Hudson Valley Blues
by Bernard Greenwald

The blues are a uniquely Afro American invention, a by-product of the African diaspora which was a result of the slave trade. One of its sources is the traditional griot or African bard/performer, and part of its unique sound is based upon the overlapping of African and Western musical scales.

Slave owners tried to strip their captives of as much of their original cultural identities as possible but the blues did not depend on written texts or other physical artifacts and could be sung or played on very simple instruments. The blues eloquently expressed the pathos and despair of performers, but the blues could be jubilant and humorous as well; there is hardly an aspect of the human condition which has not been addressed by the genre. It is the basis of jazz, swing, rock and roll, hip hop and many other forms of popular music, and its influence on all American music is inestimable.

In the early 60s, when the Rolling Stones first came to the United States on tour, they were asked by members of the American press about their sources of inspiration. When they mentioned blues performers Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Ma Rainey, Sippy Wallace, Big Mama Thornton, Ida Cox and Bessie Smith, the reporters were nonplussed. The Stones were shocked that Americans did not recognize their own cultural treasures. The blues had been totally eclipsed by rock 'n roll. It was the Stones who insisted people like Muddy, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker be included on the bills in their concerts, jumpstarting the careers of artists who had in many cases been forced to turn to non musical work to sustain themselves. Blues elements found their way into the work of Janis Joplin, Paul Butterfield and many others. Sam Phillips, the discoverer of Elvis Presley, admitted that he had been looking for a white boy who could make black blues palatable to white audiences.

A vibrant blues subculture exists today in the Hudson Valley. Its practitioners derive their inspiration and form from the electrically amplified urban blues played in Chicago by people including Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Little Walter. There is a small nucleus of professionals in our valley, including Slam Allen, Pete Hop, Little Sammy Davis, Pat O'Shay and the El Dorado Kings, and the Upstart Blues AllStars, but there are many inspired amateurs as well—people with day jobs.

For many years there had been an open jam in Poughkeepsie at the Sidetrack Tavern, and later the Cactus Club. Also, Big Joe Fitz has broadcast blues every Sunday night on WDST, Woodstock. Every second Tuesday he hosts an open jam at Willow Creek Inn on Rt. 209 in Hurley, which draws many players, singers and folks who dance to their music. Joe plays sharp and sings and is a great source of knowledge and inspiration for enthusiasts and performers. And Kenneth Monro hosts "Nothin But the Blues" on WKZE on Satruday nights. Bob Jaeger is the organizer of a popular, lively open jam every Wednesday night at the Hyde Park Brewery. They will be presenting a 90th birthday celebration, at the Stissing House, in Pine Plains, for Pinetop Perkins, on Friday September 19th. Pinetop will perform with George Kirby Jr. and his band, the "Coolerators." Madeleine Peyroux will open the show. Bob plays bass with the Upstart Blues AllStars, and he and his wife Cathi are responsible for the booking of many blues artists visiting this area through their company, Upstart Blues Productions, in Milan.

The blues I've been describing are seldom learned in an academic setting. The lyrics and chord changes can be written out, but the music is played by ear—to learn to play one has to listen, acquire some facility on an instrument, and when ability and courage permit, begin to attend jams and play with others. There is a distinct pecking order: the first players, at the beginning of an evening, are usually the house band. They get paid and they play well. After their turn, aspiring and visiting artists are asked to the bandstand, perhaps in the order of their names on the sign-up sheet, or their experience and skill, or their seriousness as indicated by the frequency and faithfulness of attendance. The more casual players—newcomers, or those giving scant evidence of practice and preparation on their own—may be releg-ated to the shank of the evening, towards or after midnight, when most of the audience and players have left for home. People travel long distances to participate in jams.

A novice has to learn his instrument as well as the vocabulary of the blues—chord changes, licks, lyrics etc.—and become so proficient with these after years of repetition and listening that personal expression begins to emerge. However, some years ago when my sons were young teenagers and they made their debuts at a jam at Julia and Isabella's, they were greeted with great deference and support by the older musicians. Ben became a regular, and they always let him play early, because at thirteen he had school the next day.

Doug "Honey Lips" Baz, now one of the area's most accomplished players, bought an instruction book and a harmonica ten years ago on a whim. He was in a camping store and thought the harmonica was a simple enough instrument for him, a person without formal musical background, to learn on his own. He soon abandoned instruction materials altogether in favor of playing by ear. He found that the process awakened a new non-verbal, non-visual part of his brain and it was exhilarating to experience its (often slow) development day by day. Little by little the music started to make sense. He attended jams faithfully, listened, watched, made friends, sought advice; it took six months to summon the courage to actually play. At that time there were few other harmonica players in the area to learn from. Chris Oleary, of Pat O'Shay and the El Dorado Kings, became a mentor.

The harmonica is sometimes called the Mississippi Saxophone because early amplified players were much influenced by big band horn players of the 30s and 40s. Muddy Waters said the harmonica was the mother of the band, and after Little Walter developed his amplified style, every blues band had to have one. Doug says what he thought was a simple endeavor has become richer and more deep as he continues to play.

Today, live blues playing hangs on by its teeth—it is financially unrewarding. Drop in on one of the jams—there's no cover or minimum, and you will probably hear some inspired playing.