Bluebird Bluesfestival 2002

...................BLUEBIRD
.........................................BLUES
........................FESTIVAL
....................................................HERE TO STAY

..............Text and Photos by: Larry Benicewicz

Normally this column would be a feature article about some blues artist be it a profile or a thorough biography and I had every intention of offering local blues singer and guitarist, Cathy Ponton King, the full treatment as I headed out to Largo and Prince George’s Community College on Sunday, September 22, as she was opening what would be the tenth installment of the Bluebird Blues Festival.

But when I arrived, I was so impressed with the proceedings there that I decided to do a piece instead on the jamboree itself, which, amazingly, to my surprise, charged no admission and should be held up as a model for all such large venues to emulate. And the ever affable Cathy took it all in stride that I temporarily put her on the back burner in deference to an event which has over the years treated her and other such area blues musicians with such dignity, kindness, and respect.

I have to admit that I had known about this concert for quite a long time and, despite frequent invitations by Baltimore’s gentle giant of a blues belter, Jesse Yawn, who extolled its hidden virtues, had been a gainsayer, never quite believing that it would endure. After all, many such similar attractions in the vicinity for one reason or another and all which held such initial promise had long since fallen by the wayside, including the Blue Bayou Blues Festival, held annually at the Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, and the Baltimore Blues Festival at the Yacht Basin at the foot of the Hanover Street Bridge. Then, why wouldn’t I expect that the Bluebird Blues Festival would suffer a similar fate?

After all, on that particular Sunday, which I’m sure was chosen as not to compete with the hellish nightmare of gridlock city, a Redskins football game at nearby Fedex Field, which transforms the Capital Beltway into a parking lot, the Bluebird Blues Festival was up against no less than three other significant happenings and all with major headliners of their own to draw the crowds-the Federal Hill Beat Street Festival in Baltimore with the ever popular favorite, Kelly Bell Band, and now blues giant, Sherman Robertson, the Highlandtown Festival, also in Charm City, which featured Zydeco with Dikki Du and his Krewe (the son of the great Roy Carrier), and, last, but not least, capitalizing on the sensation caused by the recent cinematic release, O Brother, Where Art Thou, was the venerable Takoma Park Folk Festival, which offered an eclectic menu of banjoist Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, the grandson of activist and singer Pete, the Hot Kugel Klezmer Band, and noted Scottish fiddle player, Elke Baker. And at the latter shindig, Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, now stumping for her boss’s job, considered it a worthy enough gathering that she made herself very conspicuous, schmoozing and pressing all the flesh within arms length. Now, against such odds, could the Bluebird hope to win out? And the answer was a resounding “yes”!

“I think we had about 19, 000 this time, up a couple of thousand than last year. But that’s a rough estimate, since there is an official entrance[with a counter] and then some come in the back way [meaning me] with the bands,” said the engaging and well-spoken president of Prince George’s Community College, Dr. Ronald A. Williams, commenting upon the attendance, which includes the assembled at three separate stages. The outdoor and largest-the Main Stage-situated just off the quadrangle offers easy access to the other indoor “rooms” which surround it, the Jook Joint (which appears to be a converted dining area) and

the Rennie Forum, a small, intimate auditorium. There’s never a break in the action as concerts/workshops are scheduled simultaneously, presented by celebrity DJ’s (all with ties to Washington’s blues friendly WPFW-FM) like the Main Stage’s beloved “The Gator,” who for nine years has hosted an urban contemporary blues show, or the Jook Joint’s sassy emcee, Miss Monica, and the beloved local legendary blues singer, Nap Turner, who has inherited “The Bama Hour,” actually a two-hour blues program on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Bluebird Blues Festival is actually a long-running and popular remnant of an educational initiative of 1993, a series of blues programs, called the Blues Project, a creation of a former history professor, the late Lyle Linville, who teamed up with another colleague, speech professor, Isa Engleberg, to organize such functions. Distinguished blues scholars, experts in the field, and performers themselves presided over lectures and demonstrations which sought the origin of and traced the evolution of the uniquely American genre of music, the blues. “I wasn’t president at the time of its inception. It was Robert Bickford. But at the time, I remember that Prince George’s County was undergoing a tremendous change in its ethnic make-up, which was also reflected in the student body. The Blues Project was encouraged as a means of making them aware of their cultural heritage,” said Dr. Williams, who has been at the helm of this two-year college for the last three years.

According to the brochure, the Blues Project was intended to be a celebration of African American musical traditions, as the “blues was born and nurtured within the context of the African American experience.” And backed by grants from two arts and two humanities agencies(including the National Endowment for the Humanities), this program became this college’s most ambitious scheme ever initiated for the sake of “community outreach.” Among the activities prepared in tandem with the original seminars, included “Blues Circles” - small group conversations at local libraries, a film series, a photo documentary display, a play, and, lastly, an outdoor blues festival, which survives to this day.

“There are really two main ingredients to the success of the festival. And one of the keys is diversity,” said Jay Boyer, Dean of College Life Services, who is in the thick of things as far as logistics go, and is also responsible for a budget that may exceed $75,000. “People don’t realize that at times the selection committee may take a year to mull over a slate of performers. We have to consider demographics and multi-generational appeal. In other words, we have to cover all bases to pique interest and then hold our audience,” he added.

And obviously, the formula, even from the outset, has worked admirably. The emphasis certainly has been to call upon the local artists of renown and the Mid-Atlantic region has been blessed with a plethora of genuine blues luminaries, who represent every facet on the blues spectrum, ranging from the intricate Piedmont finger picking of the late John Jackson (who performed here and to whom the 2002 edition is dedicated) to the boogie woogie piano of Deanna Bogart to the doo-whop of the legendary Orioles vocal group, and to the harmonica stylings of Charlie Sayles. The list of qualified candidates who could grace this marquee seems endless. The first such Bluebird Blues Festival (attended by 7000 devotees) was held on September 19, 1993 and offered regional acts such as barrelhouse pianist Steve Kramer, a fixture on Sundays at the Cat’s Eye Pub in Fell’s Point in Baltimore for nearly two decades, the aforementioned Jesse Yawn, another late Piedmont great Archie Edwards, guitarist Bobby Parker, a longtime resident who recorded for Vee-Jay in the 50s, V-Tone in the 60s, and finally Black Top in the 90s, and folk guitarist Etta Baker.

On top of all this area talent, it was decided that a top-notch national touring act be added to the blueprint and the late Booba Barnes, an intense and colorful Delta guitarist, was selected to headline the festival. Since that time, it’s been quite an array of remarkable “guest” artists who have capped off the festivities, including another Delta guitar exponent, Jack Johnson, and fellow Mississippi blues harp master, Willie Cobbs. I don’t know if it is just coincidence or not, but, over the years, the majority of these visiting “foreign” blues dignitaries

seem to belong to the smooth and silky, cosmopolitan, uptown soul blues, which has become a trademark of Tommy Couch’s Jackson, MS-based Malaco label- Little Milton, Latimore, and Denise LaSalle.

And if you could not find a performer to please your palate at the latest Bluebird Blues Festival, you just couldn’t, in all honesty, be a blues fan. If it were Piedmont blues that you crave, you’d be amply satisfied with the country’s greatest surviving exemplar, John Cephas (with Phil Wiggins on harmonica); if it were hard rock or metal blues, you’d come to hear Tom Larsen; if it were boogie piano, Daryl Davis is your man; and there are at least three figures who could fulfill all your big band Chicago-style desires -Cathy King, Bobby Parker, and Jesse Yawn. And if it’s a little spiritual uplifting that you need, there’s the Al Muntzie and the Renaissance Gospel Singers that could restore your faith. And how about some down home soul music dished out by the incomparable Otis Clay? Well, if all else fails, Catfish Hodge, whose eclectic acoustic repertoire knows no bounds, could probably pull any tune you want out of his hat. There’s always something for everyone at these large scale house parties, which brings us to our next topic.

“After diversity, the next important word is family. We could very well hold this concert on Saturday night, but that would exclude the kids. But, of course, if you invite the young ones, there has got to be something for them to do,” said Jay Boyer. And thanks to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission which sponsors and totally underwrites the Children’s Activities segment of the festival, they are more than well occupied. First, they can witness and then participate in the Double Dutch Treat, routines with the rope supplied by a Greenbelt troupe. Next, with small boxes, the young ones can help in the construction of Bluesville, USA, a scale model city, followed by face painting and active involvement in the Stick Critters and Nature Arts Workshop, a build your own bug competition. Added to this mix, are performance pieces, so to speak, by Nicolo-Whimsey, a dynamic duo of

jugglers, cyclists, and musicians who experiment with resonating saws and washtub bass violas. Finally, Suunna and Company present East African Dance and Drumming, and encourage the kids to take part. “But what’s important here is that by bringing the children along, you can expose them to the blues at an early age and perhaps win a few converts in the process. This is one way to carry on and hand down the tradition,” added Jay.

But besides focusing upon diversity and family, the principals behind this festival also take advantage of some of the resources available at their disposal to ensure its perpetuation. One might be the college print shop which furnishes a professional and handsome brochure (distributed gratis to all comers), as classy and informative a publication that I have ever encountered at such a venue. Next, they employ their own security staff, which, of course, has to be paid, but at least does not have to undergo training and orientation, which might involve even more costs. Liquor is served in the cozy Jook Joint during the party and I had to wonder how a state institution can allow such a practice. And it was Dr. Williams who informed me that since the school was non-residential, it is a lot easier to obtain a one-day license for the consumption of alcohol, as long as it

could be monitored in a confined area and not carried about. By the way, he also informed me that another is necessary for a winter-time, scaled down version of the festival, the annual Juke Joint Saturday Night, a formal dress-up affair, which was also an outgrowth of the original Blues Project.

But, none of this would be possible without the aid of sponsors, who are more likely to support a festival such as this with an educational component and a high-minded purpose. Such faithful backers include Kaiser Permanente, Target department stores, Comcast cable, Southwest Airlines, Pepsi, Bank of America, NBC Channel 4 in Washington, D.C., and the Washington Post, the latter two serving as longtime patrons.
Also helping to defray the huge outlay of cash for the festivals are the vendors, which include crafts, record dealers like Wayne Kahn

of local label Right on Rhythm (Roy Carrier, the Nighthawks, and Nap Turner), and food. Regarding the latter, Dr. Williams also added that there was a selection process. “I guess we self- consciously choose the bar-b-cue or the fried chicken-type stands in keeping with the concept of a Southern down home picnic atmosphere,” he said. And then I had to make a joke about missing the quiche or sushi or other new-age, nouveau cuisine concoctions. “No, I’m afraid you won’t find any of that here,” he added with a laugh.

So, there you have it, the ingredients of a successful festival and a venture which I’m sure will be refined and fine-tuned in the future. And as its reward, it has outstripped its modest beginnings and evolved into a truly grand celebration of the blues. And, with such a team behind it, unified in their spirit and concerned for its welfare, there undoubtedly will be many happy returns. You can count on it. Larry Benicewicz.