Jill Sharpe / Blog
Lisa Cee at Bliss Tonight!
Going out to see Lisa Cee @ Bliss in Long Beach. Supporting live in music in my own neighborhood! Long Beach Blues!!!!
Golden Sails Hotel & Ballroom
I'm looking forward to coming back to the Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach. It's a great hotel right on the Marina. Should be a great night of Blues & Swing. Going back into the studio in two weeks, so this will be a great workout.
WEEKEND FULL OF BLUES
Anyone in the area of Los Angeles, Orange County or San Diego this weekend, should head on out to the Doheny Blues Festival. On the beach, in OC, you can see bands like Walter Trout, Ana Popavich, 200 Lbs of Blues, White Boy James & The Blues Express, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks (excuse my spelling here folks) which all make for an amazing couple of days of music. Jimi Hendrix's old band mates will also be playin' on Sat at the Festival and Sat Night at th Marriott. This is where I'm heading. Also, Simi Valley Blues & Zydeco Fest next weekend. I'm playing everywhere in between, but it's summertime which means it's time to play!!!! Come on out! Jill
Southbound Beat Magazine
PET MY KITTY-The CD of Course! All Songs, Played All Guitars & Self Produced, as well as, Arranged All Instrumentation & Vocalization on this Little Classic of American Music completely on her own. Featuring T-Bird Pianist FREDDIE KAPLAN (who has also played with Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Howlin Wolf, Bonnie Raitt, etc, etc) has made this already phenomenal CD one the most under rated peices of music of our time! CD REVIEW Of the thirteen tracks on this recording, one of my favorites is Drunk On Love, a rocking number in the classic Texas roadhouse tradition, but flavored with a little West Coast Swing. The keyboards are excellent, both piano and organ, which makes this a great number to show off your moves on the dance floor. Got My Eye On You, begins with girlish chatter, then dives into a smooth blues boogie that swings with its suggestive lyrics and steady rhythm guitar. She blends her aggressive lead guitar with her solid rhythm like a seasoned veteran. Red Hot Mama is another example of Jill combining Texas Blues with a little swing. (I love to drag out my 64-octave chromonica and play along with this one!) Jill’s vocal really shines and the piano solo again adds some happy boogie to the clean guitar riffs. If you enjoy Blues that makes you want to get up and shake what the good Lord gave ya, you can’t go wrong with this CD. Be sure to catch Jill Sharpe and her band and have some fun. Don’t forget to pick up her CD while you’re havin’ a ball and be sure to tell her Benny sent you.
RL Interview PART II
R L n: Te l l u s a b o u t t h i s j a m s e s s i o n . JS: What stunned me the most about this jam; I have hosted several, is the diversity of players that come in (Sharpe has been hosting jams for over 20 years). We have players as young as 10 to 17 years old. These are some of the best players I have ever seen in my life. I have them up there with professional musicians, some of whom are up over 60 years old. They have played all their lives, they come from all over the country and from all over the world. We had a 10-year-old guitarist named Ray Gorem come in a couple of weeks ago, who could play Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn and play them better than most of the guys I have ever seen. During the second set of the jam a young woman came up whose name is, Deborah, who played a barn burning version of Rock Me Baby.” JS: There was this young woman who was there last night and she is playing the Chicago Blues Festival this year. We have whole bands that come. Bands from Brazil and England who have come and played at Ashley’s. In the second set Robert Dean replaced Jill on guitar and Danny Ray of the defunct Long Beach band The Road Dogs played the Muddy Watersclassic, “Hootchie Coochie Man” and Buddy Guys “Damn Right, I Got The Blues.”
RLn: I met the guitarist Robert Dean last night, he came up in the the second set with his harp player from The Road Dogs.
JS: I loved those guys, they are friends with my new guitar player Dave Albert who just came down from Oregon. Dave Albert traded solos with both Sharpe and Robert Dean and every time this cat stepped up he could blow until there was no tomorrow. Every Sunday, starting at 5 p.m., Jill Sharpes Blues Jam at Ashley’s is definitely a place to be. Former KLOS Radio personality and comedy club host Gino Michellini was there taking in the sounds at the Sunday jam. According to Sharpe he is putting her music in rotation on his show at www.turntables.com. Jill Sharpe is selling her music through www.reverbnation.com/JillSharpe and is in the process of putting out a new compact disc due in a couple of months. Robert Dean who has taught guitar for more than 30 years and is a writer for Southland Blues has guitar instruction on YouTube Robert Dean Blues Guitar. For more info go to www.jillsharpe.com. Venue: Ashleys Location: 1731 E. 4th St., Long Beach Details: (562) 495-5700
RANDOM LENGTHS MAGAZINE INTERVIEW Part I
Jill Sharpe’s Sunday Blues Jam at Ashley’s
Random Lengths News dropped by Ashleys in Long Beach to check the ongoing Sunday blues jam featuring blues guitarist Jill Sharpe. As with many nondescript bars that run through the Harbor Area, you can’t tell what to expect from the outside. If you walk straight into the bar, you’ll find that it expands out and into what appears to be an old diner. The room itself is bleak, with old green vinyl booths. Somehow it all became timeless. The diversity cut across all social lines, young and old. Ashley’s has a nice menu and the burgers are good. Since food is being served, minors can come inunder supervision. On any given day you might see children playing pool with parents. Mind you, this is not the local family eatery, it is a bar. The music that Sharpe and her group for that evening played, set the vibe for the night. Sharpe opened with a set of blues favorites and proceeded to tear the room up. Jill Sharpe has a very vivacious yet sultry kind of Peggy Lee personality. She parlays this into being a very good jam master for running this kind of event. There were guitar-slingers, harp (slang for harmonica) players, vocalists and one smoking sax player. A song that stood out as a tongue in cheek blues tune was called “Bad, Bad Kitty.” The gist of it is” Come on over you dog, and hear this kitty purr. This was followed by a song, “Funkin A” a southern fried rocker with a smoking Wah-Wah intro. Towards the end of Sharpe’s first set, she played a slow blues This is Home (A song about life on the road), this woman can sweet the honey out of each note played.
Random Lengths News spoke with Jill Sharpe in a coffee clatch early the next morning. RLn: How long have you been doing this jam at Ashleys. Jill Sharpe: We have been doing this since last October. See Part II
Posted a couple new videos to YouTube
I justed posted two new videos on YouTube. One for "Stranded in Texas", about life on the road with a not so appreciative beau on the Pet My Kitty release and "CYA Blues" from the same CD about livin' life on my little pink sail boat in LA Harbor. Cerritos Yacht Anchorage is the place, my guitar is the source and hopefully, if I'm lucky your eyes & ears will be next. Enjoy my friends, enjoy!
BENEFIT FOR MARTY NATION wIth Candye Kane, Jill Sharpe & More
A benefit fundraiser for Johnny's brother, Marty Nation. Injured in a motorcycle accident in January, Marty and his family are facing some serious financial issues. Luckily, his talented rock & roll friends are coming together to blow the roof off The Satellite (formerly Spaceland) in his honor. Blues mama Candye Kane headlines the show, and there will be lots of special guests! Who's Playing?
City FritterHEADLINER Topanga, CA Folk / Americana / Classic Rock
Candye Kane Encinitas, CA Blues / Jazz / Country
Julie Christensen
Jill Sharpe Long Beach, CA Blues / Rock / Swing
Jill's Jamm at Ashley's Bar & Grill Long Beach
Every Sunday from 5-9 we host an open blues jam to all players who can play. Bring your gear and/or your instrument and sit in with some of LA's best players. Great Food, Great Music and a place to make Great Friends. All ages welcome. You seriously never know who's walking in the door next - just glad to have everyone who enjoys a good time! Thanks, Jill P.S. See show list for more info.
