@ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, on Fri 24 July 2015
Following in the footsteps of any famous parent is not always going to be easy, but if that parent is the legendary Muddy Waters – the father of modern Chicago blues – there is unquestionably a lot to live up to. Fortunately however, as tonight’s event clearly demonstrates, Water’s eldest son, Mud Morganfield, is nothing if not a chip off the old block.
Morganfield appears in the Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival as part of his European tour, in a double bill with the distinguished Chicago blues guitarist and singer Lurrie Bell, son of the famous blues harmonica player Carey Bell. Also featuring the drummer Willie “The Touch” Hayes, this is a singular chance to see and hear no less than Chicago blues royalty.
Bell’s set makes up the first half of the show, with a band comprising Hayes, the Danish guitarist Ronni Boysen and the double bass player Ian Jennings. Bell is a masterful musician and sings the blues straight from the heart in the way only someone with his sort of pedigree can. His guitar functions as an extension to his voice, delivering an amazing range of subtle inflections that Boysen’s solos can’t quite match up to, sound as they are.
Whereas the first half of the show is a more or less laid-back affair, the arrival of Morganfield in the second half sets things properly alight. Morganfield commands an incredible stage presence and the band, which in addition to Boysen and Jennings features Eric Ranzoni (piano), Mike Hellier (drums), and Steve Weston (harmonica), immediately step up to his mark. Boysen in particular, is completely revitalised. From the start, Morganfield delivers up his soul in a powerful and direct manner that takes the audience with him, his deep, rich voice everything the blues should be.
The only thing that spoils the evening is the inadequate sound, which is so badly balanced that the audience are forced to shout out to Morganfield that they can’t hear him. Despite this and the concomitant quick adjustments to the levels, the nuances of Morganfield’s full voice are completely lost in all but the quietest moments, the band swamping him at all other times. However, even given these difficulties, it is perfectly clear that Morganfield is certainly his father’s son.