Modellfan 2012 05

On "Fire Red Moon", it’s full-on kick ass time again. The blues-heavy set features vocalist Rolf Hartley wailing on a mix of tunes co-penned by Chaquico and-standard-but-never-old covers like "Born Under a Bad Sign", "Rollin’ and Tumblin" and "Crossroads." Those who miss his softer side can find traces of it in the instrumental "Blue on Blue," but Fire Red Moon leaves no doubt that this always-masterful player has returned to plugged-in mode for real.

"Ice Man" or not, Albert was on fire the night of his taping on October 28, 1991. "You just can’t believe how long it took me to get on this show!" he declared, and wasted no time proving why it was long overdue. His performance was a wild ride, and the ACL stage proved too small for his antics, so with his long guitar chord in tow he took off into the audience during his ten-minute-plus finale of "Frosty." He was first and foremost an entertainer, but nonetheless belongs up front in the pantheon of great blues guitarists. He awed at least two generations of young pickers, not the least of whom including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, who was quoted as saying back in the 60's, "There’s one cat I'm still trying to get across to people…his name is Albert Collins … he’s good … really good."

Yanni, Enigma, Dead Can Dance, Moby, Vanessa-Mae, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno and many more.

Because cornetist Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor both come from the jazz sphere, it's usually tempting to lump their collective work as Chicago Underground Duo in that particular genre. The problem is it is only one of the elements that CUD employs in the music they've made over the last 15 years together. Age of Energy, the group's debut on Northern Spy, is a case in point. In addition to a drum kit, Taylor plays a drum machine and other electronics.