Blues Week 2011
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
DEL REY, Guitar Del Rey
started playing classical guitar when she was four. As a teenager,
she met bluesman Sam Chatmon who inspired her to become a blues
queen. Her guitar playing combines country blues, stride piano,
classic jazz and hillbilly boogie through the sensibility of an
autodidact trailor-park esthete. Her live show is full of complex
guitar grooves and sly humour.
For Blues Week, she will be teaching
Intermediate to Advanced students songs from the Memphis Minnie song
book which will include ways to make duet guitar parts work on solo
guitar (as Minnie often worked with a partner). Her class will
include Boogie Woogie guitar styles with moving bass lines and
pianistic chord melodies in standard tuning. She will also be
playing her resophonic ukulele on blues and jazz tunes (don't leave
your uke behind!).
WIZZ JONES, Guitar There are few
artists with more claim to being a 'musician's musician' than Wizz
Jones. Big Bill Broonzy, Rambling Jack Elliot, Alexis Korner
and Ewan MacColl inspired him. He learned his guitar licks
from the likes of Davy Graham and Long John Baldry while playing in
the coffee bars of London's Soho during the late 1950’s.
For Blues Week,
Wizz will only teach for 3 days (Mon, Tues & Wed). His classes
are for Intermediate to Advanced students. He will be
demonstrating his famed Big Bill Broonzy ‘thumb-thump’ technique and
explain a few open tunings he has discovered whilst composing.
Guitarists familiar with Wizz’s repertoire will have the opportunity
to question him on any aspects of his performance and even ask some
probing questions about his illustrious musical career of more
than 50 years!
SONNY BLACK, Guitar
Sonny Black first picked up the acoustic guitar around age 17 after
hearing ‘San Francisco Bay Blues’ by the great Jesse Fuller.
His next step was the folk clubs to listen to and learn from the
guitar legends of the 60's where he met up with British blues slide
player Mike Cooper with whom he played guitar, gigging in Europe and
the UK. After years of playing and touring with his band, Sonny has
reverted to roots music and now plays fingerstyle blues, ragtime and
country.
For Blues Week, Sonny will teach 2
classes (Int/Adv Guitar and Int/Adv Slide Guitar). Guitarists will
be asked to look at the blues and see how they can expand the
format. While staying true to the tradition, he will focus on chord
progressions, rhythm, playing alternating bass patterns, shuffle
patterns, using ‘jazzy’ chords and sequences in slow and swing blues
and explore single string playing. Sonny’s Slide Class
will have a close look at Open D tuning and explore the use of
chords and slide techniques.
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.
For Blues Week, Rick’s class will
examine the original versions of songs by Sleepy John Estes,
Leadbelly, Washboard Sam, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson and
a few others that are considered the roots of Taj Mahal. The
class will examine the original version, the Taj Mahal version and a
version created by the class. For Beginner guitarists with
skills in chord changes and Intermediate guitarists with additional
skills with fingerpicking.
MICHAEL ROACH, Guitar and Vocals
Michael Roach have years of
experience teaching blues guitar and conducting workshops. He
is the Founder/Director of Blues Week and is firmly established in
traditional blues music circles. Last year, Michael released
‘Innocent Child’ (his 6th album), to rave reviews.
He also has an instructional DVD (An introduction to Country Blues
Guitar). His classes are for Beginner/Intermediate.
Many
of the students who attended Blues Week over the years started in
Michael’s class and moved on to the higher levels. 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. Danny McCormack 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. He
has recently released two internationally acclaimed instructional
DVDs, 'An Introduction to Blues Slide Guitar' and 'An Introduction
to Lap Steel Guitar'. His most recent CD, ‘Lucky Charms’ is
described as wholly
unique and contemporary. In 2008, Michael launched his own
very successful range of resonator guitars. The Michael Messer
‘BLUES’ and ‘LIGHTNING’ resonator models have set a new benchmark
for affordable professional instruments.
For Blues
Week, Michael will conduct an Intermediate to Advanced ‘master
class’ on bottleneck guitar styles covering all aspects of playing.
He will also teach an Introduction class for Beginner/Intermediate
students.
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 solo career resulting in two CDs. From 1995 to 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 is one of the world's most
respected teachers, players and authorities on the diatonic blues
harmonica. He has worked on 5 different continents. His
area of expertise is the traditional acoustic prewar and amplified
postwar playing styles and all their nuances. The SPAH
organization named Joe ‘Harmonica Player of the Year’ in 2001.
For Blues Week, Joe will teach students exactly what they need to
know and do to sound like a competent and seasoned player in the BIG
toned Chicago blues tradition. He will focus on: how to relax and
breathe correctly; various hand positions and techniques for
acoustic & amplified playing; throat tremolo & vibrato; tongue
blocking; and note bending.
His Beginner class will be for
students with NO experience or have been playing for up to about 1
year. He will conduct an Intermediate class geared towards
most players who have been playing for more than a year but have
felt like they have been stuck in a rut with little recent growth
and progress and have a general lack of playing direction. His
Advanced class will be for students with good playing technique,
some performance experience and some repertoire.
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.
For Blues Week, Grant will conduct
two Intermediate/Advanced and two Beg/Int classes. For the
advanced class, he will help each student improve his or her tone.
There will be a focus on expanding students comfort zone; musical
knowledge, soloing, rhythmic play and accompaniment. 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.
DANNY McCORMACK, Keyboards Danny
McCormack was born in London and is now based in South Derbyshire.
He started playing the piano at the age of 12 and at 17 turned
professional joining ‘King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys’. He
stayed with them for 10 years developing his skills as boogie woogie/jazz
pianist, musical arranger/director and songwriter. Danny is
currently an ‘Associate Lecturer in Harmony, Composition and
Production’ at Derby University. He is Musical Director for
Tony Christie and Peter Grant and also plays piano with legendary
songwriter multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood.
For Blues Week 2011, Danny will be
available for anyone who is interested in Blues Piano/Keyboards.
He has simplified many of the techniques and skills involved in
blues music and improvising to the point where even complete
beginners can get a great deal of insight into the feel of the
music. If you have a portable keyboard and would like to
develop your skills, please bring it along. We ask that you
let us know in advance so that we can allocate a classroom big
enough to accommodate everyone.
Registration
Fees 2011
On Campus: includes
all classes, activities, room & board £625
European Blues Association Members receive £10 discount.
Off Campus: includes all
classes, activities and lunch £410
EBA Members receive £10 discount.
Per Day Rate: includes all
classes, activities and lunch £125
EBA Members receive £5 discount.
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 £250 subsidy. Students between the ages of 18 and 21
who are not in full time employment are eligible for a £200 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.
