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Reviews The International Blues Band @JJ Smyths Friday October 05 One of the most popular Blues Residencies in Dublin is The International Blues Band in JJ Smyths every Friday night, fronted by one of the great characters on the music scene for the past twenty years Peter Moore. I have enjoyed Peters inimitable Celtic slant on the Blues with his various bands of merry men since the late eighties on Friday nights upstairs in the International Bar in Wicklow Street and in the early nineties upstairs in McDaid's in Harry St. Peter Moore's blues is the signature theme of the International Blues Band and its deeply evocative of the Liffey, the cultural landscape of Temple Bar and the South Inner City pre and post a Celtic Tiger that's transformed Dublin's City Centre for many and for as many more again the song remains the same. The International Blues Band has always had uniqueness because of Peter's firmly individual character that creates music of humour, startling verve and ingenuity. When Peter straps on his Fender Telecaster, the tone is blue, smooth and creamy as the head on a freshly pulled pint of Guinness. Its got blues drenched fragments of Elmore James, Rory Gallagher, Duster Bennet and John Lee Hooker in an economical style that emphasises feeling over a fuming torrent of notes, a magical flair that put me in mind of the solo on the Rolling Stones Get Yer Ya's Ya's out version of Sympathy for the Devil at one stage. Its Irish white boy blues with a feeling, a native son living the life and striving with perfection to keep the classic era of blues alive and producing the odd illegitimate offspring in the mix with the same passion, determination and licence of the Chicago Bluesmen. It's a wonderful strident musical mashup of innovation and preservation around a table that's a feast for appetites that thrive on Van, Rory, Philo, Geldof, Dylan, Steely Dan, Duster Bennet, The Rumour, The Blockheads, Tom Waits, Chicago Blues and West Coast Swing all interpreted through Peter Moore's husky voice and musical vision. What makes the International Blues Band splendidly indefinable is the rhythmically accessible Bass and Drum, a mellow trumpeter, the soulful uplifting Saxophone of the legendary John Irish Earle who gives a rousing rendition of Rufus Taylor's Walking The Dog whistles included, flanked by two excellent leftfield jazzy ingredients in the magic potion from Johnny Reynolds and Anthony Stapelton all united by the infectious Dublin humour of Peter Moore on Harp, Guitar and ringmaster duties.
"Baby's back all dressed in black The fruits of Johnny Reynolds and Anthony Stapleton's labours are miraculously inventive and vivacious energetic and full of life in the midst of this multi instrumental array of style and sound. Peter's gravely and gruff vocal is the doorway into the bands charm, a voice that has found itself because it is sincere about what its doing and does what nobody else is doing. This is a jamming blues band that can jam and the sound morphs together into a brassy, cheeky good-humoured atmosphere of fills and trills. Both Johnny and Anthony are playing Cort guitars, Johnny's got a solid body and a set up that he has masterful control over, sliding into his target chord a half step above and below with scorch the earth tone and sustain that's full of Jazz knowledge and Blues passion and Anthony's own guitar voice is interpreted through a jazzy Larry Coryell style semi harnessing a liquid tone with a hint of creamy overdrive on his sweet vocabulary of palm muted Kid Charlemagne style licks and chordal embellishments and snap n crackle blues. Both players are so obviously familiar with each other's abilities, that they make it look easy, swapping thoughtful and melodic solos and teasing each other with exchanges as if they were having a casual conversation. Its birds of fire hovering over wheels of fire, keeping in on the left lane on the Highway 61, led by a Celtic vibe that's as Dublin as Ronnie Drew's coddle recipe. For the many tourists that wander into an International Blues Band gig, like the two Italian couples beside me in JJ's on Friday night it's an enthralling memorable night of craic and superlative entertainment. Chances are with the commercial nature of the music business being as fickle as it is and in a business where fair is something you pay on the bus, Peter Moore and his merry men will have to wait to get their well deserved reward in heaven rather than a pad in Dalkey. Long live our national treasures, local musical heroes and long may they continue to make music that makes a difference to the city.
"Just like Chicago" Mick Kenny kennymik@eircom.net
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