Blues master Lucky Peterson made a rare visit to Los Angeles Wednesday night, and for the first of a two evening stand, he turned the upscale Vibrato Jazz Grill into a low ceilinged juke joint with a 70 minute stet that emitted more energy than the Hoover Dam.
His supporting team of Kelyn Crapp/g, Ron Perry/b and Kevin/dr got the evening started with a bluesy jazz piece, changing gears on the second song to a Kansas City shuffle as Peterson ambled on stage, sat behind the keyboards and shouted out a raucous stomper of “Every Day I Have The Blues,” displaying acumen on the organ that gave hints of his upcoming album, A Tribute to Jimmy Smith.
Moving over to the piano, Peterson and company honky tonked a New Orleans groove with the leader’s Longhaired fingers floating with both a head and tail wind while singing with rural authority on “Smooth Sailing” while creating a late night and lazy last call mood with his relaxed but authoritative touch sublimely supplemented by Crapp’s wailing strings on “I’m Goin’ Down Slow.”
Slinging on the guitar, Peterson took the crowd on a trip to Chicago’s South Side, as just he and his gritty voice delivered an ominous “Hoochie Coochie Man” that sent shivers up your spine before the supporting team crept in like it was the Midnight Hour. Peterson and company continued to pick and grin, as he howled like a coyote at full moon on “The World Is In Tango” and even sitting down with the audience with an irresistible shuffle of “Got My Mojo Working.”
Closing with a folksy, fun and visceral “Somewhere In Between,” Lucky Peterson showed the enthralled audience that once in awhile, your musical carburetor needs to be cleaned out, and there’s no better solvent than the blues as delivered by The Son of A Bluesman.
Upcoming shows at Vibrato include The Reverend Shawn Amos 10/05, George Kahn 10/07, Pat Senatore 10/14 and Melissa Morgan 10/20