[markl]

As you know, blues is the basis for most forms of modern popular music from Jazz to Rock 'n Roll, this is a 7-part series apparently similar to Ken Burns excellent Jazz series. If it's even only half as good, it would still be worth watching!

Check your local listings, but it starts this weekend. "Celebrity" big-shot directors like Scorcese, Clint Eastwood, Wim Wenders and Mike Figgis each take a shot at covering different eras/artists/traditions in the Blues.

Here's a link to the web site: http://www.pbs.org/theblues/

Should be fun!

Mark

 

[KR...]

It will start this Sunday at 8pm on the East coast

 

[blessingx]

Good heads up Markl. I hear the Figgis episode is the best. Cool that Scorcese did this.

For those interested... going back further, PBS had a series called American Roots Music, that gets aired once in a while (and available on DVD). Only saw part of it, but liked it a great deal.

 

[tom hankins]

Wow! Thanks for giving us notice! ...Moves headphone system over to TV...

 

[Trawlerman]

Wow! It's shows like this tat kinda mikae me wish that I was in the US instead of the musical backwater that is the UK.

Ken Burns JAZZ was awesome. I'll look forward to seeing this in around 2 years as that seems to be the lead time for that sort of stuff.

 

[gpalmer]

Yeah, great heads up, thanks Markl!

 

[blessingx]

Free bump since today's the debut in most areas.

Looks like 9 pm on KQED in SF, CA.

 

[Daemoth]

there is also a radio companion to the series. It should be playing along with the series on college radio station or NPR type stations.

 

[Tuberoller]

I liked it a lot and if any of the other six films are as good as this first,I am really looking forward to them.

Mark,

I really believe Jazz and the Blues to be two seperate art forms. I also think Jazz has been around a bit longer than Blues music as we know it today. I do think Jazz and Blues music is the base from which all other American music is formed.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller I really believe Jazz and the Blues to be two seperate art forms. I also think Jazz has been around a bit longer than Blues music as we know it today. I do think Jazz and Blues music is the base from which all other American music is formed.

I think it's difficult to say Jazz came from the Blues, but I think it's difficult to say all American music came from either. Where does the relatively new termed "American Roots" or "American Music" fit in? Its grouping of divergent styles that intersected with the creation of what we now call Blues, Folk, Country, Western, Cajun, etc. The Smithsonian recordings edited by Harry Smith and the Lomax field recordings all explore this music that's somewhat difficult to separate at early stages and sometimes were most separate before merging. As the Blues link to Africa, Mountain Music (to become most famously Bluegrass) does to Ireland. Cajun/Creole was an intersection of French/Canadian/African/West Indies, etc. I really don't know this history very well, but the intersections have me very interested to learn more. As "proper" white European music was given too much credit in the past for early American music, I just want to make sure we don't do the reverse with the Blues obvious overriding importance to Rock.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller I do think Jazz and Blues music is the base from which all other American music is formed.

Well, not Folk music, that's based on Celtic traditional music and was around the US long before the 1900's and American classical, which is based on, well Classical

Country music and Rock were both based on the Blues, The Banjo is a African instrument (you saw the original version on the show, which is where we get our smaller one from), the Guitar (as we know it today) is is not, as it was created in Europe in Spain. The first solid body electric guitar was designed by musician and inventor Les Paul in 1941.

The African musician on the show was playing Spanish music with French lyrics! So that might have been a bit misleading for those not in the know.

 

[Tuberoller]

This is a cool discussion...... I want to do a bit more hard research before I post again. I am going to the library at U of C later to drop off some records I'm lending them and I'll talk to the two music historians I deal with frequently. I'll also dive into the stacks there when I get some more time.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Where does the relatively new termed "American Roots" or "American Music" fit in? Its grouping of divergent styles that intersected with the creation of what we now call Blues, Folk, Country, Western, Cajun, etc.

Country wasn't just based on the Blues, but also Jug bands and Celtic traditional music using the Hawaiian steel guitar.

Learn all about Steel Guitars here : http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html

 

[markl]

Hmmmm.... wasn't the whole point of show #1 to show how slaves brought the blues back with them to America? Certainly Jazz, like the Blues is black music, and we know that the Blues preceded Jazz, so isn't it logical that Jazz grew out of the Blues?

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl Hmmmm.... wasn't the whole point of show #1 to show how slaves brought the blues back with them to America? Certainly Jazz, like the Blues is black music, and we know that the Blues preceded Jazz, so isn't it logical that Jazz grew out of the Blues?

No, they don't sound anything alike, so what would give you that idea? Jazz came from cakewalk and ragtime music, both of which were created by African Americans in the 1800's.