The Dumfries and Galloway-based Wave Blues Band takes its audience back to a time of smoke-filled rooms in a Chicago bar, bourbon-soaked floorboards and the soulful sounds of a harmonica crying from the speakers.
By staying true to the original intention of this vibrant and exciting musical genre, the band has played to sell-out audiences and rowdy encores for a number of years. It has captured the hearts and imaginations of music lovers across the age and social spectrums as well as garnering a keen interest from younger audiences new to the sound. Founded in 2012 by jazz guitarist Brian Thomson, the Wave Blues Band plays authentic Chicago and Detroit electric blues from the ’20s to ’50s.
Brian said: “In my earlier years, I played the London clubs, including the Ricky Tick Club, with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Jimmy Reed and Big Joe Turner: all major American blues artists in the ’60s. I also played backing with acts such as Georgie Fame and John Mayo, well before they were famous! “I’ve always loved the blues and have played it for years, on and off.“Since retiring, I’ve had more time to get back to it and formed the Wave Blues Band which has a wide repertoire of some of the most classic electric blues numbers plus a few of our own.”
Members of the Wave Blues Band are Brian on guitar and vocals; David Dryfe from Penpont, blues harp, well-known in blues and folk clubs throughout Scotland; Fraser Clark, keyboards, formerly of the D-Bass Jazz fusion band; and Edinburgh-based Ben Jerret, drums, a former Moffat Academy pupil who is currently studying music. “We try to keep the sound as authentic as possible,” Brian explained. “All the numbers we play are based on the original lyrics – the way the songs were written – and stay true to the intention of the artist. We mix these with some of our own compositions and some rearranged jazz standards to produce an exciting set.”
The band has a busy year lined up, with a number of gigs across the region and their first CD recording in May. They will be bringing their popular performance to A’ The Airts, Sanquhar, on Friday, April 3, at 7.30pm. Further information from the A the Airts website
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