Magic Dick & Jay Geils Dynamic Duo brings blues music to the Ellsworth stage

ELLSWORTH – Blues lore tells that the legendary Louis Armstrong exclaimed, at least once, during every live show he performed, “And now folks, it’s blues time …”

So when a couple of infamous popular musicians were seeking a name for their new retro-blues band, they paid homage to their roots and dubbed the group Bluestime.

When they appear in Ellsworth next month, Jay Geils and Magic Dick Salwitz of J. Geils Band fame won’t be playing “Freeze-Frame,” “Centerfold” or any of their radio-friendly ’80s hits. The band will bring their jazz and blues to The Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb, 23.

With fellow Bluestime members Jerry Miller, John Turner and Steve Ramsay; Geils and Salwitz will delve deep into blues legend with the repertoires of such luminaries as Little Walter, Etta James and Marvin Gaye; as well as their own jazz-tinged compositions.

“They have such a history steeped in the blues – that’s what this show is about,” said Ellsworth promoter Joel Raymond, who scheduled the February show. “They’re going to do the great old blues that they were raised up on.”

Geils, who plays lead guitar for Bluestime on classic instruments from the ’30s and ’40s, once told an online blues site that his love for the genre began in the cradle, listening to his father’s recordings of Benny Goodman.

Salwitz, who adds his famed harmonica and his lesser-known voice to the mix, shared Geils’ taste, and the two are credited with giving the J. Geils Band its bluesy backbone.

As dedicated fans know, the J. Geils Band was actually born as an acoustic blues trio, when Geils, Salwitz and bassist Danny Klein met at Worcester Tech during the height of America’s folk music boom.

The band started out playing clubs and small-town auditoriums throughout northern New England. Before they were internationally known, Geils and his band were huge in central and Down East Maine, selling out the Bangor Auditorium, Raymond said.

“Blues time is what went down before the big time,” according to the band’s manager, Jim Donnelly. “It’s about Dick and Jay’s original inspiration, a blend of Chicago blues and swinging jazz. It’s a tribute of sorts, to what fired the original passions of these two highly respected players.”

But 15 years and 14 albums later, the J. Geils Band reached the peak of pop stardom. Its members left center stage for individual pursuits in 1982. Geils spent time restoring classic race cars and guitars, and researching an as-yet unreleased book about B.B. King’s guitars.

Salwitz partnered with Pierre Beauregard to design and patent his own “magic” harmonica for much of the next decade. But in 1992, while visiting a cartoon festival in the Netherlands, he was invited to front for a local blues band.

Salwitz knew the hiatus was over.

“He knew who to call, and when he did, it wasn’t long before the two were discussing jamming and playing together again,” according to Donnelly.

When Bluestime formed in 1993, the group began playing intermittent shows at small clubs in their hometown Boston area, and garnered a strong following from fans, new and old. Neither critical acclaim nor personal stardom was the goal.

Bluestime was about good friends playing the personal music that they knew and loved. They returned to the small clubs where the J. Geils Blues Band honed its sound.

“Together, in sweaty clubs, they’ve forged a varied repertoire that includes jazz and blues standards, a few obscurities and originals,” according to Donnelly.

But in 1994, Bluestime hit the studio at Cambridge-based Rounder Records to get its self-titled debut album out to its fans.

Critics applauded the retro group’s classic blues sound, Geils’ “superflash” guitar solos and Salwitz’s harmonica playing; “For once I mean it as a true compliment when I say this guy really blows,” wrote a reviewer from the Boston Phoenix.

Industry insiders and fans alike were divided over Salwitz’s voice, often holding him up against colorful J. Geils band vocalist Peter Wolf. However, after a stint as headliners at the B.B. King’s Blues Fest and a sophomore release, the jazz-based 1996 “Little Car Blues,” Bluestime grew into its fame.

“If you like hot, slapping upright bass and great fluid leads, these Boston boys will give you much satisfaction,” wrote Bill Camp in the industry newsletter Blues and Rag.

A heart for the music and a disdain of the homogenization that comes with fame give Bluestime a unique perspective throughout its varied repertoire.

“The common thread is the kind of experience you can’t buy, and the understanding that maybe you can go home again,” according to Donnelly. “This is the goods, Jack, and it’s a whole lotta fun.”

Chris Kleeman, a Vermont-based blues guitarist, will open the show. Kleeman has been touring since the 1970s, when his first album was produced by the legendary B.B. King. Most recently, Kleeman released “Northern Blue,” a 1999 compilation featuring the best of several previous albums.

Tickets for the Friday, Feb. 23, show are available at The Grand in Ellsworth, Grasshopper Shops in Bangor, Ellsworth and Rockland, The Music Bar in Bar Harbor, Wild Rufus Records in Camden, Mr. Paperback in Belfast, and Amadeus in Portland. Tickets for the show are $20 in advance, or $22 the day of the show. For more information contact The Grand at 667-9500 or Joel Raymond at 667-3618.