In modern blues, expanding one’s horizons usually means delving into the challenging improvisational realms of jazz, funk, or rock–carrying one’s music bravely into the future. Here, though, a legendary Chicago bluesman gets a rare chance to stretch out backward. Guitar and harmonica master Louis Myers was among the most important forces behind the 50s-era evolution of Chicago blues from a rowdy retooling of Delta traditions into a sophisticated, jazz-tinged urban pop music. This solo acoustic gig will allow Myers to dig deep into his Mississippi roots and try things he probably hasn’t attempted in public for years; there are reports that he’s even got a harmonica rack and will be accompanying himself, country-style, on harp. It’s somewhat audacious–roughly akin to Jimmy McGriff deciding to dispense with the electric organ and pound out barrelhouse standards on an upright piano instead–but if anyone can pull it off with the perfect combination of authenticity and self-confident panache, Myers can. This is a courageous and tantalizing booking, not to be missed. Thursday, U.S. Blues Bar, 1446 N. Wells; 266-4978.
