Main Blues

The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley presents the 2010 Blues Music Award Winner for Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year, Curtis Salgado.

Curtis Salgado has a lot to celebrate. The 2010 Blues Music Award Winner of Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year, was diagnosed with liver cancer just a few years ago and told he had eight months to live, unless he got a liver transplant which would generate medical bills upwards of half a million dollars. With no health insurance and few funds, the man who is one of America's finest blues/soul singers needed a little help from his friends.

When your friends and admirers include the likes of Steve Miller, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, you've got a fighting chance. Numerous benefits were held in multiple cities including a benefit concert featuring Miller, Cray, Taj Mahal, The Phantom Blues Band, Everclear and Little Charlie & The Nightcats. Through the generosity of Curtis's friends, fellow musicians, the Legendary Blues Cruise and thousands of fans who supported Curtis by attending benefits and auctions or by making private donations, upwards of half a million dollars were raised and Curtis got his transplant.

A little less than two years after his initial diagnosis, Curtis was able to record Clean Getaway, an album whose title has an obvious double meaning. With its release on July 8, 2008, Clean Getaway is a triumph in more ways than one; a sublime collaboration with the most respected session players in Los Angeles that goes to the heart of what music--and life--is all about.

Clean Getaway, produced by Marlon McClain & Tony Braunagel, is a seamless mix of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll all held together by the organic grooves of world class musicians and Curtis' superlative singing. He has a gift of digging into the essence of a song without histrionics or gratuitous displays of vocal chops, though he certainly has more than enough of those.

"I'm playing music with the most incredible people," he says, " people are supporting me and a record company is supporting me....even in these tough times in the business. So I've got nothing to complain about. To me, I've won the lottery; I've won all the Grammys. Idon't need stardom to feel validated. Of course, I'd like to sell a lot of records, as much for the company as for me, but on a personal level, I don't care. I'm alive! People are throwing so much love at me it's embarrassing. It makes me humble. So I'm just trying to stick to my guns, perfect my craft and make great music!!

Band members are Curtis Salgado (vocals/harmonica), Franck Goldwaser (guitar), Dave Fleschner (keys), Tracy Arrington (bass) and Brian Foxworth (drums). Set times for the July 5th and 6th shows at Jazz Alley are 7:30pm.  Doors open at 6:00 pm on Tuesday and 5:30 pm Wednesday.