Big Ned

2 Apr 2009

POST-BLUES To say that Glasgow’s Big Ned are the first signing to the newly-inaugurated Optimo Music label (formerly Oscarr) might give some idea as to where they’re coming from. An exciting and challenging place, sure, but possibly one which has…

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Beware

5 Mar 2009

ALT.COUNTRY Wildwood lothario Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – the alter ego of Kentuckian alt.country outlaw Will Oldham – has inhabited and advanced the guise of folk defiler, kinship analyst and hirsute, horny man-beast since his come-hither intones were…

Dave Arcari - Got Me Electric

19 Feb 2009

(Buzz) DELTA BLUES Scottish bluesman Dave Arcari has been pumping out rough-hewn nuggets of punky blues for years, and while this fifth album maintains that momentum it’s something of a one-trick pony. Slapping and picking away on his guitar…

James Orr Complex - Com Favo

11 Dec 2008

BRAZILIAN MATH-FOLK BLUES Having relocated to São Paulo, Christopher Mack’s follow up to Chori’s Bundle doesn’t immediately suggest any discernable favella-sourced inspiration. Indeed, there is nothing immediate about what might be mistaken for…

Geraint Watkins- In a Bad Mood

13 Nov 2008

From the depths of South Wales via London, 50-something delivers his fourth set, nearly 30 years after his Vertigo Records debut with The Dominators. Having intermittently worked as session keyboard player with Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison and Nick Lowe…

Foy Vance

5 Jun 2008

Expect an alternative take on the singer-songwriter set up from Foy Vance, who has picked up comparisons to everyone from Van Morrison to Stevie Wonder. Counting Pete Townsend, Bonnie Raitt and David Holmes among his admirers, Vance weaves soul, blues…

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt

24 Apr 2008

COUNTRY/FOLK/BLUES (V2) Campbell and Lanegan’s Mercury-nominated debut was a one-trick pony, but it was a pretty cool trick. Campbell’s wispy whimper and Lanegan’s bourbon-soaked growl blended refreshingly over some old school folk and blues, but it…

Seasick Steve

17 Jan 2008

Grizzled hobo Seasick Steve tore it up on the live circuit through 2007. His one-man country blues is packed with uncooked honesty and impassion vocals: this is the real blues built from experience panhandling across the US. It’s hard to believe he…

The Parsonage

Choral folk country blues

29 Nov 2007

Choirs are not cool, right? Wrong. Glasgow 50-strong vocal ensemble The Parsonage have played at festivals including Indian Summer and Connect, contributed to Echo and the Bunnymen’s forthcoming new album and recorded an EP for release on Optimo’s…

The Black Diamond Express

23 Aug 2007

Like the fastest train of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, The Black Diamond Express is, at full compliment, a nine-piece soaked in poetry, myth and bourbon. Led by the enigmatic Jack of Diamonds its combination of slide, acoustic and electric guitars over…

Benny Golson Quartet, Al Foster Quintent, Jeff 'Tain' Watts Quartet

19 Jul 2007

Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival Roll with it Jazz goes back to its roots in the Festival’s ‘American Icons’ strand, as Kenny Mathieson discovers