Yesterday’s Wan-Tu Blues Jam was a special occasion. Not only was it Valentine’s Day, the Blues Jam was also a benefit for musician Rick Baxter, who recently suffered a stroke and is unable to use his left arm. Needless to say, the turn out was amazing, and there were a few special guests in the room, like Mighty Sam McClain and Shirley Lewis.
But first, let’s start at the beginning, when the first handful of musicians did their thing. The regular house band opened Mark St. Laurent played monster lead guitar with backing from Wally Nichols on drums, Dave Guilmette on bass, and Brian James from Brickyard Blues Band on rhythm guitar. St. Laurent sang Tin Pan Alley, and from that moment on it became clear that St. Laurent was going to be the dominant force for the next several hours. The Blues Jam lasted much longer than its usual quitting time of 7:00 p.m. Owner Steve Pascucci wanted to be certain that all the musicians who showed would have a chance to play.
Eventually, Jam host “Slutty” Pete Zona joined in on vocals, and harp player Dave Glannon worked his harmonica. Then, Chris Noyes took over the vocal and guitar duties for his set and he treated the crowd to some vintage material, like “Kansas City” by Muddy Water and a Paul Butterfield Blues Band rendition of an Cannonball Adderley song.
Carol Chaplin, who usually plays drums, showed up with her electric vibraphone, a contraption with foot pedal, and she played the top vibes with mallets. It made for something similar to a keyboard sound. When I asker her later on what she calls the instrument, she snapped at me and told me not to put her name in the article. But, as I have a First Amendment right to report a public event, she is going to see her name in the article. If Ms. Chaplin does not want her name in reviews then she shouldn’t be a public performer. I cannot name every other player in the set and then write an “unnamed female musician on vibes.”
The young harp player known as Little Harpo went up to the mic to do his harmonica thing, and he soon dominated the sound. That kid was blowing up a storm.
The big moment arrived when Mighty Sam McClain took to the mic with his band. Like the seasoned veteran he is, McClain impressed right off the bat with his deep feeling, soulful delivery that spoke volumes about the pain documented by and healed by the blues. McClain still has the musical and spiritual grit that made him the Mighty Sam.
Common Knowledge came to the stage as a full band, and they rocked. Singer Amberly Gibbs belted while her band played like a fine-tuned, well-oiled machine. They performed “Shaky Ground” with Steve Roberge wailing on sax and guitarist Scot Gibbs paying out some nifty riffs. Common Knowledge also played a spirited version of Chicago’s “I’m A Man” with bass player Bill Ingalls giving it his all on lead vocal. When asked for a quote later in the evening, Ingalls said, “Hey, hell of a turn out, huh?”
The legendary Shirley Lewis came on after her daughter opened for her and she sang some of her originals. Ms. Lewis has the kind of svelte voice that belongs only to the truly gifted. Even when she sang quietly in parts of songs, her voice still carried to the back of the room.
Another line-up of local musicians formed later on, with John Medeiros on drums, Chaplin on vibes, John and Roxanne Mann from the Voodoo Rockers. Medeiros’s drumming was more sophistication than a blues musician. He seemed to have a jazz background. The Village Trestle’s owner, Steve Pascucci played his trombone, and Jerry Reed, a saxophonist who once worked with Tina Turner, played tenor. A stranger in a black cap and red vest wailed on guitar. He was later identified as Methuen musician Michael Fioretti. Fioretti had never met Rick Baxter before but he came out because he identifies with the struggles of musicians in the United States.
“American musicians,” Fioretti began, “have made more contributions to the arts than anyone else. American musicians created bluegrass, jazz, blues, rock and roll, rockabilly, and lot more. In Ireland, musicians don’t even have to pay income taxes because the government figures they don’t make enough money and they’re contributing something to society.”
The artist known in local southern New Hampshire jams as Jerry Ray played his usual set of The Doors and Stevie Ray Vaughn and other classic rock and blues tunes, and he seemed to be having a lot of fun up there. The night, however, belonged to Mark St. Laurent. Mr. St. Laurent was up playing again near end doing his lead guitar thing, and it was magic. There was a Hendrix-like guitar phrase he pressed out of his strings at one point. I was expecting to see steam coming out from under his fingertips as he worked his fret board. St. Laurent has a beautiful wife, whose full name is Bethanie Lynn Saint Laurent, and she has the letters b.l.s.t. in her e-mail address, so Mr. St Laurent nick-named her “Blaster.” How cool is that?
Turn out remained strong through out the long Blues Jam, and it was heard that Rick Baxter was overwhelmed with the level of support he received from the music community. It was another successful event hosted by Trestle Owners’ Steve and Lorraine Pascucci.
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