Il Blues #12

Sta a B.B. King, nato nel 1925 sul Mississipi che forgia il suo stile incisivo, efficace ed elaborato a Memphis, prima di stabilirsi in California, di dominare largamente il mondo del blues (Sweet Little Angel, 1956, Live At The Regal, 1964). Il produttore e polistrumentista Ike Turner (Live In Paris, 1971) l’accompagna a Memphis dove incontra Junior Parker (Next Time You See Me, 1956), Bobby Blue Band (Call On Me, 1962), Little Milton (We’re Gonna Make It, 1965) ed Elmore James (The Sky Is Crying, 1959).
Traiettoria parallela per T-Bone Walker (Call It Stormy Monday, 1947), altro personaggio dominante, chitarrista meraviglioso venuto dal Texas in California, dove si mescolano jazz, blues, boogie-woogie e nascono chitarristi come Lowell Fulson (River Blues, 1948) o Pee Wee Crayton (Blues After Hours, 1948) e i pianisti Lloyd Glenn (Blue Ivories, 1956) e, soprattutto, Charles Brown (Drifting Blues, 1945), cantante di blues.
Poi si impongono John Lee Hooker a Detroit (Dimple, 1956, It Serves You Right To Suffer, 1965) senza posterità, e Lightnin’ Hopkins a Houston (Texas Bluesman, 1967), opera vasta quanto la sua influenza, mentre a New Orleans da dove viene il suonatore di banjo Papa Charlie Jackson (Salt Lake City Blues, 1924) il blues sembra rappresentato dal solo e polivalente Lonnie Johnson (Bull Frog Moan, 1928). Sotto l’influenza dello straordinario Professor Longhair (Mardi Gras In New Orleans, 1949) la città contribuirà all’espansione del rhythm and blues, mentre dall’entroterra della Louisiana saliranno i suoni del blues del bayou – Slim Harpo (Rainin’ In My Heart, 1961), Lightinin’ Slim (Rooster Blues, 1959) – e quelli della musica cajun o zydeco il cui rappresentante più celebre è il fisarmonicista Clifton Chenier (Bon Ton Roulet, 1966).
​
Continua Venerdì prossimo

It's up to B.B. King, born in 1925 on the Mississippi, that forged his incisive, compelling, and elaborate style in Memphis, to dominate the blues' world widely (Sweet Little Angel, 1956, Live At The Regal, 1964), before settling in California. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Ike Turner (Live In Paris, 1971) accompanies him to Memphis. There he meets Junior Parker (Next Time You See Me, 1956), Bobby Blue Band (Call On Me, 1962), Little Milton (We're Gonna Make It, 1965), and Elmore James (The Sky Is Crying, 1959).
The parallel trajectory is for T-Bone Walker (Call It Stormy Monday, 1947), another dominant character, a fantastic guitarist who came from Texas to California. Where jazz, blues, boogie-woogie are mixed, and guitarists like Lowell Fulson (River Blues, 1948) are born o Pee Wee Crayton (Blues After Hours, 1948) and pianists Lloyd Glenn (Blue Ivories, 1956) and, above all, Charles Brown (Drifting Blues, 1945), a blues singer.
Then John Lee Hooker is imposed in Detroit (Dimple, 1956, It Serves You Right To Suffer, 1965) without posterity, and Lightnin' Hopkins in Houston (Texas Bluesman, 1967), a work as vast as its influence. While in New Orleans by where the banjo player Papa Charlie Jackson (Salt Lake City Blues, 1924) comes, the blues seems to be represented by the only and multipurpose Lonnie Johnson (Bull Frog Moan, 1928). Under the influence of the extraordinary Professor Longhair (Mardi Gras In New Orleans, 1949), the city will contribute to the expansion of rhythm and blues. While from the Louisiana hinterland the sounds of the bayou blues will rise - Slim Harpo (Rainin' In My Heart, 1961), Lightnin' Slim (Rooster Blues, 1959) - and those of Cajun or Zydeco music whose most famous representative is the accordionist Clifton Chenier (Bon Ton Roulet, 1966).
​
Continue next Friday