What Was I Thinking About?
In search of a place to escape, the award winning 2009 Lucerne Blues Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland came spiraling at me. The fascination of my past European travels beckoned. I suddenly envisioned quaint villages, wonderful landscapes, outdoor cafes, the intrigue of the local culture, and ….the blues. Thus began my odyssey of planes, trains, trams, busses and…the blues. After finalizing the travel plans for my European trek, I had a frightening thought…What was I thinking…Switzerland in November? (I hate cold weather.) The lures of the Blues proved to be too great.Being a veteran of many blues festivals in the States, I wondered what the differences and what the similarities were of an overseas blues festival. Would an American landing in Switzerland be warmed by the music? Was the ideology that the Blues is universal true? With pen and notebook, I went in search of the true essence of a festival that had been given the 2007 Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation.
I was disappointed during my first two days there (prior to the concert). I walked everywhere in that Swiss-German city. I saw many posters announcing the Lucerne Blues Festival…but I did not hear the chatter that I normally hear leading into a festival. Bah humbug! As I stood in the streets, it was difficult to refrain from yelling Jill West’s line, “the blues is back in town.” Thankfully, I soon saw musicians, young and old alike, scurrying in and out of my hotel. My first blues encounter was with JW Jones of the JW Jones band. He was having issues at the hotel’s front desk…he wanted his laundry done immediately...he had a show to do in an hour. (I did chuckle at his frustration and the hotel clerk patiently explaining… “It is like this…”).
The 2009 Lucerne Blues Festival was being held in Lucerne’s Grand Casino. It was a large, grand building; very simple in nature and very unlike our neon casinos here in the states. I boarded the escalator to the second floor, 500-seat banquet hall where the festival was being held. The chatter and the flurry surrounding the festival was warming up and spirally into full tilt. Fans were entering and eager for a show. I was now excited…this “gig” was finally shaping up. The back portion of the room was on an elevated platform. A formal dinner with wines was being served. (Many of us that did not speak German wondered how you got those seats!) I went further and found the front half of the room was “reserved” for the rest of the fans. It was rough duty. The show started at 7pm and went until 1am. (The shows started on time and ran on time.) It was literally “standing room only.” There were no seats. (I did perch in the sound booth during Marcia Ball’s performance. When the stool and I shifted in opposite directions, I was sent back out to join the crowd.) There were fans from Germany, Britain, Ireland, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Finland, Norway, France and from all over Switzerland. They did not mind the inconvenience of the long distances that they had traveled and were totally thrilled to see the music. This reporter soon found that there were many blues purists. The Europeans love the traditional bluesmen from America. Of course, there were many opinions- the purists vied with those that preferred the modern types of homogenized blues. Everyone loved talking about the blues and their blues interests.
The Americans in the festival line up were: Dave Riley and Bob Corritore, Lurrie Bell with Eddie Shaw, Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges, Mud Morganfield aka Muddy Waters, Jr., Dorothy Moore, Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors with Rusty Zinn, Tomcat Courtney and the Rhythm Room All Stars, Holland K. Smith, Marcia Ball, CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band and Michael van Merwyk & Blue Soul. Also on the playlist were two young bands: the JW Jones Band from Canada who reminded me of our local Ian Arthurs Band and BB and the Blues Shacks from Germany who seemed to be a late crowd favorite. The crowd was patient, responsive and quiet during each performance. An Irish gent leaned over at one point and commented on how “reserved” the crowd was. (Translated…no pizzazz.) They were amazed that people from the states danced so much. The crowd was a little more ambitious on the second night. When the Cajun music started on the third night, the crowd was elbow to elbow but managed to two-step and “tear up the dance floor.” All ages, all walks of life, all nationalities…there were no barriers at all during the three day festival.
Many were amazed when I mentioned that we regularly see performers like Tommy Castro, Walter Trout, Jimmy Thackeray and Tinsley Ellis (thanks to Moondog). I told them some of my experiences: having ice cream in Tampa with Watermelon Slim, how Michael Burkes always goes out in the crowd before and after a performance, how Mark Hummel was eating an ice cream cone while visiting our booth at Heritage, Tommy Castro visited in our booth at the Pittsburgh blues fest, talking with Joe Bonnamassa on the streets in Memphis, talking with award winners waiting for their turns at an awards show. Yes, they were impressed. Most said that they did not have the opportunity to get “up close and personal” and were thrilled to hear about the personal interaction that we enjoy here in the states with the blues musicians. There are many blues bands traveling in Europe but the European blues fans are mesmerized by the American greats. Yes, six hours standing and working your way in the crowd was not easy duty. I laugh when I think about jockeying for space at the front of the stage with the paparazzi. The front rows were all camera hounds. There was an extraordinary amount of camera equipment lying on the stage that belonged to the throngs of photographers. It was a camera shop in the making. I was smacked several times with the large zooms. (Dusty, please give them a 101 in camera etiquette.)
The after jams were held in a room that only seated two hundred people. Entire bands would go up for a set and then their fellow, festival musicians were asked to sit in. I was disappointed that we did not get to experience some of the lesser known musical talent in the area. The jams lasted until 4:30 a.m. Only the strong survived. Actually, Europeans do not start their evenings until at least 11:00 p.m. Many were just getting their second wind. Everyone “lost” their inhibitions at the after jam. (We finally had seating but everyone was too busy dancing to sit down.) The energy in the room exploded and the fans were off the charts. (It was now starting to really feel like a blues show.)Smoking was not allowed anywhere in Switzerland…except at the Casino. I was amazed that a cigar company was handing out cigars to the fans and then lighting them. (cough, cough) There were more women smoking them than men. Whew, it was a sight to behold…the musicians, the fans, and the blues…”all going up in smoke.”
Personal thoughts …I heard one band singing in another room at the hotel nightly while I was getting ready. (I thoroughly enjoyed my “personal” concert.) It was wonderful talking with all of the international journalists and photographers. They surprised me when they asked to look at the BSWPA website. They had many questions and then offered some thoughtful, positive and creative feedback.
Dave Riley and Bob Corritore had the honor of opening the concert. Their type of fundamental Chicago blues was impressive. Lurrie Bell talked of his personal losses during the past year and put that emotion into his music. Eddie Shaw was an old-school sax player who energized the joint with his selections. BB & the Blues Shacks rocked the place with their energy and their stage presence. (However, they went from solid blues to leaning heavily towards R&B.) Mud Morganfield thrilled me by asking about his performance (and listened to my responses). He definitely has the Muddy Waters gift for music. Mark Hummel brought his brand of blues harp to the main stage. He was definitely a crowd favorite. However, I think that his second set later that evening at the after jam leaned heavily towards jazz. Tomcat Courtney was devilish when he asked me to sit on his lap for a picture. Marcia Ball, keyboardist extraordinaire, tore up the keys and revved the crowd. Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges did half of his set acoustic which proved to be rich, powerful and heartfelt. “Hideaway” then brought out his band and added Bob Corritore. Wow, what an amazing sound. The contrast showing his different art forms was very much a fan favorite. JW Jones, after sorting out his laundry issues, proved worthy of the band that he was fronting. With much flair, versatility and showmanship, each of his band members switched up instruments several times. CJ Chenier had us thinking that we were down in the bayou. He played blues with a Cajun twist on his accordion. The entire room ignited once he started. Finally, the crowd had lost their “reserve.” He played almost three hours and the fans were still begging for more. (No air conditioning either, folks. Whew!). The go-to musician for the event was Bob Corritore. He organized, he played and he shared. My personal favorite (and it actually surprised me) was Dorothy Moore. Her elegance and warmth oozed out on the stage. She sang her key songs and the fans were putty. Claiming that she was “settling in,” Dorothy kicked off those high heels and wowed the crowd by playing a few tunes on the harp. While talking with her later, she said that she had only been playing the harp for one year. (Great shoes, Dorothy!) On a sad note, I was very disappointed that Bryan Lee cancelled due to health reasons.~ Jonnye Weber
