It is not often that the Dartmouth community, and New England in general, have the opportunity to attend a live performance of a "down-home" blues band. On Friday, however, the Hopkins Center hosted "A Tribute to Muddy Waters," a concert that brought together some of the most prominent contemporary blues artists to honor the late Muddy Waters, one of the true innovators and developers of the musical form known as the "blues."
The band that assembled on Friday night consisted of Jimmy Rogers (guitar, vocals), Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (guitar, vocals), Pinetop Perkins (piano, vocals), Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums, vocal), Calvin "Fuzz" Jones (bass, vocals), Paul Oscher (harmonica, vocals) and Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey (guitar, vocals).
All of these musicians had been sidemen for Muddy Waters at some point in their careers, and each reflect a unique period of development in Waters' style. Though they played the music mainly in the "Chicago Blues" style, there were certainly elements of the traditional delta blues, which is centered around the musical ideas of the soloist rather than the ensemble.
The band, which played to a very receptive full house, perfomed with plenty of energy, emotion, and enthusiasm, staying true, at all times, to Muddy Waters' innovative spirit and musical creativity.
The rhythm section of Perkins, Jones and Smith maintained a percussive, steady beat during all the songs as the three guitars worked up to blinding crescendos, climaxing in the traditional blues style with a frenzy of crashing cymbals and use of snare drums.
During "Sweet Home Chicago," Jimmy Rogers actually stepped off the stage and into the aisles for a brilliant "slide" guitar solo, cheered on by wild applause. Among other bright spots during the concert was Paul Oscher (harmonica, vocals), who, as Frank-John Hadley, a writer for "Downbeat"magazine stated, "is yet another expert musician who instinctively knows how to reflect Muddy Waters spirit of sincerity and earnestness."
Oscher, a member of Waters' band during the '60s opened up the concert with a spirited harmonica solo and maintained that same energy throughout the night. Pinetop Perkins also delighted the crowd with his antics and lively style on the piano. He made effective use of the upper register of the piano and constructed bold musical phrases using the traditional six-note blues scale. Perkins was unafraid to solo at any time, and contributed greatly to the overall sound of the group. Willie Smith strung everything together with his brisk style on the drums, and assumed the role of timekeeper by limiting his solo time to a minimum.
As Robert Walser, professor of music, said, Waters' "music reflects a long history of musical creativity." Waters pioneered the use of electric instruments in the blues while maintaining the authenticity and originality of the music. Walser compared him to jazz great Miles Davis in that sense; Waters inspired the talent around him with his own dedication and love for the development of the music.
And by the sounds of Friday night's concert, the inspiration and dedication of the musicians were two qualities that came shining through.
