The Continuing Story of the Blues in the 21st Century
In the 30 years between 1930 and 1960 the Blues evolved and
changed almost out of all recognition, from Son House to Muddy
Waters, but from a distance we can see that it was the same music.
Now, in the 21st century we can see that it’s evolving again - it can
be hard sometimes to see where it is as the form keeps changing
and evolving and growing, and the music is played in different
places. The music from the 21st century that has the same function
and feel as Blues may not necessarily be called Blues - but when
you find it, you know it. You feel it, it makes sense, and it’s right.
DJ Champion’s thundering electro-digital ring-shout ‘No Heaven’ is
no less apocalyptic in tone and execution than the howling 1930s
Son House tune it takes its title and lyrics from, and is found buried
in the 2010 console game ‘Borderlands,’ as well as in dark, tiny
clubs full of people pressed together in city centres, high on cheap
spirits. The Blues is alive.
40 year old people don’t look or sound the same as
they did on the day they were born or when they
were 5, 10 or fifteen years old. But it’s the same
person, they just become more sophisticated and
go to different places, do different things, wear
different clothes and speak a different language.
The Blues is like that - it evolves and grows and
flows onward to new shores.
The Blues is a changing thing: it’s not immediately obvious where
it is or what it is. Think about Adele - “Rolling in the Deep” is Blues
straight and simple and that’s international, it’s everywhere. Think
of Seasick Steve - he packs out festivals all over the world. Look at
Jack White, that’s BLUES he’s playing in front of 20,000 people with
a drummer for company, just like T-Model Ford or R.L. Burnside -
that’s a song from 1941 he’s singing when he opens up with “John
The Revelator.”
In every city there are groups of people - black and white, young
and old - are going along to 40s & 50s nights and burlesque evenings
and the Blues is alive and its heart is beating, right there. People
get up and dance to it and participate in it so it’s a very intimate,
organic, intense and loud affair. You can go to Leeds or Sheffield or
Manchester and it’s all going on - acoustic and electric, in the heart
of communities and at festivals of all sizes - slightly disrespectful,
slightly frightening and slightly crazy, there’s the Blues shaking its
head, stamping on a stage and raising Cain around the best-looking,
most naked and most dangerous women in the house. The Blues are
alive and well and living in a venue near you: rumours of its death
have been greatly exaggerated.
By Tom Attah
Tom Attah is a performing Blues musician who has appeared all
over the UK, including Glastonbury 2011 and Blues Autor Du Zinc
in France. His EP “The Living Bluesman” is available now. You
can find Tom at
, through MySpace, Twitter,
YouTube and Facebook.
30 Years Pioneering Latin Music
DJ Lubi (aka Lubi Jovanovic) is one of the UK's top soul/funk/latin
music DJs and promoters and is celebrating 30 years in the game
this year! From his Bradford roots spinning jazz/funk/soul music
at Bradford Universities’ Subway Bar and Checkpoint West Indian
Centre in 1982, he single-handedly started the Latin music scene
in Yorkshire.
As part of the DIG! Family, he was instrumental in putting Leeds
on the map during the acid jazz era, bringing such names as
Gilles Peterson and Mr Scruff to the city for the first time as well
as promoting hundreds of top flight gigs at venues such as the
Underground and the Wardrobe ….. Roy Ayers, Maceo Parker, Eddie
Palmieri, The Blackbyrds, James Taylor Quartet, Carleen Anderson
& Bobby Byrd to name a few.
He has produced 40 compilations of Latin music for half a dozen
labels and spent 10 years writing for world renowned global jazz/
roots magazine Straight No Chaser. Today, he still plays across
the UK and Europe and this March drops his 40th compilation
CD, "Beginners Guide To Salsa Vol. 4, a series which has sold over
100,000 copies since it hit the scene in 2003.
30 years on, he is still doing what he loves doing the most and
doing it at the top level; playing and promoting live music.
Andrew Kniveton
Tom Attah and DJ Lubi will be performing live at the
premiere
HowDo Presents: Worldwide
Rythmn & Blues @ the Balanga Basement Cafe Bar
Thursday 29th March - 8pm til 1am
£3 on the door
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