february 2006 issue 279 free jazz now in our 32nd year www.jazz-blues.com &blues report Love,Love,Love,February 2006 • IssueJanis!Janis!Janis! 279 Love,Love,Love, Janis!Janis!Janis! Published by Martin Wahl Hanna Theatre, Communications Playhouse Square Editor & Founder Bill Wahl Cleveland Layout & Design Bill Wahl Operations Jim Martin Reviewed by Bill Wahl Pilar Martin Contributors anis Joplin is one of the you to see. It is just the letters, and Michael Braxton, Mark Cole, few artists whose albums some interviews she did...there is no Chris Hovan, Nancy Ann Lee, I have owned in LP, 8- other spoken word added. I will not tell Peanuts, Mark Smith, Duane Track, Cassette and CD you anything more about what is in Verh and Ron Weinstock. J formats. That would be her 1968 these letters, or the interviews. I know debut with Big Brother & The Hold- that a lot of play and movie reviewers Check out our new, updated web ing Company on Cheap Thrills, to like to spill all the beans for you be- page. Now you can search for CD her solo debut I Got Dem Ol’ fore you go. Luckily, I am not a play or Reviews by artists, Titles, Record Kozmic Blues Again Mama, movie reviewer, so I will not spoil it for Labels or JBR Writers. Twelve years of reviews are up and we’ll be going through to her final album, 1971’s you. Indeed, it would be a disservice all the way back to 1974! Pearl. Although she was in life, as to do so. she is today, a rock/blues legend, her The role of Janis for the perfor- short career only spawned those mance on January 11 was played by Address all Correspondence to.... Jazz & Blues Report three major albums, all on Colum- Helen Coxe and Mary Bridget Davies. 19885 Detroit Road # 320 bia Records, plus an earlier Big That’s right...two Janises. Coxe played Rocky River, Ohio 44116 Brother album on Mainstream “Janis the person,” and had the main Main Office ...... 216.651.0626 Records. Obviously, I was a big fan speaking role – reading the letters to Editor's Desk ... 440.331.1930 of Joplin back in the days, so upon her parents, nearly all of which ended [email protected] hearing of the play Love, Janis at with “Love, Janis.” Davies portrayed Web .................. www.jazz-blues.com the Hanna Theatre my interest was “Janis the musician,” obviously the Copyright © 2006 Martin-Wahl Communications Inc. definitely piqued. more challenging of the two roles as No portion of this publication may be This play was written in by she had to sing all the songs. Not sur- reproduced without written permission Randal Myler inspired by a book with prisingly, I was more than a bit leary from the publisher. All rights Reserved. the same name by Laura Joplin, about how well that role would be Jazz Report was founded in Buffalo New Janis’ sister. It is based on letters played. Singing many of Joplin’s tunes York in March of 1974 and began in Cleve- Janis wrote to her parents after she is tough enough for most singers. But land in April of 1978. We are subsidized left Port Arthur, Texas in 1966 to pur- to sing so many of them in a play ac- solely through advertisement and ask that sue musical pastures in San Fran- tually portraying Joplin is a monstrous you support our advertisers. cisco and soon traveled with Big feat. Well, Davies nailed it right from a W division of Brother & The Holding Company. the start and just never let up. While artin-Wahl c o m m u n i c a t i o n s She continued sending the letters she won me over right away, the real home right up until she was found test was going to be the 8th song dead in her apartment just five years in...”Ball and Chain.” She nailed that On The later. one as well. OK – sold! The rest would The letters say a lot about Joplin be a piece of cake. Davies has guts, Cover as a person, and mirror her different heart, soul and a powerful delivery to Mary Bridget moods. Some are actually quite spare. Davies as Janis funny, some show her loneliness, While many of those reading this Joplin in a scene some her awe with regard to her new who live in the Cleveland area may not from “Love, found fame and actually having be familiar with Mary Bridget Davies, Janis” at the some money. The best part is that they certainly should check her Hannah Theatre, these letters are real. You will get a out...whether at this play or with her Cleveland true glimpse into what made her tick own band. She, along with the musi- rather than what a playwright wants cians in the Love, Janis band are from PAGE TWO February 2006 • Issue 279 Cleveland or other parts of the area. songs are Ben Nieves/lead guitar, were not quite where they belonged, The Mary Bridget Davies Group, for- Mark McGuire/rhythm guitar, Herb chronologically speaking. I believe merly known as Blues On Purpose, Pruitt/bass and Bill Ransom/drums. one or two had horns that should not has played many N.E. Ohio clubs and Nieves and McGuire are actually have. But the fact is, that I didn’t even has recently been doing the blues members of the Mary Bridget Davies notice it until I put this review together, festival circuit. Her role as Janis the Band, while Pruitt and Ransom are and the songs flowed very well. So it singer is currently played on alternate players I’ve been familiar with for is, in the end, a moot point. Some nights by Lauren Dragon, who I be- many years. For the Kozmic Blues things I noticed that did add to authen- lieve is from Cincinnati, where Love, Band songs Kristine Jackson/trumpet, ticity were that all the mics and gui- Janis played before Cleveland. By Ken LeeGrand/tenor sax and Ed Rid- tars had cords, and they used moni- the time you read this, Dragon will ley/keyboards are added. Ridley stays tors on the floor rather than earpieces. have been replaced by Katrina on for the Full Tilt Boogie Band songs. The Janis costumes and hair pieces, Chester, who played the role in the Though Joplin got a lot of flack at the jewelry and the like were very authen- Off Broadway production of the play time for adding horns to her music with tic looking, and the slides of Janis in New York and is supposed to be the Kozmic Blues Band, they sure photos and psychedelic patterns on fantastic herself. She will then be in sound just fine today! Ransom, Pruitt, the screen behind the stage added a alternate performances with Davies. LeeGrand and Ridley played in the nice touch. Love, Janis has just been extended earlier 1999 performances of Love, The only player I have not men- for a second or thir time, and will con- Janis at Cleveland Playhouse, before tioned is Paul Floriano, who did the tinue at least until February 26. If you it went to New York. You’ll love Nieves part of the male interviewer. He was want, you can find out who is playing rock ‘n’ roll movements about the not actually on stage, or if he was – I the role on which performances at stage on some of the songs, such as sure did not see him. www.playhousesquare.com. jumping on top of a speaker and lay- As for the volume, earplugs were The songs you will hear are: ing on his back on the floor. available if anyone wanted them, but From the Big Brother & The Hold- I thought Helen Coxe did very well I found them completely unnecessary. ing Company era, which produced in the Janis the person role in both Sure, it was rather loud, and I would the 1967 album Big Brother & The the letters and the interviews. Davies have been disappointed if it were not. Holding Company and 1968’s also answered some of the It is a part of the true Janis experi- Cheap Thrills – “Piece Of My Heart,” interviewer’s questions, sometimes ence. “Down On Me,” “Bye, Bye Baby,” they would both blurt out an answer Kudos go out to Sam Andrew, the “Turtle Blues,” “Women Is Losers,” “I at once. There is no question that the Music Director for Love, Janis. An- Need A Man To Love,” Gershwin’s spoken parts interspersed with the drew was the guitarist and a founding “Summertime” and Big Mama music numbers made the whole ex- member of Big Brother & The Hold- Thornton’s marvelous “Ball And perience the great success that it was. ing Company, and joined Janis’ Chain,” in my view the show’s The audience that night was ecstatic Kozmic Blues Band (and played on standout performance (my date for and were brought to their feet on sev- the Kozmic album) after she left Big the evening concurred, so it must be eral occasions after some of the Brother. He also wrote some of the unanimous). songs. And then there was the stand- Big Brother songs, such as “Call On After the intermission came the ing ovation with shouts and screams Me,” and co-wrote “I Need A Man To Kozmic Blues Band era which pro- at the end, before and after the en- Love” with Janis. I’d say he knows duced the 1969 album I Got Dem Ol’ core.