NEW YORK BLUES: The Beat Goes On- Billy Sims Jr.

...and summer is starting to kick in. The music scene jumps into a higher gear when the weather heats up. One of the great things about living in New York is that for a music lover there are no shortage of clubs to go to, whatever your musical tastes. This week I have posted photos of Billy Sims Jr. and his daughter Chaney Sims. Their acoustic set was one of the better ones I have caught at Terra Blues. I'm a big Jimi Hendrix fan so it was nice to hear their sweet and moving version of 'Little Wing'. I have also included a couple of photos of N.Y. Yankees great Bernie Williams. Give Bernie a listen if you're into smooth latin-flavored jazz.

On tap for next week are the photos of Melvin Taylor I took on June 25th. I mentioned Jimi Hendrix earlier and Melvin was definitely channeling some Jimi. Good stuff!
Until then...keep on diggin' them BLUES!

by the way, I would be remiss if I did not say something about the sad passing of Michael Jackson.
While I did like some of the stuff by the Jackson 5 and later Michael as a solo artist I am not going to proclaim myself his biggest fan because I wasn't. Having said that one need not be his biggest fan or an authority on music to realize that no matter what went on in Michael's personal life offstage, once he got on the stage and started doing his thing, he was, in a word...peerless.

Nowadays it seems the word superstar is thrown around much too frequently to describe artists whose 'talent' doesn't live up to the superstar label. Michael on the other hand was a superstar, and then some. His kind don't come around often. R.I.P. MJ

Nelson G. Onofre
http://www.electriceyes.us/
nelson@electriceyes.us

Billy Sims Jr.
Terra Blues, June 2009
http://www.billsimsjr.com/
http://www.myspace.com/billsimsjr
"He founded his own band, Bill Sims and the Cold Blooded Blues Band where he is both lead guitarist and lead vocalist. He is currently considered one of the best musicians in the New York City Blues scene. Besides regularly performing at the best Blues clues in the city, Bill tours extensively both domestic and internationally. His virtuoso musicianship can be heard in most homes across America in the advertising spots of Coca-Cola, Reebok, Folgers and ESPN. In 1992, Bill released his first CD, Blues Before Sunrise. In 1999 his much-awaited CD Bill Sims was released on Warner Brothers records to coincide with the 10 hour PBS special on Bill."
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Billy Sims Jr.
Terra Blues, June 2009
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Billy Sims Jr. & Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
http://www.billsimsjr.com/
http://www.myspace.com/billsimsjr
http://www.myspace.com/hearchaneysims
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Billy Sims Jr. & Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Billy Sims Jr. & Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Billy Sims Jr. & Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
http://www.myspace.com/hearchaneysims
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
http://www.myspace.com/hearchaneysims
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

Chaney Sims
Terra Blues, June 2009
http://www.myspace.com/hearchaneysims
photo: Nelson G. Onofre

N.Y. Yankees great Bernie Williams
Iridium Jazz Club, June 2009
http://www.berniewilliams.com/
photo: Nelson G. Onofre
yeah, he may not be a blues man but as a long time N.Y. Yankees
fan I had to include a couple of photos of one their most popular
players. This night he was sitting in with the Les Paul Trio. Bernie
is quite the talented guitarist and I would recommend either of his
two CD releases.

N.Y. Yankees great Bernie Williams
Iridium Jazz Club, June 2009
photo: Nelson G. Onofre