Blues and jazz festival report from Erie

It looks like I overlooked yet another regional blues festival -- in Erie -- and it's already over. The Erie Art Museum Blues and Jazz Festival was this past weekend, and there were some bands worth recommending.

I wish I'd been paying closer attention. I think I could have made it to this show. BlueNotes hangs his head. Fortunately for us, our intrepid correspondent, Bill from Elizabeth, was on hand, and files the following report.

Nick Moss & The Flip Tops with special Guest Lurrie Bell
8/1/09

The Erie, PA Museum of Art's annual Jazz & Blues Festival is one of my favorite Blues days of the year.  It's held in Frontier Park which is located not far from the bayfront in an open grassy area surrounded by trees that makes for a perfect setting.  The park located not far from the City's center and just off route 79 so is rght in the middle of everything yet retains a secluded feel when you are in there and the music starts.  The performance area is always pretty packed by the evening and has one of the great vibes I've experienced in my festival going days.  The event is free with day one devoted to Blues and day two covering the Jazz spectrum. It's as organic a feel as you'll get these days.  Over the years I've seen Rory Block, Lil' Ed and Joe Louis Walker there to name a few and those are among my favorite performances by them folks.  The combination of artist and environment just seems to spark a little magic.

Throw Nick Moss & The Flip Tops with special guest Lurrie Bell into that setting and the possibilities had me hyped beyond my usual anticipation of the event. Moss, bass player Gerry Hundt, Piano Willie Oshawny and drummer Bob Carter had the crowd eating out of their hand from the opening riff 'til the final notes.  The guys made a large and joyous noise in the outdoor setting that had dancers playing hand held percussion instruments along with some side stage hula hooping that, in the setting, added a feel of tribal gathering/ritual that worked well with the vibe coming from the stage.  In the moments when Gerry and Willie had their time in the spotlight focusing on the more traditional aspects of the band's sound, the audience stayed with them note for note.  It was great to experience such a diverse group of people diggin' on post war Chicago style mandolin Blues and top shelf piano work.

Nick, as always, held the masses in the palm of his hand.  In a club setting this guy can transport you to the windy city of old, when the music was fresh and it's vitality seemingly endless. Out in front of a large gathering he's a force of nature.  Last year I witnessed he and the Blue Bella Review blow away a big crowd of hardcore blues lovers in Wheeling on the waterfront.  The result in Erie was very similar in front of people who had much less knowledge of who he is and that's a testament to the man's power and sheer ability.  The cat has it goin' on.

So how do you make a setting and band this good even better? Put a guitar in Lurrie Bell's hands and point him towards a microphone.  Add water, makes its own gravy.  His voice chills and enthralls simultaneously.  When he picks at the six strings with a meaty hand the sound is at once familiar and totally new unto itself.  The blues pours forth from every pore of the man's body and any size gathering of wanting souls is compelled to move nearer.  The stage front dancers swelled in ranks with each song Bell and the boys added to the setlist. At one point Gerry retreated to the drum riser alongside Carter and Nick lit out for the far back corner of the stage. They were with Bell note for note but allowed him to bask in the moment's magic. As the set ended they moved back up front to exhibit the interplay that makes every musician on that stage so special in their own right. They all felt and supported one another's every move and audience became as moths to their flame.

Yours truly, Bill from Elizabeth

Thanks, Bill, that's great. I love your knowledge of the blues and the way you write so enthusiastically about the music you obviously love. I'll be looking for you at the T-Bird tonight when I get back from Wheeling.