Sue Foley, James Armstrong, Chris Smither, Paul Reddick, Andrew Galloway, Big Dave McLean, Duke Robillard, Gaye Adegbalola, Rockin' Johnny Burgin, Guy Davis, Eddy Vaan Shaw, Sonny Rhodes, Sugar Ray Norcia and Steve Hill clear up common "misconceptions of the blues" in show number 5. They state that many people think the blues is:
- sad
- an easy life
- easy music to play
- always the same thing
- down and out music
...and that you have to be smoking a cigarette, wearing sunglasses and a hat to play it. In a series of brief interview clips, they clarify these are just stereotypical viewpoints and that the blues is anything but what is listed above. The only drawback to these mini-interviews is that newcomers to the genre won’t recognize all the artists. Thus, some viewers will not give the proper credence to the interviewee’s comments.
The middle portion of the show is a profile on Harry Manx. This segment features live footage of Harry performing at the 2001 Toronto Harbourfront Blues Festival. After traveling the world for more than half his life, Manx has found his musical niche by combining delta blues with East Indian music. He does this using a unique 20-string sitar-guitar hybrid. Manx, who was born on the Isle of Man, explains that his first taste of the music business came in the form of working as a sound technician at a club. Later he began his quarter century journey by busking on streets throughout Europe. In the late ‘80s, he began regularly touring Japan. While in India for five years in the '90s, he studied the Mohan veena with it's creator Mohan Bhatt. Like other profiles, Harry is filmed at ease and appears pleased to have been asked for an interview. He is a well traveled and mature artist and this comes across in his interview and his music.
This week’s featured video is from Michael Pickett. Earlier this year he abandoned his band in favour of performing as a solo artist. Pickett has been a major force on the Canadian blues scene for thirty years. He is shown playing his trademark resophonic guitar and blasting out notes from his harmonica. The video was shot in black and white and its gives the acoustic number a delta feel.
Look for a review of the final episode to be added soon.
For further information, contact: www.talkinblues.com
"TaLkin' bLuEs" TV Series - Episode 6
"TaLkin' bLuEs" TV Series - Episode 4
"TaLkin' bLuEs" TV Series - Episode 3
"TaLkin' bLuEs" TV Series - Episode 2
"TaLkin' bLuEs" TV Series - Episode 1
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