Deltachord

What is it about the blues that can make a person happy? That’s a contradiction, isn’t it? Actually, not to everyone, many people say the blues are a positive inspiration that lifts you up. They say sharing the feeling with others is the key. You know you’re not alone and you feel connected to other people that relate to your mood, which makes you feel better.

Another reason the blues can make you happy is because of the versatility of the blues. Say what? Well, blues are akin to jazz, gospel, and rock. You see, there’s a concrete link between jazz and blues in the 12 bar blues pattern in songs like “The Sidewinder,” by Lee Morgan, “Blackjack,” by Donald Byrd, or “Cantaloupe Island,” and “Watermelon Man,” by Herbie Hancock.

Many jazz songs have incorporate blues riffs and a blues overtone. Okay, what about the happy thing? Here goes, jazz sounds happy. The rhythms are snappy. There’s a joyful feeling to many jazz tunes, and it was birthed from the blues.

The whole 12 bar blues pattern is also inherent in rock. Rock had the same mother that jazz had. You think of Buddy Holly and bingo, a lot of happy songs in his discography. The bright, cheerful music and lyrics of The Beach Boys comes to mind. Weird Al Yancovich turned many songs inside out with his funny innovations of familiar rock tunes.

Okay. Okay. What next you ask? Gospel, that direct link thing is hot here because the blues came from gospel music. They go hand in hand. Gospel music is inspiring spiritually and that is a great way to feel happiness. It puts a smile on your face.

In defense of a direct attack of the idea that is posited in this article—a look at some blues songs that are comical or have a happy subject is required.

A case-in-point is “Oreo Cookie Blues” by Lonnie Mack and Stevie Ray Vaughn. This is a funny song about where the songs persona keeps Oreo cookies to have them on hand at all times and the glove compartment of his car holds his emergency stash of Oreos.

Another funny blues song is “There Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.” This song is about how someone is making a lot of noise and the chickens are trying to sleep because they have a lot of work to do the next day. It also talks about the chicken farmers comical point of view—talking about which basket to put your eggs in.

We’ll look further into this subject another time. Until then, Happy Trails…

Listen to Oreo Cookie Blues at: http://www.mystrands.com/

Watch Patti LuPone performing There Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens

At YouTube

Hello Dear Reader,

You’ll remember that one of my first posts was about Mojo Myles. You will find it under blues/Funk/Jazz/Swing, in case you missed it.

Well, Mojo Myles fans here’s a gig update on this multi-instrumentalist. He’s been busy this year and has two gigs coming up soon at Keegan Ales in Kingston, NY.

Friday, 11/30/07, 8:30-11:30pm

Location: 20 Saint James St., Kingston, N.Y.

Phone: 845-331-BREW

Friday, 12/08/07, 8;30-11:30
Location: 20 Saint James St., Kingston, N.Y.
Phone: 845-331-BREW

Mojo

guitar-leads

John “JB” Bigham, the front man for The Soul Of John Black, has amassed an array of credits already. He wrote tunes for Miles Davis and played with Davis at the 10th annual Paris Jazz Festival and appears on Live In Paris, the DVD recorded there.

Bigham played guitar and keyboards for Fishbone, an innovative rock-funk-ska band; he also wrote songs, aided in production, and sang background vocals. Two of the albums he worked on with Fishbone were The Reality Of My Surroundings and Give A Monkey A Brain. He was in the group for eight years.

As a sessions musician he has worked with Eminem, Dr. Dré, Rosey, Joi, Nikka Costa, Bruce Hornsby and Everlast.

Though The Soul Of John Back is basically a duo, bassist Chris Thomas, being the second member, you can find a long list of the other members at:

http://www.myspace.com/thesoulofjohnblack

Thomas has an exciting resume too including working with Harry Connick, Jr, Daniel Lanois, Joshua Redman, Betty Carter, Ellis Marsalis and Macy Gray.

The CD The Good Girl Blues highlights Bigham’s talent as a blues/funk artist. It exhibits his virtuoso abilities on guitar in the blues genre, as he plays all of the guitar parts and this includes acoustic, electric, and slide guitar, plus he plays various styles of blues….from Memphis funk to delta blues to urban blues. You can hear his influences in the songs…Lead Belly, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Blind Boy Fuller, Al Green, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix…and they are a list of great artists.

In Good Girl Bigham plays a hard rocking guitar with call and response backup vocals. Feelin’s has a cool funk sound and slide guitar, even wah-wah. Fire Blues is a slower blues song with spooky electronic sounds and cool tambourine playing. You need to go listen and hear this for yourself. Hey, you’ll also want to listen to the self-titled CD The Soul of John Black, which you can hear at CD Baby.

On the self-titled CD you’ll hear soul, pop-rock, funk, and folk music. This is a Band/Duo that you don’t want to miss!

You can hear The Soul of John Black’s CD The Good Girl Blues at:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/soulofjohnblack2
http://www.myspace.com/thesoulofjohnblack

Website:

http://www.thesoulofjohnblack.com/