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Robert Jr. Lockwood At The Blind Pig

Robert Jr. Lockwood At The Blind Pig image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
January
Year
1974
OCR Text

Robert Jr. Lockwood at the Blind Pig
 

The first time I saw Robert Junior Lockwood was at the 1972 Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival. I can remember dragging my dope and music soaked body out to the field and waking up to one of the sweetest, mellowest blues sets I'd ever heard. This man really has the blues.

Robert Junior Lockwood's three-day stand at the Pig was the same way. The Blind Pig's cozy downstairs atmosphere complimented Robert's style nicely, and he proceeded to relax, settle down and play some warm, deceptively simple music. Lockwood plays very softly, squeezing in a lot of jazz chords in between those blues progressions that are basic to the music.

I don't know much about his musical background, but Lockwood reminded me of Arthur Crudup's tone and phrasing. He plays very melodic, sweet lines, very free from the beat; a lot of his style sounds very country to me. The band provided a solid, funky back up, making for a pleasingly powerful sound that moved the audience despite the low-key approach. He played fast and he played slow, but he was always mellow blue.

Local bluesman John Nicholas sat in for several sets each night. The Blind Pig is doing 3 good thing by bringing artists like Lockwood into town for small, intimate performances. It gives people a chance to really savor the music. Otis Rush is next on the Pig's list of fine out-of-town blues talent, in early February. Otis is one of the finest of the Chicago blues guitarists, so don't miss it.

– Jim Dulzo