Tales told in Blues, Roots, and Heart Music to Heal the Spirit and Make the Body Dance.

13 MP3 Songs
BLUES: West Coast Blues, FOLK: Folk Blues



Details:
Singer/Songwriter, musician, poet and raconteur, Dr. Lozelle Jennings will be bringing his brand-new, one-man, blues storytelling and roots music show, in support of his just-released CD, âRacontourismâ. He will appear at venues in Oregon and the Northwest in 2007. A performer with 44 years of experience, Jennings is known for a large repertoire of original and cover tunes.

Of his new CD, Jennings says, ââRacontourismâ is my best songwriting project so far. Though Iâm bound to be labeled a boomer, I want my music to be free of the age ghetto, so these are thirteen original tunes written for all peopleâto heal the spirit and make the body dance.â Asked about the creative titling, he went on to say, ââRacontourismâ is a guided tour of stories from my life as a musician and inhabitant of the demi-monde, from hippie days to the present, featuring tales of sex, love, violence, place and politics told in blues, Cajun, roots and heart music styles.â

As always, Dr. Lozelle himself does the vocals, accordion and harp but âhad the good fortune to be backed by the Left Coast MoJo Dealers, three very fine people and tremendous musicians.â The âRacontourismâ project ensemble included Stephen Hodges on drums and percussion, Johnny Bazz on stand-up bass, and George Friend on Dobro and electric guitars. Jennings points out, âMany folks out there might recall Stephen from his work with Tom Waits, John Hammond, Mavis Staples, and others. Johnny Bazz also works with Mavis, Phil Alvin and the Blasters while guitar stylist George Friend was most recently with blues chanteuse Janiva Magness.â

Jennings has recently relocated to Seal Rock, Oregon. About his latest move, he says, âHaving pulled up stakes about fifty times, Iâm pretty good at relocating and getting along with folks. But I feel a special family bond to Oregon. My great-great grandmother was married to John Henry Clay Jennings, of Medford, New Jersey. Our family history claims that when her husband died in a mill accident shortly after Lincolnâs assassination, she found her way to what would become Medford, Oregon, and remarried, this time to the man who would become the first Governor. So in a way part of my family may already be here.â
For Jennings, his home on Beaver Creek, outside of Seal Rock, is a special, almost sacred place, a place that led to the writing of âSolstice Song,â the final cut on the âRacontourismâ project, a song dedicated to Oregonians.

One interesting thing that draws Jenningsâ audiences is an unusual format. âDr. Lozelleâ plays accordion, harmonica, and brings a strong vocal presentation to the mix. Snooky Pryor, the great blues harpman, once said he just didnât see how Jennings could play bass with the left hand, rhythm with the right, plus play the lead through a racked harmonica. âI donât know,â Jennings says, âI guess itâs a little like juggling catsâif you donât feel the flow, all you get is scratches, bites, and a lot of yowling.â

Though he was born in San Antonio, Texas, he considers himself a citizen of the worldâwith forty states and twelve countries under his belt. Jennings has played with Yank Rachell, Albert Macon & Robert Thomas, Precious Bryant, Little Jimmy Reed, Lefty Bates, Jimmy Wilsey and others. His background includes work as an opening act for performers like Chubby Checker, Mark Hodgson, R.J. Mishu, and Curtis Salgado. He performed at the first Daytona Beach Blues Festival fronting the MoJo Dealers out of Tuskegee, Alabama. He was solo guest artist with the Tuskegee University Jazz Band when they won the Andre Ford Jazz Competition. After that, Jennings relocated to southern California, where he spent 20 years of what he calls âhard time in the bar and dive scene.â Much of his recent songwriting has come from that time.