|
_______________________________________________________
WEEK AT A GLANCE: AUGUST 19- 25
SUN. 19- Ricky @ FRETBOARD BREWING 4:00-7:00 PM
TUES. 21- Ricky performs with THE GIRTONS @
BLUE ASH AMPHITHEATER - 7:00-9:00 PM
WED. 22- Ricky performs with THE GIRTONS @
GREENHILLS COMMONS - 7:00-9:00 PM
THURS. 23- Ricky @ BREW RIVER GASTROPUB
FRI. 24- Ricky with Bekah Williams @ SOMM WINE BAR
SAT. 25- Ricky with Bekah Williams @ SYMPHONY HOTEL
for more details click
HERE...
________________________________________________________
a TERRIFIC week in ST. LOUIS (April 12-16, 2018) thanks to venues
BLUES CITY DELI, BB'S JAZZ BLUES & SOUPS, YAQUIS ON CHEROKEE,
HANDLEBAR and TICK TOCK TAVERN- very grateful for the support and
hospitality of my friends Ethan Leinwand, Valerie Jo Kirchhoff, Dan
Conner, Chase Garrett, Emilie Richard and Christopher & Kristen
Parrish...happy to be on the bandstand with Vince Corkery, John
Marshall & David Gomez at Blues City Deli...good times! I'll be
back to STL for the THIRD ANNUAL ST. LOUIS PIANO FESTIVAL, to be held
MONDAY JUNE 4th @ BB'S JAZZ BLUES & SOUPS
________________________________________________________
MANY THANKS to Howard Stone, founder of VAIL JAZZ
and his conscientious staff, the outstanding rhythm section of
Mark Diamond (upright bass) & Jay Forrest (drums),
attentive guests and gracious hosts for including me in the society's
"Soiree Series" house concert held Saturday March 24th, 2018-
truly a night to remember!
"Known for its rollicking, foot-stomping jubilance,
the boogie-woogie sound erupted from the American South during the late
1920s. This piano-centric subgenre of the jazz tradition drew its
structural elements from the blues and spirituals, but introduced an
intoxicating rhythmic complexity that inspired generations of young
dancers. Ricky Nye is one of the nation’s leading players and
preservationists of boogie-woogie, stunning audiences with unmatched
authenticity, virtuosic speed and playful arrangements"- Vail Jazz
________________________________________________________
Back from spending an intensive and rewarding time working with over
forty eight graders @ LIBERTY ARTS MAGNET SCHOOL
in Lima, OH for their 25th annual BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS WEEK (February
26- March 2, 2018)- funded by the man they call "PICKLE" (organizer of
PICKLE'S BLUES EXTRAVAGANZA, an annual non-profit event), the students
were arranged into three bands of aprrox. fifteen members, and each
class tackled a tune: "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Roy Brown, "Reconsider
Baby" by Lowell Fulson and "The Blues Is Alright" by Little Milton- the
end goal was a concert held Friday morning for the school.
I was so impressed by these young folks- they worked hard and accepted
direction in order to achieve the goal of being part of a band that
grooved together and made one unified sound. There was also
fearlessness involved: some of the students, notably two of the three
bassists, never played the instrument before but were wiling to apply
themselves, and in the end they nailed it!
The concert on Friday was a great success, and on top of it all it was FUN!
This was my no means a solitary endeavor: it was a concerted effort
along with Liberty Arts Magnet School's music instructors Kara Place
and Paul Eckert- it would have been virtually impossible to achieve the
end result alone.
SIncere thanks to these remarkable students for enriching my life-
I greatly appreciate it!
R.N.
________________________________________________________
THANKS to those who attended the
EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT
which featured:
MARTIJN SCHOK & GRETA HOLTROP (Netherlands)
WENDY DEWITT & KIRK HARWOOD (San Francisco, CA)
LIZ PENNOCK & DR. BLUES (St. Petersburg, FL)
RICKY NYE & BEKAH WILLIAMS (Cincinnati, OH)
plus:
CHRIS DOUGLAS (upright bass)
PAUL ELLIS (drums)
BRIAN "BOSS" HOGG (tenor sax)
on FRIDAY & SATURDAY NOVEMBER 3rd & 4th, 2017
@ THE SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL
MANY THANKS to the SPONSORS that made it all happen:
PIANO PROS
MS. KAREN TYLER
DEWEY'S PIZZA
POMPILIO'S
YORK / BRANDT / SHOLITON / WALKER FOUNDATION
EAT WELL CELEBRATIONS AND FEASTS
BANG BANG SALON
ESQUIRE / MARIEMONT / KENWOOD / EASTGATE THEATERS
WVXU 91.7
CITYBEAT MAGAZINE
MARTIJN SCHOK & GRETA HOLTROP
The name Martijn Schok is
synonymous with boogie woogie and piano blues in the Netherlands.
Martijn performs solo, with vocalist Greta Holtrop, as well as
with his swinging band, and has released sixteen successful boogie
woogie CDs.
Martijn's piano style is
characterized by a large dose of swing, a steady groove, a high degree
of virtuosity, and a great deal of admiration for the music of the
early American boogie woogie originators.
Recipient of the German
Pinetop Boogie Woogie Award "Pianist Of The Year 2013/2014”, Martijn
has appeared at prestigious festivals such as Motor City Boogie
(Detroit, Michigan), Blues & Boogie Piano Summit (Newport, KY),
Blues Passions (Cognac, France), plus festivals in France, Italy,
Switzerland, Denmark and England. Martijn is also Artistic Director and
founder of the Heineken International Boogie & Blues Festival
Holland.
With her versatile vocal talent and charismatic stage presence, singer
Greta Holtrop forms
the perfect partner for Martijn’s swinging piano style. Her expressive
voice seduces the ear with sultry interpretations of sensitive blues
songs, turning just as easily to lively, swinging boogies. The late
great pianist
Big Joe Duskin described her vocal tone as somewhere between Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.
Greta has performed at
Boogie Woogie & Blues Festivals in the USA, Switzerland, France,
Belgium and England, and sang with world renowned boogie specialists
such as Bob Seeley, Charlie Booty, Jean-Paul Amouroux,
Axel Zwingenberger, Ricky Nye, Little Willie Littlefield, Stefano Franco and
Mark Braun.
Visit their website @ www.martijnschok.com
WENDY DEWITT & KIRK HARWOOD
When Wendy DeWitt,
former pianist with Hank Ballard & The Midnighters and long time
international boogie woogie favorite joined forces with Kirk Harwood,
veteran drummer for artists such as Norton Buffalo (Steve Miller), Huey
Lewis and Roy Rogers, the two shared a vision of creating a duo capable
of holding its own on any stage with power, pizzaz and presence.
Aside from four years
working with Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Wendy has also shared
the stage with artists such as Charlie Musselwhite, Otis Rush, and
Jimmy Thackery. She’s appeared at the Arches Boogie Piano Stage (part
of Cincinnati’s Cincy Blues Fest), Symphony Hall in Boston,
Massachusetts and the San Diego Museum of Art with Hadda Brooks in one
of Hadda’s last performances. Wendy has also performed at the San
Francisco Blues Festival,
St. Croix Blues & Heritage Fest, Les Nuits de Boogie Woogie in
Paris, and festivals throughout Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary
and Belgium.
Wendy produces the
annual Queens Of Boogie Woogie and San Francisco International Boogie
Woogie Festival. In 2012 and 2014 Wendy and Kirk Harwood represented
The Golden Gate Blues Society in the International Blues Challenge
(IBC) held in Memphis, Tennessee, and were finalists in 2014.
More information can be found @ www.wendydewitt.com
LIZ PENNOCK & DR. BLUES
Piano & guitar duo Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues have
performed together since 1983. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida,
they’ve taken their own brand on blues, boogie woogie and originals
around the U.S. as well as Europe. Liz, who was born with only six
fingers, also plays rack harmonica and trombone. Both singers &
songwriters, Liz & Doc have released seven albums on Upright
Records since 1986, including their latest CD Quirky
Boogie released in 2016.
Liz Pennock & Dr.
Blues were inducted into the Boogie Woogie Piano Hall Of Fame in 2008.
Frequent guests at the Arches Boogie Piano Stage (part of the
Cincinnati, OH’s Cincy Blues Fest), the duo has also performed at the
prestigious Chicago Blues Festival (1996); the Brussels Boogie Woogie
Piano Summit in Belgium (2004) and The International Boogie et Blues
Festival in Paris (2013). Since 2009, Liz & Doc have organized the
Annual Boogie Woogie & Blues Piano Stomp at the Palladium Theatre
in St. Petersburg, FL. Over the years, they have appeared with artists
such as Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball, and Leon Russell.
Visit their website @ www.lizpennock.com
RICKY NYE & BEKAH WILLIAMS
Traditional blues,
boogie woogie, and classic New Orleans jazz and R&B all come flying
from the fingers of Cincinnati, OH pianist and vocalist Ricky Nye.
The driving force behind the annual BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT
held in Greater Cincinnati since 1999, Ricky has been inducted into the
International Boogie Woogie Hall Of Fame, voted “Blues Artist Of The
Year 2013 & 2014” in Cincinnati’s CEA Awards, and "Best Local
Musician" by CityBeat Magazine's "Best Of Cincinnati 2013 & 2014”
reader's poll.
Ricky began his
performing career at age twelve with his family’s band, and in his
twenties and thirties established working relationships and friendships
with Cincinnati blues icons such as Big Ed Thompson, H-Bomb Ferguson
and fellow pianists Big Joe Duskin and Pigmeat Jarrett.
For over fifteen years
Ricky has maintained notoriety on an international level, performing
his infectious blend of American roots music in solo, duo and combo
settings in locales such as France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Spain, Vienna, England, and Switzerland. Ricky also celebrates a
long-time performing and recording collaboration with "The Paris Blues
Band", the very finest purveyors of swingin' blues and boogie in Paris,
France.
Bekah Williams has
been singing in front of large audiences since early childhood. The
daughter of a Pentecostal minister, Williams learned early on that
singing was to her family as common as household chores for other
children.
At age sixteen she was already singing in the recording studio for commercial jingles.
Her live performance
schedule over the years has consisted of several different groups. She
fronted the Cincinnati based bands "Rough & Ready" and "The
Snakehandlers", the name being a tongue-in-cheek poke at her
Pentecostal background. Shortly after, she joined forces with pianist
and vocalist Ricky Nye, and Bekah released her
self-titled full-length recording in 2005. Specializing in
classic blues and jazz, Bekah and Ricky have been performing together
for over seventeen years.
More information can be found @ www.rickynye.com
____________________________________________________________
NEW RELEASE: "GETTIN'
LOOSE!"
featuring:
Anthony Stelmaszack (electric & acoustic guitars)
Simon "Shuffle" Boyer (drums)
Chris Douglas (upright bass)
Ricky Nye (upright piano, Hammond organ and voice)
thanks to Manley Fairchild @ Ultrasuede Studio and to Maurice Mattei
for design
a tribute to such varied folk as Bob Wills, Nat King Cole, Jimmy
Yancey,
Furry Lewis, Little Willie Littlefield, Big Joe Duskin & Lonnie
Mack, plus a few original numbers
check out this
interview with Ron Esposito courtesy of WVXU 91.7 FM and Lee
Hay:
http://wvxu.org/post/new-cd-boogie-woogie-piano-player-ricky-nye#stream/0
it's a rockin' li'l
record! available
NOW on CD Baby, Shake It Records and Everybody's
Records and at any of my shows
AND here's an excellent review by Mark Thompson @
BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE:
If you aren't familiar
with the name Ricky Nye, it certainly isn't due to a lack of effort on
his part. His smooth vocals and splendid keyboard efforts have been
featured on fourteen previous recordings under his name in addition to
cuts on several piano compilations. His latest has him backed by his
Paris Blues band for the fourth time. Based in the Cincinnati, OH area,
Nye has received numerous local blues awards, including CEA award,
Blues Artist Of The Year, for two consecutive years. The band is
comprised of Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar, Simon “Shuffle” Boyer on
drums, and Chris Douglas, Nye's regular upright bass player.
The disc opens with a
Furry Lewis tune, “I Will Turn Your Money Green”. The band cruises
along at a sprightly pace with Nye laying down a litany of woes until
Stelmaszack tries to reverse his fortunes with some striking guitar
picking. Nye's fingers give his piano a workout on Memphis Slim's “Miss
Ida Bea,” then he turns “San Antonio Rose” into a magnificent
boogie-woogie romp. Dipping into the Nat King Cole songbook, the band
sets a swinging pace on “For You My Love,” with Stelmaszack once again
creating a strong impression. He follows that up with a blazing solo on
an instrumental take of the Chuck Berry classic, 'Memphis”.
Highlights from the second
half of the disc include the good-time instrumental, “Shaggy Rag,” an
original performed acoustically, and a showcase for Nye on the
instrumental, “Shave 'Em Dry,” composed by the legendary piano man,
Jimmy Yancey. Nye's fingers roll across the keyboard, spinning out
three minutes of piano magic. On another original, “I Miss Your Love,”
he switches over to the Hammond organ, giving the contemporary blues
track a full, rich sound. Little Willie Littlefield's classic, “K.C.
Lovin',” gets a rollicking treatment with plenty of piano and a fat
guitar tone. “How Long Blues” from Leroy Carr is a standard that every
blues pianist has to know how to play. Nye's version focuses on his
vocals with Stelmaszack on acoustic guitar. The title, “Radiate Them
88's,” tells you all need to know about rousing finale.
This is one of those discs
that sneaks up on you, impressing track after track with lively
performances and solid musical interplay that makes every song a
delight. The players are quite comfortable working together, and with
Ricky Nye setting the pace, the disc never wavers from generating an
enthusiastic affirmation of the blues that will have you pushing the
repeat button on your CD player. Well worth a listen!
________________________________________________________
my first holiday release, "RICKY NYE PLAYS HOLIDAY
FAVORITES"
is available NOW ! @ Cincinnati, OH record
shops
Everybody's
Records & Shake It Records, at all shows, and
available
WORLDWIDE @ CD Baby
a very cool variety of secular and spiritual holiday classics- solo
piano,
duets with vocalist Bekah Williams and upright bassist Chris Douglas,
trio format with drummer Paul Ellis and quartet action with the
addition
of tenor saxophonist Ray Heckman - HO HO HO !
________________________________________________________
click HERE to read a great article written by
Chris Varias for Cincinnati.com
regarding this past February 5th & 6th's
WINTER BLUES FEST
presented by the CINCY BLUES SOCIETY
and more specifically, my young piano playin' friend BEN LEVIN !
________________________________________________________
a
recording I made with old friends
Rob
Lumbard & Nick
Lloyd, entitled "BLUES IN A BOTTLE"
won BEST SELF-PRODUCED CD @ the
International
Blues Challenge (IBC) 2016 in Memphis, TN
__________________________________________
MERCI & DANK U WEL to my astounding musical friends and the
friendly faces I reunited with on this fabulous tour through France,
The Netherlands
& Belgium (Sept. 15 thru Oct. 12, 2015)- and THANKS
VERY MUCH to the Eurly family, Simon Boyer & family, Martijn Schok
& Greta Holtrop, and the Patrick Smet family for their generous
hospitality- what a trip!
_____________________________________________________________
CLICK HERE for
an interview with my friend LEE HAY @ WVXU 91.7 FM,
discussing the BIG
JOE DUSKIN memorial plaque unveiling,
PHILIP PAUL DAY (he will be
recognized @ the
ARCHES BOOGIE PIANO STAGE Saturday August 8th
@ 7:00 PM- afterwards Philip will join my ensemble for two tunes from
the King Records catalog), and the upcoming SIXTEENTH ANNUAL BLUES
& BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT to be held Friday & Saturday November 6th
& 7th- thanks Lee!
______________________________________________________
Sunday thru Saturday July 12-18, 2015 @ Blues
& Swing Week at Augusta
(Davis & Elkins
College
in breathtaking Elkins, West Virginia) was truly one of the most moving
experiences of my life on many levels- interaction with students and
faculty, the new friendships made- many thanks to organizers Daryl
Davis, Wendi Bourne
and to all the warm-hearted people I had the honor to meet- you really
touched my soul! hope it's not the last time we see each other- bless
you all!
_______________________________________________________
MERCI ! to the good people @ COGNAC BLUES PASSIONS FESTIVAL & MARTELL who
chose me to play the 1715 AVENUE DU BLUES STAGE Thursday July 3rd,
2015- quite an honor!
________________________________________________________
BRAND NEW 2 CD SET available now- debut release from
vocalist DOTTIE
WARNER- "A SERENADE IN BLUE/ THURSDAYS AT ARNOLD'S"- '20's, '30's &
'40's jazz and blues- available @ CDBABY.COM- also available @ Arnold's Bar
& Grill during business hours- Dottie appears
there every Thursday from 7:30-9:30 PM
________________________________________________
CD available NOW!
FEATURING:
Chris Douglas- upright bass
Paul Ellis- drums
Brian "Boss" Hogg- tenor sax
Sylvain Acher- guitar
Tom Moore- harmonica
Dan Dorff- percussion
recorded @ Ultrasuede Studio- Cincinnati, OH
engineered by Brian Niesz
mastered by Dave Davis
artwork by Maurice Mattei
currently
available at all live shows, at
Cincinnati, OH record shops Everybody's Records, Shake It Records
and @ www.cdbaby.com
wonderful review by Rhys Williams @ Blues Blast
Magazine-
read it HERE (February 26th, 2015 issue)
_________________________________________________
THANK YOU readers of CITYBEAT MAGAZINE for voting me
BEST LOCAL MUSICIAN 2014- very happy to be a part of
Cincinnati's rich musical scene!
_____________________________________________________
very pleased to be VOTED BLUES ARTIST OF THE YEAR in
CITYBEAT
MAGAZINE'S
CEA AWARDS 2014 !
THANKS for your support!
so proud to have been inducted into the
INTERNATIONAL BOOGIE WOOGIE HALL OF FAME-
big thanks to Dr. Philip Leming & Dr. Robert Cody
for making the ARCHES BOOGIE PIANO STAGE
@ THE CINCY BLUES FEST possible!
________________________________________________
THANK YOU READERS of CityBeat Magazine
for voting me
"Best Local Musician" in their "Best Of Cincinnati" 2013 Awards-
in a town full of outstanding musicians, I take this as quite an honor!
THANK YOU READERS for voting me "BEST BLUES ARTIST"
in 2013 CEA AWARDS presented by CityBeat Magazine-
the awards show took place Sunday January 27th
@ The
Madison Theater in Covington, KY- happy to play a short set
with CHRIS DOUGLAS (upright bass), to be joined by 46 LONG,
and to take part in the tribute to HERZOG STUDIOS-
CONGRATULATIONS to all nominees and winners-
proud to make music here in Greater Cincinnati!
SOLO RELEASE:
"THE THREE B'S: BLUES, BALLADS & BOOGIE WOOGIE"
LISTEN to a wonderful review by music historian
David Lewis, aired on NPR station WVXU 91.7 FM
exclusively available Cincinnati, OH record
shops
Everybody's
Records, Shake
It Records, and all shows
"JUMP STEADY"- RICKY NYE & THE PARIS BLUES BAND
"HIGHLIGHTS from the 13th ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE
PIANO SUMMIT"
"TWISTIN' AT RAY'S" - FABRICE EULRY
(I co-produced this release, recorded in Cincinnati,
OH)
these CDs are AVAILABLE NOW! @
CD Baby,
@ Cincinnati, OH record shops Everybody's
Records
& Shake It
Records, and all shows
THANK
YOU! readers, voters and listeners for voting me
"Best Local Musician" in CityBeat Magazine's
"Best Of Cincinnati 2012" issue- I feel loved! :o)
happy to be voted in
the "Best Local Musician" category of
CityBeat Magazine's
"Best Of Cincinnati 2011" Readers Picks-
THANK YOU READERS!
I was honored to be voted
"Blues Artist
of the Year 2010"
by CityBeat Magazine at their CEA AWARDS held at the
Madison Theater in Covington, KY on Sunday, November 21st-
thank you for your support and to all that voted- you make a
difference!
OTHER CD RELEASES:
RICKY
NYE
&
THE
PARIS
BLUES
BAND- follow-up to 2008's
"Ville du Bois" disc, recorded
with
the
most
outa-sight
blues
players
in Paris: Anthony Stelmaszack (guitar); Thibaut Chopin
(upright bass/harmonica); Simon "Shuffle" Boyer (drums) and
special guest Nico Duportal (guitar)- available NOW @ www.cdbaby.com
TWELFTH ANNUAL
BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT
featuring BOB SEELEY (Detroit, MI), JULIAN
PHILLIPS (U.K.), PATRICK SMET (Belgium) & RICKY
NYE plus exciting rhythm section (Brian Aylor- drums; Buck
Stevens- upright bass; and George Bedard- guitar)-
available NOW @ www.cdbaby.com
ELEVENTH
ANNUAL
BLUES
&
BOOGIE
PIANO
SUMMIT
featuring LLUIS COLOMA (Barcelona, Spain), BARRELHOUSE
CHUCK (Chicago, IL), LISA OTEY
(Tucson, AZ) & RICKY NYE plus outstanding rhythm section (Brian
Aylor- drums; Steve Perakis- upright bass; and George
Bedard- guitar)- available NOW @ www.cdbaby.com
all the above titles are NOW also available as
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS!
PIANO KILLERS
All instrumental recording of Ricky Nye with Fabrice Eulry (Paris)
& Renaud Patigny
(Brussels)- solos, duet and trio compositions all performed on one
piano- recorded in Paris- available NOW @ www.cdbaby.com
VILLE DU BOIS
A disc recorded with the most outa-sight blues
players in Paris is available NOW @ CD BABY
***PRICES
SLASHED on ALL BOOGIE SUMMIT CDs-
#3
through #13- NOW only $9.97 @ CD BABY!!!***
CDs also available at all live shows and in
Cincinnati @ Everybody's
Records & Shake It Records
:
A TRIBUTE to BIG JOE DUSKIN (1921-2007) by Ricky Nye
I first met Big
Joe Duskin in ’82, before I ever started to mess around with boogie
woogie- that didn’t matter to Joe, he just knew I played piano, and
that made us friends. Through the time I’ve known him he has always
been very supportive of me, and of so many musicians. His playing and
singing was loved by blues enthusiasts and fellow piano players all
over the world- I can’t tell you how many times, upon encountering the
European leaders in blues & boogie in my travels, their first words
to me were “how’s Big Joe?”
I treasure the times we played together, the many phone calls, running
errands and especially meaningful were the times visiting Joe during
his last year, when he was bedridden- I’d come in, turn on his keyboard
and go at it, and Joe would lay in bed and sing his head off,
improvising blues I’d never heard from him before.
Because I loved Joe, it was inevitable that aspects of his style made
their way into my playing- his album “Cincinnati Stomp” was a template
for me to study boogie woogie, and I learned the title track to perform
as homage to him. When he played a blues, he was on “Joe time”- the
lazy tremolos, the space in his playing all added up to me. The message
in his style also came as words of advice he gave one day- he said
“Rick, take it from an old pro: don’t work so hard! Take your time,
talk to the people- they like that.” I knew exactly what he was talking
about, but I said “Joe, you have a commanding presence, a big booming
voice, you’re a great storyteller...I’m just a little white guy- what
am I supposed to do? If I start talking away, they’d just tell me to
shut up & play!” And he laughed, which is something I really miss-
his chuckling, and the sound of his laughter will always resound in my
mind.
Big Joe’s love of food is legendary- it mattered as much to him how you
were fed at a gig as any other aspect of the show. If I called to
relate tales of my travels, he’d always ask “how’d they feed you?”
After Joe played a prestigious concert at Music Hall in Cincinnati, I
called to see how things went- he said “Rick, it was so nice- they had
fried chicken, mashed potatoes, peas...”-nothing was said of the
performance! Once when visiting Joe in the hospital, he asked if I
would go downstairs to the Burger King and get him a cheeseburger &
french fries. When I asked if didn’t they have him on a particular
diet, he said “hell with them- I’m going home tomorrow”. So I indulged
him, and you would have thought he was eating the finest meal of his
life...food was a big pleasure for Big Joe.
His compromised health in the last years of his life did nothing to
dampen his hope and spirit. Joe’s performance at his 84th birthday
party was a perfect example of the transference of love from his fans
right back at them- it was the last time he was truly on fire, playing
and singing until he had nothing left to give. To see him hold court at
the Arches Stage at the annual Cincy Blues Fest was always beautiful-
his appreciation for the other pianists and their appreciation for him
always resulted in a truly inspired and joyous set.
I feel truly blessed to have had Joe as a friend and inspiration to me.
Years ago, after he was in the hospital on a regular basis, I wondered
when the day would come that Joe would leave this earth, and that day
arrived- May 6th, 2007. Yet his spirit is alive and strong, in myself
and every other musician he’s played with and encouraged. Whenever I
play, especially now, I offer it up for him...
God bless Big Joe Duskin.
R.I.P. H-BOMB FERGUSON
(1929-2006)
Historical information about H-Bomb Ferguson can be found @ www.cdbaby.com/cd/hbombf
Video footage & photo montage from documentary
filmmaker
John
Parker
"QUICK
'N'
DIRTY" & "Highlights from the THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH,
EIGHTH, NINTH & TENTH BLUES
& BOOGIE PIANO SUMMITS" ("PIANO IS
FUN!" & Highlights from the SECOND
SUMMIT are currently out of print, but a few copies remain at some of
the shops listed below...) are available worldwide through www.cdbaby.com, and
if
you're
in
Cincinnati,
they
are
available NOW @ Shake
It Records, Everybody's
Records, Mole's and Joseph
Beth Booksellers (check out the CD
reviews of the Second Summit & Third
Summit from the Cincinnati Enquirer)...
***PRICES SLASHED on Boogie Summits #3 through #13
NOW only $9.97 @ CD
BABY!!!***
and here's a review of "Quick 'N'
Dirty" from CityBeat
Magazine (12-24-03):
The title of Ricky Nye and
the Swingin' Mudbugs' sophomore release (the follow-up to 1998's Piano
is
Fun!) is a play on the recording philosophy behind the album.
Nye likes to record in as few takes as possible, and Quick was
done with little overdubbing or other fixes (just like Fun!).
But if you've seen Nye's trio perform live, you know that the local
prince of boogie-woogie-styled piano probably doesn't require many
"do-overs." There are certainly no holes in Quick 'N' Dirty.
The energy and spontaneity exhibited makes listeners feel like they are
dancing the night away in some sweaty bayou speakeasy. That intimacy
translates superbly as Nye and Mudbugs Tony Franklin (drums) and Nick
Lloyd (upright bass) rip effortlessly through a plethora of blues
stylings on songs written by a variety of composers (save "Oh Yes," the
sole Nye original). From the down-low blues of Muddy Waters' "What Is
That She Got?" and the more up-tempo R&B of "Grits Ain't Groceries"
(made famous by Little Milton) to the yearning, soulful balladry of
"Please Send Me Someone To Love" and Nye's trademark barrelhouse rolls
on "Downtown Boogie" and "Dixie Lullaby," you can take Quick 'N'
Dirty as a musical history lesson or, more appropriately, as a
joyous escapade through the repertoire of one of Cincinnati's most
talented musicians. Nye obviously has the deepest respect for the New
Orleans-spawned art form, but he doesn't treat the material too
preciously, raucously banging out the tunes with skill and grace, but
also with a genuine sense of glee, something that permeates from nearly
every note. Between quality releases like Quick 'N' Dirty,
Nye's organization of regular blues and boogie piano summits, featuring
like-minded artists from around the world, and steady European touring,
his place as one of the preeminent masters of the style is secure. --
MIKE BREEN
("QUICK 'N' DIRTY" also made
CityBeat's TopTwenty Local Releases of 2003)
Pick up a copy of BEKAH WILLIAMS
excellent debut CD @
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bekahwilliams
Produced by Ricky & Bekah, featuring The Swingin' Mudbugs with
special guests (Dave Haley & Sonny Moorman on guitars, and local
tenor sax icon Ray Heckman), and recorded by Erwin Musper @
his Bamboo
Room Studio- it's a mighty fine songbook...get yours today!
|
