I went to bed on Friday night (March 12) knowing I had come down with the flu. My joints (especially my toes) hurt, my throat was sore, I was coughing and I had the chills. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I felt worse but I had no intention of passing on my day at The Duck because of a miserable flu.

The guest this week was Jack de Keyzer and I had planned on leaving around 1:30ish anticipating the place would be packed, especially since it was a cold and blustery day, but my friend, D, called and said we really needed to leave at 12:30. I took the last of the flu medication I had, grabbed my umbrella and walked to his place. During the short three-minute walk I realized there was no way, with this weather, that we were walking to The Duck as we usually did. The wind was blowing from all directions and even with an umbrella my pant legs were getting wet. I already had the chills so the last thing I wanted was to spend the afternoon shivering. Luckily my friend agreed that we should take his car.

We arrived to find the venue almost empty, good decision on D's part. We picked the very first table at the front and pulled out the backgammon game. I ordered lunch since the earlier departure didn't give me enough time to eat at home. A few minutes later another of the regulars, R, arrived. He was alone today so we invited him to join us at our table. He had just come home from a two-week vacation in Cuba; he literally drove straight to The Duck!

As we played the first backgammon game, we showed R how to play since he had never really done so. I won the game against D and R sat in to give it a shot. On the starting roll, we each threw a six making it double game. D helped R along throughout the game and it was a close game to the end but I won that one as well. By then all the tables were full, lots of people were standing around and the band was almost done setting up. We put the board away and prepared for some magic.

I've seen Jack de Keyzer more times than I can count. The last time was at the Canalbank Shuffle's Mempis IBC fundraiser for Harrison Kennedy and Blackburn this past January and Jack had the crowd dancing all night. I remember another time I went to see Jack several years ago. It was the grand opening party of a new local, blues-friendly venue. We had showed up early and by the time the band was set to start there were only a dozen people in the venue. Unfortunately, that did not change the entire night. Always the professional performer, Jack led his band as if the room was packed. It was a fantastic and intimate evening and we all made the best of it. 

Jack has just been nominated for another Juno for his latest disc, The Corktown Sessions and has been chosen as a finalist in the International Songwriter's competition for his song, The Way That I Love You. He won that competition in 2007 with his song, That's the Only Time. He won the Juno for Best Blues Recording in 2003 and has won seven Maple Blues Awards, Canada's national blues awards. At the request of Prime Minister Harper's wife, Laureen, who is an avid fan, he gave their son, Ben, a private guitar lesson at their residence (CLICK HERE). And, in 2009, from a poll of CBC radio listeners, Jack was awarded the title of Great Canadian Blues Artist of the Year.

You would think that with all of these accolades and awards, he would have an ego as large as a football field but he is still one of the nicest guys in the business. He always has time for his fans, never refuses a picture and always has a smile on his face when he signs his CDs. I can vouch that this is not always the case for some of the musicians I've met over the last few years.

So back to the blues matinee and the part where I go on and on about how great the Mighty Duck Blues Band and The Duck are. There is really no point in my repeating this every time I blog about my outings. The secret recipe is simple. It's the sum of all its parts - the house band, the guests, the owner, the staff and the people who come back week after week to take it all in. The Duck is not a high-end venue, it's your friendly neighbourhood hang out, but every Saturday afternoon it is transformed into a hopping juke joint. 

Jack delivered three high-energy sets. He played tunes from some of his past CDs, songs from his newest, Juno-nominated disc, The Corktown Sessions as well as a few covers. The band, as usual, never missed a beat (and if they did, we certainly never caught it!).

One of the reasons I enjoy Jack's music so much is his ability to funk it out. I grew up in the 70s and my first love, before rock, was funk. I loved it then and I love it now (also explains why I was such a Disco Queen!). Jack mixes great funk rhythm into his blues and he is one of the few that does it so well. Jack also made sure that each band member had a chance, several actually, to show off their respective talents. 

The Duck was packed all afternoon and the crowd was totally into the groove. I had called some friends earlier to let them know they shouldn't miss this matinee and it was nice to see them show up. One had planned on staying only for one set but he ended up staying until the end. My other friend, a former co-worker, is a big fan of Jack's and boldly asked him for a pick to which Jack graciously obliged. 

By the last set, people were dancing on the bar, removing ceiling tiles so they could stand upright! I don't know how safe that was but no one seemed to care. Jack was the Blues King and we were his devoted court. My only complaint - the lack of a dance floor. I'm sure the owner, Jack, thinks he needs all of his tables but I'll boldly say that no one will miss the two tables to the left of the band, right beside the speaker. We need to shake our hips and tap our toes!

As all good things always do, the matinee came to an end. I chatted with Jack for a few minutes, thanking him for a great afternoon. I drove my friend D to another local hang-out and then made my way home to sit on my couch and watch mindless TV ( and proceeded to go through an entire box of Kleenex).