“Sidemen” is a crucial blues tale [SOUTH BAY FILM & MUSIC FEST]
Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, the blues sidemen who are the stars of “Sidemen,” which has its premiere at the South Bay Film & Music Festival on Friday night. Photo courtesy Red Hawk Films. by Whitney Youngs Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis once said the blues, “[…] is the basis of most American music in the 20th century. It’s a 12-bar form that’s played by jazz, bluegrass and country musicians. It has a rhythmic vocabulary that’s been used by rock ‘n’ roll. It’s related to spirituals, and even the American fiddle tradition.” Blues music may recede into obscurity and surge in popularity with each passing generation, but its influence over most forms of American music — including hip hop and electronica — is undying, no matter how original today’s music may sound. Chicago blues is credited with heavily influencing rock ‘n’ roll due in part to the music of two Mississippi bluesmen: Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Virtually all blues music enthusiasts know their music, but less know about the players in their bands. Such is the life of a sideman. A new documentary, slated to premiere at the South Bay Film & Music Festival this Friday, June 3, chronicles…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com