I do perform mostly as a solo for several reasons.  First, the style that I play was historically more of a solo form, though there were some notable exceptions.  These days it is still more common to be presented as a solo but that is changing.  I also find that being solo eliminates tons of logistical issues, allows me to have stronger artistic control and greater financial rewards.  I have never argued with myself about when to practice, stood myself up at a gig or felt slighted that someone else got a bigger share of the pie.  (Ok, maybe it isn’t a pie.  Maybe it’s a doughnut with a very large hole in the center.)

Of course, there is a flip side.  Having band mates lessens the work load, even for a front man and, with the right partner(s), there is an additional dynamic that translates into increased entertainment value.

When you look at musical relationships you need to realize that, just like other jobs, you often spend more time with your co-workers than your family.  And the dissolution of a musical relationship can have all the fireworks and animosity of a marriage divorce.

Sometimes I do miss camaraderie of a band mate.  Occasionally I hear where additional instruments in my music would be nice.  But when I think back on all the folks I have played with over the years there are a few I would work with again but only one I would try to persuade.

It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic that had I chosen life mates as carefully as I’ve chosen band mates I might have avoided a whole lot of pain along the way.  Fortunately, on the life mate front I do believe I finally got it right as I cannot imagine a better partner than I have now.

The past few months I have been cogitating on the history and development of the Piedmont blues. Why doesn’t it seem to have the same clout as some other blues such as Delta or Texas. Why didn’t it spawn and morph in a similar way that Delta lead to Chicago that lead to Rock?

There are a lot of ideas and writings about the birth of rock and roll. Ideas that include all kinds of sociological and political theories. Notions that may or may not have validity and relevance. It’s really easy to look back how some of these things happened but, to my mind, that does little to explain what happened to the Piedmont blues.

I have found a couple of web sites that may be interesting to explore. East Coast Piedmont Blues and the Piedmont blues entry at Wikipedia both seem to be worth looking at more closely.

That’s what I’m up to this morning…

–Tampa Blue

September 26, 2009