Vinyl Vault — King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree, “Blues at Montreux”

This week on the Vinyl Vault, soul meets blues when we hear “Blues at Montreux” with King Curtis and Champion Jack Dupree. The album was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival on June 17, 1971 and released on the Atlantic label in 1973.

Vinyl Vault is sponsored by Vinyl Me, Please

Curtis had been a star in the soul music world for many years and Dupree, 25 years Curtis’ senior, was a New Orleans blues man and barrelhouse piano player. He was famous for his salty, humorous lyrics. Curtis and his band were in Montreux to back soul legend Aretha Franklin. The concept came together at the bar in the Montreux casino where the two men were joined in their discussion by Nesuhi Ertegun and Joel Dorn.

That evening, the two hit the stage with the support of Cornell Dupree on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass and Oliver Jackson on drums. Curtis brought his alto and tenor saxes and Jack Dupree played piano and sang. Dupree often played solo and so he didn’t always stick to the predictable 12 bar blues, but the band turned on a dime in those instances and kept the groove going. It’s a loose and fun set of swinging blues created on the spot on the Montreux stage.

Join Geoff Anderson on Tuesday, June 20 at 8:30 pm for the Vinyl Vault on KUVO JAZZ.

Stay connected to KUVO’s programs and our community! Sign up for the Oasis E-News today!