Blues In The Northwest (UK)
August 17, 2010

This one is squarely in the mode of the early days of the blues revival, back when it was still closely linked to the folk boom of the early sixties. Boston-born singer/ guitarist Andy has been around a long time; in his youth he associated with Blind James Brewer, harmonica player Reverend Dan Smith and (briefly) Reverend Gary Davis, and he obviously paid attention to their teachings. He has that ease with his guitar picking that only comes from years of practice, his voice sounds appropriately mature, and he is comfortable enough with his style to essay jazz (Jelly Roll Morton’s ‘Grandpa’s Spells’), and both Jimmie Rodger’s (The Singing Brakeman)’s blues-based country music and his forays into sentimental popular music (‘Miss The Mississippi And You’). He plays knockabout piano on two tracks too, but mostly he inhabits the world of pre-war guitar blues, deftly played and with a knowing self-confidence. It would be good to see him on this side of the pond…

Norman Darwen

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