I Got My Mojo Working!

I got my Mojo working…

Instead of sitting in my  bed ..

crying the blues

and wondering  ‘bout things, 

I don’t need to wonder about

no mo.

I decided 2 do mi own walkabout. ...

and wound up at the Motor City Mojo Jam

at the Motor Row Brewery on a Thursday night.

I went to go 2 sit in with Micheal Damani 

and the Chicago Blues All Stars

with Bassist, Deacon Freddie Dixon,  

Drummer, Dr Jimmy Lee Tillman,

Guitarist, Doktu Rhute Music,

Motor Row Bob

and several other  folks..

And it was so  good.. 
We wound up jamming with a harmonica player 

all the way from Australia…

Jay Moon..

That was fun!

The Original Chicago Blues All Stars were on fire.. 

Michael Damani has a deep wailing sound.. 
in his young bones and in his old soul.. 
as he moves around almost in a trance... 
going in deep....

The Chicago Blues All-Stars 
had a deep rich bottom.. 
as they laid a bayou-like foundation 
of solid bass, rhythm and drums.

It was great to sit in with the Blues jammers... but it was real cool when drummer,  Dr Jimmy Tillman invited me to play on keys with the 

Original Chicago Blues All Stars 

'cause

their sound

brought me back to my roots in Bronzeville

 back 2 a time

where I got a chance  

2 breath the Blues 

wafting out of  

Buddy Guy's Checkerboard Lounge

around the corner from my house..

smelling like some greens ... 

and beans cooking on the stove 

in the fall or the wintertime..

along with the smell of the 

cornbread baking in the oven 

2 go with  it.. 

that sound...
up in Motor Row Brewry

brought me back 2 my roots of being round the blues 

back to 43rd St 
(Muddy Waters Drive)

back 2 listening 
to folks playing at the Blues clubs like

Peppers and Theresa's

but even deeper ..

as I flashed back on 

playing the Blues and Jazz in 
Jam sessions at my home..

back in the day.. day

on an old Wurlitzer electric piano..

with B... 

and Bey the bassist from Koko Taylor’s band

as they taught me Jimmy Reed’s song

Baby, What You Want Me to Do

Jimmy Reed

You've got me runnin'

You've got me hidin'

You've got me run, hide, hide, run

Anyway you wanna let it roll

Yeah, yeah, yeah

You've got me doin' what you want me

Baby what you want  me to do

 I also flashed back on more  recently...

 when I've been jamming with the guitarist..

Mr. Oh Yeah from Tokyo ..

when he would come up to Bronzeville  2  43rd St 

with his blues students to see me.. 

and to learn about 

the Checkerboard back in the day..

He always likes to play Muddy’s ‘I got my Mojo Working’

So when the  musicians begin to play both songs
at the MOJO Jam

Yeah.. I felt right at home..

I  already knew things was gon’ be cool 

when  I started warming  up on my Melodica 

 in my Uber  ride to the club…

I had a cool older Nigerian cab driver 

who turned out 2 be a drummer 

and he was  jamming!! right with me ...

as we rolled down the Dan Ryan 

from Englewood 

2 Motor Row

and I was  playing that same Jimmy Reed  song 

and Muddy Waters’s...Got my Mojo Workin'

So ...

I was just a - smiling when they called them at the  Jam..

Um Um Umph!

I'm goin' up

I'm goin' down

I'm goin' up, down, down, up

Anyway ya wanna let it roll

Yeah, yeah, yeah

You've got me doin' what you want me

Baby what you want me to do

FYI:

Now Michael Damani 

This one right here?

This one is a youngin’ to watch 
y’all…better catch him while he’s here…

‘cause he’s got that Jimi spark…

and he’s such a  poignant and piercing player..

and 

he writes his own  music..

like ‘Black Bags’  … 

a song where the lyrics hit me hard  

when I first heard it… 

and even harder when  I played it…

  

It’s a Blues in A minor 

that  describes 

how it could be  any one of us

 in the black bags…today..

after the sirens and the shootings 

for any reason..

it could be any one of us..

Listening to him and playing with him and some 

veteran Bluesmen was  

Heaven for me..

Australian Hamonica player, Jay Moon, Guitarist , Michael Damani, Guitarist, Doktu Rhute, Keyboardist  and Melodica player, Aki Antonia.

The really cool thing was the jamming,  and the musical flow..

the sharing a vibe of music...

the tinkle of some keys..

a trumpet or two....

Some Bad azz  harmonicas..

lighting up the room

the  whine of  guitars.. 

howling at the moon...

Doktu Rhute shared his MUUZIC..

Deacon Freddie Dixon was holding  down that Bass...

The young players brought their energy... but the OLD school  players brought the stories and the grace....

Motor  Row Brewery

Chicago

8102019 by AA c 2019

All photos  by Aki Antonia c 2019. All rights Reserved