POP MUSIC REVIEWS : HOLLYWOOD BLUES

Despite the success of the annual Long Beach Blues festival and the establishment of a rival event earlier this year, there’s apparently room for one more: The Southern California Blues Festival, held over the weekend at John Anson Ford Theatre in Hollywood, was produced by Dan Jacobson, founder of the successful Long Beach event, and the two-day fest boasted a stellar lineup that included Son Seals, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins.

Harmonica maestro James Cotton headlined on Saturday with a freewheeling set encompassing everything from low-down, slow-blues nuggets to a rollicking James Brown barnburner. His gravelly voice was fine, his harp-blowing fiery and expressive, and his backing sextet functioned as a well-oiled machine without being too slick. But Cotton seemed to lose steam toward the end and probably would have produced a bigger performance from a shorter one.

The two performers before Cotton turned in sets that were more compact--and that generated more impact. Big Time Sarah is a big woman with big, husky pipes and a big, sassy sense of humor. Early on, the Chicagoan gave a short course on the sins and shortcomings of men--tied to such sizzling numbers as “Hound Dog.” She later gave her band equal time on the issue, making her stint both a wry battle of the sexes and a wonderful dose of singin’ and playin’.

Preceding Sarah, Son Seals blazed through a similarly stirring hour, his stinging guitar leads slicing right through the steady, soulful support provided by the Chicago Fire Blues Band.

A spokeswoman for the festival reported that the two-day attendance at the 1,600-seat outdoor theater was 2,000.