Introduction
This paper will discuss the elements of the live blues concert by the Blues Trio. The concert took place on August 1st, 2019, in Santa Fe, Argentina (“BLUES TRIO – LIVE AT TRIBUS BAR (Full Concert)”). This concert is an excellent representation of the traditions of blues music and the blues music ethnography. In essence, this genre emerged as a narrative way of exposing personal stories through a musical genre in a melancholic manner. This paper will analyze the concert of the Blues Trio and its parallels and juxtapositions with the texts that explore the ethnography of music.
The Concert of the Blues Trio
When discussing this concert, it is important to clarify some of the specifics of blues music from the viewpoint of ethnography. Ethnography relates to the study of culture and or community, and in the case of this analysis, the origins of blues music, its meaning, and particular details about it (BBC). Firstly, blues is the genre of music created by African-Americans, and the majority of songs feature a theme of melancholy (BBC). Despite its origins as an African-American-dominated genre, blues has evolved, and as this concert demonstrates, people of different ethnicities can perform blues. For example, in this concert, the three band members are Caucasian. When considering the melancholic nature of blues music, it is important to consider the origins and meaning of the blues songs. For example, according to the BBC, the common expression “having the blues” means feeling sad and is linked to the specifics of this music genre. During this concert, the majority of the songs performed were sad and revolved around unhappy relationships and love. Hence, this concert is an example of both similarities and differences with traditional blues music.
The Blues Trio consists of two members, Santiago Periotti, Rubén Tissembaum, and Federico Weder. These performers both play guitar, and Periotti also performs the vocal parts of the songs. Traditionally, blues music is performed by bands playing live, unlike music in some other genres such as pop or electronic music. Arguably, the live performance of the music, including vocals and the instruments, is complementary to the narrative genre of blues. As seen with the example of the Blues Trio, the vocalist sings the lyrics as if he is telling a story, and his non-verbal interactions with the bass guitar player add to the narration.
Both modern and early blues originated as a sad and melancholic genre. According to BBC, “early blues music was very slow and emotional using simple harmonies with a vocalist accompanied by a guitar.” The Blues Trio also uses drums and a bass guitar during their performance, which differentiates their interpretation of blues from the genre’s standard. Additionally, some of the songs, such as “Pretty Women,” appear to be upbeat and more cheerful when compared to traditional blues music.
Notably, although blues originated in the United States, the development of this genre has been influenced by African culture as well (BBC). Early blues songs were performed by slaves, which explains the melancholic nature of this music. Additionally, the majority of the songs featured only vocal harmonies and were included a performance of religious texts. Evidently, the performance of the band discussed in this paper shows many dissimilarities with the ethnography of blues. The performance style and songs are more consistent with the later interpretations of blues, such as rhythm and blues, and not with the early versions of this genre. This is reflected both in the music, choice of instruments, and song lyrics.
From a perspective of musical ethnography, blues is an interesting genre because of its melancholic nature and sad motives, which are reflected in this concert. Arguably, the only cheerful song featured in this concert is “Pretty Women,” while others are mainly tunes that focus on the themes of life and love. Additionally, an interesting element of this concert is a drum solo, lasting from 34:22 till 38:19. Hence, the band’s interpretation of the songs is mostly in line with the standards of the blues music genre.
Blues is a genre that features the themes of “generous and exploratory narrative,” as defined by Slaten (1). Additionally, these songs typically have a storytelling nature. Hence the singer talks about some aspect of their life or their feelings. For example, in this concert, the singer performs “Honey Hash,” where the basis of the song is a girlfriend’s tendency to talk too much. The way Periotty performs this song engages the listener to pay attention to the storyline, not only the music of the guitars and drums or the singer’s voice. The singer repeats “oh honey hash,” followed by an explanation of what specifically is an annoyance to him about his partner. The repeating theme is also supported by the repeating guitar solo following the singer’s “oh, honey hush.” These repetitions highlight another aspect of this genre, which is the narrative nature reflected in “simple but powerful lyrics” (BBC). Hence, blues was created as a piece of music through which the performers tell stories using rhythm and powerful lyrics.
Hence, this concert parallels with the assigned readings and the general characteristics of blues music. The tunes themselves are simple, featuring two guitars, drums, and vocals. The song is mainly melancholic, disclosing the themes of love, relationship issues, or personal struggles. However, one inconsistency between this concert and the general characteristics of blues is some cheerful motives and singers expressions that can be seen at some parts of the concert.
Blues is narrative music, as defined by Slaten, which is reflected both in the music and the lyrics of songs (5). This concert demonstrates this idea perfectly with each song since they are separate stories told by the vocalist Periotty. Notably, most of the songs performed are not written by the band; they are classic blues songs, which may be an obstruction to a full emersion into the atmosphere of blues music. As Slaten argues, blues songs are autobiographical, and when told by the original author, the audience is able to feel the atmosphere of the song fully and the personal struggles. With this concert, this element is not present. However, the audience still reacts to the singer’s words and at times sings along, which is the main benefit of performing well-known songs.
Conclusion
Overall, this paper is an analysis of a live blues concert by The Blues Trio. This group features three band members, one drum player, and two guitarists. The concert lasts for an hour and features well-known blues classics interpreted by the band. As standard for blues music, the songs are melancholic in nature and are performed in a reserved and sad manner, which is also reflected in the concert by the Blues Trio.
Works Cited
BBC. “History of Blues.” BBC.
“BLUES TRIO – LIVE AT TRIBUS BAR (Full Concert).” YouTube.
Slaten, Whitney. “The Ethos of the Blues: An Ethnography of Blues Singers and Writers.” Web.