By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
CALL HIM JONTAVIOUS
I
t’s interesting but not surprising that as
this country turns back into the oppres-
sive laws and narrow, exclusionary poli-
tics of decades past, blues culture is revital-
izing. Just as the blues developed to cope
with the injustices and brutality of slavery
and Jim Crow, new music and new artists
are springing up to address the current cli-
mate. Just in the last few months, Gary
Mississippi River waves, he sounds like a
seasoned, 60-year-old bluesman and will
make you examine his photo to make sure
he’s not really an elder statesman hiding in
a Millennial’s body. His songwriting skills
shine with the comical, “Friend Zone
Blues,” where he addresses the modern
romantic plight with “I feel bad/I feel terri-
ble/at the way you doing me wrong/ every
Jontavious Willis
Clark Jr. blasted the racist reality of the U.S.
with his incendiary album **This Land, and
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram sprung up, a
fully formed bluesman at 20, to righteously
lay claim to the African American Delta
blues legacy with his debut CD, ** Kingfish.
And now, we have 22-year-old Jontavious
Ingram delivering a near perfect blues
album that’s exciting enough to shut down
any talk of the blues being dead. Honestly,
if you still think the blues is dead, you
haven’t been paying attention.
Jontavious Willis fulfills all the expecta-
tions to play authentic blues--he grew up in
the tiny town of Greenville, Georgia,
singing in the church and plays guitar,
banjo, and harmonica. His nonagenarian
grandfather's deep, expansive voice is his
blues singing role model, but that’s not
what makes Jontavious such an exceptional
blues musician. It’s the fact that blues icon
Taj Mahal, who is notoriously picky about
who shares his stage, deemed the young
musician fit to join him during a show, dub-
bing him “my Wonderboy, Jontavious is the
new voice of the 21st century in the acoustic
blues.”
A nod from Taj Mahal is all any young
blues musician needs to authenticate his
talents but Jontavious offers even more.
With Taj Mahal and Keb’Mo as his mentors
as well as producers, the blues prodigy has
released Spectacular Class (Kind of Blue
Music), a 10-track album that spans Delta,
Piedmont, Texas and Boogie Woogie blues
with a traditional yet contemporary spin
that is indeed spectacular. Opening with the
fun juke joint jam, “Low Down Ways,”
Jontavious showcases his musicianship,
trading guitar riffs with Keb’ Mo. The foun-
dation is laid for the album’s smooth and
eloquent layout, followed by the show-
stopping track, “The Blues Is Dead?”
Taking up swampy slide guitar licks, he
declares “stop with that foolish talk/it ain’t
nothing but some mess/you know the
blues ain’t dead/it’s just taking a rest.”
With his rich vocals flowing out like
12 illinoisentertainer.com july 2019
time I try to be your man/you throw me in
the friend zone.”
Other highlights include “Take Me To
The Country,” an evocative portrait of
country living with acoustic blues so vivid
that you can smell the hot water cornbread
cooking. “Liquor” serves up grimy blues
with echoes of Howlin’ Wolf and “The
World In A Tangle” closes the CD out with
hip-shaking banjo and mandolin rhythms.
Spectacular Class is an astounding album
by a gifted artist. The title references the
manners of the country folk that Jontavious
adores, but it also points to the rarified
group of young bluesmen that he’s joined.
And if you think it’s just the youngsters
that are pouring energy into the blues, take
a listen to the new CD from acoustic blues-
man Big Daddy Wilson. He’s lived in
Germany for 25 years after a military stint,
and Big Daddy is a star on the European
blues circuit. He recently returned to his
Southern roots to record Deep In My Soul
(Ruf Records) with Grammy-Winning pro-
ducer Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray
Vaughn) at the helm, in the historic
acoustics of Memphis’ Bessie Blue Studios
and Muscle Shoals’ FAME Studios. His new
CD is a classic soul blues showcase.
Born in Edenton, North Carolina, Big
Daddy Wilson enlisted in the army in 1979,
ending up in Germany where he re-con-
nected with the sounds of his childhood at
German clubs. His velvety vocals recall
soul blues belters like Otis Clay, and his
songwriting (he wrote ten of the 12 tracks)
underscore his innate storytelling skills.
From the soulful Memphis blues of the
opening tune, “I Know,” to the uptempo
boogie of “I Got No Money,” to the catchy
shuffle and heartfelt lyrics of the title song,
Big Daddy demonstrates that he may have
left the South, but its spirit has never left
him. "Mississippi Me” is a lovely blues bal-
lad (“let me play you like a guitar string”)
and “Voodoo” adds some funky grooves to
the blues. All 12 tracks serve-up a polished
collection of stylish soul blues that will like-
ly become a modern classic.