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Martin Scorsese – The Blues | The Blues A Musical Journey
The Blues and always the Blues! When I was putting together my Amazing Songs & Other Delights #71 The Desert Blues and Not Just edition Martin Scorsese’ The Blues documentary that I had seen two decades ago was on the back of my mind.
The Blues is a 2003 seven episodes documentary film produced by Martin Scorsese. In each episode a different different director goes into a step of the history of the Blues. It’s worthy every second of footage, stories, music.
01: Feel Like Going Home.
directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring
Ali Farka TourÊ, Corey Harris, Salif Keita, Son House, Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker, Keb’ Mo’, Willie King
02: The Soul of a Man.
directed by Wim Wenders with music by Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.
03: The Road to Memphis.
directed by Richard Pearce, featuring B. B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon,
Ike Turner.
04: Warming by the Devil’s Fire.
directed by Charles Burnett, featuring:
Tommy Hicks and Nathaniel Lee Jr., and performances by Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Reverend Gary Davis,
Ida Cox, Willie Dixon, Jesse Fuller, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Vasti Jackson, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Dinah Washington, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson.
05: Godfathers and Sons
directed by Marc Levin, featuring
Marshall Chess and Chuck D.
06: Red, White and Blues.
directed by Mike Figgis. This episode is focused on the blues in Britain and the British Invasion effect on American blues.
07: Piano Blues.
directed Clint Eastwood, featuring
Marcia Ball, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles and Pinetop Perkins.
The Blues A Musical Journey is a cd box-set companion of the documentary with recordings from August 10, 1920 to April 9, 2003. It’s over six hours of all sorts of blues! It goes from Othar Turner & the Rising Star Fife & Drum to Bonnie Raitt through Sun House, Jimmi Hendrix, Blind Willie McTell, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson Howlin’ Wolf with dozens of blues players. The Blues A Musical Journey is more standard and geographically confined than my Amazing Songs & Other Delights #71 The Desert Blues and Not Just edition, but it’s an absolute joy.
My beloved Blind Willie McTell titles my favourite Bod Dylan song on Dylan’s voice because “… no one can sing the blues / Like Blind Willie McTell. Dylan is on piano and voice, Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar. Blind Wille McTell, the song, has been providing endless hours of conversation with a musician friend. Is it a song? A poem? A criticism? A critique? An observation? What are the lyrics really about? To me, they’re about America and its History and ways. It’s also a testament to Dylan’s lyric brilliancy.
Blind Wille McTell
I seen the arrow on the doorpost
Saying this land is condemned
All the way from New Orleans
To Jerusalem
Well, I travel through east Texas
Where many martyrs fell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Wille McTell
Mmm, I heard that hoot owl singing
As they were taking down the tents
The stars above the barren trees
Was his only audience
Them charcoal gypsy maidens
Can strut their feathers well
But nobody can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
See them big plantations burning
Hear the cracking of the whips
Smell that sweet magnolia blooming
See the ghosts of slavery ships
I can hear them tribes a moaning
Hear that undertaker’s bell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
There’s a woman by the river
With some fine young handsome man
He’s dressed up like a squire
Bootleg whiskey in his hand
There’s a chain gang on the highway
I can hear them rebels yell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
God is in His heaven
And we all want what’s His
But power and greed and corruptible seed
Seem to be all that there is
I’m gazing out the window
Of that old Saint James Hotel
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell
(Bob Dylan)
Stealing from The Legendary Tiger Man – the blues, like folk, is all about inspiration and ideas passed around – don’t firetruck Christmas, but I’ve got the Blues!
Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo, Open Rehearsal, AssociaçÃŖo de Moradores da Bouça, Porto, 13.09.2024.
A View From Within
words: Raquel Pinheiro; photos: Renato Cruz Santos/Cultura em ExpansÃŖo
A week ago me and my colleagues from Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo, a parte experimental-exploratory-avant ensemble connect to Sonoscopia were in the depths of our Open Rehearsal, after months of hours long reharsals.
Being part of the group has been a very interesting experience. I elected the electric guitar as my main instrument, in itself a challenge. I’m far more familiar with an electric bass than with an electric guitar. Most of my other instruments are as peculiar and unique as Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo: a couple of plastic beads necklaces, a children’s melodica, mismatched drum sticks, empty spices bottles, and more, and our claribones, what I call our odd purpose build mix of trombone and clarinet.
Many instruments we use were build on previous years of the existence of Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo, some like my guitar, the traditional drums, the tambourine are convencional. My use of the electric guitar is anything but convencional. We’re often asked what we do, what we play. We’re still working on the musical piece directed by AntÃŗnio Serginho and Carlos Guerreiro, to which we all contribute.
I would say we’re much close to an orchestra than a rock band. The musical, sound, and other approaches are wide. As you can see on the photos we do not use staves. There are structured rhythm parts, solo and free style parts, corporal movement, a bit of singing. Each of us, one more than others depending of what we play, swap our instruments, according to the section we’re playing.
None of the above explains much other than a little of the mechanics of this year in Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo. It’s not easy to explain as it is a sound experience composed of a million details.
I’ve been asked if I felt nervous playing in front of an audience. I didn’t. I didn’t even notice the audience that surrounded us. We’re concentrated on what we’re playing as well as in the hand instructions of AntÃŗnio Serginho tailor made for us, and therefore different than standard conductor instructions.
No, I’m not letting our music out. đ Not right now. đ We sound brilliant!
We have our Final Presentation at ConservatÃŗrio de MÃēsica do Porto, December 8, 7pm. Come see us!
GOR – Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo Open Reharsal, Friday September 13
Come and see me and my colleagues from GOR – Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo – a large experimental-exploratory-avant ensemble – on our Open Reharsal, Friday, 13 at AssociaçÃŖo de Moradores da Bouça in Porto, 9:30pm. Entry is free (2 tickets per person, at the door, from 8:30pm).
I’ll be on electric guitar, prepared, bass like or otherwise, and, most likely, on a few peculiar instruments too.
YÊ YÊ Radio 3rd Anniversary party Monday 27th @ Praia da Luz, Porto
YÊ YÊ Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app) the radio where my Amazing Songs & Other Delights airs every other Monday turns 3 years old Monday 27th. We’re celebrating at Praia da Luz, in Porto, 7-11pm with DJ sets by Francisco Coelho, Francisco Esp, JoÃŖo Bruschy, JosÊ Amen, Maria Gambina, Pedro Tenreiro, Rui Pimenta and Tugalife.
YÊ YÊ came to be May 27th to signal one year of the departure of our friend Vicente Pinto de Abreu. Vicente was a music, books, film, tv shows, comics lover. Praia da Luz a place he liked and identified with. A place where he and the djs collective he was part of, 7 MagnÃficos – of which Pedro Tenreiro and Rui Pimenta were also part of – spinned records many times.
I still remember the day of Vicente’s death. The night before, as we often did, we had been talking about films, tv shows, comics. I both were meant to watch and read something to discuss with each other the following evening. There was no following eve.
We are celebration Vicente, YÊ YÊ, radio, music, life, the joy of life and living, the seaside. Come celebrate with us.
Steve Albini – Rest in Power
Some news take us by surprise. Steve Albini unexpected death yesterday was one of them. Maverick studio engineer and recorder, master of poker, inspiration.
I’ve interviewed Steve a couple of times for print Mondo and PÃēblico. I still remember the Mondo one. It was done by email and it had a good deal of Steve Albini the cartoon character. Lots of f words and other less than stellar language. The interview in itself was very good.When I was asked if I could arrange an interview for PÃēblico my reply was “I’ll ask. But if he (Steve) starts being rude, I’ll say this interview ends here”. There was no rudeness. Steve was drinking tea in his kitchen and was a perfect gentleman.
So far, one of my two of my radio shows fully dedicated to someone also on the other side of things was The Steve Albini edition.
Of late friends and I had been talking about Steve Albini. His recordings, his work, his high standards. But also how he managed to talk in layperson language and didn’t shy from taking another engineer with him of he deemed necessary. I quite like this podcast interview about the Manic Street Preachers’ Journal For Plagued Lovers. In fact, I was listening to it before my first rehearsal with Grupo OperÃĄrio do RuÃdo (Workers Noise Group), less than a month ago. It has to be The Universe. https://www.buzzsprout.com/450409/14899
And, of course, there is the (in)famous The Problem With Music Text written in 1993 that remains as relevant as by then https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-musicShellac have a new album To All Trains coming out on the 17t.h. Along with all the other music played, created and recorded by Steve is will be part of his legacy and inspiration to many of us.
Rest in Power, Steve. And in poker.
Season’s Greetings
Happy Winter Solstice, a Merry Christmas and Wonderful 2024!
STOP! Cultura NÃŖo Se Cala! | STOP! Culture Does Not Shut Up!
Podendo, Ê ir. NÃŖo podendo, Ê partilhar, protestar, fazer ruÃdo! If you can, go. If not, share, protest, make noise!
Cultura nÃŖo se cala! STOP | Culture does not shut up! STOP
Segunda feira, 24 Julho | Monday, 24th July
Porto: ConcentraçÃŖo à s 15h em frente a CMP | Gathering 3pm in front of Porto’s City Hall
Marcha atÊ ao STOP 19h20 | Marching until STOP (Rua do HeroÃsmo, 329) 7:30pm
Lisboa: ConcentraçÃŖo à s 15h em ao Teatro Dona Maria II | Gathering 3pm in front of Teatro Dona Maria II
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 