It’s beautifully befitting that John Mayall is best known as frontman of the Bluesbreakers, since he has a crystal ball when it comes to musical intuition. If you joined ranks with Mayall early on in your career, you went on to become very, very famous; he’s credited with launching the careers of legends like Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce of Cream, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones and Harvey Mandel, Larry Taylor and Walter Trout of Canned Heat, to name just a few. Where does this good juju come from? “I don’t really have a secret,” Mayall tells MauiTime. “It sort of comes as second nature to me. As a band leader, you’re left up to your own devices in order to pick musicians who you think will best reflect your idea. So it’s always been a rather simple thing, but to a lot of people it sounds rather mystifying.” On the topic, he’s quick to remind us that “the Bluesbreakers disbanded two years ago,” and explains that his touring ensemble has been whittled down to a quartet—with keyboardist Tom Canning recently canning himself. “The latest album available is called Tough, and those are the musicians you’ll be hearing on this tour: Rocky Athas, Greg Razb, Jay Davenport, and myself.” If you’re wondering if his old friend Fleetwood (now a Mauian) will make an appearance, Mayall says with a chuckle, “I think we’ll have to fight him off of sitting-in on the set. Last time we were on Maui, he sat in with us—of course, he couldn’t resist that. We’re hoping that’ll happen again this time around.” Of what else Maui audiences can expect from the upcoming Castle Theater concert, Mayall says, “We’re already working on the idea of a live album. As always, we have a mixture of songs that are connected with my earlier career—mixed and matched—so hopefully there’s something in there for everyone.” To read more of our interview with Mayall, go to mauivents.com. And, better still, check him out in concert at the MACC. 242-7469, mauiarts.org / johnmayall.com
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