Blues Legends to Perform in St. Petersburg

Three of American blues music’s most exciting performers kick off their Russian tour this week.

By Chris Gordon

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: April 3, 2013 (Issue # 1753)

for spt Harmonica player Phil Wiggins brings his unique style of playing to the city.

On Thursday, St. Petersburg audiences will have an opportunity to experience Modern Blues Masters, an all-star acoustic blues trio that performs music that brings a new dimension to the style by combining cross-cultural and contemporary influences.

The trio is appearing at the State Jazz Philharmonic as part of the Traditional American Music Festival, which features musicians selected by the American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress.

“The festival’s aim is to acquaint Russian audiences with some of the most interesting and authentic music traditions in the United States,” said Susan Katz of CEC ArtsLink, the festival’s organizer. “The participating groups have all greatly influenced the development of musical culture while preserving the traditional heritage of their genres.”

Modern Blues Masters features Phil Wiggins, Guy Davis and Samuel James, who are individually considered as some of the best musicians in the blues world. Wiggins, who has developed his own unique style on the harmonica, is accompanied by the notable guitar playing and vocals of Guy Davis and Samuel James. Their contributions to American and world folk music culture are valued both by the music world’s top critics and millions of listeners worldwide.

Wiggins, besides being a renowned harmonica player, is also a gifted songwriter and singer whose material helped to define the sound of harmonica and guitar duet Cephas & Wiggins. The duet exemplified the synthesis of the African and European musical traditions that co-exist in the blues, making the pair one of the most important American blues duos and leading to extensive international tours. Following Cephas’ death in 2009, Wiggins continued making music by collaborating with Guy Davis, the Rev. John Wilkins and other leading blues musicians.

For his part, Davis has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues and bringing them to listeners through songs written by some of the greatest blues composers, African-American stories, and his own original songs, stories and performance pieces.  He is the author of many plays, and the co-author and musical performer for the Emmy award winning film “To Be a Man.” He has also been nominated for nine Handy Awards over the years including in the categories “Best Traditional Blues Album,” “Best Blues Song” and twice for “Best Acoustic Blues Artist.”

James is a virtuoso guitarist, poet, singer and pianist, and is considered one of the most promising, young up-and-coming blues musicians in the world. James describes himself as a storyteller who chose a blues “get-up” for his stories.

Following the St. Petersburg show on Thursday, Modern Blues Masters will take their show on the road, visiting Nizhny Novgorod on April 6, Kirov on April 8 and ending their Russian tour at the DOM Cultural Center in Moscow on April 11.

Modern Blues Masters will perform at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the State Jazz Philharmonic. Tickets cost 400 rubles and are available from the theater box-office and city ticket agencies.