Acclaimed Blues
Artist Rory Block Salutes Mississippi John Hurt on Her New CD, Avalon,
Coming June 4
on Stony Plain Records
Latest Album Is
the Fourth in Her “Mentor Series” Paying Tribute to Those Blues Masters Who’ve
Influenced Her Music
EDMONTON, AB – Multi-award-winning blues singer/guitarist
Rory Block will release the fourth CD in her “Mentor Series” on June 4 with
Avalon on Stony Plain Records, a tribute to blues master
Mississippi John Hurt. Previous Rory Block salutes have been to Rev. Gary Davis
(I Belong to the Band), Mississippi Fred McDowell (Shake ‘em
on Down) and Son House (Blues Walkin’ Like a
Man).
Like the others before it, on Avalon Rory Block
pays a loving reverence to another of the blues greats whose influences have
made a major impact on her career path and music. Ten of the 11 tracks on the
new CD are songs associated with Hurt’s repertoire; while the lone
original tune - which leads off the album - “Everybody Loves John,” is Rory’s
personal love letter to the iconic bluesman, name-checking a litany of songs
that were a major part of his blues canon.
“Mississippi John Hurt was a truly unique
artist,” says Block, the most celebrated living female acoustic blues
artist. “He left a resounding
impact on our musical landscape. We think of him as outwardly mellow, sweet, and
as one writer described it, singing in a ‘whisper.’ But have you pondered the
words? Alongside gospel material, this gentle man sang about sex, murder,
mystery, violence and steamy sensuality. It gets ever deeper the more you
listen.
“Most
people finger pick simply, carefully, and with enough volume to be heard and
enjoyed. But next to the masters we can find ourselves tinkling away while the
train pulls out of the station. Mississippi John Hurt bounced rhythmically from
side to side while he was playing – did this bounce add power and jauntiness to
the notes, or did his extra strong attack on the strings create the bounce? We
can never do polite versions of these songs if we want to capture some of the
power that made the originals great and enduring.”
Many of
Hurt’s best known and beloved songs are on Avalon, including
“Candy Man,” “Frankie & Albert,” “Got the Blues Can’t be Satisfied,”
“Richland Woman Blues,” “Spike Driver Blues,” “Stagolee,” “Make Me a Pallet on
Your Floor,” “Pay Day” and the title track, plus other tunes that demonstrate
how diverse and significant his contributions were to blues
history.
“Many
worthy artists have covered these songs, but when you examine the source, you
understand more fully the level of greatness that was in the original versions –
greatness that is also almost impossible to define,” Block states. “But let me
try by saying that true character, charisma, drive, and soulfulness are some of
the essential ingredients. So how will we manage? With devotion, respect,
reverence, and with energy – with extra ‘oomph’ – lest we be weak.”
And Rory
Block is anything but weak on these tracks, imbuing every ounce of her musical
and spiritual strength into each song, muscling inside the core source of every
track and working her way out through each verse and chorus as they take their
own twists and turns to get to their final denouement.
Rory
Block’s connection to Mississippi John Hurt goes back five decades. "In December
of 1963, I met Mississippi John Hurt at a concert in New York which also
featured the great Old Timey musician Doc Boggs,” she recalled in her
autobiography, When a Woman Gets the Blues. “We went backstage as
we always did. Stefan Grossman was part of the accepted insiders group and we
never needed special passes. Hurt's presence was shy and gentle. His face was
beautifully weather beaten; he wore a signature hat, and always had a mellow
smile. I loved the way he rocked around when he played... it was a bounce that
started slow and built up to a strong pace that carried the music. He had his
own way of doing this – I never saw anyone else with this exact style of moving
and playing. At times when I am performing I feel this energy come over me: the
Mississippi John Hurt bounce energy.”
“I think it
interesting to note that Mississippi John Hurt covered many Appalachian country
songs,” adds Block. “This just underscores the exchange of musical styles that
was going on in the early 1900s which few people understood. Mississippi John
Hurt knew musicians who played Appalachian music (Doc Boggs for example), and
many of the Old Timey players knew the blues pickers. At the age of 14, sitting
on the porch of an old wood frame house in North Carolina, I heard Clarence
Ashley say, ‘I learned this one from an old blues player’ and I heard
Mississippi John Hurt talk about the country fiddle players he knew. What we
have in the end is a true melting pot which included music from Africa, the
British Isles, Flamenco (Hurt referred to open G tuning as ‘Spanish’), folk,
jazz, popular contemporary music of the day, and probably even Classical music,
to name some of the sources.”
Avalon was produced by Rory Block and Rob Davis and
recorded/mixed/mastered by Davis at Aurora Productions mobile studios. All of
the guitars and vocals on the CD are by Rory Block, who plays her OM40 Signature
Model Martin guitars, uses Martin SP3200 medium gauge strings, a Shubb capo, and
an SK 14mm deep well socket to great effect.
“One of the
things I have endeavoured to capture in this tribute series is a return to a
more earthy, natural approach,” Block summarizes. “We don't love the old
recordings because they are crackle-free, or fancy, or have clever formats. No,
some of the songs are one chord throughout. Some have the same simple refrain
which repeats again and again after each verse – no solos, just the driving beat
and original theme. And almost never fancy endings. I call these abrupt events
the ‘Get outa' town’ endings – just plunk, and wham, or the sound of someone
getting up and leaving the room before the song is over. This is part of what I
love. So instead of sweeping the tracks clean of all noise, sanitizing,
bleaching, disinfecting and straining the music, Rob and I feel compelled to let
it be real. Every recording is a field recording in my view. The first take is
always the best. So, in this effort I remember John Hurt, celebrate his music
and times and rejoice at having had the chance to meet him. Nothing will ever be
the same as a result, and my life has been made far richer by the
experience.”
