There’s something to be said for blues performers longevity, and that holds true for 75-year-old Elvin Bishop. One of the remaining founders of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, formed in 1963, Bishop is still strumming his Gibson ES-345 with the unique finger-slide style he learned from veteran blues artist Earl Hooker. The result is Bishop’s approach to vintage blues on his new CD, Something Smells Funky ‘Round Here.
Backed by Fun Trio members Bob Welsh on piano/guitar and Willy Jordan on percussion/vocals, the album’s 10 cuts don’t break new ground so much as they effectively revisit the classic blues style that swept up Bishop back in the 1950s. Throughout the disc Bishop and Welsh effectively trade guitar leads, while Jordan slaps out rhythms on a Peruvian cajón. The lack of bass and drum kit is never evident.
The title song is Bishop’s political commentary, with the funky smell coming from Washington, D.C. “Another Mule” and “The Way Willy Likes It” offer the group’s spin on standard country blues, while “Bob’s Boogie” lets Welsh loose with a great barrelhouse piano rag. During Jackie Wilson’s classic “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” vocalist Jordan conjures up some sweet sounds. It’s just too bad Bishop didn’t bring in female backup singers like those Wilson employed for the chorus. The ladies are conspicuous in their absence.
Elvin Bishop and the Big Fun Trio perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center’s Guitar Festival.
