'44 Blues'

As 2003--The Year of the Blues--draws to a close, one of the most satisfying artistic project of this bluesy annum hits the streets. Corey Harris's musical visits to Mississippi and Mali are already known thanks to Martin Scorsese's film, "Feel Like Going Home." Here we get the musical encounters themselves, unmediated by images, explanation, or any fancy production. Whether it's settling into down home electric blues with Sam Carr and Bobby Rush, sliding into an njarka (fiddle) jam and sharing blues classics with Ali Farka Toure in Niafounke, or lighting into a deep fife-and-drum groove with 12-year-old Shardé Thomas--granddaughter of the late cultural treasure Otha Thomas--the music here is immediate and irresistible.

For those interested in the African roots of the blues, this release adds to an emerging genre of recent releases. By jamming so casually with musicians in these two locations, Harris gets at deep truths without a lot of fuss. The way Souleyman Kane digs into blues grooves on calabash--"Catfish Blues" and "44 Blues" especially--is a revelation. And Ali Farka has no trouble at all negotiating Skip James' "Special Rider Blues" on njarka. In these spontaneous sessions, Harris manages to hit on familiar blues touchstones, like "Big Road Blues," while throwing in French lyrics, a Tuareg song, and a couple of original compositions. Best of all, he makes it all fit like peas in a pod.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org