THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT "DOUBLE TROUBLE" - 12 BARS AND THE TRUTH WITH HARVEY MANDEL AND J.B. HUTTO. DOUBLE DOWN!

DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS

It seems as though the 12 bar blues structure is an immovable object, an obelisk of sacred, ritualistic, totemic authority. But the form contains multitudes of variety. Here are two examples of the plasticity of that container, which holds the magic blues elixir and can pour it smoothly, or have it gush out, uncontrollably, like a tidal wave. So, be careful when you put your lips to the chalice … the edges can be sharp, and the liquid it delivers may be too intoxicating!

Up first, we have Harvey Mandel, the “Snake”- a guitar wizard, brandishing and slashing his ax-cutlass like a pirate, as he boards equilibrium’s frigate docked inside your ear canal, with his own composition, 4pm; then, JB Hutto and the Hawks stagger through “Too Much Alcohol” like drunkards in search of another, much needed pint of medicine - with his razor sharp slide work JB illustrates those sensations perfectly, with an insistent, whimpering pulse.

HARVEY MANDEL

In 1967, Samuel Charters, for Vanguard records, in an early effort to reveal and showcase the second generation of Chicago’s blues scene, produced harmonica master, Charley Musselwhite’s first album STAND BACK! HERE COMES CHARLEY MUSSELWHITE’S SOUTHSIDE BAND, and caused a literal big bang in the hearts and minds of American youth.

This was Harvey Mandel’s first recording, and launched the notable guitar slinger for hire’s 60 year career, going on to join Canned Heat, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, recording many solo efforts, and landing one step away from becoming a Rolling Stone. Known as “the King of Sustain,” our track, 4pm, showcases the longest sustained electric guitar note at age 21, a feat copied by Jimi Hendrix two years later. Harvey’s inventive style is trademarked, and you can hear those clarion notes ringing out like a buzz saw, transitioning from one amazing improvisation to the next.

JB HUTTO AND THE HAWKS

The next cut, TOO MUCH ALCOHOL, also on the Vanguard label - featured on 1966’s Chicago / Blues / Today! Sounds almost like it could have been recorded in the previous century, when, fresh off the farm, players were captured in their first big city outings on lo-fi recordings - it’s that raw and spiky. And, yet, both Mandel and Hutto were breathing the same mid-60s Chicago air.

JB’s slide style was influenced by Elmore James, of DUST MY BROOM acclaim, and he carried that torch forward. The son of a preacher from South Carolina, Hutto made his way to Chicago after his father’s death in the early 50s, but ended up working as a janitor for 11 years, until, in the mid 60s, he was discovered and unleashed on the world by Vanguard.