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KEN
SAYDAK - PLAYED FROM 6 TO 31 OCTOBER
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The World Famous Blues Room,
Jo'burg's number one Blues and Jazz venue, presented five time Grammy Award Nominee,
from Chicago USA, Ken Saydak. Ken Saydak was voted "Best Keyboardist" by the
Chicago Music Critics Poll and has appeared on over 35 CDs. |
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Ken was
being backed up by an all star band including National Association of Rudimentary Drummers
Champion Michael Canfield on drums, From NYC, Timmy Tindall , bassist with Phobe Snow, Sam
and Dave, Chuck Jackson, The Staple Singers, Chuck Berry and on guitar, Blues Room owner
George Worthmore.
Ken's latest release on Delmark
records "Foolish Man" was on sale at the Blues Room.
Download a sound byte of
from Ken's latest CD, "Foolish Man", from
our gallery.
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Taken
from the sleeve of the new CD : |
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When Ken
Saydak says 'I cook at a low simmer. It takes me a long time to do things," he's not
kidding. One thing's for sure about the quarter century of professional preparation
leading up to the debut CD by this Triple Threat Chicago-based pianist (with occasional
organ and accordion) /singer/ songwriter: it won't take the listener any time at all to
heed the call of the enticing mix of good times and thoughtful reflection on this disc and
start enjoying the fun! One of Saydak's many assets is his comfort with who he is and who
he isn't. He laughs about pulling up to blues clubs "in a Honda and a parka" and
knows he's not a product of levee camp barrelhouses and house rent parties. It's obvious
he was raised in Chicago, but his music is more a kaleidoscopic pastiche of styles and
antecedents than a concentrated pure shot. "Any one song is probably a blend of
influences" is how he catalogs this set. |
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| For most of his distinguished
career, he was content as a conscientious sideman and team player. His international
profile dates back to his mid '70s tenures as a fixture with Mighty Joe Young (still a
mentor and friend) and Lonnie Brooks. He's backed Johnny Winter on four Grammy-nominated
albums, and had a fifth nomination accompanying Brooks. In the '9Os he achieved additional
notoriety with the Blueprints and the eclectic roots band Big Shoulders. More recently
he's played on twenty Delmark albums by a broad cross-section of the label's roster.
Between studio dates he's toured the world; in fact, he headed off to South Africa and
Switzerland after finishing this project. |
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Download
a Sound Byte from this CD. |
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Now that
Saydak is finally stepping out as a front man, he's able to showcase himself fully on his
own somewhat unconventional terms He's chosen a lineup ranging from solo to trio
(generally featuring second lines from his old Big Shoulders partner, harpist Ron Sorin,
and elemental, locked-in drumming by Jon Hiller) - not a note of guitar to be heard. His
hefty resume speaks for itself about his musical capabilities, however, for this album he
downplays establishing himself as a Man Of Monster Chops. His skills still shine through
as a master of deep blues, swing, New Orleans gumbo and their honky tonkin' cousins. But
the emphasis is on well conceived, well-rounded songs and fun. The latter is no surprise
to the many who know Saydak as one of the readiest wits and humorists on the scene, worth
a slice of studio budgets for the Laugh Quotient alone. He states "I really wanted to
emphasize the songwriting more than any thing. 90% of song Lyrics have to do with
male-female... I am particularly drawn to songs that are outside that." Memphis
Slim's paean to mortality, "Mother Earth," is cited as a prime example. On this
CD, the topics cover darkly hidden family problems ("Mama Please," accompanied
by a piano approximation of finger-picked acoustic folk guitar), through restless seeking,
nostalgic remorse, recognition that youthful recklessness has led to an accumulated legacy
of bad choices and a whimsical, easy swinging social inventory, "Shoppin' And
Snackin," that updates his 1984 Razor Records single. Foolish Man represents a lot of good things revolving loosely around the
Chicago blues piano tradition, delivered with good feeling and a serious intelligence and
craft. Saydak just picked songs he was fond of performing by Slim, Amos Milburn, Big Boy
Myles, Eddie Boyd, Ray Price and Ray Charles to complement originals that "represent
what I do musically and what I think about. "Time I Spend Alone" (a fitting
appreciation of solitude set to two-fisted Chicago blues) and the uptempo
"Foolish Man" are solo pieces. Saydak cites the country strain in his blues, and
knows his professed fondness for a sixth-chord flirts with heresy in some circles. He
articulates the unity and diversity in his music: "The categorization of music is a
convenience or contrivance invented so that people can talk about what they're hearing.
The real experience is in the air. To me, all indigenous American music is drawing water
from the same well... it's all music that originates from real life experience. The blues
is a melting pot of sorts, as influenced by anything a musician hears, especially since
the advent of recording.
Ken Saydak is proud that during his long tenure as a
sideman, he did his best "to do what the leaders wanted with their music." Along
the way, he built an overwhelming portfolio as a mature, savvy, multidimensional part of
Chicago's music community. Saydak notes "It's taken me this long to feel like I have
something I want to put out. It's the culmination of 25 years of getting ready." Now
it's time for the listener to be ready to put ears, brain, heart and feet in gear! |
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