Time: 47:45
File: Flac
Released: 2015
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front
1. Big Town Playboy (3:27)
2. Bread Maker Baby (3:52)
3. Kissing At Midnight (3:26)
4. Would You Baby (4:15)
5. I Got To Find My Baby (3:14)
6. Stockyard Blues (4:13)
7. New Leaf (2:51)
8. If It Ain't Me (3:48)
9. Close But No Cigar (3:22)
10. Let The Four Winds Blow (2:18)
11. Blue Coat Man (2:52)
12. Wild Cat Tamer (4:17)
13. Florida Blues (5:45)
Mark Koenig, AKA Madison Slim, is a harp player many blues fans from the Midwest know and now Florida’s west coast are becoming familiar with. Many more fans should be aware of this fine musician and perhaps this initial album produced with him fronting a fabulous band will propel him into a larger spot light!
His experience in the blues began in the 1970’s in Chicago with blues greats like Jimmy Rogers. Big Walter Horton was a major influence on Slim as he honed his craft and became a harp great of his own accord. He’s played with Sam Lay and also as part of the Legendary Blues Band. He met up with and played with Reverend Raven and the two became based in Wisconsin and toured and recorded together before semi-retiring and moving to Bradenton, Florida where instead of retiring he now plays with a number of great bands, including Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones.
The musicians here are all masters of the Chicago blues sound. Billy Flynn and Doug Deming provide the guitar work and Barrelhouse Chuck is on piano for Slim. Terry Hanck also appears on sax. Doug Deming’s Jewel Tones backline of Andrew Gohman on bass (upright and electric) and Devin Neel on drums round out a truly sweet sound that provides a back drop for this fine harp master. Doug and his band are one of the hot acts in the blues world and Billy, Chuck and Terry add a who’s-who level of authenticity and musicality to the project.
Close... But No Cigar FLAC