Champagne & Reefer

Mojo Buford | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: HighNote Records
• ASIN: B00000JTAH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,224 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mojo Is The Man!, November 6, 2001

By 

deepbluereview "deepbluereview" (SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Champagne & Reefer (Audio CD)

If you don't know Mojo Buford, you are in for a real treat. Mojo, of course, was one of the standout harp players for Muddy Water's and, on this set, he is joined by fellow Waters band member, Bob Margolin on guitar as well as Phoenix-based musicians, Chico Chism on drums, Paul Thomas on bass and Johnny Rapp on rhythm guitar.

As is all too often the case with blues musicians, their music is better known overseas than in the States. Hopefully, this CD will change that. As you can imagine, with Margolin on guitar, the set list takes a page out of Muddy's play book and, while there is really nothing new here, Mojo's performance on harp and his Jimmy Roger's like vocals are outstanding. If you like what you hear on this disc, work backwards from here. The quality on all of this musicians work is always first rate.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Real, classic Chicago blues anno 1999, May 23, 2004

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Champagne & Reefer (Audio CD)

69 years old at the time this recording was made, George "Mojo" Buford still sings and plays with power and conviction.
He served as Muddy Waters' harmonica player on four different occations, and was Muddy's harpist of choice when he (Waters) passed away in the spring of 1983, and here he is, playing with another former Muddy Waters sideman, lead guitarist Bob Margolin, and a hand-picked combo which includes a second guitar, bass, and drummer Chico Chism.

Many of these songs are old Muddy Waters standarts, but while everything here is electric, more than half the songs are played with no rhythm section, just Buford and Bob Margolin, which makes for an interesting "earthy" sound on numbers like "Blow Wind Blow" and "Nine Below Zero", and leaves plenty of room for George "Mojo" Buford's muscular, meaty harp playing to shine.
The many highlights include "Rollin' And Tumblin'", a swinging "Don't Go No Further", a tough, band-backed "You're Gonna Drive Me Away", and the aforementioned "Blow Wind Blow", and these gritty performances are a welcome reminder that there are still people out there who play real music on real instruments.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mojo Is The Man!, November 6, 2001

By 

deepbluereview "deepbluereview" (SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Champagne & Reefer (Audio CD)

If you don't know Mojo Buford, you are in for a real treat. Mojo, of course, was one of the standout harp players for Muddy Water's and, on this set, he is joined by fellow Waters band member, Bob Margolin on guitar as well as Phoenix-based musicians, Chico Chism on drums, Paul Thomas on bass and Johnny Rapp on rhythm guitar.

As is all too often the case with blues musicians, their music is better known overseas than in the States. Hopefully, this CD will change that. As you can imagine, with Margolin on guitar, the set list takes a page out of Muddy's play book and, while there is really nothing new here, Mojo's performance on harp and his Jimmy Roger's like vocals are outstanding. If you like what you hear on this disc, work backwards from here. The quality on all of this musicians work is always first rate.