why we need either a new beefheart or a new butterfield

This clip is from about 35 years after Son House made his recording debut, which he did in 1930 for the Paramount label. In 1966, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band would unleash East-West, which sits alongside Beefheart's Safe As Milk (1967) as the most revolutionary, progressive blues statement of the period. Maybe even so far, even if for totally different reasons.



Butterfield and guitarist Mike Bloomfield might have spearheaded a movement towards a freer, less cliched blues style. Their deep roots were matched by their open minds, so that when they brought such inspired musical choices as the Adderley Brothers' "Work Song" and the LP's expansive title track (written within the band, it was real.

"East-West" brought forth the influence of Indian music into a blues band, a first. Except for Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, it's nearly impossible to name a blues person since "East-West" who has figured world music into the blues context. And Taj and Ry were of that same generation.



(For all of the notable blues-based improvising the Grateful Dead did even after Pigpen's death, they were never brave about bringing non-Western elements into the band, despite Mickey Hart's research on world percussion music.)

Taj Mahal remains the most interesting blues guy on the planet for any number of reasons. His nose for tunes is infallible. His guitar playing is still fresh and evolving. As a bandleader, he's a force of nature. And his ability to be himself no matter what genre politics might be inflicted by somebody who would say what "blues" or "jazz" is supposed to be... As a Pan-American vocalist, he deserves a place beside Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Mose Allison, and Toots Hibbert.

Contemporary blues seems adverse to the musical adventure set forth by Butterfield, Beefheart, and those other greats. Not just because it's performed less and less by the group of people who originated it (which it is). But because since the Texas blues codification that set in around 1980 seems to still be very much in place. Jimmie or Stevie Vaughan have replaced BB King as the dominant stylistic template for electric guitar, and -- in the post-Hendrix age -- the electric guitar is the symbol of the blues. Despite the incredible, form-smashing stuff set forth by Butterfield, Taj, Beefheart, Gregg Allman, Ry Cooder, and a few other greats, the popular stuff since 1980 is 12 bar 4/4 shuffles. Some would argue that that's the real stuff and it's what 'the people' really want. Can blues mean polymetrical music, 11/4 to 3/4?
Why not?




Electric blues seems to be in its evolution roughly where bluegrass music was in the late 1960's -- destined for the musuem unless... And 'unless' was followed by Sam Bush, David Grisman, Tony Rice, John Hartford, and a whole lot of other newer, younger adventurous types who did start playing new songs every night. It took time, but the contemporary -- even mainstream -- perception of bluegrass is no longer Flatt & Scruggs. It's Alison Krauss. And without a few Grisman's changing the music's playing field, that wouldn't have happened.

If there is a Grisman figure to emerge from the post-Stevie blues scene, I'm thinking Derek Trucks, whose stylistic freedom within his own playing makes him my hands-down favorite guy to emerge from the electric blues scene in these last couple decades:



The blues answer to Alison Krauss (or Dave Alvin or Big Sandy) hasn't wandered across my radar yet. I'm sure they're out there. And when they arrive, it will be interesting to see just how much argument their progress inspires. That will be worth staying tuned for.