Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Lake Street Dive Play Free NYC Show Tonight

The Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival returns to lower Manhattan tonight and tomorrow, and as usual the organizers have put together a good lineup. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings bring their popular old-style soul to the Brookfield Place stage tonight as the headliners. The No BS! Brass Band opens the show at 6 p.m., followed by up-and-coming pop-soul favorites Lake Street Dive at 7. Sharon Jones and her band take the stage at 8:30.

Above: "Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at Pori Jazz 2" by kallerna - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Tomorrow night the headliner is legendary blues-rock singer-songwriter John Hiatt, whose songs have been covered by everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Sheryl Crow. Hiatt is scheduled to take the stage at 8:45 p.m., preceded by the James Carter Organ Trio (6 p.m.) and five-time Grammy-winning blues outfit the Robert Cray Band (7 p.m.).

The shows take place at the waterfront plaza at Brookfield Place (outside the World Financial Center Winter Garden), west of the World Trade Center near the intersection of West and Vesey Streets. (See map.) Seating is limited, but standing room is available. See the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival website for instructions for getting seats.

A quick recap of the set times for this year's Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival:

July 16
6:00 PM - No BS! Brass Band
7:00 PM - Lake Street Dive
8:30 PM - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

July 17
6:00 PM - James Carter Organ Trio
7:00 PM - The Robert Cray Band
8:45 PM - John Hiatt & The Combo

Great FREE NYC Concerts This Week (including B.B. King & DJ Kool Herc Tonight)

This is a big week for great free shows in New York (and you may, in fact, have to make some tough choices when shows conflict). Tonight is such an occasion, when the legendary B.B. King plays the first night of the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival at Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza (formerly the plaza at the World Financial Center). The show starts at 6 p.m. with the James Hunter Six.

B.B. King plays free in Lower Manhattan tonight; see other free shows below.

But B.B. King isn't the only legend playing a free show tonight: DJ Kool Herc, considered the "founder of hip-hop culture," is playing a SummerStage concert in Crotona Park in Queens, also at 6 p.m. And there are three great free gigs to choose from Thursday night.

There are also free SummerStage gigs as part of the annual Latin Alternative Music Conference, as well other free shows. Here's what's going on this week; check the links to shows for concert locations and directions:

Wed., July 10th:
* B.B. King and the James Hunter Six, Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival, Brookfield Place, 6 p.m.

* DJ Kool Herc, SummerStage (Crotona Park), 6 p.m.

Thurs., July 11th:
* Waxahatchee, Generationals with Sallie Ford, and the Sound Outside, RiverRocks, Hudson River Park (Pier 84), 6 p.m.

* Lila Downs, Natalia Clavier, Pamela Rodriguez, and Raul Campos, SummerStage (Central Park) in association with the Latin Alternative Music Conference, 6 p.m.

* Los Lonely Boys, Los Lobos, and Alejandro Escovedo, Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival, Brookfield Place, 6 p.m.

Fri., July 12th: 
* Cheap Trick and The Cringe, Seaside Summer Concert Series (Coney Island), 7:30 p.m.

* War and DJ set by DJ Afro, SummerStage (Crotona Park), 7 p.m.

Sat., July 13th: 
* Julieta Venegas, Carla Morrison, and Alex Anwandter, SummerStage (Central Park) in association with the Latin Alternative Music Conference, 3 p.m.

Free Music: New Podcasts with Frank Black, Blues, and XTC & Motown Covers

Above: The bluesy Roadhouse podcast is one of several offering tasty tunes this week.

The holiday season in the U.S. began right on schedule for music lovers with plenty of great new podcast episodes coming out in the last week or so. (And I haven't even begun looking into podcasts offering holiday music... that will be coming soon.) Here's what's come out recently:

The Pixies are on tour, but their leader Frank Black (under the name Black Francis) is about to come out with a limited release of Der Golem, Black's music to accompany the 1920 German silent film of the same name. The FrankBlack.net podcast previews the album, which they say will come in a box set with a run of 500 copies, in their 12/1 episode, titled "The Golem - Investigated!" There are intriguing tracks from the album that show a different side of Black's songwriting and performing talent, including straightforward rock and tunes with horns and a more orchestral feeling to them.

Speaking of Frank Black, there are a couple of Pixies covers on the latest edition of Coverville, the cover song podcast, "Outside there’s a cover request waiting" (12/1). A couple of November Coverville podcasts offer cover versions of two classic artists: Berry Gordy/Motown and '80s British rockers XTC.

Blues podcast The Roadhouse is out with episode #249 (11/28), with tunes from Moreland & Arbuckle, Sue Foley, Bob Brozman, Doug MacLeod, and The Holmes Brothers. Or check out other episodes, including #248, which features Elvin Bishop, Harrison Kennedy, Bessie Smith, Arthur Adams, and others.

Blues Legend KoKo Taylor Dies; Paul McCartney Citi Field Shows Confirmed

There's some very sad news concerning one musical living legend, and happy news about another one.

KoKo Taylor dies at 80. The bad news is that the singer long called the "Queen of the Blues," KoKo Taylor, passed away at age 80 Wednesday afternoon. She died from complications of surgery she underwent on May 19th to correct gastrointestinal bleeding, sources have reported.

The Memphis native moved to Chicago in the early 1950s. Her final live performance was earlier in May in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she was honored as Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year. Among her signature tunes was “Wang Dang Doodle,” above. She recorded for Alligator Records.

You can find out more about Koko Taylor's life and career and read an obituary at the official KoKo Taylor Web site.

And the folks at public radio's All Songs Considered take a look back at KoKo Taylor, and provide some more songs of hers to listen to.

Paul McCartney to give first concerts at Citi Field. With the Beatles, McCartney performed in the first concert at the New York Mets' original home, Shea Stadium, so it's fitting that McCartney will give the inaugural concerts at the team's new ballpark, Citi Field, on July 17th and 18th.

Tickets for the McCartney Citi Field shows go on sale June 15 at 10 a.m. through www.507tixx.com or 817-507-TIXX.

Odetta, Folksinger and Civil Rights Activist, Dies at 77

Odetta Holmes, the black folksinger who was a civil rights activist for decades, has died at the age of 77. She passed away at Lenox HIll Hospital in New York. Although she was classically trained, Odetta (who performed using only her first name), sang in the blues, folk, and gospel genres.

The L.A. Times has a good article on Odetta, and notes that she was cited as an influence on performers ranging from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to Janis Joplin and Tracy Chapman.

Farewell, Odetta. You will be very much missed.

Ike Turner Has Died - Music Pioneer and Ex-Husband of Tina Turner

Ike Turner, who is best known as the husband of singer Tina Turner but was a music innovator in his own right, died December 11. He was 76 years old.

The Ike and Tina Turner Revue had a number of classic hits in the 1960s, including "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary." Tina left Ike after being abused, and while Ike had troubles with the law and substance abuse, Tina Turner experienced a huge career revival in the 1980s beginning with her album "Private Dancer," which contained huge hits like "What's Love Got to Do With It?"

Although Ike was the quiet counterpoint to Tina's exciting showmanship on stage, he developed a reputation as an innovator and pioneer in rock. blues, and R&B. He was not only a musician and bandleader but also a talent scout and producer.

Ike and Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

In 2007, 35 years after Ike and Tina won a Grammy for "Proud Mary," Ike won his first solo Grammy Award, taking the Best Traditional Blues Album award for his CD "Risin with the Blues."