MYRTLE BLUES HERITAGE SERIES: Skip James (1902-1969)

In this, the 2nd event, that I think we can christen as the MYRTLE BLUES HERITAGE series, we focus on Skip James (1902-1969). James’s music is haunting, mystical, and otherworldly. His use of minor tunings and a falsetto voice, accompanying narratives of hard times, sickness and the devil, exist in perfect synchroneity. The sound and the story are one. He was equally adept at guitar and piano. His piano in 22-20 blues defies categorization. It’s not stride or ragtime, yet extremely spatial and rhythmically driven. James is an absolute giant of an artist, who spent much of his life in obscurity. After he recorded for Paramount in the early 30’s, the depression hit. He wasn’t heard from again until the mid-sixties when he was ‘rediscovered’ along with other great blues artists in what was called the ‘blues revival’. In 1964 he played the Newport Folk Festival, along with a stellar list of other blues musicians. It remains an extremely humbling act playing versions of music written by the early blues giants. Out of a world of unfathomable pain and hardship they birthed an art form that spoke to anguish, joy, love, danger, evil, tragedy and humor. In the spirit of honoring Skip James we present an afternoon of performances by Ryan Lee Crosby, The Phibbs, Isaiah Johnson Bey, Steve Delmonico, Tai Funmilayo Awolaju, Steve Donovan, and Mark Milloff.

You may also like the following events from Myrtle Rhode Island :

• This Tuesday, 13th May, 07:30 pm, PROBLEMS (CHI) / ORION / WOW, OKAY, COOL in East Providence
• This Wednesday, 14th May, 08:00 pm, Polly Bessette / Princess June / Poppy In The Beet Patch in East Providence
• This Saturday, 17th May, 02:00 pm, Rumford Junction / Sinner's Pie in East Providence

Also check out other Music events in East Providence, Entertainment events in East Providence, Arts events in East Providence.