Weekend Birthday Music...

No, it's not my birthday, although I'll happily accept gifts around June 19th!

April 4 is the birthday of two of my blues and jazz favorites – Muddy Waters and Michel Camilo.

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago Blues". Considered one of the greatest bluesmen of all time, Muddy Waters was a huge inspiration for the British beat explosion in the 1960s and considered by many to be one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

Enjoy this video of his classic, Got My Mojo Workin'. This particular video is from the DVD "Colin James Presents The Blues Masters." Filmed in 1966 in Toronto, it features probably the greatest collection of bluesmen ever assembled on one stage, including Otis Spann on piano, Pee Wee Madison on guitar, P.S. Leary on drums, and James Cotton on the blues harp (harmonica).



Also celebrating a birthday is Michel Camilo, one the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Michel Camilo (born April 4, 1954) is a pianist and composer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is known as a great jazz, latin and classical pianist with superb technical ability, and has played and recorded with many world-famous musicians.

Enjoy "From Within". This amazing sound is coming from only three individuals.