Live, Part 1(DVD)
Blues Express BEI 4002
SONGS: I Wonder Why; All Your Love (I Miss Loving); It's My Own Fault; 717; I Can't Quit You Baby; I Got My Mojo Working;
EXTRAS:Exclusive Interviews; Photo Gallery with Otis Rush Commentary; About the Songs, Feature by Otis; Blues Express Trailer
All of these impressive songs were recorded live in December, 1999 at the Broadway Studios in San Francisco, California. Otis brought his entire band out from Chicago, and some Tower of Power horns joined in. Several of the six songs are mainly instrumental, so Otis' mesmerizing guitar playing stands out loud and clear. His powerful and melodic left-handed guitar playing is sometimes so intense that it pierces like a laser beam. His vocals are soulful and focused. Otis wrote five of the six songs. He teams up with former Bay Area guitarist, Bobby Murray, to do a rousing version of "I Got My Mojo Working." Otis discusses some of his songs in an interview. The video photography, with the help of eight cameras, is excellent and has some great close-up shots too.
Otis gives a realistic, unpretentious interview as he discusses some of the moments of his forty-year musical career. He comments that when he plays from the heart, he plays what he likes to hear. Otis shares and discusses twelve of the photos that his wife, Masuki, has taken over the years. One picture is of Otis and Willie Dixon at the Chicago Blues Festival, and another is Otis with Stevie Ray Vaughan. Otis comments that he wrote the "Double Trouble" song which Stevie named his band after. Chicago-writer, Dick Shurman, wrote some excellent, in-depth liner notes for this DVD. This DVD showcases the renowned Otis Rush in an excellent, intimate way. It would be a special privilege to have this DVD of such an illustrious bluesman in your library. For more details, contact: www.bluesexpress.com
Maria Bainer © February, 2004
