OTIS AND JONNY
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Otis Taylor
lues culture , like much of the Western world , is facing tumultuous changes . Blues as a music and industry has evolved into a genre that consists of two separate and increasingly disconnected factions . The first group are the African American performers who battle to continue the cultural legacy of their ancestors as promoters , music labels and clubs ignore their presence in favor of more “ crossover ” musicians . The second group are the mostly Caucasian performers who often have no cultural connection to blues outside of being influenced by the legacy of iconic African American blues musicians . In a better world , the two groups could co-exist without any problems but alas , there are many , many problems with this situation .
By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
The major underlying issue is the fact that the racism that helped foster this country and that continues to kill thousands of people of color , is also what helped create blues culture . It was the brutality of slavery that pushed enslaved Africans to pour their pain into the chants and rhythms that they had brought from their homes in Africa . The segregation of Jim Crow created closed African American societies where county blues developed into urban blues and dozens of offshoots .
The Civil Rights movement of the late ' 50s and ' 60s opened up the way for white musicians to openly play and promote blues music . Legends like Muddy Waters , Albert King and B . B . King were suddenly selling out arenas full of white fans when just a few years prior , they were restricted to playing the small theaters and bars of the Chitlin Circuit . It was a vastly appreciated change until blues progressed into rock and there was little acknowledgement of its African American creators or much opportunity for them to play the music they had developed . This is the sticking point . Blues as an art form is a wonderfully accessible genre open to everyone . However , the contemporary direction has virtually erased the legacy and presence of African Americans and re-fashioned it into a genre that focuses on hot-shot guitarists who play bluesinflected rock with no connection to the significant history that defines it . Much like America ’ s racist history , blues has been whitewashed into a one-dimensional sound with very few voices of the people who created it . The industry heaps money and visibility on Caucasian musicians but rarely on the African American originators . Instead of correcting this injustice and diversifying the musicians featured at blues festivals , record labels and at major concert venues , the industry has worsened as we lose the last of the great blues musicians and the void where their stories and history once existed is filled with soulless guitar riffs and insulting mimicry .
And so we are here at a blues turning point in 2017 . We can either change the industry ’ s course and create a culture of inclusion or we can continue down the same polarizing path .
Two recent blues albums neatly define this issue . The first is Otis Taylor ’ s Fantasizing About Being Black ( Trance Blues Festival ), a definitive journey into the trauma of the African American experience , drawing on multi-instrumental rhythms and evocative storytelling . The second is Jonny Lang ’ s Signs ( Concord Records ) a guitar-focused offering that avoids “ blues purism ” in favor of a more “ modern approach ” while serving up tunes that focus on themes of personal growth . There ’ s room for both releases in any music fan ' s collection but only one represents and decidedly honors the blues .
Otis Taylor has been positioned as a blues outsider for most of his career . He favors unusual blues instruments like banjo , mandolin and cello and he infuses his sound with traditional African rhythms . He is innovative with his approach but always manages to stay true to the essence of blue culture . One of the ways he does this is by frankly addressing the issues of racism , murder and violence , all common features in traditional blues stories and still urgent issues now . Otis makes them relevant by weaving intimate snapshots rooted in truth and history .
He opens his 15th album with the haunting “ Twelve String Mile ,” a tune rich with slide guitar and cornet embellishments as Otis croons , ” be dead soon / nobody sees me / big black man / dark dark skin / nobody sees me .” Touching on a ‘ 30s era deep South scene , when a black man could be killed for looking a white man in the eye , the musician uses his signature “ trance blues ” style where he repeats the verses so that they form a meditative feeling . Despite the song being set in the ‘ 30s , the issue is sharply relevant as he illustrates the invisibility of black men in a society that views him mainly as a threat . On “ Banjo Bam Bam ,” Otis escorts listeners to the mind of a shackled African on a slave ship , slowly losing his mind . Otis pure banjo strumming echos the mental distress as well as referencing the fact that the banjo is an African instrument , while Anne Harris ’ violin swirls around the chords to display his confusion . “ Jump Out of Line ” visits the Civil
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18 illinoisentertainer . com august 2017