Jontavious Willis Brings the Blues Back to Caffe Lena
Jontavious Willis takes the stage at Caffe Lena on June 15.
Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grammy-nominated bluesman Jontavious Willis seemed amused with himself as he used a glass Saratoga Water bottle to play slide guitar during his set at Caffe Lena last Sunday night.
The fingerpicking traditionalist interspersed comedic moments like this one with more sincere songs about our “tangled” world, delivering an always-entertaining performance that made it easy to understand why legendary musician Taj Mahal once called him a “wonderboy.”
Willis, who was mentored by both Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, regaled the Spa City crowd with stories about growing up in rural Georgia, where his younger self sang gospel music at a Baptist church before falling in love with the blues.
“To me, the blues is the most important musical genre and the roots of many others,” Willis says on his website. “Deeper than that, it is a cultural thing for me and my heritage. I feel when I play the blues I am connecting with those before me and presenting it to others, a spiritual type thing.”
Willis’ stripped-back playing style keeps it simple: his voice, a guitar, a harmonica, and the occasional tapping foot. It’s a modus operandi that cuts through spectacle and allows the audience to focus on the words, stories, and sentiments Willis expresses.
“When you start focusing on your instrument more than vocals, you are forgetting the purpose of the blues, which is to tell a story,” Willis says.
Not yet 40, Willis has already released three studio albums: “Blue Metamorphosis” (2017), “Spectacular Class” (2019), and “West Georgia Blues” (2024). Upon its release, “Class” appeared at No. 12 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart before being nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. His original composition, “Rough Time Blues,” appears as the last track on “Room on the Porch,” an album by Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ that was released on May 23 to rave reviews.
Prior to Sunday, Willis had appeared at Lena in Feb. 2019 as part of the “Bright” series, alongside Blind Boy Paxton in Nov. 2019, and once again as a headliner in April 2020.