Blues at Centrum

Bringing West Africa to Port Townsend

We hope you've been enjoying our podcast interviews with Artistic Director Corey Harris. In these interviews, Corey has been talking about the artists and influences that will be present at the 2009 Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival. If you play blues music, or enjoy listening to it, we hope you can join us in late July.

In this installment, Corey talks about the three West African musicians coming to Port Townsend in August: Cheick Hamala Diabaté, Moussa Konate, and Moh Kouyate.

• Podcast Interview: Corey Harris Welcomes West African Musicians to Port Townsend

As Corey has described to us, there are interesting intersections linking African and American music. Here's a video of Cheick Hamala exploring "Cumberland Gap" with James Leva.

Corey Harris on Mali and it's Musical Legacy

Recently we got on the phone to Artistic Director Corey Harris to talk about the upcoming Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival, and some of the artists who will be teaching and performing this year. (p.s. space is still available in the Festival workshop.)

It won't be a surprise to anyone familiar with Corey and his music that he has a fascinating view of the blues, it's influences, and it's future. As he selected faculty for our 2009 gatherings, Corey worked to invite artists who exemplified these various influences and directions.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be podcasting the recordings we made of our conversation on these issues. In addition to talking about how to access the African music tradition, Corey will share stories about Alvin Youngblood Hart, Washboard Chaz, and other faculty joining us here in Port Townsend. He will also describe a special school in Mali devoted to helping young musicians that we hope the blues community at Centrum will be able to support.

Corey has a special connection with the country of Mali. The west African nation is a rich wellspring of music that has interesting intersections with what we know as blues music. In the podcast below, Corey talks about this special place.

• Podcast Interview: Corey Harris on Mali

Washboard Chaz Goes Global

I'm sure many of you have seen the "Stand By Me" video produced in a virtual studio by the "Playing for Change" folks. About one minute and 15 seconds in, 2009 blues workshop faculty Washboard Chaz is a featured participant! Check it out:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/30/Stand-By-Me-Around-the-World.aspx 

Special Scholarship in honor of John Cephas

Those of you who have been blues workshop participants the last few years will remember Lynn Volpe, John Cephas’ sweetheart, the woman who softened some of John’s edges in a quiet and understated way. Lynn is currently entrusted with carrying out John’s last wishes. If you knew John Cephas, you knew he understood his place and his responsibility in the unbroken chain of tradition bearers – he learned music from his cousin and his grandfather and his peers, and in his turn shared his gift unstintingly with anyone who showed an interest in his music. You would know of his unwavering commitment to teaching. And you would know of his belief that playing music was an organic process, that he “practiced on stage,” that you weren’t going to catch his music in the classroom alone – his house parties at the blues workshop are legendary.

As far as vehicles for passing on his music, the Port Townsend Blues Workshop was one of John’s favorites, and towards that end he wanted Lynn to fully scholarship a young and hungry and passionate guitar player to this year’s workshop. Just to be clear, this is above and beyond the Cephas and Wiggins Scholarship Fund created last year by Centrum, with the critical help of Barbara Hammerman and Raymond Lavine . This gift from John, through Lynn, will be bestowed upon one promising player selected by Phil Wiggins, John’s musical partner of 33 years.

If you feel inclined to honor John Cephas, consider a donation to the Cephas and Wiggins Scholarship fund. Your generosity will make a palpable difference. Contact Mary Hilts at Centrum – mary@centrum.org, or 360-385-3102, ext 116. 

Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch Article on John Cephas

John "Bowling Green" Cephas, the legendary Piedmont blues guitarist and baritone vocalist who was recently honored as a 2009 Library of Virginia African American Trailblazer, died Wednesday morning at home in Woodford in Caroline County.

The much-honored and widely traveled 78-year-old Washington native, who recently retired because of illness, had been unable to attend the library awards ceremony last week. He was breathing with the aid of oxygen in recorded remarks to the audience that said how touched he was by the honor.

Born into a deeply religious family, he took his nickname from the Virginia town of Bowling Green, where he was reared hearing gospel music. He grew up listening to his grandfather's stories of slave ancestors on the Eastern Shore and his mother's singing. He learned about the blues from a guitar-picking aunt. "Blues music is truth," Mr. Cephas once said.

By Ellen Robertson

Read the whole article on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website.

All Piedmont. All the Time.

One of the most popular components of the Centrum summer blues gathering is the Piedmont picking track. In fact, we happen to like it so much, we’ve decided to build an entire intensive around the Piedmont style.

Artistic Director Corey Harris has asked three of the best to lead the charge:

• National Heritage Award Fellow John Dee Holeman
• Piedmont expert Michael Roach
• Lightnin’ Wells - the man who seemingly does it all

Plectrum is not spoken here. The right thumb lays down the bass line, and fingers independently play the melody, chords, fills, and other treble voices - much the way ragtime pianists divided their right and left hands into different functions. The approach worked for Delta and country-ragtime blues as well, but reached it’s apex in the Piedmont style.

The Piedmont Blues Intensive will run October 15-18, 2009. It's going to be a blast, and we hope you can join us.

Visit our Piedmont Blues Intensive workshop page for complete information, and to register today.

One of the most popular components of the Centrum summer blues gathering is the Piedmont picking track. In fact, we happen to like it so much, we’ve decided to build an entire intensive around the Piedmont style.

Artistic Director Corey Harris has asked three of the best to lead the charge:

• National Heritage Award Fellow John Dee Holeman
• Piedmont expert Michael Roach
• Lightnin’ Wells - the man who seemingly does it all

Plectrum is not spoken here. The right thumb lays down the bass line, and fingers independently play the melody, chords, fills, and other treble voices - much the way ragtime pianists divided their right and left hands into different functions. The approach worked for Delta and country-ragtime blues as well, but reached it’s apex in the Piedmont style.

The Piedmont Blues Intensive will run October 15-18, 2009. It's going to be a blast, and we hope you can join us.

Visit our Piedmont Blues Intensive workshop page for complete information, and to register today.

Exploring Tradition on the Back Porch

Every musician creates their own voice. But that voice arises out of the cultures, geographies, and musicians that surround it.

When Corey Harris was conceiving this April's Traditional Back Porch Blues Summit, he wanted to come at the Blues from three different angles, giving participants exposure to different voices and traditions of Blues music.

We'll be exploring these three approaches on the porch, thanks to the talents of three unique voices.

• Terry Bean brings a pure and contemporary Mississippi blues, distilled from his specific upbringing.
• Jerron Paxton combines the Texas sound with New Orleans stylings, dirty rags, and Piedmont picking.
• Hook Herrera carries his Mexican, Native American, and old California heritage into and through his music.

...and that's just where they start.

Participants will get to explore this and much more during this April Intensive. To learn more and register, visit the Back Porch Blues Summit page, and stay tuned, as we'll explore each of these angles over the next couple of weeks.

Come April--We're Headin' for the Porch

We are excited and energized to announce the first in a series of “intensives” – long weekend premium experiences concentrating on playing blues music.

When we asked Artistic Director Corey Harris to think about an intensive for guitarists, harp players, etc--he told us that he wanted to take one of the highlights of the summer week and build an entire experience around it.

Looking back at our favorite moments from the summer blues gatherings, the direction we needed to go was clear. We needed to head to the porch.

So without further ado, please mark your calendars for April 23-26, 2009 for our Traditional Back Porch Blues Summit.

Corey has asked three motivating, remarkable musicians to come to Port Townsend for a long weekend of Traditional Back Porch Blues music-making: Terry "Harmonica" Bean, a one-man band from Pontotoc, Mississippi. Jerron "J-Dog" Paxton, a teenage prodigy from Watts, CA, and Hook Herrera, an Italian/Mexican-American with Indian roots from East San Jose, CA.

This premium experience will be limited in size to 25 participants, and is designed to help people to better express themselves through music in a supportive  environment and to provide an opportunity to experience the power being a part of a musical community.

You can learn more and register online. We can't wait to see you on the porch.

Let's Play Some Blues Together: Registration is Open

I read today that most of the political class is tired of the nearly two-year campaign for President that wraps up tomorrow (don't forget to vote!). Regardless of your political leanings, you probably feel the same way.

Well, it is our pleasure to announce that there IS a different way to get things done.

Indeed, in a record amount of time, new Artistic Director Corey Harris has recruited an exciting collection of musicians to serve as faculty for the 2009 Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival. Some new voices, some familiar ones as well.

Since that list is complete, we are ready, today, to announce our own campaign to find aspiring blues musicians to come to Port Townsend to live, jam, and learn with the best. Start today by registering for the Festival.

Then, tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Oh..and you'd best tell your family too--we wouldn't them to wonder where you went.

Stay tuned for additional news about your Centrum blues community.

J-Dog Plays The Port Townsend Uptown Pub Inside and Out

After headlining the Saturday afternoon concert at the McCurdy Pavilion, Jerron "J-Dog" Paxton, did an encore performance in front of the Uptown Pub before going inside to do his evening "Blues In The Clubs" set.