"Red, White & Blues" on PBS February 27th

[Tig***]

“In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” is a PBS special taped in the East Room of the White House celebrating Blues music. President and Mrs. Obama will host the concert event on Tuesday, February 21 in recognition of Black History Month. The evening will include program host Taraji P. Henson and performances by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark, Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Buddy Guy, Warren Haynes, Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, with Booker T. Jones as music director and band leader. (Program subject to change.) The sixty-minute television special is produced by WETA Washington, D.C., the flagship public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, in association with The GRAMMY Museum, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). The television special is part of the Emmy Award-nominated PBS “In Performance at the White House” series and will premiere Monday, February 27 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings).

“In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues” will honor the musical form that sprang from the Mississippi Delta and flourished in the Westside of Chicago with deep roots in Africa and slavery. The performances will explore those roots and pay homage to the great figures of the Blues and the songs they made famous by tracing the influence of the Blues on modern American music from soul to rock’n’roll. This event, including the President’s remarks, will be available for press via the White House Press Corps pool feed and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live, www.pbs.org/whitehouse and www.blackpublicmedia.org. The program will also be broadcast at a later date via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world.

“It is our ongoing delight to bring this concert series to the American people in collaboration with the White House,” noted Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA. “This event marks the forty-eighth production of the WETA ‘In Performance at the White House’ series and continues to demonstrate how public broadcasting brings rich cultural experiences to a wide audience.”

“The Blues are not only the most American of art forms, but the fundamental inspiration for some of the most important artists of our generation,” said Paula A. Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. “Since 1978, ‘In Performance at the White House’ has spotlighted some of our nation’s best performers, and celebrated our nation’s heritage. The upcoming special on the Blues continues in this tradition and celebrates music born out of struggle that touches the soul and inspires the mind and holds a unique place in American arts.”

“The quintessentially American tradition of the Blues, which combines African roots with New World sensibilities, speaks eloquently to our unique history as Americans, reaching back to the founding of this nation during a time of slavery. It is an honor to bring the songs and great performers of the Blues to the White House and to the American public in a broadcast during Black History Month,” commented Jacquie Jones, executive director of the National Black Programming Consortium (NPBC).

“This concert at the White House celebrates the musical contributions that the Blues have made to our culture,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Through public media, all Americans are able to explore and experience this unique part of our country’s heritage.”

[sunvalleylaw]

I watched the one the President and Ms. Obama did for motown. It was pretty decent! It seemed to feel a little weird, given the setting, but I was surprised how well it was pulled off, considering it was in the White House.

I look forward to this one. Should be even better!

[R_of_G]

This one is worth watching for Trombone Shorty and Gary Clark, Jr. alone. I'm sure the rest will be good as well, but those two... wow, I hope Booker has them onstage together at some point.

[Tig***]

I listened to Trombone Shorty's Backatown album, and while some of the tracks are really good, some didn't grab me too much. I'd love to see him live, however.

[R_of_G]

I listened to Trombone Shorty's Backatown album, and while some of the tracks are really good, some didn't grab me too much. I'd love to see him live, however.

I tend to like Troy better as a sideman than a bandleader.

[Tig***]

Wow, I wish I caught this but had to work. Check out this great performance...
Eddie Boyd's "Five Long Years" featuring Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy and Gary Clark Jr.

[R_of_G]

That was pretty sweet.
Some of the other performances I saw (notably the "Sweet Home Chicago" with President singing) were interesting but musically suffered from that ever-present problem of "All Star" performances which is far too many guitar players. You wind up with a very muddled sound when there are eight guys playing rhythm. Or maybe it's that I just wanted to hear Gary Clark's guitar above all the others.

[sunvalleylaw]

I'll DVR the broadcast on the 27th. Looking forward to it.

[Tig***]

More...
Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Warren Haynes & Booker T Jones on the Etta James classic - "I'd Rather Go Blind".



The Tedeschi Trucks Band performed this in Houston the day Etta James died with almost no practice, and they were incredible. Susan killed it with more emotion that we even see here.
Warren's singing here is also awesome.