That’s right, you are not too late. There is still time. Do you see what the squirrels are doing? As Ann Peebles would say, “…they have been there before…” Squirrels know. Grab a friend, get out there and gather some nuts. It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s healthy and satisfying. Do it today. With a bit of effort, you can have your own supply of nuts for a year to come. It will not take you long to gather a basket full of free protein. You will have fresh ingredients for your new recipes. Keith’s basket of walnuts waiting for the next recipe Ligurian walnut sauce has a taste that you won’t forget Some ..read more

It was a warm night and I thought that I would go for a walk. Imagine my surprise when I saw people walking towards me dressed in white robes and with white pointed hoods on their heads. They were dressed like the klan. they must be the klan. Some of you can imagine what my immediate assumption was. I thought I had stumbled onto a Ku Klux Klan march. They were everywhere, all dressed like the Klan, not a manner of dressing that I had seen anyone do for ‘fun’! A group in Spain march in what is their traditional dress of penance during an Easter celebration. However, I tried to put my feelings a ..read more

I have seen the passion that people have for the harmonica and guitar as they relate to music in general and for blues music specifically. As I share their passion for one but do not really know much about the other, I thought that I would find out more. This is what I discovered about tattoos. Some of it might surprise you. The passion for tattoos of course does not end with those who also are interested in music culture. Today, getting a tattoo can be an emotional, highly important, life-changing event. It is a passion that is both widespread and old. In ancient times, tattooing was one a cr ..read more

Yes folks, it’s that time again, it’s harvest time! Nature has worked hard preparing great ingredients for you. All you need to do is go and pick them up. Here’s what I mean. There’s always a farmer who has too many pumpkins. Also, apples and pears are on the ground just waiting for you. Sometimes, people or city governments will advertise that they have extra fruit so that you can come and take them for free. Check it out. More Grapes than he can eat I saw grapes growing the other day. The owner begged me to take some because he had too many to eat himself. The plums are sweet and ready to ea ..read more

“Keith, how did you start with the harmonica?” I am asked this a lot. To answer properly, I need to start at the very beginning to mention the different events and influences that led me to the harmonica. The list includes Boston City Hospital, Northampton Street, the Rivoli Theater, Orchard Park Projects, baseball, T-Bone Walker, James Cotton, radio station W-I-L-D, Luther ‘Snake’ Johnson, a Grundig Hi-Fi and so on. When you hear the reasons, during this series, you will see how they are all related to me and starting to play the harmonica.  Why is Boston City Hospital important to my st ..read more

There are many roads that lead to harmonica heaven. I took a step closer to the action at a young age when we moved down the Orange Line, the elevated train line in Roxbury, from Northampton Street to Dudley Street Station. And with my asthma getting better, I could finally go outside, play on the streets and see and hear things more or less, for the first time. There was a lot to see and hear.   We went from the brownstone building on Northampton Street, where there was basically only family living, to being packed in close together with all different ethnic groups in the Orchard Pa ..read more

Stage fright or performance anxiety is one of those things that occurs but is not often talked about. You may have it and feel alone or even ashamed to discuss it with anyone. First, you are not alone. Many well-known singers such as Rihanna, Adele, Barbara Streisand and Beyonce all suffer from it, yet have managed to take control over it nevertheless and become very successful. There are many who are great musicians when they perform in private yet struggle when trying to transfer that knowledge and skill to the public stage in front of an audience. They are not prepared for what they think a ..read more

The relationship between music and visual art is not a new one. Throughout history, they have been connected in diverse ways by the greats from both disciplines who knew how to hear the beauty of art and see the soul of music, leaving us a legacy that continues to inspire.  The similarities in the process of creating a visual work and a musical composition can be seen in the creation of an atmosphere that brings out the desired mood of the viewer, or listener. In painting, the visual artist can make this happen by using colors and the musician by the sound of various instruments or combin ..read more

Often when people die, we get sentimental and call them a role model, a hero or a legend, even though that may not always be strictly true. In the case of Bill Russell however, it is all true and to that list you can add political activist. I will talk about Bill Russell and how he has influenced me over the years. It was at a time that was very different from now. Bottom -Bill Russell’s and Top -Wilt Chamberlain’s Converse lowtopsIt was Black Converse or Nothing  I included a photograph of Bill Russell’s and Wilt Chamberlain’s Cons from the mid-1960s here to begin to illustrate what a di ..read more

Let’s give thanks to David “Honeyboy” Edwards, one of the first generation of Delta bluesmen, who born June 28, 1915, in Shaw, Mississippi. Without the struggles of Honeyboy and his peers, nothing would be possible for those of us who came afterwards. So, thank you Mr. Edwards! Because I spent time with Honeyboy in different places here and there, I was able to thank him in person for showing the way for the rest of us. Shaking the Hand That Shook The Hand of Charlie Patton We would always shake hands, that pre-covid ritual. It was during one of these meeting with Honeyboy that I thought about ..read more