Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

We had success last year at the Clarion for the 6th IBC's in many ways. It was our largest crowd ever, we made enough money to pay for all the expenses and more. Mostly, we had the best group of competitors ever. We promptly decided to not mess with success and do it there in 2011. This year we had to cover more costs, though. We did not get the same amount of sponsorship that we did last year. We had to pay a sound man which we were happy to do after last year's fiasco. For those who didn't hear, we had a sound man who volunteered his services to get advertising and get in with the Blues Society. He got a call in the middle of the day and left! Poof! We were lucky he left the equipment and that Jim Hamel was knowledgeable enough to handle the sound for the rest of the night. Thanks to the blues fan, TJ who has since passed for assisting Jim. This year we had an excellent sound team, Big Cat Entertainment, who we paid for but at a much reduced rate. It was well worth it. Great job, Charlie and Jeff.

That was only one improvement over last year. The competition was even better than last year! There was not a weak spot in the line-up, as all the judges echoed. This is the thing that amazed me, though. Three years ago, we had to call bands from other areas to get enough bands for an interesting competition. Some people liked it, because there were new bands to hear. Others thought we should just do a half day with the few bands from the area who joined. We had 15 acts this year. Most thought it was the most talented that we have ever had ...AND every band was from Western Pennsylvania! This was the first time since I have been a member (5 years) that we have had all Western PA bands. More evidence of a growing pool of talent in the region. It was a good mix of bands we all know, like the band winners, Jill West and Blues Attack. This was their third win. Good luck to them. They had new stuff and they closed with their trademark "freeze." They ran away with first place this year (four 1st places and a 2nd on the score sheets). I thought that was unusual considering the level of competition, but way to go Blues Attack! The next three bands were separated by fractions of a point. Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle (last year's winners),Wayne and Wildroot and the Jimmy Adler Band. All of the bands got good comments. The judges had told me that this was the highest level of competition, top to bottom, that they had seen.


As far as the solo competition, the voting was tight. All three entries had solid marks. It was both tie-breakers that gave the victory to Chris Yakopcic. It was his solid guitar playing that gave him the victory. He plays old style blues guitar and switched up a guitar and dobro. The judges liked that.

The crowd was good again and we received many comments (most of them good) about the venue, the bands and mainly the atmosphere. The mix of tension ,excitement ,expectation and curiosity was everywhere. For those who have yet to come to an IBC competition, you don't know what you are missing. I remember my first. While the level of competition and few entries were nothing close to what we have today, it was still exciting. Make it next year!

So, thank you to the people who came to hear the bands. Thank you to the bands for giving their best 20 minutes. Thank you to the judges who have the toughest job. All I can say is "wait till next year!"

~ Article: Don Vecchio, Photos: Tom Martin

There are 2 things that Pittsburgh Concert goers (and especially Pittsburgh blues fans) love. The first is a female vocalist who can belt out the blues soulful and sassy. The other is the guitar god who can stand cocksure on the stage and bring lightning from the sky with each wailing note that he plays. Well, those who attended the Pittsburgh Blues Festival on its final night got none of the first, but plenty of the last from Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his excellent band.

Elkins, West Virginia provided a lovely, rural backdrop for all the exciting musical people and events that I experienced during my week at Davis and Elkins College at Blues Week. The gentle rolling hills, the old Victorian buildings on campus, and the pristine atmosphere created a perfect setting for relaxing and enjoying the people, the place and the music.

Pictured: Tittenhurst, the Victorian mansion on the campus of Davis & Elkins college where afternoon and nightly jams took place during Augusta's Blues Week in July.

Two years ago the BSWPA introduced the "Blues from the Burgh” CD at the IBCs. It was a hard year of work for Jim Weber with assistance from his wife, Jonnye, that brought the much talked-about CD into reality. He thanked me for my help, even though I had done little. I did help with a couple song choices and sound levels, but that was it. Jim did all the legwork: visits to studio, chasing bands to get CDs and release forms, going through recordings with Jonnye to decide what to use and where to put it on the CD.
He had been complimented on it and constantly asked "when are you coming out with a new one?"  He told me he was considering making a second one, but wanted help, didn't want to go through it all over again alone. I told Jim I'd help some, but didn't have much free time. 

 Sadly, Jim passed away last May and never got to work on the CD. I knew I had to do "Blues from the Burgh 2." I had an idea what needed to be done, but needed help. I started immediately getting release forms from bands. I knew I'd get some, but wasn't sure if I'd get enough. Jonnye Weber asked if she could join and of course her help and guidance was welcomed. When bands were told it was being dedicated to Jim's memory, we had more bands than we could use. In three months, we had collected more OK's from bands than the CD could hold, time-wise. Within another month, we had collected all the recordings. We went on to the studio and after a couple hurdles we had the CDs! 

 On March 7, 2010 we had a CD release party at the Palisades in McKeesport.  The choice was questioned because of location, being a bit far for many. There was a glitch near the end. Maybe I had made a mistake, I thought. I did know it was spacious with good sound quality. We had been to shows there and were hoping we'd draw 50 or more so we could get some CDs into circulation. Pamela Bick and the Warehouse Blues Band had heard of the trouble and came through with all the equipment that we needed! Thanks again to them.  We had ten of the bands from the CD playing there and all sounded superb!  It was an incredible day! Great music. A wonderful, diverse audience who all wanted to talk to us about several things. I met a few new people and all had glowing comments about the BSWPA. I met a lady named Cindy Gaich, who had praise for us and the music. I met a guy called "Chipmunk" who asked who wrote the Walter Trout interview. Jonnye pointed to me and he had a lot of questions about Walter. He told me it was a great interview. Wow! That was the first interview I did, three years ago! It was nice to hear people remember those things. It was just a lot of fun for me.  So, a big thanks to all the bands who performed on that Sunday and all the ones who contributed to the CD but couldn't be there. A big thanks to all those who came and all those who said 'thanks' to us.
Thanks to Jonnye Weber for working on the CD with me, thanks to those who bought the CD and to those who said how much they liked it.
Most of all, Jim Weber, I thank you for the inspiration to help me through some trying times and getting this done.
       
Buy the CD online at: http://bit.ly/BSWPAmerchandise

The Blues Society was busy this summer and I know many of you joined us. We gathered at Hartwood Acres for the Pittsburgh Blues Festival on July 24th. We were given a nasty weather forecast for the weekend, calling for rain all three days with several thunderstorms scattered throughout. Ron Esser, (Moondog), welcomed the crowd .He then talked about Jim Weber, our departed president and good friend. He said "Jim is smiling down on us and is going to make sure the weather is clear for the weekend." We got through Friday dry and enjoyed the bands and the crowd. On Saturday, things looked a bit worse. Clouds! The weather called for scattered thunderstorms. We got twenty minutes of rain with no thunderstorms. Sunday was clear and sunny. Looks like Jim was smiling on us. We had a record weekend and met some great people as we always do. There were several renewals and new members. We had visits from some of the artists, including Shannon Curfman, who was a treat to talk to. (I like that young lady! hell of a guitarist too.)

Another first happened in Pittsburgh! A new dimension was added to the Pittsburgh Blues Festival in July. Fidelity Investments made the dream of providing a children’s music tent a reality. The big red and white tent was located directly behind the Kids’ Zone tent. The musical happenings under that “big top” created many memories for youngsters and their families. Local blues musicians, Eugene Morgan, Bubs McKeg, Bill Weiner, Larry Nath, and Bob and Andy Gabig of the Blues Orphans provided musical presentations under the guidance of Jimmy Adler of the Jimmy Adler Band. Pamela Bick joined the children and assisted on vocals and percussion. June Esser coordinated all of the children’s activities in both tents for the weekend. The musical/educational presentations encouraged young and old alike to participate.

A “whole lot of shakin’ was going on” with the tambourines that were supplied by the Sweaty Betty Blues Band. The Food bank added shakers, triangles and drums to the mix under the big top. Many of the children took to the stage. Some were shy, some were very eager. They enthusiastically worked together to count out the beats of the songs. One young harp player, Henry Coyle, readily shared his musical talent with the audience. Some sang into the microphone. Some would not leave the stage. Their exuberance was overwhelming. It was a great weekend of blues for those that attended the festival. However, it was a great weekend for the children and their parents who visited the kids’ music tent. Way to go!

It’s past Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, and for the Pittsburgh region, pretty much the end of the major blues festival season. That’s a shame, since there were lots of blues goodies to be had on festival stages in the past few months.

There’s the Pittsburgh Blues Festival, of course, and then the Wheeling Heritage Music Fest, which seems to get better all the time. And for the past few years, I’ve tried to get to the Western Maryland Blues Festival in Hagerstown, Md. It’s not real close, but it’s an easy drive. And it’s a good festival.

I though it might be fun to look back at those fests for some of the highlights and surprises I found. Festivals are always a good way to take a look at new artists, or somebody you’ve never seen before.

The first of the summer for me was the Hagerstown event. It’s a nicely run festival, with two large stages set up at opposite ends of the site, so the music is almost continuous. This was my first chance to see the relatively new Janiva Magness, a real dynamo of a blues and soul singer. She was terrific, strutting and singing and telling stories, and she was a high point of the day for me. It’s always good to find someone “new,” and have them turn out to be so enjoyable. It was also great to see Willie “Big Eyes” Smith working out on harp and fronting his own band. The former Muddy Waters drummer is one of those “real deal” bluesmen who it’s always special to see, especially since they’re getting so scarce.

Next up was the Pittsburgh Blues Festival, and I found another performer that I’d never seen – Curtis Salgado – who just blew me away with his over-the-top harp wizardry and soulful singing. He’s been around for years, mainly in the Pacific Northwest, and was a sort of newcomer to the Burgh area. I also thought Philly’s Deb Callahan, another new performer, put on a really strong show of soulful blues and R&B. And I also got to see Burgh blues guitarist Eugene Morgan for the first, another musical treat. I really enjoyed his strong, down-home blues work.

And finally, the excellent Wheeling blues festival offered even more highlights, with great music that never seemed to stop coming. On opening night, Eden Brent was a vocal and piano powerhouse and John Nemeth played harp and sang with soul and passion. Both of these artists are young and fine, and throwbacks to the way music should be sung and played – with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. A couple of other favorites were the legendary Magic Slim and his still-sharp Chicago blues axe, and Ruthie Foster, the Texas gospel-blues singer with the kind of big beautiful, soul-stirring voice that can make grownups weep.

Those were the high points for me. I didn’t get to see every band at every festival, so I’ve probably left out somebody who really deserved to be mentioned. But I got to see some great performers who helped make my summer a musical success – some news I hope I get to see again, and some old ones that I hope I can get another chance to see as well.

By the way, some of you may know me better as BlueNotes, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the BlueNotes blues blog. If not, please check me out at http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/blluenotes. Thanks.

On Sunday, August 23rd, The Blues Society of Western PA put on its 2nd “ Blues Go Pink” show at the impressive, Cefalo’s Restaurant and Night Club. We did this as a fundraiser for Adagio Health. All the money raised at the benefit will be used for Cancer screenings for women who otherwise cannot afford them. Everyone agreed that it is quite a worthy cause. I had been in the hospital on Friday and Saturday. I was told to ‘rest up’ on Sunday...not bloody likely! I had planned this event (with help) for months and was not about to miss it. I did arrive late and missed the set by the Patti Spadaro Band. I made sure, however, that I had gotten there in time to hear Jill Simmons singing, “I’d Rather Go Blind.” The fiery Andrea Pearl was backing Jill up and Patti Spadaro Band was backing them both up. Wow! I arrived with minutes to spare and knew that I had made the right choice. Andrea and Jill have two of the finest voices that I have heard anywhere, yet alone from Pittsburgh. The “Sweaty Betty Blues Band” came next and was led by the energetic and talented Marcy Brown. It was great seeing her again. She had George Kalantzis back on guitar for this day only. Thanks, George, always great to see you. It is always fun watching “Too Tall” Billy on drums. You can tell from the smile on his face that he truly enjoys it...Either that or he’s heavily medicated. Pamela Bick and the Warehouse Blues Band followed. It has been great watching this group evolve over the last two years. When I first saw them they sounded good, but were just finding their way. Today, they are a must see! Some songs feature Pamela’s great vocals, others John and Denny’s guitars or bass and drums from John and Jerry. They will be one of the bands on our new compilation CD, “ Blues From the Burgh II.” Angel Blue and the Prophets were next. They brought a lively, charged set to the crowd, featuring Angel’s powerful vocals. There is one song of theirs that I absolutely love –“Short Chain” which will also be on our new CD. I asked Angel before the show to play “Short Chain” for us. She gratefully obliged. Angel wrote this tune herself. I was a little surprised that it was more literal than I suspected. I thought it was written about a scoundrel of a man, but was –as the song says – about a dog. Every time I see Katie Simone she sounds and looks better. What a voice! I think part of it is that she seems to enjoy it more each time. She has a good band behind her now and she looks right at home on stage. When I went to thank her after her set, she had a big, sweet smile on her face. This is not the same young Katie that I first met. She has grown in many ways. I hope you go to see her soon, I know I will. Then came a band that just knocked everyone out! …Miss Freddye and Blue Faze! They have a great beat and are a very talented, professional band. Every one of the musicians excelled alone and together. They had a new guitarist who blew me away. I need to find out more about this Bugsy Cline. Bugsy meshed perfectly with John, Chris, Matt and Miss Freddye. I heard that they got so good because Miss Freddye won’t feed them till they get things perfect. Miss Freddye’s vocals were powerful and driving. She is also a double cancer survivor. What a great role model. The final act of the night was the All-Girl All-Star band, led by Patti Spadaro. Patti is a talented guitarist who has opened for bands like Little Feat, which is a favorite of mine. Her leadership skills showed these last two years in putting together a band that had never played together before. This year’s band again featured the lovely and talented Andrea Iglar on her wailing sax and two new members, Jazz Robertson on drums and Kara Puskaric on bass and guitar. They started a little slow, still getting to learn each other, but by the 3rd tune, they were starting to rock. I know that I never enjoyed a Michael Jackson song as much as I did hearing Andrea Iglar do “Bad.” She had people dancing, laughing, and just re-energizing after a long day. Other highlights were Kara playing guitar and doing a fine job on a Joni Mitchell tune, and Patti Spadaro singing and playing guitar on “Gravity,” a great John Mayer tune. I was hypnotized.So, thank you to all the wonderful ladies and their bands that gave their time to help a great cause. Thank you to the BSWPA members and Adagio people who gave a great effort. Thank you to all the people who came to support a great cause and enjoy some great music. Our late president, Jim Weber, in his last blog to the Blues society said it best “ Blues people are the greatest.”

Last October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the BSWPA aligned with Adagio Health to put on a great show at Cefalo’s in Carnegie. The idea came about during the IBC’s at Cefalo’s last year. My sister, LouAnn, who is with Adagio Health suggested that we get a few bands together and do the show together at Cefalo’s. We asked Miss Freddie that night and she eagerly agreed.
We were off to a good start even before we knew if Lenny Cefalo would agree to it. Of course, he came through…once again. It took awhile and a lot of help from many individuals including the BSWPA board and Judy McKeg who made and donated a great looking quilt. The generosity of the wonderful musicians was overwhelming who once again gave their time and their talent to entertain the crowd for the mere gratitude of the fans and the knowledge that the money was going to a good cause.
The show was called, “The Blues Go Pink.” The funds collected went to Adagio to help women who could not afford getting tested for breast cancer. The entertainers included: Pamela Bick and the Warehouse Blues Band, The Sweaty Betty Blues Band, Jill West and Blues Attack, Jill Simmons and Andrea Pearl, The Patti Spadaro Band, Katie Simone and Miss Freddie and Blue Faze. The highlight of the evening was The All-Girl Band. This band was comprised of Annie Friedland, Patti Spadaro, Andrea Iglar, Tedi Mason and Rhonda Watson. They each sang as well as played and had guests perform with them. It was a treat to watch and listen to these ladies and all of the wonderful performers.
So again, I want to thank everyone who gave time, talent, money and input of any kind to make this a wonderful day for everyone. I know that I have said this before, but I am constantly amazed at the wonderful people associated with the blues in this town: from the club owners to the musicians to the BSWPA members and fans. I think that I speak for the whole board in saying that …you people make everything we do worthwhile. Thanks again. ~Don Vecchio

The "All about the Blues Tour" steamed into Pittsburgh on a sunny morning in late February. After many, many calls, many emails, many mailings…finally, Fruteland Jackson, (blues musician, blues educator, and blues historian), brought his Blues 101 program to four schools in the Pittsburgh area. Approximately five hundred students were given the opportunity to witness the acoustic blues presentation that provided the basics of blues music and blues history. Why Blues in the Schools? It is a chance to blend cultures, increase a student’s creativity, build self-esteem and give a sense of accomplishment to students during their formative years.
The big question was “What are the blues?” Fruteland explained that it was not about always being sad. The engaging performer/instructor said, “When you hear the blues, it lets you know that you are not alone and someone has been where you are.” Fruteland emphasized that the blues “was real facts of life and living.” He added that Blues is a medium to express or transmit emotions.
The students learned that blues is over one hundred years old and that it is the root of all the music in the United States. After being given a demonstration of the three types of blues songs: field holler songs, work songs and religious songs, the students also were shown how the basic beats of blues have been formulated into rap, country, hip hop and electric blues. “All musical styles stand on the shoulders of the blues.” The five-note scale evolved into many forms of music. The presentation included the background of the W.C Handy, father of the blues. It took the children through the many threads of musical history and made it known that Handy had once led an orchestra, fell in love to the beat of the blues, and then composed and published the first blues song, Memphis Blues, in 1912. Many other musicians were discussed and musical excerpts were included.
Those threads of history were sewn together with a lesson in economics to illustrate how the plantation workers started migrating to large cities during the industrialization of the United States. The images of the primitive folk songs of the South made way for the Piedmont Blues with their bass and rhythm to the urbanization of the Blues in Chicago and other cities. When the musicians in the city “plugged” in, the Bluesman was born and got their “groove” started. They went from being an acoustic act or a one-man band to being a part of a band that had lead guitars and base guitars with amplifiers that could play to larger audiences. Blues got “cranked up” into fast “Boogie Woogie” in the 1950’s. Fruteland said that it was a little like rap…scratch the record and making mouth sounds. New sounds were starting to blend with the Blues. There was a fusion of the various blends of music: jazz, county and the blues. Fruteland explained that Jimmy Rodgers, the father of country music, once said, “Everybody is weird.” He added that some people sleep on the floor and some sleep in a bed; some people have hair and some are bald. He talked about how some people in the 1950’s said that the blues was the devil’s music. Fruteland was emphatic when he said, “different does not mean bad.” The students applauded in agreement.
Fruteland ended his presentation with, “If you can’t explain your music then rethink your music.”
The BSWPA would like to thank: Jimmy Adler for his assistance at CAPA, Chris Howard for assistance at the Wilkinsburg Middle School, Ron Essor for the use of Moondog’s, Jeff Kearns for filming, Bubs McKeg for sitting in at the concert, Donna Bennet for her assistance at the show, Gateway to the Arts for their assistance in attaining the schools and to everyone who worked hard to make this happen. It was a great day for the blues in Western Pennsylvania.

“Jim, Jim,….Jim?” Two students from the fifth grade had just come into the auditorium and had a note for Jim (Cisco) Franciscus. They were young, eager, earnest and impatiently waiting for an answer. Jim very seriously read the large note that had obviously been hand written. These young men were part of the Brazilian Drum group. Their teacher had sent them on a mission. The group wanted a chance to sit in and “jam” with “our” musicians before the Blues Presentation started. We all laughed when Jim, chuckling, commented that it had been a “long time since he had had a note passed to him in school.”

This was our introduction to the students at the Dilworth Elementary School. It was a magnet school for the performing arts within the Pittsburgh city limits. The Blues Society musicians dubbed themselves, The Dilworth All Star Blues Band and included Tuck Majeron on harp, James Franciscus on vocals, Ken Laminson on bass, John (JT) Toal on drums and Ian Arthurs on guitar. Barb Gangone and Jim and Jonnye Weber were there to support the effort. There was an eerie hush among us as we all looked around and realized that we had not been back to grade school in a very, very long time…the wooden seats, the posters, the high ceilings, and the linoleum floors. The silence was soon broken as the two young students raced back into the auditorium. Trailing behind them at a fast pace were fourteen jubilant other young musicians. Their instrumental music instructor, Lori Russo, was close behind. The “group” fell in and tried to follow the Dilworth All Stars. The students switched up regularly on the snare drums and the assortment of Brazilian drums. They also took turns playing the percussion instruments. The teacher finally asked our guys, The Dilworth All Star Band, to follow them and the music that they had been studying. (It was the first time that the school’s band had ever “jammed” with real musicians.) The BSWPA did us proud. They managed to follow and turn the music into a blues/ jazzy mix. It sounded very much like a Bo Diddly tune. Cisco even sat in on the drums. Everyone was really in full tilt. Finally, the instructor had to end the jam and prepare for the first onslaught of young people from the fourth and fifth grades.

The set started out with the 1937 version of Crossroads; a simple form of blues music. When the song ended, Jim (Cisco) Franciscus quoted Muddy Waters to the children, “The blues had a baby and called it rock and roll.” The Dilworth All Stars then did the same song, Crossroads, but did Cream’s rock and roll version. The children clapped and rocked to the music. The show was now underway. Cisco then talked about Robert Johnson’s contributions to the Blues genre of music. He also told the children about Johnson’s writing a song about a town in Illinois that was titled “Kokomo Blues” but was now known to many as “Sweet Home Chicago.” The interaction was overwhelming between the band and the students.

Amazing facts about our musicians came out during the show. Tuck talked about how he liked Post War blues. He explained that the blues originated as a rural, acoustic type of music. Tuck added that that rural music eventually developed into an electric type of music that was influenced by the noise and fastness of city life…. “and everything is fast in the city.” Being a harp player, Tuck was influenced by Little Walter, James Cotton, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Ken Laminson then began his talk. He told the children that when he was their age, around eight years old, that he had become interested in music. Back then; Ken was watching cartoons on television (not playing video games or playing on the computer). During one of those cartoon shows, Ken said that he saw his first guitar player, Joe Negri. What an impact that had on him! Finally, when Ken saw and heard the Beatles in 1964, he knew what he “definitely” wanted to do...play guitar. While in the Cub Scouts, Ken’s best friend had a big brother named, Joe Grushecky. Joe had an amazing record collection that Ken was grateful to be able to use. (His first favorite album was Paul Butterfield’s, “East West.” He next favorites were Elvin Bishop and David Sanborn.) He then told how in those days that kids listened to records not CDs and Ipods. Ken added that people did not have the money to keep buying records so that “when a guy had a chance to borrow one….you did.” He ended by saying that the Blues was a great way to view other music: rap, rock, etc. The Blues is still his main focus. The quietest person (vocally) and the one who made the most noise while on stage (playing drums) was John Toal. JT had been on the road with Elvin Bishop in 1978. ( …and JT keeps THIS quiet?) Ian Arthur followed.

Sheepishly, Ian stated that he was the “youngest” of the group. Ian told the children how he was into jazz and the blues. His interests followed the older music of Robert Johnson and Willie Dixon from the 1920’s and 1930’s. He then showed the children that he liked the Bottle Neck Slide that he learned from the Mississippi Delta, which was adapted from black music. Stevie Ray Vaughn was undoubtedly Ian’s modern blues inspiration. The music of John Mayer and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, according to Ian, enabled him to experience the thrilling “rebirth of the blues.” Ian Arthurs’ parting words to the young musicians were to listen, to play and to keep an open mind. His final words were, “Everybody listens to everybody. You just have to check it out.” Jim Franciscus finished the informational segment by saying that he was inspired by some soul and then moved into blues. Listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Mahal and Eric Clapton developed his interest in the blues. His greatest hero has been B.B. King. His motivation for the Blues Goes to School had been his young son. Cisco finished by saying, “It is all about sharing. We have to teach the younger ones to keep the music alive.”

After a short break, the Dilworth All Stars readied themselves for the over exuberant first, second and third graders. Little did we know that our guys would be brought to their knees by the excitement that the youngsters created. The songs were the same and the talks were the same. However, the All Stars beamed and played harder than they did in their first segment. The children were definitely an inspiration. They clapped, rocked and swayed with the music. The “kids,” both young and old, were definitely enjoying themselves. In fact, the guys were overwhelmed with the children’s response. How often does a performer play to a full house that screams for more…and more…and more??? The day was ended with a “Call and Response” form of music that is unique to the Blues genre of music. Cisco went down in the audience to begin, “Got My MoJo Workin’.” The children were certainly warmed up. In fact it was a red-hot audience. Cisco worked his magic as he worked the room. As the children were dismissed that afternoon, many were on the way out the door still singing, “Got My Mojo Workin’” It was a great day at school. The Dilworth All Star Band (and all being Blues Society members, themselves) did us proud. They were tested and passed the grade that autumn day.