When Alan posed the question "What are the blues? What do they mean to you?" the answers were in part something he sought for himself, to understand this musical form that may have been as ancient as the griots in West Africa, or perhaps as recent as the automobile, the airplane, and the phonograph (all of which made guest appearances in the blues). The blues had become a craze, like ragtime, which grew up alongside it, and it leaped from the bottom of the social order to the Astors and the Vanderbilts, who staged blues contests for their own amusement well before the rest of white America came to know them - from Alan Lomax, The Man Who Recorded the World, by John Szwed
That's a good find, Phil. Frank Hovington was one of those musicians who had a way of doing unexpected things with familiar material. I remember him going some places on "Railroad Bill" and "John Henry" that I never heard anyone else go. And thanks, uncle bud, for the good words! All best, Johnm
That's a good find, Phil. Frank Hovington was one of those musicians who had a way of doing unexpected things with familiar material. I remember him going some places on "Railroad Bill" and "John Henry" that I never heard anyone else go. And thanks, uncle bud, for the good words! All best, Johnm
I realise that this is not the place for such but out of interest between 2004 and 2007 Weenies embarked upon many and varied discussions of Frank Hovington and his music...notably Mr Lowry.
Nice job, Frank! Your time sounds so good and that pulse keeps thumping. You make cross-note sound more versatile than it does a lot of times, too. Singing strong as always. Cool! All best, Johnm
Nice take on the tune, Frank. So relaxed. I like the darker I chord vibe and the Crudupesque anti-V-chord. Agree with John, strong singing as well. I'd been thinking about going to crossnote on this, having felt a need to get in that tuning after listening to a bunch of Crudup on account of this thread. No need now!
Thanks, guys - I really admire both the Vortis and Crudup recordings, so tried (irritatingly obviously, I thought) to make a nod to both... Thanks for the compliments on the singing... I wish I had lived in the whole thing a bit more... Some of that is hard to scan the right way...