Buddy Guy Performs 'Hoochie Coochie Man' At The 2013 Kennedy Center Honors

Buddy Guy with President Obama at the show

The ambassador of the blues, Buddy Guy, performed at the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors (he was honoree in 2012). His choice was the classic Muddy Waters song 'Hoochie Coochie Man', on the 29th of  December.

Buddy Guy just kills it, and also gives a sod to Santana who won an award for 2013.

Year in Blues: Highlights of 2013

Another year, another moment for self-reflection.

This year saw growth of viewers on the blog, even though I haven't posted as much as I did in 2012 (due to my new role as a parent).

Since the news that Speakin' The Blues was chosen as one of Lebanon's Top 100 Blogs, we have had a lot more coverage. (Thanks 2famous.tv!) I wrote two articles over on Project Revolver and got to meet many of Lebanon's famous bloggers and social media personalities through this.

So below are the top 10 viewed posts of 2013 on this blog, with major changes coming in 2014 (new design, a monthly comic strip, and more reports).

All in all musically, 2013 was my worst. True, I live in Kuwait, and the action is almost zero, but I used to perform a lot more in previous years. Hopefully, in 2014 I will announce something new from Avant-Garde Music Projects. Follow us on Facebook for more details.

I want to thank all the readers from all over the world for their support. To be one of the only (if not THE only) bloggers about blues and jazz in the Middle East, it's truly great to see that many people are reading. It just makes my drive more powerful

Well enough of that! Here's the list of the 10 most viewed posts of 2013 (in no particular order):

1.      Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, & Bo Diddley Join Forces

2.     'Equinox' - John Coltrane

3.     London's 2013 BluesFest Has Killer Lineup

4.     Fender Vintage Hot Rod Basses Unveiled!

5.     Happy Birthday B.B.King!

6.     Feature: Mississippi's 'Lost' Blues Music Masters

7.     The Pan Arabian Enquirer Trolls The Dubai Jazz Fest (With Good Reason)

8.     The Mockery That Is The Dubai Jazz Fest [UPDATE]

9.     A Legendary Chicago Blues Get-Together

10.   'I'm a King Bee' - Slim Harpo

The Parasite Blues

Via SMBC Comics

Merry Christmas (But Even Santa's Got the Blues)

A Merry Christmas from Speakin' the Blues!

But who says you can escape the blues?

Not even Santa can!

You can also take a fun blues Christmas quiz over [here].

Chicago Bluesman Eric 'Guitar' Davis Murdered

[SOURCE]

In a sad state of affairs, bluesman Eric 'Guitar' Davis was found murdered in Chicago's South Shore area. He was shot in his car several times. He was 41 years old.

The son of blues drummer Bobby 'Top Hat' Davis, Eric was a talented guitarist, and was known in the local scene and has several albums out, and tours.

It's a sad day for the blues, may you rest in peace Eric.

Here's his cover of Muddy Waters' 'Hoochie Coochie Man':

5 Great Blues Songs That Appear in Film

The blues is America's gift to the music world; it inspired a new generation of musicians, and like the saying goes: 'Blues had a baby, and they named it Rock n' Roll'.

Throughout Hollywood's history dozens of blues songs have been used in movies, so here's five examples of famous blues songs that appear in them:


5. THE RAINMAKER : 'How Blue Can You Get?' - B.B. King

4. SKYFALL : 'Boom Boom' - The Animals (Cover of John Lee Hooker's original)

3. THE BLUES BROTHERS : 'Sweet Home Chicago' - The Blues Brothers

2. GOODFELLAS : 'Mannish Boy' - Muddy Waters

1. TERMINATOR 2 : 'Bad To The Bone' - George Thorogood & The Destroyers

Got some I missed? Let me know!

'Miles Davis Way' Officially Named in NYC

New York City's 312 West 77th Street has been officially named 'Miles Davis Way' by Mayor Bloomberg, after intense campaigning from Shirley Zafirau, his old neighbor.

Legendary trumpeter and jazz leader Miles Davis lived on that street for almost 25 years. 

Read the whole story [here].

John Coltrane's 'Afro Blue Impressions' Re-Mastered & Expanded

One of John Coltrane's best live albums, 'Afro Blue Impressions', has been re-released as a double-disc with a new remastering and three extra bonus tracks.

Released originally in 1963, this was in the Classic Quartet's tour of Europe. With Elvin Jones on drums, McCoy Turner on piano, and Jimmy Garrison on bass, you knew this was gonna be an amazing performance. This was when Coltrane's music shifted to more modal and avant-garde jazz, from his old hard bop sound.

Featuring some of Coltrane's best songs, like Naima, Impressions, and a stunning 21 minute performance of My Favorite Things, the new album features 3 unreleased tracks from a Stockholm performance: Naima, My Favorite Things, and I Want To Talk About You.

It's also been nominated for a Grammy award for Best Album Notes.

Hear the supreme (pun intended) version of 'My Favorite Things' below, which features Coltrane on the unusual soprano saxophone, with a hypnotic performance: 

Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones Set for UAE

The UAE train just keeps on going.

Mega rock (and blues) stars Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones are set to perform in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively, in 2014.

Marking their first performances in the Middle East, it's sure to draw huge crowds and it will be great for those of us who don't live in the UAE, since it's very close to everyone.

Eric Clapton plays on the 6th of March at the Dubai Media City Amphitheater ; tickets [here]
The Rolling Stones play on the 21st of February , Du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi ; tickets [here]

The Blues Returns to Africa - Songhoy Blues

The blues has it's origins planted in West Africa, and it was transported to the United States with the slaves, who then brought their music and influences to create the blues (this is the brief version of the story).

While I was exploring new blues music, I stumbled upon a blues band from Mali called Songhoy Blues. They started playing by trying to uplift the refugees of the war-torn country, especially after last year's Timbuktu taking by armed jihadists (it has since been liberated), who were being oppressed by severe Islamic laws.

After playing a few local bars, the band was then introduced to Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who recorded a song with them called 'Soubour' which means 'patience', a song referencing the refugees of Mali.

And with that, the song has been released on a compilation album by Africa Express called  Maison Des Jeunes, and now have been invited to play a gig in the UK.

Blues music is truly universal and I am very happy I stumbled on this music. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.