Otis Rush wows Japan despite ill health

TOKYO (PRWEB) May 25, 2004--Bluesman Otis Rush, despite having suffered a stroke in February, refused to let his fans in Japan down and headlined the 18th Japan Blues Carnival, giving what many people called the best performance of his career while imparting a deeper understanding of the true meaning of the blues to fans old and new alike.

"I never really understood the true meaning of the blues until just now," veteran Japanese blues aficionado Kazuo Utamura said after Rush's performance at Hibiya Park, Tokyo, on Saturday. "I had never heard so much emotion...such a contact between performer and artist. The crowd was deeply moved. I was crying."

This sentiment was echoed by bluesman Hi Tide Harris who said, "Otis wasn't pulling guitar strings, he was pulling heartstrings." The San Francisco guitarist added: "I've seen Otis play many times. But that was the best I've ever heard him."

Concerns about the health of the 70-year-old legend of the Chicago blues were first aroused when fellow left-handed Windy City guitarist Carlos Johnson was added to Rush's lineup at the last moment. Although nothing had been said officially, word soon spread on the Japanese bluesvine.

Rumor was given substance on Monday (May 17), when Japan Blues Carnival 2004 kicked off at Namba Hatch in Osaka. Shortly after the show, a post appeared on a Japanese fan site reporting how Rush had to be assisted onto the stage by his wife Masaki and a staffer from the promotion company and that he could hardly play or sing. A more detailed account appeared following Rush's performance the following night at the Bottom Line, Nagoya, posted by guitarist Tetsu of Yuka & the Hot Brothers: "Otis could hardly walk or sing or play the guitar. We share his difficulties and his feeling that he wants to sing, but sometimes can't make it. We were all moved by Otis on stage."

Fans in the Kanto region of Japan, where Tokyo is located, had the opportunity to evaluate the situation themselves when, following a scheduled rest day, Rush performed at Club Citta in Kawasaki on Friday (May 21).

Following performances by the carnival's other two headliners, the Derek Trucks Band and Mavis Staples, the Otis Rush Band took the stage. After a warm-up instrumental, drummer Brian Jones introduced Carlos Johnson, referring to him as "the heir apparent of left-handed Chicago bluesman." Johnson walked out onto to the stage and tore into a blues number, presenting his credentials—which were validated by the audience's response—as one of the next legends of the Chicago blues.

Jones then introduced Rush, explaining the situation regarding Rush's health by paraphrasing Rush's 1956 hit on Cobra Records by saying, "He couldn't quit you, but he had to put you down for awhile."

Rush was escorted onto stage by Masaki, walking a little unsteady, taking a seat with Johnson sitting on his right.

It is sad to report, but Rush was in pretty bad shape in terms of motor skills, which obviously affected his guitar playing. His vocals too were weak and at times difficult to understand. But having said that, and although he may have wavered in his delivery at times, he ended each phrase on time and on note.

Moreover, what Rush lacked in mechanical ability, he more than made up for in terms of the intensity and passion of his delivery. He reached out and touched the audience especially deeply on one number, "As The Years Go Passing By," with a poignancy that I have never witnessed at any blues—or any other—concert before in my life. Some members of the audience were openly crying and Rush's band mates, including Carlos Johnson, were close to tears, having shared a moment that will live in the memories of all of us blessed enough to have been part of it.

On Saturday and Sunday, Rush repeated his magic at the outdoor Hibiya Park arena. Despite overcast skies and occasional rain, Rush electrified the audience each night. Despite the strain, Rush wouldn't comprise, insisting Saturday that he perform a number with Mavis Staples, the other headliner that day, and likewise Sunday ending the blues carnival with customary grand finale of all the performers who had played that day, which comprised the Derek Trucks Band, and local support acts Fusanosuke & His B&O, and the Black Bottom Brass Band.

We have all heard the phrase "The show must go on." For Rush, they are not mere words, but a code by which he lives.

Les Coles is a Tokyo-based music writer and webmaster of tokyo-blues.com and The Blues Blog. Photos available, e-mail les.coles@gmail.com