Blues and Art of Chicago.

(Observations by Steve T)

Some people think American skyscrapers are ugly, but I find them amazing and Chicago more so than New York - real fantasy/sci-fi stuff. Chicago seems a long way to go for a concert, but the Windy City was on my bucket-list anyway, alongside San Fran, New Orleans, Boston and Vegas. The city that gave the world electric blues and Curtis Mayfield, who many think will ultimately be considered one of the finest human beings who ever lived.

We were left with a trek to the three gigs, two of which we did entirely by taxis, but by a stroke of luck, were literally around the corner from Buddy Guy's world-famous club - Legends.

A similar walk in the other direction found us at the Art Institute of Chicago, with the most incredible collection of Impressionism and Modern Art, including multiple famous pieces by masters including Picasso, Braque, Cezanne, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, Matisse and Dali.

Parallels are often made between Modern Art, particularly Picasso, and Modern Classical Music, particularly Stravinsky, but comparisons also extend to Jazz - Gerry Mulligan and Ben Webster spring to mind - and I found it a fitting backdrop to a weekend of Jazz.

When BB died, the mainstream pop/rock media promptly proclaimed Buddy Guy the greatest living blues artist, but I thought he became that when Muddy Waters died in the early eighties, or maybe when Albert King died a few years later. If you judge it by music, and I would suggest you should, Buddy has had a run of albums since which are unparalleled in blues, which may just make him the greatest ever.   

Luckily there was nothing on at Legends on the evenings, as it has a strict over twenty-ones policy, but on Friday afternoon Fruteland Jackson entertained us with his Strat, harmonica and (small s) soulful voice on a mix of classics and originals. Unfortunately, Mike Wheeler, a great guitarist with a large S soulful voice had to cancel on the Saturday and Fruteland got to do it all again.

On Friday night I popped in for a couple and caught an indeterminate multicultural six piece of drums, bass, keys, guitar and voice with a sax/ trumpet horn section for some blues covers and originals, and covers of famous soul hits.

Lots of guitars, pictures and paraphernalia around the walls and some of the staff were keen to talk about their boss, the blues and Black Music. Others were just after your money. I had thought it might be a bit touristy, like Ronnie Scott's, but it's a great club and would be fantastic with a real blues artist playing to real blues enthusiasts.

Like Chicago and USA, it's all about contradictions and I found I loved things and loathed things, often simultaneously and sometimes for the same reason.

Steve T