Chicago abounds with treasures we often take for granted. For the scenic view it`s hard to beat Lake Shore Drive; for culture there`s the Art Institute; for world-renowned architecture you need only take a good look at the city`s skyline.
And for world-class blues guitar, there`s Otis Rush, who can be found working the North Side blues clubs just about any weekend.
Along with Buddy Guy, Rush remains one of the most influential blues guitarists to emerge from the fertile Chicago blues scene of the late `50s. Eric Clapton has long acknowledged Rush as a key influence on his style and has recorded numerous songs over the years associated with Rush. The late Stevie Ray Vaughan was another Rush acolyte, and he named his group, Double Trouble, after a Rush song.
But unlike Guy, who has been getting reams of national press of late and has a current album on the charts, Rush is largely unknown except to blues aficionados.
A longtime Chicago blues scene observer once commented, ”On a good night Otis Rush makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.” Saturday night at B.L.U.E.S. Etcetera was such a night.
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Backed by his well-rehearsed quartet the 57-year-old Rush and his red Gibson guitar held a packed house spellbound and had the club`s front windows steamed up by the third tune.
A very unconventional guitarist, the left-hander plays an upside-down right-handed guitar. But unlike most southpaw guitarists, he doesn`t restring the guitar, meaning that his fingerings are completely different than 99 percent of the guitar playing world. It`s as if a pianist played an instrument where the black and white keys were reversed.
Due in part to his unusual approach, Rush has a sound that is distinctive from the very first note. Hearing his trademark intense finger vibrato and microtonal string bending-playing the notes between the notes-is also a reminder of his influence on more celebrated players. If you`ve heard Jimi Hendrix`s ”Red House,” you`ve heard an almost pure homage to Otis Rush.
Rush has a reputation as a somewhat mercurial character, but he was all smiles on the bandstand Saturday in his cowboy hat, stylish gray suit and Western boots, mixing blues standards with some of his classic tunes.
”Gambler`s Blues” was a simmering slow blues that featured one of Rush`s most impassioned vocals, while a jump blues instrumental spotlighted ace keyboardist David Friebolin, whose jazzy Hammond organ-like sound perfectly offset Rush`s jazz-tinged chording.
On ”Right Place, Wrong Time” Rush got more emotion out of a single trilled note than most guitarists pack into an entire solo. Less celebrated than his playing is his singing, but Rush`s vocal call and response with his guitar on ”Let`s Have a Natural Ball” showcased his plaintive style.
Perhaps the night`s finest moment was during one of Rush`s best-known tunes, ”All Your Love.” A minor-key blues-Rush`s specialty-he imbued it with his most heart-wrenching playing of the night, as the rhythm section of second guitarist James Wheeler, bassist Fred Burns and drummer Sam Burton deftly navigated the song`s rhythmic twists and turns.
A true Chicago treasure, Otis Rush deserves a spot on your ”to discover” list.