Concert Review: Joe Louis Walker Tribute at The Falcon, May 30, 2025

More than 20 professional musicians were present for this tribute to the late, great Joe Louis Walker. I have done my best to identify them all, but a few I’m still not sure of:

• Guitars: Jimmy Vivino, John Sebastian, Murali Coryell, Arlen Roth, “Fat” Harry Dorth, and a young man who played a Hendrix tune with Alexis Suter accompanying

• Bass: Geoff Murfi􀆩, Lenny Bradford, and a beret-sporting man on a red Fender 4-string who really rocked it with one of the drummers

• Keyboards: Scott􀆩 Milici, Deshawn “D-Vibe” Alexander, Brian Mitchell, Phillip Young, and Eric Finland

• Drums: John Medeiros, Peter O’Brien, Jacco “Jack” van den Heuvel, and Gordon Grottenthaler

• Harmonica: Jackson Kincheloe

• Sax: Chuck Langford and Phillip Young

• Vocals: Alexis Suter

I first saw Joe almost 40 years ago in Boulder, Colorado. I had somewhat naively written to him care of Hightone Records, and told him if he played in CO that my friends and I would be there. Sure enough, he came to Peggy’s Hi-Lo and I got to meet him. He and his band were workin’ I tell you. The show reminded me of a line from that Jerry Garcia Band song, Cats Under the Stars: “Anyone who sweats like that must be all right.” Fantastic slide guitar by Joe, and Henry Oden on bass. We’ve seen Joe many 􀆟times, in many places. Out West, in The City with Ike Turner, many times at the old Towne Crier in Pawling, NY (back when the Freak Brothers ran that club). And of course at The Falcon with the Weight of the World Band:

(L to R) John Medeiros, Geoff Murfi, and Scott􀆩 Milici. These guys are very good. I recall Joe would sometimes call Scott􀆩 “maestro,” and he is a musician you will not forget after seeing his pure energy performance.

I had heard Deshawn “D-Vibe” Alexander on the Kingfish double Live in London, but it was my first 􀆟time seeing him live. Below is wailing sax player Chuck Langford. At The Falcon, not long ago, I got to talk to Joe a bit before the show about his Blues Comin’ On recording. I was amazed when I studied that release. That’s got to be one of the greatest collections of musicians ever on one CD: Jorma Kaukonen on Feed the Poor, and Eric Gales (and Dion) on the 􀆟title track. Have you seen Eric Gales? I can highly recommend seeing him live. I saw him do Voodoo Chile with a segue into Für Elise, then back to Voodoo Chile! I don’t think there’s a guitarist on the planet who would even think of doing that but him. Also on Joe’s recording is Waddy Wachtel on an extremely cool version of Bobby Rush’s Bowlegged Woman. Not familiar with Wachtel? Check him out. Arlen Roth (below, from the tribute) is on 7 and 7, also Keb Mo, Mitch Ryder, Lee Oskar (!), Albert Lee, and more. I asked Joe how the hell he was able to get everyone together for this. He said it was the time of COVID, so people were not touring and had better shots at me in the studio.

(L to R) Deshawn “D-Vibe” Alexander, Chuck Langford, Arlen Roth

In addition to Scott􀆩 Milici from Joe’s band and D-Vibe, there were several other keyboard players. I think the photo below left􀅌 is Eric Finland, and Phillip Young is on the right.

The “emcees” of the tribute were Jimmy Vivino (below), Murali Coryell, and Geoff Murfi􀆩. Many

anecdotes about time with Joe were shared with everyone, and Geoff read several amazing tributes from people who had been influenced by him. One was a woman who recorded some music, in Yiddish, that was on Mongolian television. Somehow, Joe saw the video, and then reached out and helped her.

Lenny Bradford (left􀅌, with John Sebastian) played a 5-string bass, and like Geoff Murfi􀆩, he looked like a very happy bass player. I certainly did not expect to hear John Sebastian at this tribute! I tried to watch Lenny Bradford’s technique a bit. It looked to me like he was muting the B and E strings with his thumb, from below. Possibly, his thumbnail was on the surface of the bass and he then rotated his wrist and got to the position where only the low B was muted. I hope I can see him again and maybe get a chance to talk to him. When Arlen Roth wailed on his Telecaster, I also tried to watch his method a bit. He seemed to be reaching out to the volume control with his pinky while picking everything. Yeah, Johnny Heartsman-style that.

For me, a show is always good if it makes me realize there are more musicians that I really must start listening to: Fat Harry Dorth, (right) guitarist from Amsterdam, along with his drummer Jacco “Jack” van den Heuvel (who came in from Rotterdam) I had not heard of. On what looked like a gold Les Paul, Fat Harry Dorth (he who is clearly no longer fat) absolutely torched his first song. Trance-bordering rockin’ wonderfulness it was too.

Who is this guy? Jackson Kincheloe (below, with John Medeiros on drums) was a young, very emotional and very gifted harmonica player, who I had also never heard of. I would say he was way into the music. To already be so good at such a young age – hey, how about that?

Also Joe’s whole band, Lenny Bradford, Arlen Roth, Jimmy Vivino, Murali Coryell, and

now many more. I should add here that I have now learned that Jimmy Vivino and Murali

Coryell (below) can rock, man. For a comparator, here’s a Stevie Ray Vaughn photo of mine that I really like. It was taken in a small club in Jackson, MS, many years ago. I’m just saying.

For me, there aren’t too many Blues musicians who have the total package: instrumental mastery, the ability to sing the Blues, and being able to write serious, emotional lyrics. A couple of Joe’s come to mind here:

“It sounded just like a fire alarm when the phone rang down the hall. This City of Angels… ain’t no place to be at all.”

“Somebody tore the Devil out of me. They saved me from drowning in the Deep Blue Sea.”

“I’m lookin’ for someone to help me control these blues. I’m searching for someone who wants me for what I am. What About You?”

“It’s a quarter to 4. She just walked in the door. I really want to hate her, but I got to love her more.” (w/ H.O.)

I can think of several “successful” Blues players I would have to put in the “shut up and play your guitar” category, as they just don’t have these abilities. At the end of the tribute show, nearly all the musicians came up on stage, and I mean to say there was a crowd up there. It reminded me of the final scene from The Last Waltz. And I saw something that I have never seen before, and I seriously doubt I will ever see again: THREE keyboardists on two instruments, at once.

There’s also a fourth component for complete Blues musicians, I think: a deep human reservoir of soul, that comes only from living. Well, Joe Louis Walker had ALL of that. A unique musician, and everyone I have talked to who played with him all said the same thing: he was just a class human being. Joe’s music has moved me for 40 years now, and I’m sure it will do so for the rest of my life. It was just incredible to see and hear that he moved a whole lot of other people too. I heard someone at the show say “Rest in Paradise Joe.”

I like that sentiment quite a bit.

- Dr. Carl, June ’25