* * * * * our music * * * * *
BLUES DRAGON
| next show: THURSDAY JUNE 26 JAZZ ON THE AVENUE SHOW TIME 7:00 PM DOWNTOWN DELRAY BEACH, FL |
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| Every once in a while we are going to post an original recording of an old blues song for your enjoyment. Feel free to download it as well as the Blues Dragon versions of some old blues. |
| BALD HEADED WOMAN Lightnin' Hopkins 1911 - 1982 One of the greatest poets of the blues. He was born Sam Hopkins in Centerville, Texas and grew up playing guitar with his two brothers. Hopkins was discovered by a talent scout in 1946 and was sent to Los Angeles to record with pianist Thunder Smith. That's when Sam Hopkins became Lightnin' Hopkins. Between 1946 and 1954 he recorded about two hundred songs for many independent record labels and was commonly heard on southern jukeboxes and radio stations. |
DEATH LETTER |
AINT' NOBODY'S BUSIENSS |
JOHN THE REVELATOR |
* * * * * reviews * * * * * |
PRESS REVIEWS Hot House Magazine Johnny Aruba "Their big blues sound confirms they belong among the big names" New Time Magazine Dominic Siranni " While blues purists might attempt to find fault with the blending of styles (as well as the modernizing of classic songs), Blues Dragon lends an element of technical superiority to the mission that should quiet such criticisms. 1906, 2006 — it's all good" The Bamboo Room Russell Hibbard "Blues Dragon will Slay you down on the Killing Floor" The Palm Beach Post Bill Meredith " Blues Dragon breathes fire!" New Times Magazine D. Sirriani "John Boyle showcases some outstanding jazz flute chops on the Son House composition "Preachin' the Blues." WDNA 88.9FM Charlie Kaufman "Mark Telesca's agenda is being met, by just being himself" The Palm Beach Post Bill Meredith " When Telesca decided to form his own blues band a year ago, the singing bassist wanted something different. Boynton Beach based Blues Dragon succeeds in that regard on a few levels - some intentional ; some not. |
Blues Dragon, the project of bassist Mark Telesca, takes a spin through pre-WWII blues throwing in touches of contemporary R&B, AOR, and storytelling. Recorded this past July, Alive at the Bamboo Room gives fans of the blues, the Allman Brothers, and Jethro Tull all of that and more. The album kicks off with a version of the Son House classic "Death Letter," a song that allegedly influenced even the great Robert Johnson. After that, Blues Dragon takes the listener on a trip through the cotton fields of the rural South, pausing briefly in post-war Chicago for a Willie Dixon cut, the raunchy "Back Door Man," made famous by Howlin' Wolf and the Doors. "John the Revelator," Blind Willie Johnson's classic take on rural gospel-turned-blues, gets a contemporary update with jazzy saxophone, wah-wah-meets-heavy-distortion guitar shredding, and liberal doses of hand drums sprinkled throughout. John Boyle showcases some outstanding jazz flute chops on the Son House composition "Preachin' the Blues." While blues purists might attempt to find fault with the blending of styles (as well as the modernizing of classic songs), Blues Dragon lends an element of technical superiority to the mission that should quiet such criticisms. 1906, 2006 — it's all good. Check out www.bluesdragon. com. |
