Mississippi Medicine Show

Hi there....
November came and went so fast that I didn't have a moment to catch y'all up on what's goin' on in my music life. The summary...two sold out shows, great audience (minus the out of control fan ...aka...the toe licking stripper) and the catfish...yummy! Great nights of music and a wonderful way to share the adventure. Right after that I hopped the train to Winnipeg and back to do some pre-production work with don benedictson and Christian Dugas. It is very exciting to be moving in the direction of the new disc. We've got a solid start with the demos and the grant writing will begin tomorrow. Yeehaa! Bring on the funds.

I'm in a holding pattern right now with festival applications and such. I was very fortunate on my tour down south as I'll be playing a bigger festival this coming summer. Can't say which one just yet but I'm really, really pleased.

Solstice and Christmas are creeping up so quickly. It'll be good to be moving into days with more light after December 22nd. One of my favorite days of the year is...boxing day. No, not for the sale, for the quiet and reduction in consumerism.

On that uplifting note...ha ha...I'll wish you all the best of the season and catch up with you again in 2009.

Thanks for a great year! xo Kat

MJB & Me

I had the immense privaledge of recording my song (Notes from) The Other Side with national roots musician, Michael Jerome Browne. We recorded it in the Twilight Lounge with sound engineer Ian who managed to get a sound that was incredible! The producers, Graham Guest and Grant Stovel, were simply outstanding to work with. I couldn't even imagine a more calm, centered and caring environment. I think it will definitely reflect in the finished project!

One of the great blessings music has bestowed on my life is working with like minded, sensitive men!

xo kd

MGAM Inc. & Busted Flat Records

Hello Fellow Music Lovers...
What a week...what a week this has been!!! I am very pleased to announce that I have signed an exclusive international artist management agreement with Toronto based MGAM Inc. With clear minded and inspiring Marilyn Gilbert at the helm I fully expect to be putting into place even more foundational career building blocks. It is wonderful to have the support of a professional of this caliber in the business. I feel very blessed and look forward to a long and productive working relationship.

Busted Flat Records from Kitchener/Waterloo, an indie label, has come on board to support and distribute my next recording which I'm temporarily naming 'the mississippi project'. Mark Logan and the gang have been super positive and wonderful to work with. Just the energy I need to welcome my new 'baby cd' into the world. Ha ha.

And, to complete the trifecta...funding has come through to complete my pre-production with my producer, don benedictson, and our kickass percussionist, Christian Dugas (The Duhks). In mid November I'll ride the rails to Winnipeg for the first in a year long process of recording this disc.

Over and Out...Kat

Pilot Design & Website Update

I am lucky to have Pilot Design working hard for me on my website. I am making some changes to specific aspects and you will note a new button called "Musings" in the coming weeks. It will provide some interesting links and information that should intrigue roots and blues lovers. Although the overall design will remain the parchment and old radio, there will be many updated photos and access to this blog. Already this blog has received over 13,000 hits so I'm pretty excited to think that there will be access to my website as well.

Very cool thing happened this week...I received an email from Blues DJ Charly from Florida. We met in Clarksdale at the Juke Joint Festival and he emailed from out of the blue. That lead me to reconnect with the fine folks in my Clarksdale family and has renewed my integration and passion for this experience. It won't be long and I'll be back in Mississippi...I just know it in my bones!

If you get a chance check out www.ratpackstlouis.com and see some photos of me with a big laugh and some playing at the Riverside Motel with Frank Ratliff.

Keep on keepin' on my brothers & sisters in the Blues...Kat

Centre for Ethnomusicology & Folkways Alive!

Dear Friends,

The last week has been absolutely amazing for me and my musical evolution! At the encouragement of my dear friends Russ Baker and John Newton I have made contact with and am being supported by a team of wonderful people at the University of Alberta's Center for Ethnomusicology and Folkways Alive! There is alot of space for my artistic expression and I find myself deeply stimulated by the conversation. I've resisted academic pursuits in the past because I could not see the point in furthering my education..until now. Resistance is futile as I have a huge YES in my mind's eye about this connection. This is very, very needed and a major boost to my career.

The gifts of the Mississippi Delta and blues music continue to be abundant in my writing and overall creative process. It is too early to go into specifics but I will say that the November concerts are just the beginning of grounding my Southern USA trip into the Alberta musical landscape. The most exciting piece is the amateur documentary which will provide alot of information about how to pursue a full length documentary. I don't think it's too early to say but I want you all to know that in the midst of this fellow blues woman Ndidi Onukwulu and I will be working together for part the larger documentary. I admire her artistic work and am thrilled that this connection has been made. I can't say more right now but will as time moves forward.

I hope you can take time and join me in November. If you cannot please check in with this blog from time to time and keep in touch! It means alot to me that you are reading.

Happy Fall Season!
Hugs, Kat

Evangeline & Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

Hi again friends...it is great to be back blogging once again.  I sure appreciate you checkin' in with this ongoing process I'm in.  

Nova Scotia was more than I had imagined it would be.  The people are second to none (as my mom would say), the scenery and the musical vibe was outstanding!  I had an terrific time at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival (first three photos) and really want to thank all the volunteers and organizers.  The blessings on my music were abundant in Lunenburg and there were too many moments of gratitude to even measure.  What I will say is that on the Wharf Stage on a sunny Saturday afternoon playing music across from the Bluenose II all I could think of was "I can't wait to tell everyone back home about this experience".  Who knew 9 years ago that music would become such a joy in my life.  

If' you've been following along in this blog you'll know that I was introduced to Evangeline in Lafayette, Louisiana this past Spring and she has continued to be quite a source of inspiration as I learn about the story of the Nova Scotian Acadian people.  As luck would have it I ended up playing a gig in Wolfville, Nova Scotia which happened to be along the 'Evangeline Trail' and the National Historical Site of Grand Pre which is where the Acadian deportation of the 1700's occurred.  Amazing!!  That thread continues to lead me in interesting directions.  If you get a chance to read Longfellow's prose poem, Evangeline, it is worth it.  

No matter where I go during this time of artistic development in my life...my Southern USA adventure continues to unfold.  

I've included some photos of funnin' and playin' in Lunenburg as well as a photo of the statue of Evangeline in Grand Pre.  Enjoy!

Hugs,

Kat

418 to Clarksdale

 

Part One

418 to Clarksdale

By Kat Danser

For years I’ve literally dreamed the Mississippi Delta culture…the land, the people, the food and, of course, the music.  Until I was 30 years old though I didn’t realize that my dream life was issuing a strong call.  It wasn’t until hearing Bessie Smith sing “T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness” by coincidence (if you believe in coincidence) on a Columbia House give away entitled Roots ‘n Blues Sampler that my connection to blues music was born.

As we blues lovers know the well is deep and rich.  A veritable feast at every sip.  I realized that I could not just take a sip from the well so I dove in headfirst and I haven’t surfaced yet.  As my music career developed so, too, did my wish to take a trip to my personal Mecca…the Mississippi Delta.  And I began to dream again of taking a train…the 418…down south to Clarksdale.  (Not only was that the train number but it was also the exact time I woke up in the middle of the night for the first three months of 2008.)   After some research I learned that the Canadian National Railway system runs coast to coast in Canada and also runs south from Winnipeg along lines that follow the Mississippi River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  On March 31, 2008, I left my home in Edmonton, Alberta and headed for my hometown of Waldron, Saskatchewan…ground zero for the journey. 

In 1967 I was born and raised near the hamlet of Waldron on a mixed farm.  Our family home was converted from a two-room granary built on top of an old vehicle landfill site.  (It was a common occurrence to hoe potatoes in one of our three gardens and pull up an old chrome mirror, door handle or piece of windshield glass.)  My father, a CNR engineer, and my mother, a schoolteacher, worked hard to earn $80 a week and we mostly lived off the land.  The relationship we held with the land was equal with our relationship to the rails.  Only a few hundred feet from our home, I recall feeling the tracks rumble and hearing the iron on iron roar.  Many times throughout the day the whistle blew announcing it’s arrival and we were always super careful at the crossings.  The sheer locomotive energy made me want to jump aboard and ride the boxcar to wherever it was headed…freedom!  Instead, I left pennies to flatten reminding me of my desire.

However, on this trip my desire to travel would be met.  This time I held onto my pennies and in the sun’s first light I watched as the train floated by issuing a couple extra whistle blows for my early morning efforts.  Then I followed the highways along the CN lines to Winnipeg and continued to follow them as they diverge south meeting up with and eventually following the Mississippi River into Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

There are many names for the Mississippi River – the Great River - the Big Muddy – Miza’zippa – but to me the only nickname I could create that would reflect my initial meeting was ‘trickle creek’.  Following the roads and rails I met this legendary river at her headwaters of Lake Itasca, Minnesota.  Melting snow on her banks and Canadian Geese gliding on the water introduced me to a river that looked like a small Alberta creek.  But by the time I crossed this river again in Memphis, Tennessee she was flooded and two miles across.  Quite a contrast.

I arrived in Memphis on the marking of the 40^th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The National Civil Rights Museum built on the site of this visionary’s tragic death, the Lorraine Motel, is very moving and informative.  A must see for anyone and especially for blues musicians and fans who long to understand African American history from slavery through the civil rights movement and into present day.  It is here that, in my opinion, a true understanding of blues music is held. 

The historic downtown of Memphis is host to the famous Beale Street.  Thanks to the commitment of BB King and many others the neon signs light the way to live electric blues, beer, ribs and peach cobbler.  Some criticize the street for being “too touristy” but my thought was “thank goodness for these efforts or the history would be completely lost.  Bringin’ folks to the blues one tourist at a time can’t be nothin’ but good for the survival of blues music”.  Regardless of which side of the fence one’s opinions lie, blues music is alive and thriving on Beale Street alongside statues of WC Handy and, much beloved, Rufus Thomas.

 Other than the Civil Rights Museum my most meaningful moments musically were centered at Stax Records in a very poor area of West Memphis.  When you think Stax it’s impossible not to whisper the names of some of the all time greats: The Staples Singers, Rufus Thomas, Al Green, Otis Redding and on and on.  I felt like I’d found a piece of my musical longing in the blues funk of the 1960’s.  It all sounded energetic and brand new being in the studio where it all happened.  Incredible!

Legend has it that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis and ends in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  As I would discover through reading, listening and talking with locals, this too is in question.  Anthropologists indicate that the official Delta begins in Tunica, Mississippi.  I am joined by many music lovers who contented that perhaps  “The Delta” is more that the actual geography and is also about the energy of art through music.  But hey, this is the blues after all…one-quarter truth mixed with three quarters storytelling.  However one wants to view it, I entered the Delta from the lobby of the Peabody destination Clarksdale on Highway 61 alongside the Mississippi River and the CN Line.  

It is quite the deal to realize a dream and driving into the Delta was awe-inspiring.  The blistering, dry heat on flat alluvial soil exuded the traditional Delta blues energy.  Memphis Minnie, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patton, Tommy Johnson, Skip James, Howlin’ Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Othar Turner, Robert Johnson, Louise Johnson…all ridin’ the 418 into Clarksdale. 

I was feeling very romantic as I drove into Clarksdale, that is, until the State Patrol pulled me over and I thought “oh great…my moment is ruined”.  They searched my vehicle inside and out with all the charm of a rock and I learned at the end of it that they were looking for an escaped convict from close by Parchman Farm.  I realized immediately that indeed my own blues story was getting richer by the second with this ‘real time’ story about escaped murderers.  We songwriters are always on the look out for good material and this was already turning into a great store.  A sign of many amazing experiences to come.  

[Stay tuned for Part 2:  Turtle Crossings & Frog Leg Wipers.]

 

Long Time Kat Check In

Hi everyone.  I've been off this blog for awhile but I'm back.  In between touring and writing I have been swamped.  And, most importantly, I welcomed my new niece into the world.  Her name is Olivia May Lewis born May 30, 2008.  She is precious beyond belief.  What an absolute miracle babies are!!  

In the meantime I wrote the first of three articles for the Ottawa Blues Society (thanks Liz) and I have posted it above.  On November 7 and 8, 2008 in Edmonton, AB. I will be doing a multimedia presentation on my pilgrimage including songs written while on that trip.  Check out my website for the details (www.KatDanser.com).

I hope you enjoy part one of a three part series from yours truly.  

Keep on keepin' on all!  I'm off to Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival...home of the Blue Nose.

Kat

WC Handy Awards

I've given my camera a break from the grind of the last 7 weeks...okay, maybe I've given myself a break too.  Tonite I'm in Nebraska reviewing the events of the WC Handy Awards (International Blues Awards) in Tunica, MS on May 8, 2008.  One thing is for sure...awards shows are reeeeaaaalllllllyyyyyyy boring and this was no exception.  

The lineup was amazing but after 4 hours and only a third way through I let go of my need to stay to the end.  Instead I waited until the performers I really wanted to see where completed.  Here are my top 10 best loved things about the WC Handy's:

10.  Having a scotch with Gaye Adegbalola (Saffire:  The Uppity Blues Women) in the hotel lounge after sharing our admiration for the music of Ma Rainey.

9.  Joking around with a great guy in the shuttle en route to the award show and finding out that it was nominee Jackie Payne.  We were quite impressed that we've both played the stage at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton.

8.  Patio coincidental meeting with Edmonton Labatt's Blues Festival captains Cam Hayden and his lovely partner.  Great way to ground my blues community in Edmonton!

7.  Writing and recording three new songs in the hotel room waiting for it all to get underway.

6.  Great food!

5.  Watching the show of my new buddy, Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes.

4.  The lap slide prowess of Mary Flower.  (Holy shit can that woman play!)

3.  Shakin', rollin', heavin' bosom of killer blues woman, Diunna Greenleaf.

2.  Queen of the Blues - Koko Taylor won big.

1.  Being there as the crowd saw Ruthie Foster for the first time (they didn't seems to know her music) and standing with the crowd in standing ovation after she finished Son House's 'Grinnin' In Your Face' a capella!  Her destiny is written to be one of the greatest... of that there is NO doubt.

Freezin' in Nebraska (it's Oc right now, storming and my southern tan is fading fast),

KD xoxo

Bubba & Robert Plant @ the Blues Corner

Immersion is a strange experience.  It's not like I knew when exactly I was immersed in the Mississippi culture but that didn't change the fact that I did allow myself to immerse.  It was a feeling of belonging and understanding...an energy rather than a moment I guess.  At some point I felt myself let go of concerns and agendas.  

So, on May 7, 2008, when I met, sat with and talked with owner of Bubba's Blues Corner in Helena, Arkansas and Robert Plant (yes, Led Zepplin Robert Plant) it really wasn't a big deal.  The three of us sat around debating the age old issue of who owns blues music and how do royalties for the early music get paid.  I was surprised at the opinions and knowledge I held about these issues and the historical aspects of the blues.  Integration had occurred without me even really knowing it.  And, when my sweetie asked if I took a photo of Bubba, Robert Plant and me, I could only say that "it never even crossed my mind" because it didn't.  We exchanged information and carried on with blues discussions.  When that was over I moved on to the next Delta experience.  Funny thing...I don't even wish I had the photo.  It's held in my heart and in my mind for me to enjoy and share with blues lovers back home.

Heck, I didn't even ask Robert why he's the hold out for the Led Zepplin reunion tour - ha ha.  I already know the answer to that question anyway...

Kat

KFFA Radio-- Show 15, 643

I am so happy I went to Helena, Arkansas on May 7, 2008!  Stumbled upon many interesting people and made it my mission to do as Honeyboy said "listen more than you talk".  Good advice.  I did just that in Helena and met Sonny Payne (announcer pictured above) who has been host of KFFA "King Biscuit Time" , a blues program, for much of his 80+ years.  In fact, he was doing a live show when I wandered in off the street and there he was interviewing Rhonda Rogers who was an absolutely fantastic blues woman from North Carolina.  Pipes on that chick or what?  Anyhow, it was Sonny's 15,643rd show and he has seen more than a book full of blues events.  KFFA is an historic radio program that broadcast 'black' blues music in the 1930's when that was completely unheard of.  King Biscuit Flour sponsored the program and their musical hosts were Sonny Boy Williamson II and Robert Lockwood Jr. (stepson of Robert Johnson).  I even signed the walls where all the blues musicians that have passed through the studio in its current location have signed.  It was such a blast!  

15,700th show maybe an on air interview with Kat Danser??  Never know...;-)

Kat

Sweet Goodbyes in Clarksdale

Well folks...my Mississippi time clock is ticking and I say goodbye to Clarksdale tomorrow.  I've gone and returned now three times throughout this pilgrimage and every time I come to this blues zone I can hear the heartbeat of the blues and feel the weight of poverty everywhere I look.  The people of Clarksdale are like Waldron...salt of the earth folks but if you don't smoke or drink alcohol it'd be pretty hard to fit in.  Turns out I've smoked my share of cigars and drank my share of scotch on this trip so it has illicited a relaxed vibe in me.  I like that...being on Clarksdale time...but I just couldn't live here for any length.  The more you know the town the MORE you KNOW the town if you know what I mean.

The top photo is of the Delta Blues Museum, a cool place run by a great woman, Shelley Ritter, who helped me write the Alberta Creative Development Initiative proposal.  It is essentially Muddy Waters driven as his is the Godfather of the Blues and a local hero.  They actually have his log house inside the museum all preserved and such.  It's worth the trip just for that.  

The next two photos are of Morgan Freeman's juke called Ground Zero.  You may have seen some inside photos on the Watermelon Slim photos.  Anyhow, Mo'n Free'an, as it's said in Clarkdale accent, is a local hero and really why shouldn't he be.  He has done a great deal to help this community and to help in preserving the blues heartland.  His efforts are likely paving the way for increased tourism which will really help the Clarksdale economy.  Inside this juke are literally thousands of signatures from patrons all over the world.  It has become Mecca for blues fans and tours are being arranged from New Orleans and Memphis to highlight the attributes of this community as well as forward the importance of blues music.

Then there's true blue authentic Red's Juke.  I played in this juke a couple weeks back.  It is everything you'd imagine an urban juke to be...dim lighting, bbq smoked, red lights hanging off plastic covered insulation and bring your own hard liquor.  Prior to leaving on this trip I read a book on 'Black-White' relations to understand my role in being a good communicator within the Black American communities.  One of the great things I learned was how the word 'rap' is a phrase that describes 'talkin' to you with a sense of humor'.  There are all different kinds of ways to rap but they are usually filled with one liners.  Men usually try their 'rap' consistently with women and I had prepared some one liners to respond as it is considered insulting to be silent and walk by.  It is actually a sign of disrespect.  Anyhow, I practiced in front of the mirror before I left just in case I needed to be quick on my feet.  Well, Red, the owner, rapped on me the afternoon before I played his juke.  It went like this...

Sunflower Avenue, I'm walkin' the north side of the avenue trying not to get noticed and there are three buddies smokin' up some pork on the BBQ outside Red's.  I knew right away that one of them would rap on me to try to impress their buddies.  

Red yells across the street:

"Hey Mama why don't you come over here I'm a player and I need to practice?"

Kat stops and looks.

Red says again:

"Come on baaaabbbbyyy...don't disrespect me...I'm a player and I need to do some practice"

Kat then says with ease and humor:

"Baby, if you a player you must have the lose in es game in town!"

Red throws his hands up in the air and his buddies are killing themselves laughing because Red's just been out rapped.

And, you know, I came into his gig about 10 hours later and even though we hadn't met (he'd just seen me across the avenue) and he was totally hammered...he opened his eyes to full on slits and said "hey baby, you dat woman from this afternoon" then he nodded and went back to snooze mode.

Oh yeah baby!

Kat

Farish Street Marriage Advice

One thing about the Delta is that there is always the possibility of humor lurking around any corner.  It was 1pm but Farish Street, the Jackson musical/historical equivalent of Beale Street in Memphis, was abandoned...that is, until I got out of my car.  I'm not sure if the street criminals have each other on speed text messaging or what but out of nowhere I found myself feeling very vulnerable to being robbed, beaten or whatever the will of the group of men I found myself confronted by.  I didn't let on any fear and just stayed focus on what I was there to do but that was tough let me tell you.  In the end I got hit up for two bits and said 'no' which is even more amazing for me.  But I digress...I turned the corner after being on Farish feeling a little more than afraid of what might have been when I came across this sign.  It was a relief to know that "Healthy Marriage Mississippi" shared the sole secret of a lasting marriage ...to keep my partner warm.  Phew!  Here I thought it had something to do with love and respect but turns out as long as my feet aren't cold I'm good to go.  Now I can sleep at night...ha ha.

Anyhow, Farish Street was the home of Trumpet Records owned by a woman named Lillian 

McMurray.  I was interested in her work because I had reviewed her boxes of business records at the Blues Archives in Oxford to learn that she was an outstanding advocate for recorded blues musicians (ie: Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin' Wolf, Sam Myers, etc.) royalties and also for raising money for many of the beautiful gravestones you've seen throughout the blog.  Thankfully the City of Jackson has declared this area an historical site with intentions to turn it into a Beale Street like atmosphere but that plan has been on hold for the past 10 years.  Most musicians around here agree that it's too late to renovate and turn it into something sweet as the crime is out of control in the area and the buildings are beyond decay (and most are) but I could see how this street has the potential to be much like Beale.  

The King Edward Hotel is a monstrous historical building that is being renovated into a hotel again.  The goal seems to be to turn it into the Peabody Hotel, Memphis equivalent which will be very cool for this city.  This building's musical history is that in December 1930 OKeh Records rented the top two floors shown here and recorded the first recordings of the Mississippi Sheiks.  

FYI Alert:  Steve Dawson from Black Hen Music out of Vancouver will be releasing his Mississippi Sheiks album in the Fall 2008.  Check it out it'll be a good another killer album from this young innovator.

Peace out...

Kat

Pure Juke & Duck

On whim and intuition I pulled into the small village of Bentonia, Mississippi (ben-TONE-ya). 

Being a little hungry and a whole lot thirsty I stopped at the Blue Front Cafe.  A lone man sat on the stoop eatin' a pickled egg and I awkwardly introduced myself and asked if he was the owner.   He nodded that indeed he was and said his name is Jimmie.  After sizing me up for a few minutes he quietly motioned to go inside to take a look around.

Well, the Blue Front Cafe was anything but a cafe... it was pure juke joint!  Let me say that if the blues was rain this place is flooded.  It is 60 years old and has been lived in by the likes of Skip James, Jack Owens and Bud Spires with Skip James receiving the most notoriety for his 'uniqueness' playing in minor cross note tunings.  As it turns out Skip James may not have been the originator of the Bentonia Blues style but it was more likely to have been a local hero Jack Owens who taught Skip James.  Adding to the stories told by owner Jimmie there was no mistaking the authenticity of this juke from the mismatch kitchen chairs and tables to the beat up acoustic guitar, to the pink pickled eggs,  Peavey amp and the strong smell of BBQ smoke. 

Cautious Jimmie brought me a Corona and invited me to sit on the front porch with him.  He was curious about where I was from and "now, what rrrr ya doin' so fer from home girl?"  After he got finished with shaking his head about my answer we got down to it...music.  Once we were united by country blues he proceeded to grab his beat up Epiphone acoustic and rusted strings.  He told me he has no idea what tuning that "I jus' wait 'til sounds gooood then I knows I'm in da rot tune.  Peoples say I'm jus' inna mine-a but I done know.  I done read music I jus' listen."  I watched as his stubbed finger tips and dirty nails (yeah, kind of a hobby of mine lookin' at peoples finger nails -- weird eh?)  move the tuning up and down by a whole step, half steps while I got lost.  Jimmie was right, when it sounded good he put on an old steel capo and started to play.  

Well, as the story goes, beer drinkin' juke joint Danser with modest Jimmie the Owner, he plucked and pinched and flicked the strings for the most authentic blues sound I've ever heard live (sorry Honeyboy).  I nearly fell off my chair when he started to sing...deep holler style...and his pickin' he identified as Bentonia Blues.  Absolutely shocking!!!  Other than the legends I had no idea anyone was carrying on the country blues.  

I sang and tapped and that seemed to encourage him to continue but when it was done, it was done.  No fan fare.  Careful not to close him off with my assertive communication style he began to offer story after story about Skip James, Bud Spires and Jack Owens.  At some point he says that he's travelling to Tunica on the 8th 'cuz he'll play a little bit there.  I clued in that he might be playing a juke there so upon further inquiry he indicates that he will be performing at the Grand Casino "for some blues award or something".  Then he asked in such a real and authentic way when I showed my surprise and awe.."is that somethin' impordant?" I let him know that indeed it is.  It is the grand blues show.  Turns out he'll be opening the International Blues Awards and has been nominated in the Traditional Blues Category.  

Blue Front Cafe Jimmie is Jimmie "Duck" Holmes and this guy without a doubt WILL be the next legend.  He is so authentic that it feels like walking back to 1930.  There is no describing just how amazing he is playing these Bentonia Blues.  He has some support to record from a guy in St. Louis who runs Broke & Hungry Records.  And I felt like I'd discovered a mountain of gold!  

We were both getting more than excited to share our experiences and love of country blues.  As if the baptism couldn't get any more pure, just as Jimmie finishes giving me a tshirt from a box in the shed, I kid you not, no...seriously...a train whistle blows right outside the door and as it rushes past the engine is painted black with red and the HUGE letters CN on the side!!!

My mind was a juke party...moonshine, BBQ and fireworks!  I hooted and hollared as that freight roared by just like I did on April 1, 2008 in Waldron, Saskatchewan, Canada.  Holy shit!!!  He laughed for a long time about my reaction as I showed him the photos of my birthplace, the CN engine rolling along the tracks there and how our home was as close to the tracks as this juke.  

'Sippi Slow Down,

Kat

Belzoni, Mississippi & Area Photos

Legendary Pinetop Perkins

At 3am I was awakened by the sound of sirens indicating that the 'Thunderstorm Warning' had turned into a tornado.  It was fierce and seemingly unrelenting as it ripped through this little town of Kosciusko, Mississippi where I'd decided to anchor in an attempt to escape the storm sweeping southern Mississippi.  I got clothed, shoes on and then gripping my bag with all my identification in it I sat in the small prison bathroom of the Days Inn.  Shivering, shaking and wanting to call to loved ones but not wanting to panic anyone back home.  That hour and a half was very, very, very long.  But, at 5:30a I awoke in the bathtub, the tornado hadn't caused me damage but it sure left a path of destruction.  I was very lucky to be in a sturdy building that is relatively new.  I can't imagine the panic of people living literally in 'shacks' that would not even qualify as inhabitable back home.  This appears to be the case for a majority of housing options for African Americans throughout the Mississippi.  (I have logged many kilometers and talked with many people so I now feel comfortable having and expressing an opinion.)

Lucky for me the alarm went off and the sun had emerged for the Pinetop Perkins Official Blues Marker dedication today.  So there on highway 49 just outside Belzoni, MS, Pinetop's home town, is the marker you see at the top.  The Mississippi Blues Commission really should be congratulated for all the work they are doing to mark the important pieces of blues history.  I am grateful because even with a well researched guidebook it is very difficult to find pieces of blues history.  As one would expect with all the disrupted energy of the tornado there were unfortunate hit and misses throughout this dedication.  The marker is beautiful especially the photos and the dedication was heartfelt.  Pinetop's musical friends gathered to play with and celebrate him but the show was 2 hours delayed (and in the Mississippi heat that's a looooonnnnngggg time), the sound was absolutely horrible and his piano was terribly out of tune.  He played a song then refused to carry on due to these issues and what seemed like seriously deteriorating health.  At age 94, and that's a blues 94, it is to be expected.  It was no better for Bobby Rush but it wasn't the day that anyone had hoped for in order to show deep appreciation for this fabulous musician!  

There you have it...Pinetop Perkins living long enough to see his dedication marker unveiled.  One of a few.  He still has some serious chops on the keys and you can tell by his socks that he is livin' the life!  

Congratulations Pinetop!!

Kat Danser - there in '08.

Beautiful Day in Columbus

I had a chance to soak my hot feet in the crisp waters of the Chattahoochie River today.  It was just what I needed...to cool the jets and begin some integration of these experiences.  The Canadian geese are connecting me back to Canada throughout this trip.  I particularly love the sparkle stars on the water in the photo.  

Thanks for checkin' in,

Kat

Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues

Gertrude Pridgett "Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues" died at the age of 53 in 1939.  Ma was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia.  She was the first, the grande dame, a savvy business woman, "the boss of it all"(as Honeyboy Edwards relayed it to me) and most definitely a pioneer blues artist.  In 1902 it was Ma who introduced 'the blues' to as part of her travelling minstrel act although WC Handy is credited with this honor.  (He actually 'discovered' the blues in 1904 in Tutwiler, Mississippi.) Whatever the case, blues music was born from the time of slavery and prison work songs.  However, it was Ma who took the true experiences of the 'folk' and gave it back to them through 'the blues'.  By all accounts she was loved and admired by everyone and Honeyboy related that "when Ma played for you, you felt like the only one she was singin' too.  And could she sing the blues". 

At the age of 14 she joined her first minstrel troupe "The Blackberry Bunch" and spent the next 30 years of her life performing and making a major contribution to popular music.  She made 97 blues records for Paramount before 1928 and at least 47 were her own contributions.  Some of the musicians who worked with Ma included Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Tampa Red, Lovie Anderson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Thomas Dorsey.  She has been inducted into the following Halls of Fame:  Blues Foundation, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Georgia Music, Georgia Women of Achievement and the Grammy.  In addition, there has been a US postage stamp issue and the listing of her song See See Rider Blues at the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

The Ma Rainey Blues House & Museum was fought for by the people of Columbus, Georgia and funded by the City of Columbus: Friends of Ma Rainey.  I haven't posted the photos of the kind of shape this home was in but as you can tell from this photo of the finished product, it has been a job well done.  Indeed curator Fred Fussell has done a marvelous job of creating a place for people like me to find a piece of the magic in her old records, her piano (all the keys work by the way) and in the sparse memorabilia that remains of her musical life.

Columbus is an absolutely beautiful city with lush forest lining the Chatahoochie River.  The people are very welcoming and friendly much like the Mississippi.  One restaurant owner asked "ware ya frome?" and when I indicated that I was from Canada his response was "oh main, I sho do wish I leeved somewheres liberal leek Canada".  We had broad conversation about my experiences listening to both Neo (and I mean Neo) Conservative talk radio as well as PBS talk radio over the last couple days of travel.  He said "oooohhhh, ya done wanna do that naw.  Juice torn that oweff and have some tay".  I wholeheartedly agreed and on we went to other discussion over sweet tea.  

Ma Rules!!!

Ooot and Abooot eh?

K

Cajun Salve

In 1755 the Governor of Nova Scotia expelled approximately 10,000 Acadian's (say it fast and with a Francois accent and you'll hear "Cajun").  The French speaking Catholics of Nova Scotia refused to dedicate their political and religious allegiance to Protestant Britain.  The expulsion occurred quickly (the painting above) and many Acadian people died en route from Nova Scotia to the lands now known as Louisiana.  (Louisiana is the only state which divides itself by 'parrish'es not counties.  In fact, Lafayette is part of the parrish of Evangeline.)   

The poet Longfellow wrote a beautiful poem, Evangeline, about the journey of the Acadian people and the cultural values and principles that kept this  rich community of Cajuns alive to be enjoyed by me and countless others who visit here and take the time to understand an important part of Canadian history and the history of the Acadian people.     

Last December when I realized that I needed to make this journey I never realized at the time what magic was occurring in my life.  Shortly after making the financial commitment (prior to knowing about the grant monies) I received many new songs.  One of them, Passin' Time, was a beautiful gift to write.  Prior to writing this song I was not aware of the story of Evangeline, the first time I had the blues, my connection to Acadiana or the memories of waiting outside the bar for hours as a child while my father got drunk.

The lyrics are these:

First time I had the blues I was the age of nine

My father flipped me a nickel, flipped me a dime

Said "stay with the car child, I won't be a short while"

Passin' time

Chips with the nickel, cold pop with the dime

Got my very own jukebox I jus' spin the dial

Minutes to hours I go travellin' in my mind

Passin' time

Emmylou singin' 'bout Evangeline 

An' I hop on board that Mississippi Queen

Sweat rolls down my neck in the Delta heat

Blues was sent to save me

Folks stop and stare I tell 'em my father's gone blind

Truth is he done drank a tub of that Beausejour wine

I could...but I ain't gonna cry

Passin' time

This ol' Ford's my Mississippi Queen

I hold sorrows in my heart jus' like Evangeline

My mouth might but my eyes don't lie

Passin' time

The power of music in my life is a healer, a salve.  It is a way to begin to understand my childhood experiences in balance.  Passin' time is perhaps the most healing song I've ever written and reading Longfellow's poem Evangeline in the Acadian Village amidst antique images of my own story on the farm in Saskatchewan was spectacular!

I know that I've been really deep in this blog but I wanted you to know the importance of today.  Picture it in your mind...the film is rolling and the image is me looking in the mirror as a child.  Then from out of nowhere a stone is thrown against the mirror.  It cracks, fragments, splinters and some pieces fall off completely.  If you reverse these images...the film rewinds...then I am looking at myself in the mirror as a child, as an adult.  Complete, whole, beautiful and precious.  It feels as though I have turned back time so that I can now move forward into the life I was meant to live...this one!  Maybe this is why the Zydeco and Cajun traditions have so much joy in their music...because it healed them too...who knows?  C'est possible!

Bon nuit mes amis,

KD xo

Acadiana Beauty