HaPpy Heavenly Birthday! Kanika Kress..Lioness on a Stratocaster!

A HaPpy Birthday letter 2 Kanika Kress..
a Leo.. and a Lioness on a Stratocaster!

Oooh .. Ooooh.. Ooooh Oooooh .. Ooooh.. OOOOOH  
'Cause  We MISS YOU...


Cosmic: I was just looking for a little something..something on the net ... and I stumbled across a video of u playing.. Kanika! 

 Kanika Kress 

Playing in Germany ...

Miss You - Rolling Stones 5:58 

 40 Days and 40 Nights - Muddy Waters 12:30 

Playing one of my favorie Rolling Stones songs.. MISS YOU..

and just killing it!

Oooh Oooh Oooh Oooh  Ooooh ' cause  I Miss you! 
What 'chu doing Girl?
Then you went on to  play 40 days  and  40 nights! 
by  Muddy Waters ....
and I was haPpy... 'cause I had never seen these videos... 
of you playing these songs.  

It was sO mystical to see you all over again... smiling and doing your thing..Just playing that Stratocaster with the long strips of leather on your  guitar strap just swinging...in the wind...
It was so uncanny to hear your voice and your sound... and to remember how you phrased your riffs on your guitar...and made it just talk!

Kanika... I just went to a Rolling Stones concert ... a coupla months ago in Chicago at Soliders Field ...and they killed it..Girl...

MICK ... Jagger was running all over the stage and it was on!!...

So...

I went looking for more music and photos to add 2 the collage 4 a shout out 2 your sons.. Shomari, Gynyasi and Nkosi 2 your family, fans and the universe.. 4 your birthday...‘cause we miss you! 

Kanika rocks  at the 1988  Chicago Blues Festival

I just kept remembering Kanika how you used to rock out with your  groups  Girlathon and  Peace Flower in the 70's when you all played Rock, Folk, and your original songs..

You and I , we would mix it up with some FUNK, R&B and JAZZ and play our originals songs all day!

Cecile Savage, Tony Robinson, 

Kanika Kress, Aki Antonia

And while I was thinking about  all that

I ran across a picture of Tony Robinson...

the drummer in your band when we played in the 80's.

These photos were from the Taste Zodiac Room in Chicago..

where we played Blues Mondays hosted by Ralph Metcalf Jr.

Back 2 the  Future... Cosmic Convergence...
Years later... Tony married  our cosmic musical sister, Tiona the flautist... and you played at their wedding... Wow..

I knew that you and Tiona had gone to South Shore High and she has told me all about how you tore it up with your guitar in the talent shows back then...

Because you and Tiona chanted as Buddhists I found it it interesting that all of our mystical connections flowed with 
Nam Myo Renge Kyo .. cause you sure did try to shakabuku me
into the principals by encouraging to chant.. back in the 70's. 
It was interesting to find out that we all had a musical and cosmic mystical connection over many decades but we just didn't know it at the time. 

And in the spirit of Cosmic convergence I wound up  chanting at the Buddhist Center and playing at a few festivals with  Tiona and Tony  in  Tiona's band named Melodious Communique. 

Then we had some 😎 cool moments with merging with my band AKIBOARDS 🎹🎹🎹

Ray Ripperton, Tiona Toni, Aki Antonia, Julie Jam, Lothario Lee, Tony Robinson

Akiboards & Melodius Communique

Writing this letter made me pull out my Some Girls album..

just thinking 'bout  the Blues in my soul''  'cause we miss you!

Now.. Tony Robinson... the  Funkateer..  drumaster of the Funk is up there FUNKING up the grooves..'cause he 's playing on that heavenly plane with you as well.   

Go 'head ON... Y'all! 
Stay ON the 1 now!

HaPpy Heavenly Birthday! 

Kanika Kress.. 

Aug 17.. 

Leo.. the Lioness..
Gone way too soon...in 1993..

We miss you in the 'Chi! and in the world... and in the  Cosmic Universe...
Keep on playing the Blues up there with Lefty Dizz! 
Muddy Waters! Jimi Hendrix! and ere'body else! 

We know you're killing on that Stratocaster, girl! 
Kosen-rufu. Peace! ☮️

AA 8172019 by Aki Antonia c2019 
All photos by AA c 2019
All rights Reserved. 

Speaking 'bout the Blues..Lefty Dizz took me 2 School

Blues In the Night - The Lefty Dizz Interview - by Aki Antonia
Jam Sessions Magazine

Never used 2 really like the Blues. Thought they were 2 depressing.

All the songs sounded the same and it seemed like they were

all played in one key.

But what did I know? 

I had never really listened 2 my own Blues inside.

Had tuned them out...

Had never really played the blues...

Had never really paid no dues...

Never really used to understand the Blues until I had the opportunity 2 interview Bluesman, Lefty Dizz for an article on the Blues in Jam Sessions Magazine.

He told me... one day the Blues was gonna sneak up on me and seep into my soul. Then I would really know how to play the Blues...

Then I would know how 2 play a solo that ment something. 

Not just a bunch a notes played up against the right chords...

but a feeling.

He said the Blues is a feeling...

by Aki Antonia

(click to enlarge photo)

He talked about how he had sat with a young left handed guitarist named Jimi Hendrix and taught him a few things on the guitar..... Told me about how he would reverse his thinking 2 get low down and dirty on the left hand....

I got a chance to play with Dizz on a gig or two. Got the opportunity 2 jam with him and a guitarist friend, Dale Williams right there at the Checkerboard. What a joy! We were playin' the blues that night! He taught me 2 feel my way through. "Have a conversation with your melody. Make yo melody talk! He played me some examples all left handed and crazy.....

I swear the lines sounded just like English!

I learned 2 play my own blues.. to tell my own stories and 2 bend the notes in between...Bamp! bampr! Bamp! Bamp!

Why u come home so late baby?

U might as well stay out all night long!

Why--aiiiii U stay out so late baby?!

U might as well stay out all night long.

Next time the sun catch u crying.

U gon' find out that I am gone."

AA lyrics c 2008

LC and Buddy Guy speak about the Checkerboard Lounge

Baby I'm Going Down to the Checkerboard! 

Jam Sessions Interview

by Aki Antonia

I used to go in the Checkerboard on 43rd St. when Lefty Dizz was playing.

Yes, I remember Jr. Wells and Johnny Dollar would be hanging out and..........

Buddy Guy was always around lighting up the room with his big smile and his big sound.

One night in 1981.... the Rolling Stones... Lefty Dizz and Muddy Waters rolled into the Checkerboard and this is a little something from that night....

I was there! And they played the blues that night!

With Muddy in the House, class was over!

Yes, yes, yes!

AA100908I