So I hate November and December and parts of January! I hate the cold weather, but most of all I hate the darkness at 5 o’clock! I don’t like to run at night in the dark, and as a result there has been a decline in my running in the last two weeks! But today after eating a late lunch it was either run in the dark or let another day go by without running! So I donned my reflective vest and used the flashlight on my cell phone and took off on a run. Yes, I run with the flashlight for two reasons. First to be seen by cars and secondly to see the road ahead, especially, when there’s no street lights! The slightly over 5 mile course that I plotted out on Runner’s World avoided crossing any major streets and had two climbs one up Pancoast Street and the second up Harper Blvd as I looped back and then down Pancoast. The only bad part of the course is the short stretch up and then down Fairview from Pancoast to Harper. The bad thing was that for a stretch along there leaves had been blown out into the street covering the whole shoulder! Luckily on the way down when cars were coming up behind me, no cars were coming during that stretch! Anyway the run was good and I averaged around 9:30 a mile and completed the course in 48:25. Now that I’ve seen that the course is not bad in the dark I’ll modify it a little to get it down to around a four mile run and maybe I can convince myself to do it twice a week after work!
The soundtrack for the run was an album that I found on the Roots Music Blues Chart this morning I’ll Be Alright by a band named Jumpin’ Jack Benny. The album debuted on the chart at number 32 this week. The California band is fronted by Benny Cortez, who according tot heir website ” brings his M/C-animated-Hi Energy Blues to the stage reminiscent of the great 1950’s rock & roll performers.” The band also features some nice guitar work from Tony “Fingers” Naranjo. Mike Stover on bass, Steve Roybal on drums and Kirk Nelson on keyboards and collectively they’ve played in a lot of bands in California. Their website says this about the new CD:
Their new debut C.D. release “I’ll Be Alright” incorporates a variety of blues styles from Hi-Energy Blues through Swing, with elements of Rock & Funk, climaxing with 2 explosive live tracks. (One of which was recorded live at the Fender Center for Performing Arts) Inspiration is drawn from Koko Taylor, Little Walter, James Brown, Paul Butterfield, Freddy King, and S.R.V.
and I agree that the music is smoking throughout the album and the last track is particularly hot! I loved the keyboards on that track! I will certainly be giving the album some more listens in the next week and maybe will write more! But anyway if you like the blues of the artist from whom they draw their inspiration check them out! I think they’d make their heroes proud!
Here’s the band with the Otis Rush/ Little Johnny Taylor song “Part Time Love”