All-star band brings soulful jams to Albany’s Venetian Theater on its way down the valley.

ALBANY - If you like modern blues, then get ready to get down with “The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue.” Tommy Castro, Deanna Bogart, Magic Dick and Kenny Neal will bring their talent forth in a way that is slightly nontraditional.

The first part of the concert will be fairly normal for most listeners. The four featured artists will play up front, starting with Tommy Castro, while the rest of the band backs them up. Then there will be an intermission while the performers meet and greet the audience. The second half of the concert is where the fun begins.

“We have a jam session and you never know what happens,” Magic Dick, formerly of the J. Geils Blues Band, said. “Anything could happen including a train wreck or some amazing stuff.”

Magic Dick added that he has never seen a jam session yet that didn’t blow the band stand right off the floor.

“We really lay our lives on the line for our audience,” he said. “We do this because we enjoy it.”

This idea all started on a cruise ship several years ago. The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise was a 24/7 party with nonstop music. There was always something going on somewhere on the ship.

“There was always so much great stuff going on, I was known as the sleepless man,” Magic Dick said.

Typically there would be about 20 different bands on the cruise with several different stages on board. There was always a performance somewhere on the ship. At about 1 a.m. there would be a jam session on the ship where everyone would join in.

From this a few people got together to take this concept on the road. The idea was to have every artist featured and then have a jam session where they could all play together. This is how “The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue” came to be.

Magic Dick, one of the performers who will be present, got his start in third grade. He started on the trumpet.

“I loved Louis Armstrong and classic jazz and still do,” he said. “It was the typical age to make the decision about what instrument to play.”

He still loves the trumpet. He also plays the saxophone and the harmonica, which he is most known for.

How did he go from playing jazz to playing the blues?

“The blues has always been a part of jazz and always will be a part of jazz,” Magic Dick said. “It was natural to start playing blues.”

Since he heard jazz and blues musicians from Chicago, he hasn’t been the same. He enjoys the music he performs.

Other performers are Tommy Castro, who is the core of the performance. He is best known for leading the house band on NBC-TV’s “Comedy Showcase.” He was also personally chosen as the opening act for two tours by B.B. King.

Deanna Bogart has played at thousands of shows since the late ’80s. She has shared the stage with a range of artists including Ray Charles, Buddy Guy and Brian Setzer.

Kenny Neal is coming back to the spotlight after taking a break because of illness. He will be the fourth person joining the revue for this show.