Maybe it was all of the people, and a scene I didn't know. Maybe it was the competitions. Maybe it was the specific workshops I took. Maybe it was being able to DJ next to national head-liner DJs. Or a combination of all of the above. Whatever the reason, I found this weekend to be particularly inspiring, not just for my dancing, but also for my DJing.
I only took 2 classes, but they made a big difference:
Damon and Heidi brilliantly brought dancing back to the basics, at an advanced level. I took the class as a lead, and, big surprise, it improved my follow.
Mike Legett and Reuel Reis gave everyone a 5 minute spotlight where they danced and got criticized. As many private lessons as I've taken, I have to say that Mike's feedback on my dancing was the most inspiring 5 minutes of my blues-dancing career.
Dispite the confusion of the workshops due to lack of organizational communication, the weekend was put together well. Great bands, great teachers, great DJs, and great venues. I especially loved the late-night band with Sean Morse, joined with the evening's hot harmonica player. The coolest thing to me was that there was the harmonica class during the Sunday workshops! There needs to be one of these at every event!
Once again, DJ Lil' Red, Whitton Frank caught my attention. My favorite song from the weekend was when she played "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno, from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.
My set lists for the weekend:
Friday evening band breaks:
Ernestine Anderson - Please Send Me Someone To Love
Susan Tedeschi - Friar's Point
B.B. King - Blind Love
James Cotton Blues Band - The Blues Keep Falling
Jimmy Read - When Girls Do It
Eddie Vinson - Ashes On My Pillow
Kirk Fletcher - Blues for Boo Boo
Charles Brown - I Lost Everything
Nathan James & Ben Hernandez - Don't Forget It
Susan Tedeschi - Wait For Me
Janiva Magness - Ain't Lost Nothin'
Dizzy Gillespie - summertime
Taj Mahal - Going up to the Country
Fiona Boyes - Canned Heat
James Cotton Blues Band - Off the Wall
Howlin' Wolf - Spoonful
Brother Yusef - Love & the Blues
Ray Charles - Every Saturday Night
Friday late night at the art studio:
Nina Simone - Buck
Nick Curran - Oh Baby
Scrapomatic - Louisana Anna
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee - Stranger Here
Etta James - If I Can't Have You
Susan Tedeschi - Magnificent Sanctuary Band
Ellen Whyte - Falling
Muddy Waters - I Just Want to Make Love To You
Nora Michaels - Black Coffee
The 8th Day - She's Not Just Another Woman
Nickel Creek - I Should've Known Better
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - It's Alright
Jimmy "T-99" Nelson - Hurt Three Ways
Gordon Webster - Mo'Better Blues
Mavis Staples - Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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