Big Daddy G - aka Dave Glover & friends - has been notably missing-in-action for some time and I, for one, have missed what he has to offer. Aside from that notorious tone - as big as his namesake - he cuts an authoritative musical figure on stage, surrounding himself with like-minded musicians who go the extra mile and take the music further. Informed by jazz guitarists as well as the usual blues greats, Big Daddy G digs deep and injects his repertoire with a language only learned from listening to a lot of music.

He's not only a skilled player, he's a talented interpreter if not musical bon vivant. Yet, in '06, he lost considerable momentum despite regular gigging behind the popularity of Topless and his '02 release, Live From The Harvest. Personal problems with work, band personnel politics and a resulting loss of focus forced the band to implode. Stuff happens. Yet the good news is that he's back, joined by seasoned players who clearly love to play. 

The thin yet healthy Tort enjoyed a triumphant return to the stage and, despite a lengthy absence from performing with the band, instantly supercharged his set with a hyper-burst of adrenalin, reigniting the positive chemistry long associated with his pairing with Dave. "Tigerman" and the band's own "Stringbean'n'Tater" coached memorable antics from the band as it displayed a welcome return to form for both friends. Chuck returned with a vengeance turning in solid and varied fare like Charlie Rich's "Mohair Sam" and a great rendition of B.B. King's "Sweet Little Angel", sitting even more comfortably with a band that had already proven what it had come to do.  Add to this Dave's penchant for weaving in solid instrumentals throughout the course of a night - Freddie King's "Stumble", Albert Collins' "Frosty" - served notice that this band could fire on all pistons.

There will be more coming - Big Daddy G has already recorded songs for a new disc that will see a late Fall release.And after a thaw-inducing night like this, the return of Big Daddy G comes not a moment too soon.

Copyright 2009 - All pictures courtesy of Eric Thom - No images may be downloaded or used without prior permission - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it