April 5–12, 2001

critic pick| blues

John Hammond

Since his Vanguard label days — making riveting LPs like So Many Roads— John Hammond’s shown a penchant for presenting blues classics with distinction and absolute sanction; a yowling howling vowel-rousing voice and a guitar style that’s as raw and it is elegant. Hammond has made career of maintaining the epoch of blue compositional masters. He also plays well with others (Charlie Musselwhite, Mike Bloomfield, The Band) thus setting up his collaboration with Tom Waits on Wicked Grin (Pointblank). Here, Hammond snorts and soothes Waitsongs as if taming a savage metal beast, creasing craggy songs with agile new accents. Listen for "shoit" on "Shore Leave," "voigin" on "Heartattack and Vine" and "hhaardt" and "fiyah" on a sprightly bright Spanglish take on "Jockey Full Of Bourbon." Hammond makes shadows appear where they had not previously, opening songs like the flinty "Get Behind The Mule" and the boogie-wooging "Big Black Mariah" up to new-blue-noir sluices and romantic juices.

—a.d. amorosi

Sat., April 7, 7 p.m., The Theater of Living Arts, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, $18.50.