ME AND THE DEVIL BLUES - The legend of Robert Johnson and the Delta Blues

Mon 23 Nov 2009 @ 8:00pm

Admission Members $10 Student members $5 Non-members $15

This concert comprises the 2009 PJS commissioned work by Callum G'Froerer and Brett Thompson, featuring the voice of Sophie Brous.

ROBERT Johnson was born in 1911, died in 1938, and is arguably the most influential of all Delta blues musicians.
In a short, prolific life he created an incredible legacy of music.
`We aim to conjure up the spirit of Johnson, the landscape of his life and the Delta region in Mississippi,' wrote our composers in their PJS application.
`Our aim is to summon the dry heat of the southern air, the sound of work songs drifting along the breeze off the fields, the feeling of the harsh ground beneath one's feet, and the sounds of young Robert Johnson's guitar, full of joy, heartbreak, love, lust and pain.'
Me and the Devil Blues presents music influenced by Johnson's recordings and the music and surroundings that inspired him.
`We hope to blend original jazz compositions, pre recorded sounds from field recordings and of Johnson's recordings, and spoken word and storytelling.
`Robert Johnson's music is a perfect source of inspiration to create new music that is not just soulful, joyful, and heartfelt, but also a way to explore a music which was so pivotal in the development of jazz. Combining Johnson's music with modern jazz compositional techniques would be a fascinating culmination of two very distinct and strong styles. We hope to develop a new body of work that will be not only entertaining and exciting for the audience, but deep in levels of expression that could only be achieved through this unique union of two distinct styles.

Callum G'Froerer
A performer at many venues around Australia and internationally, Callum is a three-times James Morrison Scholarship finalist, was a WAYJO Scholarship winner, recipient of the 2008 Melville Toyota Scholarship for most outstanding graduating recital, and recipient of a 2007 Clifford Brown/ Stan Getz Fellowship, performing in New York City and at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California. He is a member of the Mace Francis Orchestra, the Johannes Luebbers Dectet, and has performed with Jamie Oehlers.

Brett Thompson
Brett has performed at jazz venues around Perth since his early teens, including the Perth Jazz Society, Perth Concert Hall, The Ellington Jazz Club, and York and Bunbury Jazz festivals. He has also performed on the world stages of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and the Barbican (London). Brett has shared the stage with many world class musicians, including Jamie Oehlers, Graeme Lyall, James Morrison, Joe Chindamo and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently a member of Beatrix Kiddo and Borrowed Blue, and has played with the Mace Francis Orchestra, Jamie Oehlers Sextet, Ricki Malet Quartet and the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Sophie Brous
Few vocalists active today have Sophie's range of expression and ability in jazz, blues and modern improvised music.
Sophie is an award winning Melbourne based singer and is Project Director for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Sophie won the 2005 James Morrison Vocal Scholarship, was a prize winner in the Brussels International Young Jazz Singers Contest, and a speaker at the 2007 Future Leaders Conference. She is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and has studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. She performs regularly in Melbourne with artists such as Paul Grabowsky, Jamie Oehlers, and Sam Anning. She has presented many radio shows for Melbourne radio, and was the founder of 'Mash out the Toff', a monthly new music concert series.
Line up at PJS will be:
Callum G'Froerer (trumpet), Brett Thompson (guitar), Phil Waldron (bass),
Dan Di Paola (drums), Sophie Brous (vocals and spoken word), Ben Collins (sound design).