courtesy of Play MPE
A little less than a month ago, Easy Eye Sound released Forever On My Mind, an album of previously unissued recordings of Son House, often credited as the “Father of Delta Blues.” I first became aware of this genre when my wife and I were living in Los Angeles in the late Eighties. In those days we would listen regularly to Bernie Pearl’s radio program Nothin’ But the Blues and went to performances by the Bernie Pearl Blues Band. I was going to begin this article by writing about how long it had been since I had encountered this genre; but, when I consulted my archives, I realized that a healthy portion of Cornelius Boots’ shakuhachi repertoire had been inspired by House.
That said, it is likely that I have not heard any House recordings since my Los Angeles days. Thus, when I learned about the release of Forever On My Mind, I felt a strong obligation to make up for lost time. Given my interest in pursuing diverse sonorities, the Delta blues genre is definitely in a class by itself. Much of this has to do with House’s innovative approaches to playing his guitar, many of which have to do with a focus on glissando that verges on the bizarre. Then there are the unique qualities of House’s voice. He may not focus on finding just the right sound for every syllable; but he is probably attentive to a higher percentage of those syllables than just about any other vocalist, regardless of genre.
There are only eight tracks on this new release, all of which are less than seven minutes in duration. Nevertheless, beginning-to-end listening makes for a highly informative, and frequently surprising, journey. This is music with a personality. I am not sure if that personality has been passed down to current generations; but the context that fostered that personality is, for all intents and purposes, no longer with us. For now, at least, it seems as if the historical record is all we have; and the discovery of new sources from the past will always be an occasion worth noting.
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