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Blues that’ll make you dance!

Blues fans are well aware of vocalist and lead guitarist Chris James and bassist Patrick Rynn as the leaders of their own band, the Blue Four, and their stellar work with a dazzling array of blues legends like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Elmore James and Charlie Christian. Now they’ve cut their own debut album for Earwig Records. “Stop and Think About It” takes their shared musical feats to a whole new level.
The San Diego-based bluesmen inaugurated their musical partnership in 1990 when both were in Chicago for the first time.  The sartorially splendorous duo has been inseparable ever since, their telepathic onstage interplay always in evidence whether they’re digging deep into classic postwar blues or dishing up the meaty, satisfying originals prominently featured on their new CD.  By the time they met, Christ, once a teenage musical prodigy, had logged plenty of gigging miles, fronting bands long before he ever visited the Windy City.
As for Patrick,  It wasn’t like he didn’t have experience holding down the bottom in a blues band.  Born in Toledo, Ohio, he was classically trained on bass before a high school buddy urged him to check out a high school jazz ensemble led by veteran saxist Floyd “Candy” Johnson, who invited the young bassist to play for the orchestra.  He says on his Web site, thebluefour.com, “He pulls out this piece of music and he set it down.  He says, ‘We’re gonna play this.  You just play this.’ I said, ‘Okay, no problem.’”
“It was the bass line written out,” continues Patrick.  “So he counts it off and we get into it and we start playing, and I get to the 12th measure.  There’s no repeat sign, there’s no turnaround, so I stop playing.  So then about 25 measures into the piece, Candy Johnson gets this funny look on his face and he stops the band, and he goes, ‘Boy, what the hell are you doing/’ And I said, ‘Well, what do you mean? You gave me this piece of music, it’s got 12 measures, no repeat sign.  I thought I was done!’ He said, ‘Son, this is blues.  You just keep playing!’ And it turned out it was Duke Ellington’s ‘C-Jam Blues.’ And that’s how I got introduced into blues.”
Their music is steeped in tradition and they admire blues greats such as Dave Myers, Willie Kent and Henry Townsend, all of whom passed away while James and Rynn were recording this album.  These artists had a great influence on Chris and Rynn, who say they will be greatly missed and admired for their influence on the blues and keeping it going.
Although a duo, they were joined for these recordings by a pianist, tenor saxes, harmonica, drum and maracas.  Chris James is the vocalist as well as guitarist while Patrick Rynn is the bassist, although he joins Chris as second vocalist on one of the 12 tracks on this album.
“You’re Gone,” and “I’d Like To Write a Letter” are two of the 12 songs that epitomize blues at its best.  The harmonica wails and the guitar does riffs while Chris sings and the drummer gives backup. 
They remind me of Willie Nelson and his band with harmonica and drums.  I don’t think blues will ever die because the sound is unique and fits into its own niche.  There’s the rich sounds of the piano playing its solo part in a jazzed up riff style, the harmonica as a distant, lonesome sound and a sax here and there wailing in the background.  All meld together into a harmony that can’t be found in any other type of music.
Blues fans will be thrilled with this album as was I.

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