 |
 |
Sterling Magee Memorial Celebration
When my longtime blues partner Sterling "Mr. Satan" Magee finally succumbed to the aftereffects of COVID-19 last September, I knew that some sort of music-based celebration, a gathering of his family, friends, and fans, would have to take place. But the pandemic itself made this impossible, at least in the immediate aftermath of his passing.
It's a new year now, a new season. And the celebration is set to happen, only three weeks from today, on May 20, 2021. It's taking place in Gulfport, Florida, a friendly little community within greater St. Petersburg where Sterling resided for two decades at a local retirement facility.
This gig will mark the official debut of my new trio, Sir Rod & The Blues Doctors, featuring singer/frontman Rod Patterson, Sterling Magee's nephew. One of our goals, apart from celebrating a great musician's life, is to bring the songs of Satan & Adam back into circulation. Another aim, equally important, is to broadcast a message of brotherhood and good will, a civic ideal enunciated by the lead single on our debut album, Come Together.
Most of all, we just want to have some FUN. Sterling would have approved. "Live your life, man!" he used to tell me--meaning, don't keep putting things off. It's been a long, hard year. If you're reading this, you've made it through. Time for a party.
Please think about joining us! There's no cover charge for this safe, free, socially-distance-able outdoor gig; it's come as you are. But we WILL have several tip buckets, and if you manage to show up, we'll be grateful if you toss us a little something. Keep hope alive, brothers and sisters!
And here are three new videos of the trio, captured live a couple of weeks back at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Rock out!
1) "Shake, Rattle & Roll" (G harp)
2) "Come Together" (D harp)
3) "Sanctified Blues" (A harp)
| |
New Beginner Lesson
I thought it was time to return to basics. This new 10-minute lesson on a simple but addictive rhythm pattern has had a stronger response out of the gate than any blues harmonica instructional video I've uploaded in a long time. Why? It's a mystery, really.
| |
Gigs
The Gulfport show is just the beginning of the summer season for Sir Rod & The Blues Doctors. Our current gig calendar is just below. We'll be filling things in over the next six weeks or so, and we're always open to your offers and suggestions. Alan and I live in Oxford, MS; Rod lives in Atlanta. If you're looking to put on a lawn party or house concert and think it might work with our routing, or as a one-off date, don't hesitate to contact me at asgussow@aol.com.
5/20/21: Gulfport, FL - The Village Courtyard (Sterling Magee 85th birthday memorial celebration - SRBD & others, 7-10 PM; meet & greet at 6 PM)
5/22/21: Flagler Beach, FL - Tortugas (SRBD, 6-10 PM)
7/6/21: Richmond, VA - The Camel (SRBD, 7-11 PM)
7/10/21: New Rochelle, NY - New Rochelle Jazz Festival (SRBD, TBA)
| |
Channels, Books, Music, Lessons
YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
BOOKS:
MUSIC:
HARMONICA LESSONS:
Modern Blues Harmonica Advanced Beginner's Special
For beginning players who have completed the first handful of lessons on my website (most of which can be found in the "Beginner's Special" and "Beginner's Deluxe") and are ready to commit to the next step, here is a bargain: six video tutorials with the tab sheets thrown in for free. The lessons in this collection continue your education into the world of blues harmonica by teaching you a range of ways of moving through the 12-bar changes--the "blues progression." These include a boogie-woogie (Bittersweet Boogie), a melody drawn from a vocal line (Same Old Blues), a jazzy melody that deliberately breaks across the bar lines (Whistlin' the Blues), a two-beat stomp that uses double stops and chords (Red Dress), a simplified version of a Chicago blues standard (Mojo 1.0), and a rock classic (Rock Around the Clock). There is a method in Gussow's madness! These songs socialize you into the wide and wonderful world of blues musicianship, even as they develop your lip-strength, coordination, and reflexes.
PLEASE NOTE: All these songs are demonstrated using a key of C harmonica, except for Mojo 1.0, which uses a key of A harmonica.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: You do NOT need to know how to bend notes in order to play these songs. This is why they are appropriate for beginners and advanced beginners.
Chicago Blues Classics
For INTERMEDIATES and ADVANCED INTERMEDIATES who want a selection of the best that the Chicago blues tradition has to offer, I've bundled five video tutorials into an easy-to-download zip file, with the tab sheets thrown in for free. Included in this package are Sonny Boy Williamson/Junior Wells ("Checking Up on my Baby"), Junior Wells ("Messing With the Kid"), Big Walter Horton ("Easy"), Paul Butterfield ("Born in Chicago"), and Little Walter/Kim Wilson ("Got My Mojo Working"), all for only $25, a savings of $10 off the item-by-item price.
"Bending the 3 Draw": NOT just for BEGINNERS and ADVANCED BEGINNERS, but for INTERMEDIATES as well. The 3 draw bend--several different bends, actually--is more challenging than 4 draw and 2 draw. I help you extract the deep bluesy sound that lies buried in the harp; I use a guitar to explain exactly which pitches you're trying for and where they're located.
"Harmony for Improvisation": For blues harmonica students in the BEGINNER and ADVANCED BEGINNER category who seek some basic grounding in harmony that will strengthen their understanding of the instrument and improve their abilities as improvisers. INTERMEDIATE players who have neglected this element of their musical education may also find this lesson useful. This zip file includes one QuickTime video plus one jam track in the key of G. There is NO tab sheet with this lesson.
Harp: C
"Upper Octave Boogie": INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE, although ADVANCED BEGINNERS will be able to get most of it. An original composition that breaks open the upper octave and make it available for further exploration. Please check out the free preview available on either Tradebit page below!
Harp: C
"Buford Chapel Breakdown": a gospel-flavored original blues, with three complete choruses. For ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE and fearless INTERMEDIAT players. This is an exact transcription of what I play on the recording, which can be purchased on iTunes and it part of my debut solo CD, KICK AND STOMP. (Note: This lesson includes a three-chorus extract from the original recording, so you can hear exactly what I do in the studio.)
harp: Bb
"Help Me": This is arguably Sonny Boy Williamson's best-known song--a harmonica blues staple of blues bands and jam sessions the world over. An amazing amount of harmonica knowledge is packed into this 12-bar solo: warbles, angular triplets, chuck-chuck accents. For INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE players.
"St. Louis Blues": This is the most famous blues song in the world, bar none. W.C. Handy's 1914 hit deserves a serious blues harp arrangement; this is it. An incredible value, this lesson focuses on a four-page tab (the longest currently offered at MBH): three 12-bar verses with that distinctive, Latin-flavored, 16-bar, minor-key bridge thrown in. This is a really cool solo performance piece. (NOTE: The second verse contains several 6 hole overblows. If you're not an overblower, you can simply repeat the first verse.)
| |
We're off to the races! Fun will be had presently.
--Adam
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
