Friday, February 24th, 2017
Australian blues legend Chris Finnen was to be part of this
show, and it was really disappointing to learn that due to sickness he would
not be part of the line-up for A History
of the Early Blues. Chris Finnen is a remarkable blues player and a great story
teller. Harmonica player Bill the Tree (yes that is his name) was recruited to
take Chris’ place, and he joined Cal Williams Jr (guitar) and Kory Horwood on
double bass for an exceptional evening of blues and early American music.
The band took over the mantle of storytellers about the
songs they played and the origin of the blues, and warmed further to the task
as the show progressed. In the end they did it so well that Chris Finnen was
hardly missed. The show featured songs by folks like Leadbelly, Sun House,
Furry Lewis, and blues classics like Got
My Mojo Working.
But the focus of the show was actually quite a bit broader
than just early blues. A number of songs were from the realms of folk or Gospel.
Some were reminiscent of the music featured on the Coen Brothers movie, O Brother Where art Thou. This broader
focus added tonal variety and an appreciation of how all these forms of early
American music are connected.
A fascinating part of proceedings was the way the group
would announce a song and then spend a few minutes warming up – improvising
their way to the point where they were all ready to do the song. It was as if
the songs began twice.
The musicianship on display in this show was stunning. Cal
Williams Jr, playing a metal guitar made from bits of a tin shed, was a
revelation. Showcasing multiple techniques - strumming, picking, sliding – he
showed us there are many ways to play the blues. Billy the Tree on harmonica told
us how blues contributed to the spread of the harmonica and provided a sweet
bluesy backdrop throughout the show, and Kory Horwood’s double bass added depth
and resonance.
The audience were invited to join in on occasion. We had a
go at field hollering music – mimicking the way the blues was born in the fields,
and the show ended with everyone joining in the refrain of an old Gospel tune
as the band played and sang their way through the audience on their way out. It
was a lovely touch.
An illuminating and instructive evening listening to great
musicians playing the music they obviously love.
(This article also published on The Clothesline.)
