The night Ike came to town
By Michael Corcoran | Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I’ve seen hundreds of blues artists at Antone’s through the years- mainly at the 1980’s Guadalupe Street location - and I’d have to say that the most all-round talented was Ike Turner, who passed away today at age 76, his manager confirmed.
His guitar playing was out of this world, and he played the piano like the guy who played on the very first rock ‘n’ roll record. After years of Sly Stone-like exile, Turner tried to get his career back on track with a South By Southwest showcase. Here’s the review.
Austin American Statesman March 18, 2001 “The curiosity factor helped pack Antone’s Friday night for a comeback set by Ike Turner, but the question mark quickly became an exclamation point as the 69-year-old reclaimed a piece of his reputation as one of the greatest all-round musicians America has produced. Although Turner is credited with writing and playing piano on the first true rock ‘n’ roll record, 1951’s “Rocket 88,” he’s better known today for his backhand than his fingers. Rumors of secret reunions run wild at SXSW, but no one had suggested that Tina Turner might sit in with the ex she forever linked with spousal abuse.
Although the crowd contained a few would-be hecklers, who threw back his “Hello, Houston!” mistake at the show’s start, they were drowned out by the sheer musicianship onstage as Turner’s eight-piece Kings of Rhythm made the decades disappear. Ike Turner isn’t a pianist, he plays the piano, thumping the keys as if in rhythm is redemption. Instrumental versions of “Rocket 88” and “Have Mercy on Me” rolled out with juke joint verve. Then, when Ike switched to guitar, his playing was funkier than a mosquito’s tweeter.
The room was lousy with musicians both local (Marcia Ball, Toni Price, Ian Moore) and national (Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, who hopped onstage to sing “You’ve Got To Lose”). They came to hear a legendary talent and were not disappointed, though Turner proved on “Caledonia” that he’s not much of a singer. Later in the set he brought out a female singer who looked an awful lot like Tina, but when she sang “River Deep, Mountain High,” it was a bluesier, de-Spectorized take.
Turner has toured sporadically since Tina fled — in fact, Friday’s set was his first in Austin in almost three decades. But with a new blues album coming out in May, he’s gone back to his pre-Tina boogie woogie roots.
Or so it seemed, until the delirious audience demanded an encore and Ike and his band locked into a luscious groove on a song about sex that featured rapid-fire rapping by his bassist. Then it was back to the basics, as Turner picked up his guitar and played it with as much soul and dexterity as anyone who’s ever stepped onto the vaunted Antone’s stage.
It all ended well after last call with the crowd chanting, “We like Ike!” as Turner flashed a smile as wide as the brim of his black fedora. The only thing missing was Clifford Antone taking the stage to coax Turner to play more. |
