The award-winning blues singer fires up Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe on Sunday with her band, including Organissimo’s Alfredson, who’s played with Magness for four years. You could win tickets to the show.
In February 2010, Lansing-area keyboard player Jim Alfredson – perhaps best known for his work with the organ trio Organissimo – played four shows as a sub in blues singer Janiva Magness‘ band.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
A few months later, he was a permanent member of the group.
Since then, he’s crisscrossed the United States and toured Europe with the award-winning, Detroit-born and California-based singer who’s only risen in stature as one of the genre’s most acclaimed female artists: The Blues Foundation named her the 2013 contemporary blues female artist of the year, with her song, “I Won’t Cry,” snagging honors for song of the year.
“The power of her voice comes from direct experience,” Alfredson says. “She’s lived the life she sings about and you cannot fake that kind of honesty.”
On Sunday, Magness brings Alfredson and the rest of her band to the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids for a 7 p.m. show, with Rick Reuther opening the concert.
Tickets are $15 and available online here. The Tip Top Deluxe is located at 760 Butterworth Ave. SW. And the first person to email john@localspins.com with JANIVA in the subject field wins a pair of tickets to Sunday night’s show.
For Alfredson, who calls touring the globe with Magness and her band “a wonderful experience,” concedes the rigors of those tours can pose challenges for family life and working with other bands, including Organissimo and his latest project, the prog-rock outfit THEO.
“Balancing touring with family is difficult but it starts with a very patient and understanding partner, which I am lucky to have in my wife. She supports my career 100 percent,” says Alfredson. “It Is also hard to carve time out for other projects, but the progressive rock debut from THEO is almost done and we’ll be starting a new Organissimo album soon. Organissimo still plays as much as possible and I am planning some shows with THEO as well.”
Organissimo plays the SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids on Sept. 28.
In the meantime, Alfredson says he’s thrilled to play a homecoming show of sorts at the Tip Top on Sunday with Magness, who calls the keyboard whiz “a great player. He’s a great guy. I’m so happy to have Jim on board.”
He’s been on board during a time period when Magness’ international profile as a blues artist has grown considerably, boosted by a host of awards, award nominations and critical praise.
“It’s not a lifestyle for the faint of heart, so to be able to get along well with people that you’re trudging on the road with, really really helps,” says Magness.
She told Local Spins after the release of her last album, “Stronger for It”: “I’m always trying to move forward creatively and still try to serve myself and serve the songs.”
Clearly that’s served her well, because her latest release, “Original,” debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard blues chart and has earned high praise in all corners, from AllMusic.com to The Morton Report.
For more information about Magness, visit janivamagness.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music