
Blues in the Southern Hemisphere Tour (March 26-April 3rd)
Blues in the Southern Hemisphere Tour (March 26-April 3rd) including concerts at
the
US Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay - celebrating 200 years
of independence.
Asuncion is the capitol and largest city in landlocked Parauay with a population of 512,000. Paraguay is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest.
Of the twelve South American countries, Paraguay occupies 157,048 sq miles, which compares closely with the size of California at 163,696 sq miles. (Journal link)
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(L/R - Little Joe, Andre Bohren, Robbie Mack)
Little Joe Band
with Robbie Mack
& special guest
Andre Bohren
The tour of Paraguay sponsored by
the United States Embassy and CCPA
(Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano)
Robbie Mack's Journal
Paraguay Tour coverage begins here
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Eureka Springs Blues Weekend
June 2-5
Eureka Springs, AR – Blues legends Elvin Bishop and Coco Montoya will headline the annual Eureka Springs Blues Weekend June 2-5. Montoya will be featured June 3 and Bishop stars June 4. Both shows are at the auditorium.
“We’re all about bringing the country’s most talented roots blues players to the Ozarks,” Ragsdell said. “So Elvin and Coco are a great start, but this year they’re just the tip of the iceberg.”
The 1905 Basin Park Hotel’s Barefoot Ballroom will host concerts by blues icons Little Joe McLerran and Tinsley Ellis, as well as Zydeco legend Rosie Ledet. Lionel Young, Marquise Knox, and approximately 20 other artists and groups will also perform at venues around town and at free concerts in Basin Spring Park.
Proceeds from the weekend will be given to two charities: the HART Foundation, which provides financial assistance to blues musicians, and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, which rescues large animals from conditions of abuse or neglect and provides them with natural habitats in which to live out their lives.
Blues Weekend gets underway June 2 with free music in Basin Spring Park during the day and a concert by Little Joe McLerran that night in the Barefoot Ballroom. McLerran was the winner of the solo competition at the 2009 International Blues Challenge (IBC). (link)
The 20th Annual River City
Blues Festival
Marietta, Ohio
March 18 and Saturday, March 19
Music fans from a four-state region are expected for the River City Blues Festival on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 at the historic Lafayette Hotel in downtown Marietta. Known nationally as “One of America’s Best Little Blues Festivals,” The River City Blues Festival features some of the top touring blues acts in the country including Cincinnati’s top blues band, The Sonny Moorman Group; legendary blues diva from the West Coast, Miss E.C. Scott; Veronika Jackson; “Little Joe” McLerran; Davina & the Vagabonds; New Orleans’ “Jumpin’Johnny” Sansome; and Baltimore’s Charles “Big Daddy” Stallings & The Blues Evolution Band. Tickets will be sold at the door, but advance tickets and weekend passes are suggested. Weekend passes to all three shows are $70. Tickets for individual shows are: Friday Night: $25, Saturday Matinee: $25, and Saturday Night: $30. The ballroom at The Lafayette Hotel will be set up with a large dance floor and a cash bar. As with all BJFMS events, the festival will be a non-smoking event. Complete information about the 20th Annual River City Blues Festival is available at www.bjfm.org Special “blues rate” room rates are available at the Marietta Holiday Inn ($46+tax)
...more from the Toledo Free Press
Rabbit Hash Historical Society & General Store
March 20th
Rabbit Hash, Kentucky 41005
This Sunday, March 20th, Little Jo McLerran will be playing "behind the stove" in the Rabbit Hash General Store. Come spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon (from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM) with friends while listening to the finest acoustic music around. (link)
....and then a few miles down the road
to
Paraguay (South America)
Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
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Paraguay, South America |
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TULSA WORLD:
Travelin'
Man Blues
Little Joe McLerran is bound for Persian Gulf
Published: March
28, 2010
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| The
Little Joe McLerran quartet performs at
Ciao in Tulsa. Next for the group: Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman. Photo:
MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World |
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Little
Joe McLerran Quartet
selected among ten ensembles
to
travel overseas...(more)

Photo by Frank
Stewart for Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Design: R J Whetstone |
...a
collective of seasoned musicians drawn from the ranks
of Tulsas finest, who came together specifically
for The Rhythm Road: American
Music Abroad... have been selected to represent
American Music overseas by Jazz at Lincoln in New York
and the US Department's of States Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Effairs.
In its unique approach, this ensemble presents blues and
American roots as a Soup Recipe, which has
been stirred, mixed, handed down, and revised by generations
of people who brought their music from all over the world
to America. Little
Joe McLerran Quartet members describe their style
as simple, supportive, inspired, and above all else, inventive. >>>more
Wall
Street Journal
America's Musical Ambassadors
The Little Joe McLerran Quartet
plays before students at a school in Muscat, Oman as
part of their 2010 Rhythm Road Tour. (Wall
Street Journal - article 06/17/2010)
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buy this CD and one for a friend,
who deserves your generosity
Coming from Oklahoma,
to a continent near you..
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MEMPHIS BLUES
Little Joe McLerran
wins
1st Place
at the
25th Annual
International Blues Challenge (IBC) 2009
news and photos...
2010 - Little
Joe & Band will return to New York on Dec. 2nd for another Big Apple appearance at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club...Unlike most historical and modern-day
jazz venues, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (named after
Dizzy Gillespie) soars several stories above the expansive
vista of Central Park. Tony Bennett calls Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola "the best jazz room in the city." [blog]
Little
Joe's Live At Last CD is now available
at Amazon.com
Damprock
Blogger - A
recently published Blog article observation of the 2009
International Blues Challenge in Memphis, a spectacular
event made even better by witnessing Little Joe McLerran
win 1st Place in the solo/duo category that took place
at the historic Orpheum Theatre on Main St. and Beale
on Feb. 7th, 2009 .....(article
/ blog)
October
25, 2009 - Little Joe flew back
to Tulsa on Saturday, Oct. 24th from San Diego after appearing
on the week-long Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
With no time to rest, he was flown to New York on the
following day to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center (2
blks off Central Park) on Sunday the 25th. This appearance
has already triggered a request to perform on the Africa
continent sometime after the first of the year. Robbie
Mack reported that four cheeseburgers, a drink, and fries
in New York can set you back $100....wow, what a busy
weekend ! [blog]; NY-American
Music Abroad
Tulsa to Italy
Wednesday,
June 17, 2007 - Little Joe flies to Italy today
for his four concert appearances in and around Parma.
With a seven hour stop-over in Atlanta followed by a nine
and a half hour
trans-Atlantic flight, he will arrive (5440 miles later)
in Milan, IT. A real Roots'n'Blues Festival in the deep
country along the PO River in Parma Province, the land
of the parmesan cheese and ham.
>>more photos from
Italy>>
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Little Joe
and Robbie Mack
in the Italian Province of Parma
-photos by Giovanni
Grilli
>>more
photos from Italy>> |

March
7, 2010 - From
Tulsa, Oklahoma, comes singer and guitarist Little Joe
McLerran this, his fourth cd, is a very enjoyable
collection of traditional and old-time blues, some
in the Piedmont style with him accompanied by a
fine band throughout the 13 tracks on offer.
Its all beautifully played and will appeal to all
true blues lovers, with his pleasant, warm voice and nice
guitar work the main appeal the rest of the players
being Dexter Payne (reeds and harmonica), Robbie Mack
(bass and vocals), Ron McRorey (drums), Jack Wolfe (keyboards),
and harmonica contributions from David Bernston and Jimmy
Junior Markham.
Standouts are his own Cocktails For Two, with
nice acoustic harmonica from Dexter Payne; a nice rolling
Blues Before Sunrise from pre-war blues legend
Leroy Carr, and nice slide work on the traditional Jesus
Make Up My Dyin Bed with the featured harmonica
this time from David Bernston.
Elsewhere Blind Willie McTells B&O Blues
is really nice, with a rollicking slide workout on Elmore
James classic, Baby Please Set A Date, and
his own Sargent Sunday is a jazzy tune with
a nice lazy feel.
"Highly recommended
for those who like their blues pure and from way back!"
Source: BluesInTheNorthwest.com
In The Blue Mood-Strong Traditional Blues
Junk Joint Soul
NewsDrome
Jim
White -
Pittsburgh-PostGazette
Jan 14, 2010
"...when you find a new, young
bluesman whose music easily carries
the spirit of the blues, it's a very pleasant and rewarding experience. Little
Joe McLerran, at 25, is one of those young bluesmen. And
his blues of choice is not one of the easiest to
master -- the Piedmont fingerpicking
style is one of the most complex and elegant.
But it's not just that McLerran shows his mastery of that on his
new CD, "Believe I'll Make a Change" (Root
Blues Reborn). The Tulsa, Okla.-based musician captures
the essence of fine old-timey music, whether in a duo
or with the funky little band that accompanies him here
on some of the cuts. He's also manages to write
quirky songs in harmony with the classic music he favors...">>more - review,
sample track & video
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Simply
the Blues Fest
Fort Madison , Iowa
May 8 & 9, 2009
BLUES
BLAST REVIEW - ..."Kicking off the main stage on
Saturday was the 2009 International Blues Challenge solo/duet winner, Little
Joe Mclerran. Joe and his bass player was so tight they
were squeaking. He gave the crowd a clear picture of why
he won!"
"Little Joe plays Piedmont
Blues, and since the death of John
Cephas [3/4/09], may be the heir to the crown of "the
best" around. For a guy that is only 24 years
old, this guy oozes with talent. Surely another artist
you want to make a point to see."
"Following Little Joe was
the 2009 International Blues Challenge Band winner, JP
Soars and the Red Hots...." - - Review
and Photo by Blues Blast editor Bob Kieser
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