LITTLE CHARLIE & THE NIGHTCATS

20th May 1997, "Altstadtschmiede" in Recklinghausen

When I first heard their debut CD 'All The Way Crazy' 3 years ago I got problems with this kind of blues. But today after hearing more and more so called 'West Coast Jump Blues' from musicians like Rod Piazza, Junior Watson, Hollywood Fats, Lynwood Slim, or Mark Hummel - I realize the great music that this quartett from California plays for audiences all over the world.
On their recent Europe tour I caught them at a small club - with maybe 80 people it was packed and the audience including many musicians were expecting very much. The band kicked off the show with a swinging instrumental lead by guitarist Little Charlie Baty. Baty is a true master on the six-string. He can get jazzy on a swing tune, low-down on a heavy Chicago number or real sweet on a ballad. He always knows how to play some notes that you wouldn't excpect - but he never looses taste or respect for his idols.
Then his partner-in-crime singer/harpplayer Rick Estrin entered the small stage - wearing a red suit with a fine cloth in the chest pocket, gold chains, a tie and red leather boots. He sings in a very unique style with a lot of humour. Humour is the main attraction of his songs, too. They deal with funny motives around wine, woman, elephants and television. One of the songs he sang this night 'My Next Ex-Wife' was honored with a W.C. Handy Award in 1994. His harp playing is much more present under live conditions than on records. And he is a very strong player - he switched often between different harp even during a song. And he gets this great sounds of the past. From the typical Little Walter or Walter Horton sound (with the latest he jammed often in the 70s) to the great moments when he puts a chromatic harp in his hands. Then he got that George 'Harmonica' Smith sound only William Clarke could do. By all his abilities on the harp he never got lost in to much bending or technical gimmicks.
The rhythm section - Ronnie James Weber on bass and June Core on drums - layed down the fundament for some joyful interdiction between Charlie and Rick. The young black drummer seemed to be new in the band, but he sounded integrated like he played for a long time with them. He was home in any rhythm - wether it was a rumba beat, swing tune or a Chicago-blues stomper in the Aces tradition. He played everything on his small drum kit with great knowlegde and feeling. The bass was something understated but always to the point and pumping like a clockwork.
Pushed by a frenetic audience the Nightcats tored up the house for more than two and a half hours. People danced to songs like 'Eyes like a cat' or 'Short Skirts'.
The last encore was 'a tribute to one of the greatest guitarists - Stevie Ray Vaughan' as Little Charlie announced a tour de force on guitar - he melted 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', 'Hideaway' and 'Peter Gunn' in one pot.
As the exhausted people left the ball for home - I recalled a word from Little Charly:

"We're a people's blues band. We play for dancing and partying"