Ben Prestage, 5 p.m.
"His
blues had all the grit and funk of the South, with surprising twists.
As a guitarist he could go from Piedmont ragtime style to something
akin to the baroque playing of Leo Kottke, all the while singing of
fishing, drinking, and his taste in women. ... Prestage then pulled
out his secret weapon, a homemade guitar with a cigar-box body, two
broomsticks for a neck, and bass and guitar strings run through
separate channels. He laid down an irresistible and raw electric
boogie that brought much of the audience to its feet." - Mark
Wedel, Kalamazoo Gazette
The only two-time recipient of the Lyons/Pitchford Award for Best Diddley-Bo Player at the International Blues Challenge (IBC), and this year's second-place IBC winner in the solo/duo contest, Ben Prestage is a welcome addition to our Thursday-night Roots of the Blues lineup in the Adler Theatre. Ben's great-grandmother was a vaudeville musician who toured with Al Jolson and in medicine shows. Her daughter was a boogie pianist who used to play for Ben when he was growing up. On the other side of the family tree, his grandfather, who was a Mississippi sharecropper, turned Ben onto the sounds and culture of Mississippi and blues in general.
While busking on Beale Street in Memphis, Ben perfected his drum kit, making him a one-man band. He's also proficient on guitar, banjo, and diddley-bo - the one stringed-instrument that so many bluesmen who grew up in the rural South learned to play on.
Wailing the blues with a frenzy and ferocity that could rival a full-blown ensemble, said Lee Zimmerman of the Miami New Times, "Prestage delivers a passionate blend of Mississippi Delta blues and gritty swamp stomps reflective of his rural upbringing in central Florida."
- Karen McFarland
Steve James & Del Rey, 6:30p.m.
Steve
James & Del Rey have been staples of the acoustic-blues scene for
nearly two decades. Concerts by this duo are unforgettable affairs,
the perfect pairing of individuals who know what they're singing
about and how to sing it. Both are talented musicians in their own
right. Having developed a friendship after years as colleagues and
collaborators, they decided to get serious about playing and
recording together in 2001.
Steve James & Del Rey's partnership has produced two albums, Tonight(2004) and Twins(2002). They've "joined forces to make a music testament to the hillbilly/smarty-pants/ country-blues aesthetic." This philosophy, along with their indisputable musical mastery, creates a show full of complex guitar grooves and sly humor. Their duets are smart, funny, and full of instrumental genius.
Both artists have tremendous versatility. James plays guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, and banjo guitar, while Rey plays guitar, resonator guitar, and ukulele. Their vocals, however, are not overwhelmed by these attributes, but rather enhanced. Their voices are perfectly pitched to create harmony grounded in a certain realness that can't be imitated.
Audiences and critics have responded so favorably to the duo that they've been spending the majority of their time on the road. They are a welcome addition to Thursday night's tribute to the roots of the blues.
Come back on Friday as each hosts free music workshops: Steve James at 1 p.m., featuring Texas acoustic blues, and Del Rey at 5:30 p.m., exploring Memphis Minnie's music.
- Laura Ernzen
Carolina Chocolate Drops, 8:30 p.m.
Taking their name from Howard Armstrong's string band outfit the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, the Carolina Chocolate Drops - Dom Flemons (guitar, jug, harmonica, and banjo), Rhiannon Giddens (banjo, fiddle), and Justin Robinson (fiddle) - exemplify the sound of the roots of the blues, which is the focus of Thursday night's entertainment in the Adler Theatre.
The band started three years ago when they met at the Black Banjo Gathering at Appalachian State University. At that time, the band members were doing other things; Giddens was involved with dancing and a Celtic group, Robinson was playing fiddle at square dances; and Flemons was performing at blues and country gigs. It was at the event that they met each other and also met Joe Thompson from North Carolina, who is said to be the last black traditional string-band player.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops define their music as early American music. It has roots in lots of different places and various traditions, and they try to tap into all they can. The band's stage show invokes a sense of community and purpose at every performance. They are also known for their educational performances.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are young, bright, enthusiastic about their work, and energetic. But above all are unique - black artists instead of renouncing their roots embracing them and wearing them like a badge of honor. Thank goodness they weren't ever blinded by the bling!
- Amanda Coulter
Otis Taylor & the Black Banjo Project featuring Guy Davis, 10:30 p.m.
Otis Taylor was born in Chicago in 1948. At the age of four, Otis and his family moved to Denver, Colorado, after an uncle died from a gunshot wound. Otis first took an interest in the blues at the Denver Folklore Center four blocks from home, where he heard recordings of blues legends such as Mississippi John Hurt, and where he was able to touch and pluck banjos. He began playing banjo in addition to guitar while in high school.
Otis formed his first blues band in 1964, spent some time in Europe in 1969, and continued to perform around the Boulder/Denver area until around 1977, when he gave up music and began a successful antiques business.
In 1995, Otis returned to the music scene, formed his own band, and began touring. Since then, he has recorded eight CDs, the last four on the Telarc label. Many of the songs recorded are originals about African American history and civil rights.
His latest CD, Recapturing the Banjo, is about the banjo originating in west Africa. For the CD, Otis used Guy Davis, Corey Harris, Keb Mo', Don Vappie, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and himself, all on banjo, with his daughter Cassie on bass and vocals and Denver's Ron Miles on trumpet. Of 42 jazz and blues CDs reviewed in the March 2008 Downbeat, Recapturing the Banjo was the only one receiving the top rating of five stars.
Otis Taylor is on a mission to educate the public about the African roots of the banjo and its place in the blues. On stage will be Otis on vocals, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and percussion; Guy Davis on banjo and vocals; Don Vappie on banjo and vocals; Cassie Taylor on vocals and bass; and Jonn Richardson on drums. New Orleans banjo legend Don Vappie led his Creole Jazz Serenaders at last year's Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival.
- Jimmie Jones
