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Guitar and saxophone is an unusual combination of instruments. EddieBlue Magic and Alex Mays combine them and their voices with style to produce a very entertaining bluesy, jazzy, sexy sound. It was a real treat to hear them in the wonderful and most appropriate setting of the Sunset Jazz Club last Thursday night !
This talented duo are experienced performers in the real world though still a bit new and finding their feet in SL. They stream from Kalamazoo in SW Michigan ... yes there really is a Kalamazoo !!
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They began with Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins much-covered 1951 song The Thrill Is Gone popularised by B.B.King.
...... .....
The thrill is gone
It's gone away from me
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
Although I'll still live on
But so lonely I'll be
...... .....
Alex sang accompanied by EddieBlue on alto sax. I've heard this song many times and this was a slower, richer, even more bluesy rendition.
EddieBlue did the next blues song If You Love Me Like You Say It's tailor made for their guitar sax combo and classy delivery !
If you love me like you say
Why you treat me like you do ?
If you love me like you say, baby
Why you treat me like you do ?
Well I ain't no fool
I'm cool I know the rules
...... ..... ....
Though I'm not sure who wrote this one ... was it Albert Collins, Deborah Coleman ... or someone else ?
The crazy heatwave was playing havoc with their tuning though they soon had it under control !
Alex has been writing songs for over 15 years, and the next blues song was one of his. Have Mercy Baby ... he dedicated to all the hard-working women in the kitchen today .....
Hey now have mercy baby
cos I'm thirsty mama
Have mercy baby
please don't hurt me well I
don't want no arguments baby
I just wanna make love with you
When you're barefoot in your kitchen
now baby I'm liking what you do
...... ..... ....
This is a strong, slow blues with great rhythm. Their two voices complement each other really well.
" Support the venue !! "
American singer-songwriter Bill Withers Ain't No Sunshine is from his 1971 album Just As I Am.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
it's not warm when she's away.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
and she's always gone too long
any time she goes away.
Wonder this time where she's gone
wonder if she's gone to stay
...... ..... ....
Alex's singing of this was strong and powerful with the emotion and angst it requires. It was a wonderful blues and jazz mixture with EddieBlue adding just the right amount of tambourine.
" makes me want to groove all night long ... omg i think im getting a rush "
" Yes we am :)) "
Hard To Handle written and recorded by Otis Redding was released after his death in 1967.
Baby, here I am
I'm a man on the scene
I can give you what you want
But you got to go home with me
...... ..... ....
'cause mama I'm sure hard to handle now yes are am !
" whooo whooo whooo !! "
" Where's all the peeps today ?
There were only 16 in the audience :((
It's a pleasure playing with you ... for you ...
maybe I'll sing a song to the ladies
I dedicate this to all the women out there who worry too much "
Alex sang Raindrops one of his smooth, tuneful originals and I managed to catch some of the words ...
Raindrops are gonna fall on your head
well it ain't no good-time baby when you're all alone
Stand up !
...... .....
Take out the worries baby leave them far behind
sunshine is gonna shine on your soul
So relax now gonna try to ease your worried mind
...... .....
Their guitar sax combination works absolutely beautifully here. It's a lovely soulful song with an infectious, swinging melody. Great to dance to :)))
Their next song was funk ! Here's a flavour of the story ...
I was walking down the street one day in Kalamazoo
wondering where can I go to play this kind of music ... Barney's place ?
I opened that door and what happened ... funk !!!
They slammed me down ... stuck to the carpet just like velcro
Just a walkin... walkin... walkin...
no no no no !!!
Get on down !!!
you know !!!
Wanna take you down down down down down to the funky basement
yeah that's right !!!
Yeah !! Funk in the basement !! ..... there's that great sax and those tambourines again !!
" Shall we take them to Chicago ? "
Alex's phone rings ..........
I'm gonna break this cell phone with a hammer !
bang ! bang ! bang !
That's techno stress !!!
Their next song was about gas prices !! A subject of real pain and blues these days whether in the USA or UK. The boys sing it with the scornful disrespect and sense of humour which this subject provokes ! I guess it's an original :))
" We have to pick our places to play this song ... we might get into trouble with the oil companies "
Pissed at the pump !!
never seen no hard time like these ...
I do believe they should give a little vaseline for free
you could put the nozzle in it ...
We're all gettin screwed
get screwed !!
Feel like a chump all out of luck ...
ain't never seen no hard times like these ...
I'm pissed at the pump !!
" Hope you enjoyed that that's a sign of the times baby "
" I think we should take em to Chicago "
Their tenth and last song Sweet Home Chicago was based on that popular blues standard first recorded and credited to have been written by recognised master of blues - particularly the Mississippi Delta Blues - the legendary Robert Johnson. Wikipedia tells us that his landmark recordings from 1936-37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Eric Clapton has called Johnson " the most important blues singer that ever lived "
Come on !
Baby don't you wanna go
Come on !
Baby don't you wanna go
Back from the land of California
to my sweet home Chicago
..... ..... ...
Two and two is four babe
Four and two is eight
Come on now darlin'
Don't you ever make me late
...... ..... ....
You should show me yours baby
I'll show you mine .....
The boys did this as a part-instrumental with fine jazzy sounds from EddieBlue's sax and great vocals from Alex.
Amazingly there's a crackly recording of Robert Johnson himself singing his original words to this on Spotify !!
that's all y'all ...
the clock on the wall says that's all ...
see you next time !
Well I'm hooked on EddieBlue and Alex sound !! It was great to hear new artists at Sunset Jazz Club and I hope they become regulars there. I'm sure there's a lot more to come from these boys and they get the recognition they deserve as their audiences increase.
Further information about Alex Mays can be found in our linked blog HERE
where there is also information about EddieBlue HERE
Here's the SLURL to get to the Sunset Jazz Club
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