Blues & Beyond #315: Mud Morganfield (eldest son of Muddy Waters), Kora Jazz Band, Bebo Valdés/Chico & Rita, Ray Bailey

In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, it's the "Son Of The Seventh Son" ... that's the title of a new album with some fine new songs by Mud Morganfield, eldest son of Muddy Waters. We'll also hear from his famous father, and from a soulful new album from bluesman Ray Bailey, who returned to the scene in 2010 after more than a decade and a half absence following a much-touted debut in 1993, and now has put out a third album, "Cruisin' For A Bluesin'." We'll cruise with him on original songs and a moving version of one of the deepest standards of the blues genre. Also: The Kora Jazz Band. The Kora Jazz Trio, pianist Abdoulaye Diabaté, kora player Djeli Moussa Diawara, and drummer Moussa Cissoko, made three engaging albums in the middle years of the last decade. The Kora is a west African instrument sometimes described as a harp-lute that uses a gourd for its body and can have 21 or more strings. The band regrouped last year as the Kora Jazz Band, but Diawara had other projects to do, and kora player Soriba Kouyaté replaced him. Sadly, Kouyaté passed away only weeks after the recording session. The album is called "Kora Jazz Band And Guests," though the "guests" are pretty much band members: Manu Dibango on marimba, famous for the hit "Soul Makossa" and not playing his saxophone at all on this album, Omar Marques on timbales, and Andy Narell on steelpan. We have music as well from pianist Bebo Valdés and a couple of different bands from the soundtrack for the film Chico & Rita, which was nominated for an Oscar in the animated film category this year. The songs include one that was a hit for Santana, and one that was one of the defining pieces of Afro-Cuban jazz, that Valdés did originally in 1952! Yes, he's 93 years old now.

promo included: promo315

In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, it's the "Son Of The Seventh Son" ... that's the title of a new album with some fine new songs by Mud Morganfield, eldest son of Muddy Waters. We'll also hear from his famous father, and from a soulful new album from bluesman Ray Bailey, who returned to the scene in 2010 after more than a decade and a half absence following a much-touted debut in 1993, and now has put out a third album, "Cruisin' For A Bluesin'." We'll cruise with him on original songs and a moving version of one of the deepest standards of the blues genre. Also: The Kora Jazz Band. The Kora Jazz Trio, pianist Abdoulaye Diabaté, kora player Djeli Moussa Diawara, and drummer Moussa Cissoko, made three engaging albums in the middle years of the last decade. The Kora is a west African instrument sometimes described as a harp-lute that uses a gourd for its body and can have 21 or more strings. The band regrouped last year as the Kora Jazz Band, but Diawara had other projects to do, and kora player Soriba Kouyaté replaced him. Sadly, Kouyaté passed away only weeks after the recording session. The album is called "Kora Jazz Band And Guests," though the "guests" are pretty much band members: Manu Dibango on marimba, famous for the hit "Soul Makossa" and not playing his saxophone at all on this album, Omar Marques on timbales, and Andy Narell on steelpan. We have music as well from pianist Bebo Valdés and a couple of different bands from the soundtrack for the film Chico & Rita, which was nominated for an Oscar in the animated film category this year. The songs include one that was a hit for Santana, and one that was one of the defining pieces of Afro-Cuban jazz, that Valdés did originally in 1952! Yes, he's 93 years old now.

promo included: promo315