Jimi Bott Blues Band with Ken Bott at the Waterfront Blues Festival
Jimi Bott Blues Band with Ken Bott at the Waterfront
Blues Festival
Jimi Bott at the All Music Guide (Over 20 Blues Recordings listed for Jimi Bott)
Article Reprint from the July 2000 BluesNotes
"He is one of the best damn drummers I've ever worked with. He knows how to fit in a situation, add to it an never take from it. One of my favorites, and I don't have many."
- Doug MacLeod
Early one afternoon on a warm Sunday in May, I met up with renowned Blues drummer Jimi Bott at the Laurelthirst Pub. Taking time away from his busy schedule working with two new bands and remodeling the newly acquired home he shares with girlfriend Dee Settlemier, we discussed the story of his life and what it was that brought this two-time W. C. Handy nominated musician to the City of Roses.
Jimi Bott was born in San Francisco in 1965. But his musical story actually begins in Los Gatos, California, where his family had relocated in 1970. His father,
Ken Bott, a general contractor in construction, a trade that his son also worked at before taking music up full-time, was Jimi's first musical influence.
Ken would come home from work and entertain his family and friends by playing guitar and singing. The
Bott children each learned to play the piano and when Jimi was in the sixth or seventh grade, his father brought home a drum set. Neither he nor his brother
Jere showed much interest in it at the time. Jere was more interested in playing guitar, and
Jimi had no real desire to play music until he reached high school.
At that point, Jimi and friends Mark Carino (Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Curtis Smith (Mark Hummel, Junior Watson) started to experiment with music. Their initial interest did not include the Blues, but they went through a transition period that began with AC/DC which led to Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band and on to the Allman Brothers Band. It was the Allmans that would prove to be a huge inspiration to their progression. While reading liner notes of the band's albums, names like T-Bone Walker and Elmore James began to stand out. Seeking out material by these people led to a passionate interest into traditional and classic Blues, especially the music from Chicago and Texas. While others in school were listening to bands like Van Halen, Jimi and his pals were into Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter, a feat that made them viewed somewhat as "freaks" by their peers.
One day, this group of friends heard of a band that was going to be playing at Mountain Charlie's, in Los Gatos. Though only fifteen, they snuck into the club and spent a couple hours waiting for the band to appear. Shortly before the music was to begin, a waitress told the youngsters that they would have to leave. But, the forlorn expressions on their faces made her take pity. She placed them behind the bar with the stern instructions, "If any cops come in this door, you go out the back". Seeing the band that night proved influential in Jimi Bott's life and, as luck would have it, he had the opportunity to meet and speak with them as well, bonding with the group's drummer, Willie Schwartz. That band was Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers.
While still in his mid-teens, Jimi began showing up at a Monday night Blues jam hosted by local musician Paul Durkett. Durkett was impressed with the teenager's playing and asked him to sit in with his band The Houserockers one night. Jimi felt that this was a chance to prove himself, but once onstage nerves got the better of him. Durkett fired him that same night. However, a week later, he asked Jimi to fill in again for his regular drummer who was sick. Jimi agreed, but only if Durkett promised not to yell at him while onstage. It only occurred to him later that Durkett was not actually yelling at him, but giving stage directions. The gig turned into a full-time position that lasted for the next six months. Paul Durkett became Jimi's mentor, teaching him about the aspects of the music business and working within a band.
After his tenure with Durkett, Jimi joined a popular Bay Area band led by
Bird Hale. The band worked steadily and often attracted other musicians to their shows. At a gig one night
Jimi was approached by harmonica master Mark Hummel, who was looking for a new drummer for his band. He offered the position to
Jimi, who saw it as an opportunity to better himself. This was a band that was actually touring and he could now make a living as a
full time musician. He would remain with Hummel for the next year
and a half.
Mark Hummel is said to be a difficult guy to work with, but Jimi says that he gives the harpist credit for pushing him because it really made him want to work harder, to become a better musician. The challenge to improve helped the young musician start to believe more in himself.
While working with Mark Hummel, Jimi moved to San Francisco around 1984-85. He found himself playing alongside some of the top performers in the Bay Area, people like Luther Tucker, Charlie Musselwhite, Norton Buffalo, Roy Rogers and Rick Estrin, but, after a year and a half, he started feeling trapped. Even though life was good, he felt he'd reached as far as he could in Hummel's band and needed a new direction.
He went to visit his sister in Sonoma to try to sort things out. Early one morning, around 4:00 am, he was having a hard time sleeping and stepped outside. He found himself looking skyward, asking for a sign to guide him. Since it was the year of the comet, he thought he might see that. Instead, he swears he saw what appeared to be the face of a bearded man in the stars. Having hoped for some sort of angelic sign in the flesh he thought, "Well, if that's all you've got, it's not good enough."
The next day, while preparing to return to San Francisco, he had the sudden urge to call
Ed Mann, then the drummer for The Mighty Flyers.
By coincidence, Ed said that he was about to call Jimi and read off the phone number in his hand. Fate had played a key role for
Jimi here, as the number that Mann had was one digit off
Jimi's actual number. Mann's reason for wanting to call
Jimi was that he had decided to leave The Flyers and thought that
Jimi should audition for the spot. The idea was intriguing. Jimi had worked on
The Flyers music ever since his initial encounter with the band when he was fifteen and had always dreamed of himself as being a member.
Mann set up a time for Jimi to meet with Rod
Piazza, who was reluctant at auditioning somebody who was already working in another band, especially for somebody he respected like
Mark Hummel. After auditioning in front of Rod and
Honey Piazza on his twenty first birthday, Rod asked him, "Do you really want to do this? Will you actually move?"
Jimi responded, "In a heartbeat!" Piazza called him a few days later to set up a second audition with the rest of the band. But, a short time later,
Jimi received another phone call, "Well, Jimi, this is
Rod. You might as well just save that money you were thinking about using to come down here." A long pause followed. "You might as well save the money for your move down here." He had landed the role of his dreams.
The following 10 years that Jimi spent with The Mighty Flyers he compares with being a member of a family. Rod Piazza was like a second father, taking this strong willed youngster with so many ideas of his own under his wing. Piazza's leadership and the lessons that Jimi learned were invaluable. But, after such a length of time with the same people even being with the band of your dreams can become tedious. He truly loved playing with The Flyers, especially the recording and touring, but things were becoming routine, right down to the same solos onstage night after night. So, despite having the security of a regular job, Jimi found himself once again questioning his future direction.
Then by chance, guitarist Rusty Zinn, approached him about a solo venture that
Fabulous Thunderbirds leader Kim Wilson was putting together. He was looking for a drummer and wanted to know if
Jimi was interested. Of course he was. Other than The
Flyers, the T-Birds had always been one of his favorite bands and he was looking for an outlet to rock a little more. But, for some unknown reason, this message did not get relayed correctly to
Wilson.
Not long afterward Thunderbird guitarist Kid Ramos called, "Hey, I heard you weren't interested in playing with Kim. That doesn't sound right." Jimi replied, "No, I am." And, as if by fate, the T-Birds were also in transition as drummer Fran Christina was departing the band. So, when Jimi finally met up with Kim Wilson, his audition was actually to become a member of the T-Birds, a role he was awarded on Valentine's Day 1996.
It was also at this time that Jimi received his first W. C. Handy nomination as the year's best Blues drummer for his work with The Mighty Flyers (he received his second nomination two years later as a member of the Thunderbirds).
This honor Jimi considers perhaps his greatest accomplishment. He finds it hard to describe the unbelievable feeling it gave him to be placed alongside the likes of Willie "Big Eyes " Smith, Sam Lay and Ted Harvey, drummers that he idolized while growing up.
For the next two-and-a-half years, Jimi Bott was a member of the
Fabulous Thunderbirds. It was a close-knit group and Jimi states he cannot recall a cross word ever passing between any of
its members. The leadership qualities of Kim Wilson was at the same level, if not above, that of
Rod Piazza's. Each member was allowed to expound and improvise onstage, a new challenge that made
Jimi want to work that much harder. But, after a couple years, Jimi began to feel a void present within his life ambitions. Though he loved being with the
T-Birds, the band was not recording.
Jimi had met Portland musician Luther Russell a few years earlier at Jack's Sugar Shack in Los Angeles. The two became friends, hanging out together and eventually Jimi played on a couple of Russell's recordings. At first, Jimi didn't think his playing would mix with Russell's Rock & Roll sounds, but Luther told him that all of his favorite drummers had started out in Blues or Jazz and he knew Jimi would fit in. In 1998, Russell called Jimi and told him he had a new record deal and he wanted him to join a band that would also include Portland-area bassist Fred Trujillo and Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford. Seeing an opportunity to record, Jimi approached Kim Wilson and told him about the offer. Kim said, "It sounds like a pretty good deal. I'm really gonna miss you." With that, Jimi left the Thunderbirds and Federale was born.
He moved to Portland in November of that year. Federale went on tour with Gov't Mule and Mother Hips, then prepared to enter the studio to record for Geffen Records with famed producer Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon). A huge budget was set aside for the project, but before any tracks could be laid down, Geffen merged with Inner Scope and the band had to audition one more time. Everything seemed to be falling into place, but then their A&R girl was fired, eventually leading to Federale being dropped from the label. Jimi found himself in the same position he had been in with the T-Birds; in a band he cared deeply about, but still not recording.
Life in Portland was a drastic change for Jimi. The rain was starting to get him down. He moved to the city with a strict attitude that he was not going to be involved in any relationships. But, then he met and fell in love with
Dee Settlemier, a talented musician and song writer in her own right who plays mandolin, guitar and banjo.
Dee had been working with the local band Mad Hattie, a group with a truly eclectic sound that features accomplished Portland musicians
Paul Brainard, Bret Malmquist, David Lipkind, Matt Voth and
Mari Lee Hord. Soon Jimi found himself joining Mad
Hattie, a move that has proven to be a great creative outlet and bond for the couple, allowing them to play together.
Mad Hattie produced their own CD and sent a demo over to Europe. As this article is being written, they are preparing to play a music festival in France, followed up by a three-week tour that will take them to Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. (The CD,
"Soul Fishin' " will be available in music stores soon and watch for a CD release party later this summer.)
Without the constant touring that he had known for so long, Jimi was also able to pursue another project that had been a long-time dream. The idea of recording a CD with his father. Subtitled as a very late debut, "The Blues From Bottsville" (distributed by Burnside Records), is a collection of autobiographical material written by Ken Bott, whose style Jimi describes as a blend of John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins and Leon Redbone. "He doesn't really know what key he plays in or what chords they are, he just makes them up and they sound good." The end product was mixed at Portland's Jackpot Studios and features both of Ken's sons, the members of Federale, and a host of local musicians, including harmonica ace Jim Wallace.
Most recently Jimi has also found himself with another new band. He met
Wayne Morley, a skilled up-and-coming guitarist in Portland's music community, who was looking for somebody to give him drum lessons. The two became good friends and one night they found themselves jamming with
Jim Wallace and multitalented Mark Proulx. The sound was intriguing and they decided to put together a demo CD and do some local gigs just for fun. The
Jimi Bott Blues Band focuses on the more traditional Blues sounds of Texas, Chicago and West Coast Swing.
It is an exciting chapter to Jimi's life here in Portland, because he has found his way
full circle back to the Blues he loves, improvising and playing with great players.
It's hard to look at the career of Jimi Bott without noticing his extensive recording output. Having appeared on over 60 recordings, he's worked with a wide array of Blues masters which includes Jimmy Rogers, Doug MacLeod, Floyd Dixon and Junior Watson. Perhaps even more impressive are the harmonica players. Besides Hummel, Piazza and Wilson, Jimi has also provided the backbeat for William Clarke, Johnny Dyer, James Harman, Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite and Carey Bell. (Jimi adds that he also believes Jim Wallace fits into this fine list of harpists.) He finds it easy to work with harp players, something he discovered early on while working with Mark Hummel. A long-time passion for the music of Little Walter found him emulating the drummers who played behind the Blues greats. People like Fred Below, Willie Steele and S.P. Leary.
After spending his first year in Portland in somewhat anonymity, Jimi is now working his way back into the public's eye. The future looks bright for both Mad Hattie and The Jimi Bott Blues Band. He's having fun and seems to have found a home for himself here. The rich Portland music scene has definitely found itself yet another talented hero with the arrival of Jimi Bott. Let's hope it's a long term relationship.
Note: Catch The Jimi Bott Blues Band with special guest Ken Bott playing at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival on Saturday, July 1st. And don't miss the CD release party for Ken Bott's, "The Blues From Bottsville " later that same night at Kelly's Olympian.
© 2000 Cascade Blues Association