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Dorchester
Arts Centre - Saturday, 6th September 2003 |
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Starting off our new 2003/2004 season of Blues Nights was Mr. Ian Briggs and his trio of highly experienced musicians, The Supervampers; Dave Sheen on drums and vocals, Andy Christie on guitar and Tony Caddle (recently arrived from the Eddie Martin Band) on five string bass guitar. This is the third time that I have seen Ian play and I can honestly state that whatever line-up he is in he always delivers the goods; he spares no effort and it is always full on. According to Ian the band doesn’t get much time to rehearse, though if he hadn’t mentioned it then nobody would have been any the wiser. They were tightly swinging, locking in nicely whatever the tempo of the number being played. Ian being a harp player, the set list was heavily orientated towards harp players; I also noticed that all the numbers became quite extended workouts allowing each musician to express themselves creatively. This is no doubt also a reflection of their collective wealth of experience in the jazz world. To start off the first set they played an instrumental as a tribute to a West Coast harp player Mark Hummel called “High-Steppin” a nice swinging number! The second number, a Big Walter ’Shaky’ Horton tune “Sugar Mama”, was a slow blues that turned into a very good workout with an excellent guitar solo. The third number “Help Me2" by Sonny Boy Williamson, who Ian had the good fortune to see with the Yardbirds at the Marquee Club in 1964. This is one of my own favourite blues numbers and it was delivered with a superb driving rhythm. Next up was a JJ Cale number “Cajun Moon” with the vocal chores handled by Dave Sheen; this was a lengthy version and there was a good bass solo by Tony. “Summertime” followed; very pleasant and well done. To finish the set a Walter Horton song “Easy”, a slow haunting blues, nicely played. A wonderful feeling of pleasure and contentment at hearing such good quality music was echoed by many of the audience. The second set featured a second number by S B Williamson “Pontiac” a fast swinging version, very good. One of Ian’s own compositions came next, “Dangerous Women”. This was excellent, with stunning harp and guitar solos underpinned by a rock solid rhythm section! Dave Sheen featured again on vocals with Memphis Slim’s “Every Day I Have The Blues”. Very energetic drumming, nice chops on the guitar, punchy harp and solid bass. A good solo spot from Ian, then the tongue-in-cheek swinger “Sure Had A Wonderful Time”. |
Towards the end Ian explained about low tuned harps in the key of D and proceeded to demonstrate this on “You Got Me Running, You Got Me Hiding” - a very deep, guttural sound. He continued this on the next song - his own tribute to S B Williamson “I Heard Sonny Boy Blow”. The final number was a Little Walter tune “Evening Sun”. Once again, it was just superb. To well deserved applause the band returned and let Ian blow and this led into “Riding On The L & N”, a John Mayall composition. This was a barnstormer and a fitting end to what had been a fantastic evening of consummate musicianship. I can’t express it any better
than that! LEWIS A HARRIS - Blues Nights reviewer |
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| SOMERSET
COUNTY GAZETTE November
15 2002 Virtuosos everywhere |
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The
eye can become glued to the virtuoso in any musical line-up, sometimes at
the expense of their companions, but this was an easy habit to break at
last Saturday's Evening of Cool Blues and Hot Jazz at a packed Tacchi-Morris
Arts Centre in Taunton. Now
in its third year in Taunton (the first two shows were staged at the
Brewhouse Theatre and the Eagle Tavern), the double bill featured the
mellow gypsy jazz of Bouelvard Django and guests followed by the harmonica
driven blues of Ian Briggs and the Supervampers with special guest pianist
Doc Fingers, from Vancouver. And
basically there were virtuosos everywhere. The
opening half was ideal after-dinner fare with the guitars of event
organiser Dave Lunniss and Tony Oreshko combining sensually with renowned
jazz violinist Steve Elsworth and
double bassist Dr Tony Bevir. The hallmark of the set was the playful jousting between soloists Elsworth and Oreshko as the quartet covered some Reinhart/Grappelli Hot Club classics, The Way You Look Tonight and a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Tea for Two, among others. It was almost fitting that Oreshko should break a string during one frenetic |
number. You might have thought he would have conceded that round, but no,
his fingers just moved faster... Kicking
off the second part of the evening, blues harpist Briggs and his five
piece band tore into a medley by way of introducing themselves. After
just a couple of numbers it became apparent that the solos could come from
anywhere on the stage with two highly proficient guitarists of very
different styles, the lightning keyboard work of Doc Fingers and the
soulful Briggs all making contributions towards an end product which was
as tight as tight can be. The
set included songs by Van Morrison, Sonny Boy Williamson and the Paul
Butterfield Blues Band, not to mention William Clark's intriguingly
entitled It Must be Jelly Baby 'Cos Jam Don't Shake Like That. If
the audience response was any sort of hint towards the future of this show
it should remain a favourite on the local jazz and blues calendar for
years to come. PETE
REDFORD |
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SOMERSET COUNTY GAZETTE
February 22, 2002 Westgate treat we Cann all enjoy! |
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BLUES harmonica in Taunton? Surely not, I hear you say! But this is no ordinary 'harpist' and a quality performance by Ian Briggs & The Supervampers was a treat at the Westgate Inn last Thursday. Having treated us to some superb musical evenings at Harpoon Louie's when he was 'mine host' for several years, Mr Briggs has now decided to reform The Supervampers in addition to his touring duties with Michael Roach. What I particularly liked about this gig was being able to actually hear what was being played without having to stand half-way down Cann Hill to enjoy it - a criticism often levelled at local outfits! The Supervampers consist of Andy Christie on guitar (who is equally at home with jazz or down home blues), Dave Sheen on drums (he of Zoot Money fame) and the excellent Ian Turner on double bass. |
Ian Briggs, who is probably the most underrated harp-player on the British and European circuits, also has a pedigree that some would find awe-inspiring, having trod the boards with Cyril Davies and Dick Heckstall-Smith to name but a few. He makes no secret of the influence of Sonny Boy (rice Miller) Williamson and his own treatment of 'Help Me' and 'Pontiac' are evidence of this. Jimmy Witherspoon's 'Drinking Beer' together with Willie Dixon's 'Too Late, and 'Walkin' Blues' ensured that the band did not stray too far from the blues. It is however when Mr Briggs gets his teeth into the interesting lyrics and songs such as 'My Next Ex-wife' and 'It Must Be Jelly' that he shows us what a complete all-round musician he is. What a terrific evening of blues....here's to the return visit. |
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HEDLEY THORNE ^Back to top |
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BLUES
IN BRITAIN MAGAZINE |
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It is great to see artists that I have never heard of and then getting subjected to a couple of hours of unadulterated virtuosity! 'Doc Fingers' (aka Bruce Gallagher), who hails from Vancouver, Canada, is a chirpy character. He set us all at ease and tickled those ivories, showing us all his stupendous technique; slow blues, boogie, soul all got the Doc Fingers treatment. Doc was partnered by Ian Briggs on harp, a stalwart of the British Blues scene with 30 years of dues under his belt - he accompanied Michael Roach here in Feb. 2000 - and by Dave Sheen (ex-Graham Bond ) who perfectly complemented Ian's harp and Doc's keyboard with impeccable timing on the drums. The first set kicked off with a slow 'Making Whoopee', the next number a toe tapping 'Early in The Morning' followed by an up tempo boogie '7th Avenue Express' that clearly showed Doc's skills on the keyboards. Vocal chores were fairly evenly shared between Ian and Doc with some harmony vocals from Dave. 'Sugar Mama' showed Ian's mastery of the harp. There was a good rendition of the standard 'Got My Mojo Working', while a pleasant tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson included 'Help Me' and 'Bye Bye Bird'. Some self penned compositions followed and the set ended with S.B.Williamson's 'Pontiac Blues' - a real cracking version. The second set kicked off with Louis Jordan's 'Blue Light Boogie', Prof. Longhair's 'Tipitina' followed. At this point, Ian related how earlier that day he had visited an antique shop where he found an Echo Supervamper harmonica such as he had started out on thirty years ago . He then used it on a number that was a tour de force. This man can blow! A pleasant version of Van Morrison's 'Crazy Love' showed how versatile this trio is. Dave Sheen featured on vocals on 'Every Day I Have The Blues', one of Ian's numbers 'It Must Be Jelly', then one of Doc's tunes 'Can't Stop Loving You' with a driving riff kept our toes tapping. Another blues standard, 'Anyway You Want' rounded off the set. On several occasions we broke into spontaneous applause during the numbers when something touched us particularly. This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening with music created by three super musicians. We will have Doc back soon! I bought a C.D. and went home to play it. - Lewis A. Harris ^Back to top |
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......On the same night, Dorchester resounds to a remarkable Bluesnight triple- header featuring Ian Briggs, 'Doc' Fingers & Dave Sheen (Dorchester Arts Centre, Friday November 9th, 8pm, £7 / £4.50 under 18s, tickets on (01305) 266926). Ian, 'Doc' And Dave have 'got form'. They've got a bit of previous'. If the blues was a block, they would have been around it several times, erecting the odd monument here and there. Harmonica ace Ian, by way of example, has been blowing harp since the early sixties, making a serious name for himself at the sharp end of bands like Forty Blue Fingers, King Biscuit Show, Fat Sam's Blues Band and, currently, Ian Briggs & The Supervampers. 'Doc' Fingers, meanwhile, is a Vancouver native who has notched up 30 distinguished years playing alongside the towering likes of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite and Mississippi John Hurt. And what of Dave Sheen? Well, you're talking about a drummer Who was man enough to step into Ginger Baker's still-steaming boots when the rubicund firebrand left the Graham Bond Organisation with Jack Bruce to form a wee combo called Cream.... Miss them at your utter peril - I'm scoffing and snorting with disgust already at anyone who may have the temerity to even consider not going along to see them. ^Back to top |
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Blues of many hues .............Later the Fabulous Thunderbirds (resembling a gang of Chicano low riders) plugged in for a barrage of power - blues and an extended harmonica onslaught by band leader Kim Wilson. But I reckon the best value on offer at Bishopstock was the Blues Workshop tent, where you could pick up tips on finger - picking, guitar tunings and harmonica technique from bluesman Michael Roach and friends. Maybe this was the breeding ground for next year's bill. Adam Sweeting The 9th International Brentwood Blues Festival 14 - 16 September 2001 The final set of the afternoon was a tantalising 15 minute appetite whetter from Michael Roach and his now regular partner, Ian Briggs, surely one of the most understated harpists around. Talking to Roach afterwards, he was not happy with his set but promised that the full set scheduled for Saturday evening would be different. He was not wrong...... |
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