Michigan musicians bring Chicago blues to Old Town BluesFest

Kalamazoo pianist Tom Duffield keeps plenty busy playing with the Tomás Esparza Blues Band across the state and the Sand Bar Blues Quartet every other week at the Sand Bar Saloon in Saugatuck, but he’s cleared his schedule for this week’s Michigan BluesFest, where he’ll showcase his brand of acoustic, Chicago-style piano blues.

Duffield is no stranger to BluesFest, having performed four times in the past. However, this year will be his first time pulling double duty: He’ll play Thursday’s (Sept. 19) Champagne Blues Benefit Concert and again Friday evening (Sept. 20).

“They’ve invited me for both the jazz and blues festivals, and I enjoy both of them. I just get a real passion out of playing. And there’s this nice, magical connectedness that goes on when I sit down at the piano. So, being able to play twice in one year is just above and beyond,” he said.

He’s excited that both performances will be at UrbanBeat.

“I’ve played at UrbanBeat each year, and the owner, Terry, as well as the staff take care of all the details. They really provide the VIP service,” he said. “I also love the ambiance — there’s a nice baby grand piano there, and all I need to do is walk in and sit down. It’s a picture-perfect gig for me.”

Duffield was born and raised in Lansing. His first experience with the piano was in his late teens.

“You usually hear people saying they were introduced to the piano at a young age and were given or forced to have lessons. I was never introduced to the piano at all; we just happened to have one at the house because of my sister,” he said. “It was sitting in the garage. One day I just sat down, and all I can say is there was a connection between me and the piano. I started feeling something like I’ve never felt before.”

Over time, he taught himself the notes and chords. When he moved to Kalamazoo to attend Western Michigan University in 1970, he continued to play piano wherever he could find one, from the school’s music department to local churches — as long as no one was around.

From left: Mike Skory, Mike “Cheech” Swartwood, Mike Daniels and S.J. “Frog” Forgey, the principal members of the Lansing Blues All-Stars, …

Duffield was raised on the pop and rock of the ‘50s and ‘60s. He was introduced to blues while volunteering at a coffee shop in Kalamazoo.

“It was back when there were reel-to-reel recorders, and on this reel to reel was a compilation of a lot of different styles of music, from acoustic guitar to accordion to string bands,” he said. “When I was setting up the chairs and everything, all of a sudden, I heard this piano playing. I said, ‘What is that?’ It turned out to be Otis Spann playing Chicago blues.”

Duffield said Spann is his biggest musical influence.

“He set the standard for just about every piano player and definitely set the standard for Chicago blues,” Duffield said. “Then there are other piano players like Roosevelt Sykes and Memphis Slim, who were playing what I call the ‘real Chicago’ or ‘real piano’ blues.”

Duffield’s sets at BluesFest will feature a familiar face for prior attendees: fellow Tomás Esparza Blues Band member David Ludington on drums.

“He lives in Lansing, and we’re good friends, so it was just a natural fit to ask him to join me. This is going to be his third year with me,” Duffield said. “Historically, drums and piano used to be a pretty common combination at the old juke joints and a lot of the places that catered to this kind of music in the ‘40s and ‘50s. I really like the combination of my style of piano and David’s style of drums.”

Also performing at the festival is a local favorite, the Lansing Blues All Stars. The group has played “three or four” BluesFests, according to guitarist S.J. “Frog” Forgey, who also plays in the blues-rock bands Frog & the Beeftones and The Cynics, “straight-up” blues band 3 Guineas and a Frog and AC/DC tribute band ICY/DICEY.

“This is one gig everybody enjoys playing,” Forgey said. “It’s a shining light as far as events go in here in Lansing. People from all walks of life look forward to this weekend.”

Forgey said the group has had a “revolving cast” since its formation around 15 years ago, but the four principal performers are himself, Mike Skory on keyboards, Mike Daniels on drums and Michael “Cheech” Swartwood on bass. All are veterans of the local music scene: Forgey, Daniels and Skory have been playing in Lansing since the ‘70s , and Swartwood, whom Forgey called “the young guy,” has been performing in town for 20 years.

“I think the last time we did the Blues Festival, probably 10 years ago, we had a five or six-piece band. This time, we’re going with the four and keeping it compact,” Forgey said.

The group’s set Saturday evening (Sept. 21) at UrbanBeat will also feature local vocalists Angel Dottery, Filomena Castriciano and Jill Messing.

“It’s all blues music, but it’s different stuff,” Forgey said. “Mike Skory does some Louisiana-style stuff, I do a straight-ahead Chicago blues type of thing, and Mike Daniels is a perennial favorite. We’re ready for a good time.”