{"id":2585,"date":"2019-05-25T12:53:29","date_gmt":"2019-05-25T16:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=2585"},"modified":"2019-09-12T11:39:38","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T15:39:38","slug":"digging-our-roots-videos-speakers-inspire-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2019\/05\/digging-our-roots-videos-speakers-inspire-engagement.html","title":{"rendered":"Digging Our Roots videos, speakers inspire engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Billy
Billy Branch watches Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) Williamson II;
photo by Alan Frolichstein <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 100 Chicagoans (maybe some visitors?) watched Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and other heroes of the blues on videos at the Cultural Center Thursday night (5\/23\/19), with harmonica star Billy Branch<\/a> and WDCB program host Leslie Keros<\/a> telling stories and participated in lively interplay with knowing attendees. It was the fifth Digging Our Roots: Chicago’s Greatest Hits<\/a> “listening session” this spring, co-presented by the Jazz Institute of Chicago <\/a>and Jazz Journalists Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full disclosure: I sit on the JIC board, am president of the JJA, curated and moderated this series. Let that not invalidate this report! Because since cold last January, our once-a-month, free, public music show-and-tells have drawn a steadily growing, diverse and highly engaged audience to both revisit and discover anew jazz\/blues favorites of the distant and recent past, pointing to culture of this city now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t say that to brag, just to confirm that small budget, low cost, all-ages-and-sophistication-level presentations can raise the profile of local musicians and journalists working together, expose successful (entertaining!) if perhaps forgotten artists to awe and encourage younger music lovers, and generate fine content for posting, such as Mashaun Hardy does for the Jazz Institute’s social media streams by video streaming portions of the proceedings, live — like below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The economical nature of the production is thanks to the Cultural Center (overseen by the Mayor’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events<\/a>) providing space and staff, as well as the amazing banquet of video performances online (we watched clips selected by the panelists, including this dynamite performance by Billy Branch and Lurrie Bell<\/a> with an early version of their band Sons of the Blues). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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