Blues
Week 2010
Sunday 1st - Friday 6th August
University of Northampton
United Kingdom
Our 11th Year!
Blues Week 2010
provides an opportunity for blues enthusiasts to come together for a
full week of music making. It is a chance to broaden your
skills and knowledge in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. The
programme will offer morning and afternoon workshops and classes for
all levels. The beginners class is for those who have little
or no knowledge of their instrument. The intermediate and
advanced classes are for those who already play to varying degrees
of proficiency and are ready to learn new tunes, techniques and
styles. The evening activities throughout the week will
consist of a concert by the staff members, a student concert and
nightly jam sessions. In addition, there will be special
presentations
for the entire group.
The Classes
Classes will begin
on Monday morning and run through Friday afternoon. There will
be 2 sessions in the morning beginning at 9:30 and lasting until
10:45 and the second class will start at 11 o'clock and end at
12:15. In the afternoon, the first class will start at 2:15
and end at 3:30. The second afternoon class will commence at
3:45 and end at 5:00. All classes and workshops during the
week will last for one hour and fifteen minutes.
The Staff
JOHN
MILLER, Guitar
John Miller was inspired to take up
the Country Blues guitar after seeing Mississippi John Hurt at the
1963 Philadelphia Folk Festival. He taught himself to play
guitar by listening to records and recorded his first album in 1973.
John has released 6 instructional videos on the music of Furry
Lewis, Bo Carter, Robert Wilkins, Elizabeth Cotton and John Hurt
(Volumes 1 & 2). John recently released ‘This Old Hammer’, his
first solo country blues recording since the early 1970s.
This year, John will teach 3
classes: Country Blues Repertoire, where he will teach classics by
well-known and obscure musicians by ear; Country Blues Musicianship,
a class to help students develop the skills to learn by ear, create
original arrangements and expand your chord vocabulary and
accompaniment skills; and Intro to Country Blues Guitar, which is
designed for guitarists new to finger-picking blues.
KENNY SULTAN, Guitar
From Santa Barbara, CA., Kenny Sultan
has been teaching guitar for over 25 years. Along with his partner,
Tom Ball, he has released 8 CDs, and more recently 2 solo CDs of his
own work. In 2007, The Martin Guitar Company honoured him with
his own signature model based on his trusty 1936 sunburst Martin
000-18.
Kenny's class will focus on finger
style blues from the monotone bass of Lightnin' Hopkins and other
Texas and Mississippi bluesmen, to the alternating thumb of Blind
Blake, Blind Boy Fuller and John Hurt. He will also teach his
own arrangements which are a melting pot of all these styles.
Basic theory, ear training, rhythm tricks, and comping will also be
covered.
RICH DELGROSSO, Guitar
Rich DelGrosso, from Houston Texas, has been a writer/editor for
‘Blues Revue’ magazine since the very first issue in 1991. His
guitar music column, ‘Take It On Home’, has been a regular feature
for 16 years. His latest book for Hal Leonard, ‘Blues Guitar Lesson
Anthology’, is a compilation of his favourite lessons and columns
from Blues Revue.
He also
published three instruction books on mandolin, his latest, ‘Mandolin
Blues: From Memphis to Maxwell Street’ explores the role of the
mandolin in the blues.
For Blues Week,
Rich will
conduct two advanced and one beginner slide guitar class. His
classes will cover open and standard tunings
from the music of Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Tampa Red,
Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk and more. Lessons will be written in
standard and TAB notation.
RICK FRANKLIN,
Guitar
Rick Franklin from Washington, D.C., has been playing and singing
the blues at local and international festivals and community events,
as well as various clubs and cafes, both in and around the DC area
since 1981. In addition to solo performances, Rick also performs
1920s and 1930s blues and ragtime in the Memphis and St. Louis
guitar-duet style with the popular acoustic blues trio Franklin,
Harpe, and Usilton.
Rick will teach beginning to
intermediate chord progressions, rhythm, and playing alternating
bass patterns in country blues guitar techniques.
MICHAEL ROACH, Guitar and Vocals
Michael Roach
has years of experience organising concerts, directing festivals and
conducting workshops. He is firmly established in traditional blues
music circles. This year, Michael returned to his roots with the
release of the all-acoustic ‘Innocent Child’, his 6th
album, to rave reviews. He also has an instructional DVD (An
introduction to Country Blues Guitar). In 2007, Michael released
the highly acclaimed album ‘I Betcha!’ and he is now known as a
vocalist and leader of his own eight-piece soul/rhythm & blues
band.
For beginners and intermediate guitarists, Michael will teach
students the basic skills to play country blues guitar. He will
focus on rhythm, chords and how to pick out melodies using
alternating bass patterns. Michael will also conduct a vocal class
demonstrating techniques such as breathing and phrasing to help
singers find their true voice. Tim Richards will assist him on
keyboards. Be prepared to sing.
MICHAEL MESSER, Slide Guitar
Michael Messer
is a slide guitar master. His obsessive appetite for knowledge of
the art is virtually unequalled. Michael recently released the
internationally acclaimed ‘Introduction to Blues Slide Guitar’
instructional DVD to rave reviews. His most recent CD, ‘Lucky
Charms’ is described as contemporary,
accessible and wholly unique. In 2008 Michael launched his own very
successful range of resonator guitars. The Michael Messer
‘BLUES’ and ‘LIGHTNING’ resonator guitars have set a new benchmark
for affordable professional guitars. This year Michael has appeared
in his own episode of the new BBC TV children's show, 'Zingzillas',
demonstrating the art of acoustic blues slide guitar.
For Blues Week, Michael will conduct an intermediate to advanced
‘master class’ on bottleneck guitar styles covering all aspects of
playing.
HOMESICK MAC, Slide Guitar
Homesick Mac has been playing the guitar since the age of 15. His
love for blues began when he heard the music of Sonny Terry and
Brownie McGhee. From 1983 to 1991, Mac was the founding member of
'The Blues Trio', an acoustic group that released 5 recordings in
Eastern Europe. After moving to Sweden, he pursued a mostly solo
career resulting in two CDs. For 5 consecutive years (1995-2000) he
collaborated with the British slide master Sam Mitchell, releasing a
duo recording "Two Long From Home". For five years, Mac taught
slide guitar at Blues Week and built up a solid following here in
the UK. His enthusiasm and energy is unrivalled.
Mac will teach beginner/intermediate slide guitar. He will cover
open and standard tunings, help to develop solid soloing skills and
improve your vibrato to get a good, clean slide tone.
JOE FILISKO, Harmonica
Joe can be found teaching harmonica every Monday at Chicago’s Old
Town School of Folk Music. His area of
expertise is the traditional acoustic prewar and amplified postwar
playing styles and all their nuances. It’s not likely
you will find many aspects regarding the current state of the
diatonic harmonica that have not been influenced in some way by Joe
Filisko. The SPAH organization named Joe ‘Harmonica Player of
the Year’ in 2001.
For Blues Week, Joe will be
teaching two intermediate/advanced and one beginner class. His
objective is to teach students exactly what they need to know and do
to sound like a competent and seasoned player. He will focus on: how
to breathe correctly; various hand techniques for acoustic &
amplified playing; throat tremolo & vibrato; tongue blocking; and
note bending.
GRANT DERMODY, Harmonica
Grant Dermody is a harmonica player and singer known for his rich
tone, tasteful solos, and solid rhythmic playing. Grant mostly
plays acoustic blues with forays in to old-time, folk, gospel, and
other American roots music. He is in a country blues band with
Orville Johnson and John Miller and periodically tours and
records with Eric Bibb.
Grant will conduct two
intermediate/advanced and one beginner class. For the advanced
class, he will help each student improve his or her tone, comping
and soloing. He will explore 12 and 8 bar blues forms and how
to approach each from a rhythmic, soloing, and fill point of view.
Special emphasis
will be placed on playing with others, in both a lead and supporting
role. The beginning class will start at square one and move
forward together at a pace that will challenge but not overwhelm.
The class will learn some simple tunes in straight and cross harp
and spend a good amount of time jamming while playing chords, single
notes and basic rhythm chops.
EDDIE MARTIN,
Harmonica
Born in London, Eddie Martin started playing acoustic guitar and
harmonica at the age of 16. He became a keen student of blues
music - including Dr Ross and Joe Hill Louis. Today, he is now
widely recognised as the outstanding one-man blues band in the UK.
With 10 acclaimed cd / dvd releases on Blueblood Records, his 13
year professional career has seen him run numerous workshops for
blues guitarists and harmonica players at all levels.
For Blues Week, Eddie’s class is for beginners to
intermediate. Working through a
course book, the emphasis is on playing to get you through basic
techniques (e.g. bending and trill) to more advanced techniques
(e.g. tongue block) using jams and set pieces and references to such
as Sonny Terry, Little Walter, Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson
11, James Cotton, Deford Bailey, Jimmy Reed etc.
TIM RICHARDS, Keyboards
Tim's
first encounter with a piano was at the age of 8 in a dentist's
waiting room. After classical piano lessons he taught himself jazz
and blues from the age of 14, inspired by seeing pianist Otis Spann
with the Muddy Waters band.
He has been an active performer on the blues scene since around 1988
when he took over the piano chair from Bob Hall in Otis Grand’s
first band ‘The Dance Kings’.
Aside from his
playing activities, Tim is also a dedicated educator. In 1990, he
set up the UK’s first and only weekly blues piano evening class at
London’s Goldsmiths College, which he still teaches today. This
class was the basis for his subsequent book, the acclaimed
IMPROVISING BLUES PIANO (Schott Music 1997), widely acknowledged as
one of the best music tuition books ever written. In 2005, he
released EXPLORING JAZZ PIANO and won the prestigious MIA award for
'Best Pop Publication'.
For
Blues Week, Tim will teach a Masterclass in blues piano for
beginners to advanced students.
The ability to read music is not required.
His
morning class will run 9:30 to 12:15 and following the vocals class
after the lunch break, his afternoon session will run from 3:45 to
5:00. There will be dedicated sessions focusing on accompanying
guitarists and harp players
Students must bring an individual portable keyboard and headphones.
Registration
Fees 2010
On Campus: includes
all classes, activities, room & board
£585 for European Blues Association Members, £610 Non Members
Off Campus: includes all
classes, activities and lunch
£385 for EBA Members, £410 Non Members
Per Day: includes all
classes, activities and lunch
£115 for EBA Members, £125 Non Members
Space is limited and it is advisable
to book early to avoid disappointment. A £200 deposit will secure
your place.
Please Make Payment To:
Euroblues Promotions Limited
Our
John Jackson Youth Scholarship Fund
will provide a limited number of
subsidised
places for young people between the
ages of 14 to 21. Students between the ages of 14 and 17 are
eligible for a £200 subsidy. Students between the ages of 18 and 21
who are not in full time employment are eligible for a £150 subsidy.
A parent or responsible adult must
accompany all students 16 and under. If you know of someone
who qualifies or have a family member that you would like to bring
along, please contact us for immediate consideration. This
scholarship is only available to first-time participants.
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