CHRIS COTTON Live at Biscuits & Blues, San Francisco, California, by Dorothy L. Hill

music by Chris Cotton

Text and Photos by DOROTHY L. HILL

Chris Cotton made an appearance at Biscuits & Blues on August 7, 2008 to celebrate the release of his self-produced new CD “The Big Sea.”

California-bred Cotton just has to be the reincarnation of an old bluesman—when he takes the stage, the spirit bursts from his every being revealing an old soul. He started out with Delta blues and picked up the Piedmont style in his itinerant journeys around the country. His CD “I Watched The Devil Die” (Yellow Dog Records) was widely acclaimed as a refreshing creative effort.

Cotton recently filmed a video for YouTube and it was selected to be featured on the YouTube front page where it was reported to have received over 45,000 views around the world on the first day of airing. It is a performance of the tune “Blues and Sadness” which is the first cut on his new CD “The Big Sea.” It is available at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rocp7rRN89M.

As a longtime attendee at Cotton’s live performances, I can attest to the fact that he always surprises whether it is with guests who join him or the choice of material.

On this evening he opened up solo on guitar and husky vocals on “Bill Bailey.” While switching guitars, Cotton was joined by his band consisting of his longtime collaborators Justin Markovits on drums and Vance Ehlers on upright bass. They launched into the joyous melody of “City Boy/Country Blues” with generous slapping of the bass, drum sticks flying in time and Cotton’s upbeat vocals telling the story “I was born in the city, mama, but I gotta play those country blues.” He slowed the pace on “Casey Jones” with heartfelt vocals and guitar delivery steeped in country blues. Cotton was joined by singer Keren Bein for a duo vocal turn on “Life Shouldn’t Be That Way” with Markovits utilizing brushes on this ditty about the desolate life—with great changes in tempo. On “Black Night” Cotton’s excursion on slide guitar was compelling with textured expression.

Cotton’s true story about hitching a ride with the sheriff “Morgan City, Mississippi” was delightful and one of my favorites—it depicts the tale of two white boys with guitars thumbing their way through the country backwoods with one of them having the nerve to pull out a beer and imbibe it in the back of the squad car. A standout of the evening was a shuffle excursion on “Heartbreaking Mine” with Cotton’s guitar solo displaying a rag-influenced Piedmont style.

As the evening progressed, Cotton was joined at various times by Gary Koytler, a fantastically talented electric guitarist, and Mike Seeba on sitar. As I mentioned before, a Cotton concert brings pleasant surprises and how often does one see a sitar at a blues concert!

Chris Cotton sizzles with youthful exuberance and his playing is steeped in the blues as he pays homage to Big Bill Broonzy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Fred McDowell, among others of that generation. His shows are augmented with well-crafted original tunes and his choice of support musicians is superb.
He has mastered the art of creating a connection between blues fans of his generation to vintage country blues. The enthusiasm of the audience this evening lent a down-home revival feel that was infectious.

>>>>> Dorothy L. Hill
jazzpix2000@yahoo.com

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BluesArt-Journal - is an electronic publication. Worldcopyright © 1998-2008 BluesArtStudio, BluesLife, USA - AUSTRIA.
All rights reserved. Made with Macintosh


music by Chris Cotton

Text and Photos by DOROTHY L. HILL

		Chris Cotton made an appearance at *Biscuits & Blues* on August 7, 2008 to celebrate the release of his self-produced new CD “The Big Sea.” California-bred Cotton just has to be the reincarnation of an old bluesman—when he takes the stage, the spirit bursts from his every being revealing an old soul. He started out with Delta blues and picked up the Piedmont style in his itinerant journeys around the country. His CD *“I Watched The Devil Die”* (Yellow Dog Records) was widely acclaimed as a refreshing creative effort. Cotton recently filmed a video for YouTube and it was selected to be featured on the YouTube front page where it was reported to have received over 45,000 views around the world on the first day of airing. It is a performance of the tune *“Blues and Sadness”* which is the first cut on his new CD *“The Big Sea.”* It is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rocp7rRN89M. As a longtime attendee at Cotton’s live performances, I can attest to the fact that he always surprises whether it is with guests who join him or the choice of material. On this evening he opened up solo on guitar and husky vocals on “Bill Bailey.” While switching guitars, Cotton was joined by his band consisting of his longtime collaborators Justin Markovits on drums and Vance Ehlers on upright bass. They launched into the joyous melody of “City Boy/Country Blues” with generous slapping of the bass, drum sticks flying in time and Cotton’s upbeat vocals telling the story “I was born in the city, mama, but I gotta play those country blues.” He slowed the pace on “Casey Jones” with heartfelt vocals and guitar delivery steeped in country blues. Cotton was joined by singer Keren Bein for a duo vocal turn on “Life Shouldn’t Be That Way” with Markovits utilizing brushes on this ditty about the desolate life—with great changes in tempo. On “Black Night” Cotton’s excursion on slide guitar was compelling with textured expression. Cotton’s true story about hitching a ride with the sheriff “Morgan City, Mississippi” was delightful and one of my favorites—it depicts the tale of two white boys with guitars thumbing their way through the country backwoods with one of them having the nerve to pull out a beer and imbibe it in the back of the squad car. A standout of the evening was a shuffle excursion on “Heartbreaking Mine” with Cotton’s guitar solo displaying a rag-influenced Piedmont style. As the evening progressed, Cotton was joined at various times by Gary Koytler, a fantastically talented electric guitarist, and Mike Seeba on sitar. As I mentioned before, a Cotton concert brings pleasant surprises and how often does one see a sitar at a blues concert! Chris Cotton sizzles with youthful exuberance and his playing is steeped in the blues as he pays homage to Big Bill Broonzy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Fred McDowell, among others of that generation. His shows are augmented with well-crafted original tunes and his choice of support musicians is superb. He has mastered the art of creating a connection between blues fans of his generation to vintage country blues. The enthusiasm of the audience this evening lent a down-home revival feel that was infectious. >>>>> Dorothy L. Hill jazzpix2000@yahoo.com


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BluesArt-Journal - is an electronic publication. Worldcopyright © 1998-2008 BluesArtStudio, BluesLife, USA - AUSTRIA. All rights reserved. Made with Macintosh