Erwin Helfer, the 84-year-young Chicago pianist of heartfelt blues, boogie, rootsy American swing and utterly personal compositions, has told his tale of covid-19-related profound depression, hospitalization, treatment and recovery to the Chicago Sun Times. I'm a longtime friend, ardent fan and two-time record producer of Erwin's, and had lunch with him soon after the article ran. He was in fine fettle -- a great relief to me and the rest of the large, devoted community that's been deeply concerned about his health since April, when his … [Read more...]
Gospel (not my usual bag) keyboards revelations
I'll never be an avid fan, much less an aficionado, of gospel music -- but Lift Me Up, Chicago Gospel Keyboard Masters, new from The Sirens, a local independent label, is clearly full of joy and inspiration. It also is notable for documenting a seldom spot-lit but obviously thriving American roots music scene. Art arising from or meant to beget religious transcendence makes me uncomfortable, but many others aren't so biased, and all kudos go to Steven Dolins, The Sirens producer and my co-religionist, who says, "[G]oing back to Thomas Dorsey … [Read more...]
Earma Thompson, unheralded piano jazz star, dies at 86
A Chicago mainstay, whose efforts supported local and touring musicians starting in the early '40s but who didn't record under her own name until 2004, Earma Thompson deserves to be celebrated as an outstanding example of how women have participated in jazz often more than is acknowledged, from behind the scenes. As the Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich wrote in his July 16 obituary of this significant pianist and salon -- not saloon -- keeper, "Earma Thompson never really had a chance to become famous."www,JazzChicago.net/jazzfest.html … [Read more...]