VA - Sean Carney's Blues For A Cure: Blues Cures Studio Jam Vol. 3 (2011)

2010 marked year four of Blues For A Cure and our first event at the historic Lincoln Theatre in downtown Columbus. To celebrate that distinction, we welcomed Blues Music Award winner Duke Robillard and his wonderful band from Rhode Island as our headliners. I first saw Duke perform in Columbus in the early '90s at The Big Bear Rhythm & Food Festival, and he quickly became one of my very favorite guitarists – I’m not the only one.

We kept our International Blues Challenge tradition going by welcoming 2005 IBC/Albert King Award winner Jonn Richardson back from Houston, Texas (Jonn’s third year of BFAC!) and expanded upon the “international” theme with a very special appearance from Italian guitarist Enrico Crivellaro.

We also decided to include Central Ohio blues legend guitarist/singer Ray Fuller who has been playing the blues in Columbus for well over 30 years.

Duke Robillard was incredibly gracious and generous with his time, agreeing not only to hang out all weekend and join us in this recording session, but also to host a Blues Guitar Master Class at The Jazz Academy the next night.

Of course, Blues For A Cure isn’t all about the guitar, and this year we invited two outstanding harmonica players to participate. Young Chicago bluesman Omar Coleman (thanks to Honey Bee Records) has been a part of BFAC since the very beginning, and he’s not missed one yet. Although, this is the first time his schedule has permitted him to record with us. San Francisco based Phil Berkowitz also joined us with his swinging brand of harp work.

Hammond B-3 organ boss Jon Eshelman performed with us for the first time, along with veteran drummers Louis Tsamous and Jan Roll. The bassists on this recording are The Sean Carney Band’s Steve Perakis and my dad, Larry Carney.

Our first two Blues Cures recording sessions took place at Central City Recording Studio in Columbus, but due to relocating the studio, we opted for Tony’s Treasures Recording Studio in Cadiz, Ohio. Mark and Cody have done an incredible job with Tony’s Treasures. The studio proved a relaxed and warm atmosphere, following the snowy drive from Columbus that nearly had us pulling the plug!

We went with a guitar “tag team” approach on most of the tunes, pairing guitarists in some masterful combinations on an incredibly varied set of material that ranges from lowdown to uptown and touches all of the bases between. With an abundance of vocalists on hand, this recording offers even more variation, allowing every one of our singers to take the microphone for at least one song, at times taking on a Johnny Otis style revue feeling that truly offers something for everyone.

I started writing these notes with the intention of highlighting a few inspirational moments, but was left with the conclusion that each and every track is magical in its own way. There were just too many moments to recall. I will, however, say that it was a true bucket list item for me to record with Duke Robillard! We selected an old Big Joe Turner classic, “Cherry Red,” as a tribute to our late, mutual friend Jimmy “T-99” Nelson.

I also particularly enjoyed Ray Fuller and Omar Coleman going acoustic on Muddy’s “Whose Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I’m Gone,” a one take thing of beauty that had all of the musicians in the studio on their feet! I’m sure you’ll have special moments of your own as you enjoy this recording. Make sure you search for us on YouTube and Facebook to find the videos of the recording session, so you can experience the songs as they were tracked.

Blues Cures Studio Jam Vol. 3 is an incredible addition to a recorded legacy that already includes such stalwarts as Jimmy Thackery, Henry Gray, Trampled Under Foot, J.P. Soars, “King Saxe” Gene Walker, Bill Stuve, Steve Gerard, Ricky Nye, Micah Kesselring, The Matt O’Ree Band and some of the players on this volume. The collective passion of these musicians, and all involved in this project to battle a dreaded disease, is what brought us together. That love is apparent in each and every one of these tracks. ~Sean Carney