Jimmy C and The Blues Dragons at The Rayners Hotel, Harrow 7/6/02

The band was already doing their thing when I arrived, loping their way through "I Will Runaway". My feet were tapping immediately, creating a good first impression. The Rayners is a better than average venue - big room' good acoustics, no restricted views and a reasonable bar. I have been to some storming gigs there. Jimmy C and the Blues Dragons were having a good time, judging by the smiles on their faces, on this, another opportunity to promote their own brand of entertainment. And entertainment it is, particularly for anyone like me, who prefers electric blues designed to get you dancing and make you forget your troubles.

The rhythm section comprises Paul Soper and Stevie Bray on bass and drums respectively, providing a tight backbeat in a surprisingly relaxed way, considering the varied pace over the two hour continuous set, coming into their own on "Run Through The Jungle" and the encore "Killing Floor" which included a few moments of my favourite surf anthem "Wipe Out".

Canadian Jimmy C, all smiles, mop top hair and energy, distributes great guitar licks' vocals and occasional harp playing such as on "Mojo Working". His happy demeanour is obviously infectious to both band and audience. His playing was a joy to hear, switching between the slow blues of "Texas Flood", the quicker pace of "Every Day I Have The Blues" and the Hendrix tributes of "Hey Joe" and "Fire". He was also just as good in support of the surprise package (to me at least), Antonio Lorenzo on sax. Antonio's obvious classical / jazz training has adjusted well to filling out the sound in the good time blues based menu served up this evening' sometimes with understated backing, such as on "Wang Dang Doodle~ and "Woke Up This Morning", or producing the main course on "Peter Gunn" and "Mustang Sally". Having the sax adds an extra dimension to the overall sound from the band.

The set was mainly covers, which I'm sure will go down a treat with a larger Saturday night audience' although Jimmy C and the Blues Dragons put their own spin on them, to keep the purists on their side. The nice thing is their invitation to shake and dance along is difficult to refuse. They had a knack of hitting a groove and carrying the audience along with them, as on their version of "Tore Down". On top of this' they were adept at leaving space in the overall sound to enhance the overall effect, as on the understated version of "Sweet Home Chicago". Plus any band that can chuck in "Born To Be Wild" as part of their finale' without coming across as too serious gets my vote!

If you live in London, they may be playing in a local pub near you soon. I know I'll be back!

Darrell Parsons Blues in Britain magazine - the magazine of the British Blues Connection