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REVIEW 'Night Train to Memphis' brings the energy Craterian revue-style performance spotlights rhythm & blues and soul Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Maybe it was something in the water. Whatever, the African-American music that poured out of the Mississippi Delta in the early 1900s carried power that would change popular American music. For a case in point, look no farther than “Night Train to Memphis,” the revue-style show that opened Thursday night at the Craterian Theater Collier Center for the Performing Arts. Put together by Doug Warner and Don Hariss with 13 musicians, the show spotlighted the rhythm & blues and soul music that evolved out of Delta blues and would lead to electric Chicago blues, early rock ’n’ roll and more. The performance featured musicians from well-known bands around the valley, including many who’d joined Warner for a recent retrospective of Bob Dylan’s work (with the notable exception of guitarist Jeff Pevar). The band came out hot with “Little By Little” but ran into sound problems with Sam and Dave’s “Soul Man,” which continued in Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago.” The bugs were worked out in time for a moving take on B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” sung by Warner as a tribute to to King, whose funeral will be Saturday in Indianola, Miss. After a steady-rolling “Just A Little Bit,” vocalist Jade Chavis Watt ripped off a gutsy “Respect,” and singer Bishop Mayfield took a stretch-out turn at the lovely Otis Redding ballad “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” The show was way too big to sum up here, 15 musicians in all playing nearly two dozen songs, but highlights would include guitarist Dirk Price and keyboardist Don Hariss playing off each other’s solos, the rock-solid rhythm section of David Bolen on drums and Greg Frederick on bass, and a spot-on three-piece horn section, not to mention the guitarists and vocalists. Most of the songs were short, the arrangements were tight — not a lot of jamming here — and the energy was high, with the occasional ballad to cool things a bit. Among the artists represented, the only ones with actual Delta roots were Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. You might picture a river of music flowing from them through all this post-war R&B and soul to the birth of rock 'n' roll with Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, and that’s where the show wound up, with Bret Levick rocking Berry’s “Little Queenie” and Elvis impersonator Clint Ingbretson ripping it up with the band in a medley of “CC Rider”>”Got My Mojo Working”>”That’s Alright Mama.” This music never wears out, and these folks appear to be having a fine time rediscovering it. The show repeats at 7:30 tonight and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Collier, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford. Tickets cost $25, $10 for ages 18 and younger, and can be purchased at the Craterian box office, 16 S. Bartlett St., online at craterian.org or by calling 541-779-3000. Additional concerts in the series will be announced in late May. Reach freelance writer Bill Varble at [email protected] . By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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