| Up the Mississippi - A Journey of the Blues Anthology/CD Project | | Print | |
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The anthology includes chapters by such writers as Dr. Richard Raichelson, a PH.D in folklore and anthropology, who writes on Memphis and its role in the history of the blues, by Sally Stevens, founder of the New Orleans Blues Project, covering Louisiana Blues, by Bob Koester, founder and owner of Delmark Records, writing on the Blues in St. Louis, and many other authors. In addition there is an introduction by Dr. Karen McFarland, poetry by Dr. Sterling Plumpp, and a brief history of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. As the project took shape it became obvious that an accompanying CD providing aural examples of the music and performers discussed in the book would greatly enhance the overall impact of our project. The Education Committee obtained a very generous grant from the Scott County Regional Authority making the CD effort possible. After deciding which recordings we wanted to include and obtaining the rights, we have put together one of the greatest blues CDs you will ever hear. Ken Rasek, a sound engineer from Bettendorf, mastered the disc for us and came up with a finished product you have to hear to believe. Tracks on the CD include an introduction titled “Understanding the Blues” by Hawkeye Herman, Sleepy John Estes doing “Up and Down”, the best version ever of Sweet Home Chicago recorded by Magic Sam, recordings by Little Walter, Junior Wells, Otis Spann, Billy Branch and many more. The anthology will be distributed free of charge to all area High School and College teachers involved n Humanities, Literature, Art, and Music courses as well as the school librarians. The book will also be placed in all area libraries as reference material and copies are being sent to arts organizations and supporters in both states. We have already had requests for the Anthology from Scott Community College for use in a course starting in the spring, from Eric Noden, a Chicago musician and educator for use in a course he is teaching in the Chicago School system and from teachers and librarians in Davenport, Rock Island, Blue Grass, and Clinton. If you want another opinion, you can read this review by Dorothy Hill at www.JazzNow.com. Jeff Ignatius wrote this review for the River City Reader. Ellis Kell featured the Anthology in his February 2003 True Blue column. This is the biggest education project ever attempted by the MVBS and we are grateful for the generous support we received from Illinois Humanities, Humanities Iowa, the Illinois Arts Council, the Iowa Arts Council, the Riverboat Development Authority, and the Scott County Regional Authority. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of fun. Special thanks are due to Dr. Eunice Boardman, the Editor of the Anthology. Eunice was on board from the very beginning and steered us through till the very end. Stop by the Blues Office and check it out. It’s a project we can all be proud of. Copies of the anthology can be obtained for $15.00 from the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. We can accept orders by mail, phone, or fax. Payments can be made with check, Visa™ or Mastercard™. A $3.00 shipping & handling charge will be added to copies delivered by mail. Orders for Up the River — A Journey of the Blues can be sent to: Mississippi Valley Blues Society |
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