John Bishop

When Bishop played guitar with Paul Butterfield in the 1960s he fancied himself a countrified hippie named Pig Boy Cranshaw. His sense of humor remains intact decades later, evidenced on a relaxed blues-oriented rock program shot through with a smart sort of bumpkin levity. He never could sing (it was Mickey Thomas on his 1970s smash "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"), but his guitar rides roughshod over those of many a better-known blues artist.

Veteran guitarist/vocalist Elvin Bishop has always been – at heart – a blues man, but more known for his pop tunes ("Fooled Around & Fell In Love") and associations as an accompanist. Though he's put out many recordings as a leader, this could be the crown jewel in a long and perhaps sometimes frustrating career. It's his second for the Delta Groove label, accentuating Bishop's deft, meaty slide guitar work, featuring five of his originals, and covers of great standards written by Leroy Carr, Huey Meaux and others. In addition, Bishop is teamed with many heavy friends (including guitarist Tommy Castro, R.C Carrier on rub board, pianist Bob Welsh, and ex-Charles Brown electric bassist Ruth Davies) who also know a great deal about the Chicago-based electric urban music they grew up with and still adore. John Nemeth adds his soulful and gritty vocals to three songs, including a cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" and a classic read of Otis Spann's New Orleans-flavored "Get Your Hand Out of My Pocket".

These two sessions were produced by Lee Kraft in 1957 featuring the inimitable tenor saxophonist John Coltrane in two different formats; a quintet with Donald Byrd, Walter Bishop, Jr., Wendell Marshall and Art Blakey, and a 15-piece big band organized by Blakey. Coltrane was featured prominently in both settings and played exceptionally throughout. While the other soloists were all top-notch musicians, Coltranes compositions and performance clearly stole the show. His solos were powerful and confident, ripping out sequences of 16th note lines that soared over the full range of the horn with complete command.