Aug 10, 2011 by Loki
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Today’s guest post comes to you from local artist and author D.S. Meyers (Twitter and facebook) . I was in Indianapolis covering GenCon an could not make the Blues Fest and he came to the rescue with this lovely bit of coverage. -Loki
There is something about talking to musicians. They are my cousins. As an artist and a writer, I’ve found that what flows in their veins, flows in mine. So my line of questioning would fall on their talent. As creative people, do they view their music as a craft? Or is it just intuitive? Do they read music and analyze it? Or do they pick up a tune and absorb it?
Full press credentials would allow me into any of any of the back stages. Access to any of the musicians was there. I could take pictures. I had a cart blanche in this adventure. One of the event coordinators is a friend of mine. And he promised to introduce me to the right people.
You have to meet Chuck Brisbin, I was told.
Chuck was working as manager of the Local Stage. It’s not hard to figure out which person he is. His presence dominates the Local Stage area. He is its gravity. Musicians, aficionados and friends are drawn to him like he is the soul center of the solar system. He greets them all with the gusto of someone who is living the moment.
“Bluesfest is the premier place, as far as I’m concerned,” he says when he gets a free moment for an introduction.
Cincy Bluesfest coordinates with the Blues Challenge- a competition held at Germania Park. Tons of acts perform there. Judges rate the musical acts on talent, instrumentation, content, and local originality.
“The top ten get tapped to play on the local stage here this weekend.”
Listening to Chuck, not even the Main Stage is more important.
“This is the premier stage to me. ‘Cause this is the music you can go out on the weekends and hear.”
I look out onto the grass area. The audience is enthralled by the Tempted Souls Band. More people are arriving. I see people unfolding their lawn chairs. Chuck tells me that the lawn area here will be packed by nightfall.
“You see all your friends here. You get to play. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
The camaraderie among blues musicians is of steel cable strength. Chuck stops me before I can follow up.
“Hold on a moment. I gotta’ go play. I’ll be right back.”
The band introduces him. He climbs the stage and brings a new layer to the Tempted Souls. I knew he was the stage manager. But I had no idea that he managed the stage from on stage… with a harmonica in his hands.
When he leaves the stage to thunderous applause, I have the chance to ask him one question:
“Do you view music as something you do by craft? Or would you say you do it by feel?”
“I definitely feel it. It doesn’t get any better… If it ain’t in your heart, it ain’t comin’ out of your throat. You gotta feel it.”
Under the arches is yet another stage, the Boogie Woogie Piano stage. On it, a musician is a frenzy of stride and ragtime. Fingers are deftly pounding back and forth on the keyboard, banging out the boogie sound. She is long auburn hair swaying before blurry fingers. Her bright green eyes peer into the falling dominos of piano keys. Deborrah Wyndham can hold an audience with her playing.
She eventually stepped down from the stage and I was introduced. Towards the back of the arch, she puts her things on a table as she explains her timeless sound. She does stride and ragtime by design. In other words, she has a habit of taking things she likes and putting them into her original arrangements. And example is her mesmerizing rendition of “Tea for Two” from the musical No No Nanette. And her rendition of Dizzy Fingers definitely lived up to the title.
I asked her what she likes about Bluesfest.
“As an artist, you’re solo. Bluesfest is one of the few chances to rub shoulders with other musicians.” She went on to say how interesting it was to get their perspectives. Blues musicians come from all over.
Of the musicians I talk to this evening, I really want to know how they view their music. Among artists, writers and musicians, many view their abilities in one of two ways. Either they view what they do as a craft- carefully putting their creativity into a process. These are often the artists who found their form through education.
Or, they view their talent as more intuitive. They learn things by feeling it. These are the artists who come to their performances through awareness. These are the people who can hear a tune and recreate it.
I asked Deborrah her view on music. She is a classically trained pianist. She’s played over 2,700 performances. She’s played everything from folk, Celtic, pop, alternative, jazz… Music is what she knows.
“Some musicians are trained to read and write music,” she says. “Some just pick up instruments and play.”
So, in Deborrah’s case, is it more craftsmanship than intuition?
“I feel like I’m more of an artist. My music is not written down.” The breeze flows under the arch. Among her items on the table, a small piece of paper begins to flutter. She catches it. It looks like her set list. “I’m a fly by night person. I don’t even have a piano. I have a keyboard so that I can try stuff out. I don’t want to play all the time on a keyboard. It just doesn’t sound the same as a piano.”
She goes on to tell me that classical music has helped her master the piano. And though she’s gotten to a level where she can be intuitive, it’s really a credit to her education.
“I think it helps to learn classical music first. It helps with the transition into other music.”
Behind the main stage, I find Eden Brent having a smoke with some of her bandmates. She has long brown hair and brown eyes that show a hint of mischievousness.
I begin to ask my craft versus intuition question. “So what is it that drives you-”
“Captain Cornbread drives me. Otherwise I’d never have gotten here,” she says with a sultry southern drawl. I meet Captain Cornbread, who’s in Eden’s band.
This is her second year playing up north here at the Cincy Bluesfest. She’s made the trip all the way up from Mississippi again. What is it about Bluesfest?
“It felt good last time I was here. There’s no better compliment than repeat business. I’m darn glad to see you all again… Even more glad you all wanted to see me again.”
She tells me about her roots in Mississippi. Where she’s from, there’s not even 40,000 people. In her county, Washington County, there’s not even 100,000. She talks about growing up on the river. She talks about how her grand dad was named “River Boat Captain of the Century.” I take that all to be part of her southern charm- not really realizing it is an important part of her creativity.
I ask her what she loves about Cincy Bluesfest. “Being here on the river.”
She takes another draw off her cigarette. “I’d always choose a place on the river. Right here, by the river… it just rolls by.” She says dreamily. “Just like blues music. It’s gorgeous to hear. I think blues was inspired by the river.”
But there are other things she loves about being back up here.
“Normally, we don’t hear anybody play but ourselves. But festivals are wonderful opportunities to hear others play. Especially Cincy Bluesfest. It’s almost if you could make your living room this big and you just have friends come over and play.”
By craft or by feel? “I’d have to say feel. I know great song writers in Memphis. These people who have studied it, perfected it- Tommy Polk, Colin Linden… It’s like building a chain. They do the building.
For Eden Brent, “it’s feeling how to do it much more than by rote. I’m so glad to let music be what it’s suppose to be- from my heart. The blues is so much like crying, you know?”
“When we’re born, we have our voices and our heartbeat. In blues, we have vocals and a drum beat.”
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I heard Itzhak Perlman was in town with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra a few weeks back—he hasn’t visited Cincinnati since 1995. No kidding. When I heard of this, I wanted to go, but I didn’t think I’d be able to snag tickets to this fancy event. So I planned on not going.
For my first official assignment I got to go the Cincy Blues Fest. This was the 19th year, and I am sad to say, the first time I have gone. I do like the Blues. And not because I’ve seen the Bues Brothers. I know who Robert Johnson is, and I own his complete recordings. But I don’t have a lot of Blues, nor am I familiar with the local talent. The only reason this was on my radar is that Crazy Joe and the Mad River Outlaws were scheduled to perform. They are a Rockabilly band from Enon, OH (north of Dayton) and I was excited to see them play here.
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