For a music festival, being assembled by committee can be a good thing. When I was on the board that organizes Blues Fest, between 1986 and 1992, lively arguments and discussions were the norm, and from this tension arose some eclectic, varied programs: the diverse lineups for the 1986 showcase of Texas and California blues, the 1989 celebration of Louisiana blues and R & B, and the 1990 T-Bone Walker tribute were largely the fruits of determined advocacy and interplay within the committee. But this year, members report, the committee never even met–festival coordinator Barry Dolins communicated with them only by E-mail. He also posted ideas on the city’s Web site to prompt comments from the general public. He says this change was intended to make the selection process “more democratic,” and that two bookings, Joe Beard and John Mooney, resulted from visitor input.

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with the Grant Academy Blues Babies, Roy Hytower, and Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues

Jackson’s traveling education program, All About the Blues, which the acoustic-blues revivalist launched in the early 90s, reaches an estimated 50,000 students in Illinois and along the east coast every year. He’s also active as a performer and recording artist, his most recent release being 2000’s I Claim Nothing but the Blues (Electro-Fi). His guitar work is a melange of traditional styles, and his lyrics, delivered in a tenor wail with heavy vibrato, range from trenchant (“Where’s My Daddy”) to cloying (“Chicago Flood Song”). Even when they don’t quite work, it’s encouraging to hear a young bluesman try some fresh imagery. DW

Guitarist Specter made his name playing driving postwar Chicago blues in the 80s with Son Seals, but since the end of that decade, when he ventured out with his own Bluebirds, he’s forged an elegant fusion of jazzy grace and soul-stirring intensity. In 1990 he signed with Delmark to record Bluebird Blues; he’s been with the label ever since. His most recent release, Speculatin’ (2000), is yet another showcase for his precise lines, subtle tonal manipulation, and unfailing swing. Why’s a class act like this playing first on this rinky-dink stage? DW

4:30PM Roger Connelly & the Blues Merchants

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Delta pioneer Eddie “Son” House, one of Robert Johnson’s important influences, cut a handful of sides for Paramount in the 30s and some for the Library of Congress in 1941 and ’42–a sparse legacy that includes some of the most emotionally intense performances in the recorded blues canon. Though he resurfaced during the folk revival of the 60s, it’s mostly on the basis of these early recordings that he’s come to epitomize for many the angst-driven Delta bluesman. Singer and guitarist Ricks (see today’s Juke Joint listings) will join legendary Memphis producer and session man Jim Dickinson for an investigation into the role of myth and revisionist history in the way we think about House and other blues pioneers. Both men are known for their depth of knowledge and their contrariness; expect scholarship seasoned with acerbic wit. DW