Big Gilson
Cab Driver Blues
When the average fan thinks of hotbeds of the blues, he or she thinks of cities like Chicago, Austin, and Memphis, and even such far-flung outposts as London and Paris. That's all set to change, however, as these red-hot Brazilian, guitarist Big Gilson is poised to put Rio de Janeiro on the blues map.
He was born in Rio in 1959, and plays guitar since the age of 15, when he first time listen to a Johnny Winter's record, and decided what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
Comprising one-fifth of the wildly successful Brazilian blues-rock quintet Big Allanbik (Portuguese for "Big Whiskey Still") Gilson and co. have released four CDs in their native country, and honed their chops the last six years giging on their own (in Brazil and America) and as the opening act for Steve Winwood on his Brazilian tour, Johnny Rivers (70.000 people audience), and master B.B. King. While touring America, and giging at such clubs as Miami's Tobacco Road, New York's Blue Note, and all over Chi-town, the band knocked out such blues gods as Duke Robillard, Lonnie Brooks, and Buddy Guy, who extended the Boys from Brazil an open invitation to play his Legends Club anytime.
After a successful Texas Tour, now Big Gilson is joined on his second solo album - CAB DRIVER BLUES - by a crisp Dallas rhythm section, "The Blues Dynamite" - Bobby Chitwood on bass and Tyrone Starks behind the traps, along with special guests such as the lusciously sultry vocalist Cricket Taylor and Big D harpmeister Hash Brown. Three titanic axe-men, Lone Star legend Bugs Henderson, Mr. Bad News from Baton Rouge himself, Kenny Neal, and Holland K. Smith also drops in to lay down some cool licks.
Gilson rips through this collection of eleven originals as if his heart (and fingers) were on fire. Ghreen's rollicking piano and Jimmy Smith-cool Hammond B3 provide the perfect counterpoint to Gilson's electric pyrotechnics and positively molten slide. From the growling slide riff at the intro of the title track, you'll know that this is some hot bluesman. Not hot Brazilian bluesman, mind you, but hot bluesman, period.
Stylistically, the tracks range from gutbucket electric blues ("Jammin' in Big D", "Tropical Feeling Blues") to blues-rock ("Cab Driver Blues", "Alleluia", and "Happy Hooker") with stops in New Orleans (the lovely R&B duet "Helena") and Memphis (Alan Ghreen's scorching Booker T.-inspired "Tangerine").
There is a tangible Texas feel to the album, most notable on the sizzling shuffle "Big G. Billy".
There are lots of bands out there, in America and around the world, who play the blues. They play the blues but you can tell they don't feel the blues. Big Gilson is most definitely not one of those bands. This boy may hail from Rio, but he plays like he was born and raised in South Oak Cliff, and there is no higher testament a native Texan and lifelong blues freak can give.
John Nova Lomax - Music Independent Magazine, Houston-Texas.
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