T_R_Oglodyte
TUG Lifetime Member
For lovers of classic blues and those who are otherwise interested.
Muddy Waters' performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival is one of the seminal blues performances of all time. This performance played a huge role in introducing white audiences to the "Chicago Blues" style. Also, recordings of this performance were popular in the UK, and helped give birth the UK blues scene, which led to the "British invasion" of the late 1960s when British rocks bands, like the Beatles, the Stones, the Animals, The Bluesbreakers, the Yardbirds, Cream, etc. incorporated Chicago blues into their music.
To start, some background and context. The concert almost never happened, due to a huge melee the day before, in which the National Guard was activated to restore order. This almost resulted in the whole Festival being shut down. But the show continued.
And then we have the whole weird notion of a seminal black blues performance occurring before a largely white jazz artiste audience, for most of whom notions of stretching the boundaries of jazz was Dave Brubeck playing with time signatures, or performers such as Coltrane beginning to work in atonal and monochromatic, styles and the battles between bop (e.g., Dizzy Gillespie) and cool jazz (e.g., Chet Baker and Miles Davis). Then Into all of that esoterica strides Muddy Waters and his band, whom most of them had never thought of as a jazz performers, with something utterly different that just cut through all of the intellectual crap and got back to raw roots.
en.wikipedia.org
www.chicagobluesexperience.com
everyrecordtellsastory.com
I'm trying to imagine a black band, coming to a genteel white town such as Newport, Rhode Island in 1960, the day when they are booked to perform, having heard about the National Guard having been called in to quell rioting, and seeing John Lee Hooker standing by the side of the road, with his guitar, trying to get out of town. But the show does go on, and they deliver a performance that changes musical history.
So, having orated on all of the above, here are videos of the performance. The rendition of "Got My Mojo Workin'" is probably the most well known piece from the recording. But I absolutely love the subsequent ensemble medley of "Mean Mistreater/Going to Chicago Blues". It boggles my mind to see a performance such as this occurring in a venue such as the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. Great props to the producer for having the chops and vision to bring in these performers and to insist that the show must go on.
The first link below goes to the entire performance. The second link takes you straight to the ensemble of "Mean Mistreater". Throughout the performance I love the looks of delight on the performers' faces. Otis Spann was my favorite keyboardist for Muddy Waters, and he is in fine form here, whether he's contributing harmony or doing fills, and the occasional solo.
They clearly were enjoying themselves, and I wonder if in the time they were aware that they were doing a performance such as this before an audience such as that. Or were they so involved in the moment that where they were had simply slid into the background?
Muddy Waters' performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival is one of the seminal blues performances of all time. This performance played a huge role in introducing white audiences to the "Chicago Blues" style. Also, recordings of this performance were popular in the UK, and helped give birth the UK blues scene, which led to the "British invasion" of the late 1960s when British rocks bands, like the Beatles, the Stones, the Animals, The Bluesbreakers, the Yardbirds, Cream, etc. incorporated Chicago blues into their music.
To start, some background and context. The concert almost never happened, due to a huge melee the day before, in which the National Guard was activated to restore order. This almost resulted in the whole Festival being shut down. But the show continued.
And then we have the whole weird notion of a seminal black blues performance occurring before a largely white jazz artiste audience, for most of whom notions of stretching the boundaries of jazz was Dave Brubeck playing with time signatures, or performers such as Coltrane beginning to work in atonal and monochromatic, styles and the battles between bop (e.g., Dizzy Gillespie) and cool jazz (e.g., Chet Baker and Miles Davis). Then Into all of that esoterica strides Muddy Waters and his band, whom most of them had never thought of as a jazz performers, with something utterly different that just cut through all of the intellectual crap and got back to raw roots.
At Newport 1960 - Wikipedia
Newport 1960: When blues hit the mainstream - Chicago Blues Experience
As far as music goes, 1960 fell in the midst of transition: the first euphoric shots of rock and roll had given way to something of a lull. Elvis was in the army, Little Richard Read more…
www.chicagobluesexperience.com
In Praise of Muddy Waters – Live At Newport
I’m going to start a piece about Muddy Waters and the history of the blues by talking about The Sex Pistols, so bear with me. The Sex Pistols 1976 gig at the Manchester Free Trade Hall was on…
everyrecordtellsastory.com
I'm trying to imagine a black band, coming to a genteel white town such as Newport, Rhode Island in 1960, the day when they are booked to perform, having heard about the National Guard having been called in to quell rioting, and seeing John Lee Hooker standing by the side of the road, with his guitar, trying to get out of town. But the show does go on, and they deliver a performance that changes musical history.
So, having orated on all of the above, here are videos of the performance. The rendition of "Got My Mojo Workin'" is probably the most well known piece from the recording. But I absolutely love the subsequent ensemble medley of "Mean Mistreater/Going to Chicago Blues". It boggles my mind to see a performance such as this occurring in a venue such as the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. Great props to the producer for having the chops and vision to bring in these performers and to insist that the show must go on.
The first link below goes to the entire performance. The second link takes you straight to the ensemble of "Mean Mistreater". Throughout the performance I love the looks of delight on the performers' faces. Otis Spann was my favorite keyboardist for Muddy Waters, and he is in fine form here, whether he's contributing harmony or doing fills, and the occasional solo.
They clearly were enjoying themselves, and I wonder if in the time they were aware that they were doing a performance such as this before an audience such as that. Or were they so involved in the moment that where they were had simply slid into the background?
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