Janiva Magness Interview: Taking love to a gunfight.

Janiva Magness has recently released Love is An Army, her 14^th album. She’s a highly accomplished artist, honoured with seven awards in the last 6 years by The Blues Foundation of Memphis, including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year. She was also nominated for a Grammy for her last album, Love Wins Again.

As well as being a talented songwriter, outstanding singer and hard-working performing artist, Janiva has served passionately as Ambassador for both Foster Care Alumni and Child Welfare League of America for many years, standing up for young people, having herself overcome much adversity earlier in life.

Love Is an Army has twelve hugely enjoyable songs which tap into a deep well of both Americana and Memphis soul. She is joined by a number of guest luminaries, such as Charlie Musselwhite, Delbert McClinton, Texas singer-songwriter Bryan Stephens, Poco frontman Rusty Young, Mississippi hill-country blues artist Cedric Burnside, and bluegrass guitar and banjo virtuoso Courtney Hartman. These are stirring songs of protest, empowerment and hope which will capture your soul and move your feet.

Down at the Crossroads caught up with Janiva prior to an extensive tour of the United States.

DATC: Janiva, congratulations on the new album. It’s very upbeat, it’s very inspirational and it’s already had very fine reviews. What was the impetus behind the album?

Janiva: I’m very glad you connect with the music. My producer, Dave, and I wanted to make a record that was very current, not just sonically current, but topically current. And we had quite a sense of urgency about it. There is so much stress in the world these days, there is so much, upset, anger, pain. In a global way. And we really wanted to speak to that. And do everything we could to encourage and inspire people to stand up and speak up, and for change. Because clearly – clearly great change is needed.

But the older we get the more we realize that change begins at home. The revolution begins at home. You know I’m old enough to have seen this before. It feels a little bit, in many ways, like 1968. And so we wanted to speak to that. And that’s really what the palette of the music was aimed towards.

DATC: And I saw that you said that you thought the album might be a challenge for some of your fans. Why do you say that?

Janiva: Because in the world of blues – contemporary or traditional – in the world of roots music, there’s a lot of love and affection for the tradition. And I think that this album contains some of that. But its pushing out further. And I think if you were to look at the arc of my recording career, if you were to listen to each album back to back, you would find a continuum. I have never wanted to make the same album twice.

There is a big shift in the sonics of the album. Some of the instrumentation in there some of the traditional blues people might absolutely love – or might absolutely be upset by! And there is also an element of empowerment that upsets people.

Just yesterday on social media, I got called out by one of my fans for posting too much political stuff.

DATC: Oh dear!

Janiva: I’ve never been the person, the woman, who has gone quietly into the night! And I have no intention of beginning that now.

DATC: Good for you!

Janiva: Yeah, I was getting called out – “I love your music, you have an amazing voice, one of the best voices in the blues today, but you’re upsetting me by putting all these posts about people asking in this county about gun control. Stop it!”

DATC: Yeah, well, in looking at this album you’ve already been quite outspoken about that. If you read the lyrics to Love to a Gunfight – which incidentally is a wonderful song – in the light of recent events that’s hugely topical – you say “now is not the time to pray” You know, thoughts and prayers and all that – it’s the time for action and not simply platitudes.

Janiva: I believe this to my soul. These are not just things I say, or – what’s going to be the popular thing, let’s see if I can catch a wave? The place that I come from and have always come from is to stand up and speak out. And be accountable. Accountability as a human being; accountability as a neighbourhood; as a state, as a nation. Wait – how about accountability as the human race?

So clearly that person who was calling me out on social media has not heard the new record. I’m not the shut up and sing type!

DATC: You’ve talked about the loss of kindness and respect for each other and how upset you are about that. We see that, clearly, in American politics – but is it the same more generally, do you think?

Janiva: Absolutely. A lack of consideration of other human beings. A lack of basic fundamental kindness. Please and thank you – where did that go? Where did respect for the older generation go? Where did the basic fundamental capacity to listen to someone else go? Because we don’t listen any more.

And that is global in my experience; it isn’t just the United States or the UK – it isn’t just anywhere. It’s all of us. And I am saddened by that and I think it has a great deal to do with the state of affairs we are collectively in. Add in the level of greed to that and it’s quite ugly.

DATC: The good thing about this album though, is you don’t dwell on the problem too much – you move pretty swiftly to the answer. Your album asks: But what if love was in charge and calling the shots? So, I suppose my question is, how possible do you think that is? People seem so entrenched in their mindsets; hemmed in by the social media they subscribe to – can we get to the place where love is in charge?

Janiva: I absolutely believe we can. I’ve seen such magnificent transformations in people as individuals; I’ve seen transformations in communities; I’ve seen absolute miraculous transformations in…myself. So – how is it not possible?

But – there is a caveat. My experience says I have to be willing. Change is always closer than I think it is. It’s more within reach than I imagine. But I have to be willing. And that means there needs to be a burning to change. There can be so much fear. Fear is such a negative force. It’s cruel. And yet, it’s part of the human condition. So, what do we do about that? I have to be willing to face these things. And move beyond them. My mind tells me it’s a great brick wall, but my experience is that it’s simply a veil. Every time I have faced these fears, it’s a veil, not a brick wall. I practice a lot of yoga and they say the mind is a monkey [i.e. unsettled, restless] and I can’t disagree with that.

DATC: You’ve said you believe in the power of helping others. That love is an action. That reminds me of John Mayer’s song – Love is a Verb; or St John, who a long time ago said, “if you see your needy brother or sister and you look the other way, you know nothing about love.”  So, fs that’s what it’s about, if love is an action, what would you like to see happening? What do we need to do?

Janiva: Along the lives of it begins with us; it begins with us, it begins at home. Helping someone who is in need. It begins there. Do it. Do something every day to help someone else.

DATC: “Swing the hammer every single day …and watch the walls come down”

Janiva; Yeah, pretty much! So what is that – is it carrying someone’s groceries? Helping an elderly person across the street? Is that taking a meal to someone, feeding someone? Does that mean going and volunteering for an hour or two? Does that mean canvassing locally to get the news out about some current legislation that is on the chopping block or is about to be passed, that is harmful, or that is helpful? Or about going out and helping people register to vote? To engage with our neighbour, our community. And by the way – do something kind and tell no one. Just do it.

That was something I learned long ago and it has been a profound practice.

DATC: It reminds me of a YouTube video I’ve seen of Bob Dylan, it’s called the Holiday Blues. And in his own inimitable fashion, with that laconic drawl of his, he asks, “what’s the cure for the holiday blues?” And he says, just go out and do something for somebody, volunteer in a soup kitchen, whatever, and you’ll soon find your blues go away.

Janiva: It’s a funny thing, but it works. It seems almost too simple.

Photography by Nathan David Kelly.

DATC: I really like that song Hammer where you sing “Just got to swing the hammer every single day …and watch the walls come down”. Charlie Musselwhite is fantastic on this. And you’ve got some other great contributors on the album.

Janiva: I’m very excited about this. Very few of my albums have had special guests, but we decided to just take the gloves off on this one and just go for it. And I was very, very grateful that we got yeses from the people that we asked that ended up appearing. I’m very grateful that it worked out.

DATC: And how would you characterize the style of the album? Some have said it sounds like Memphis R&B, or soul, and one reviewer wanted to term it Americana-Soul, which I think is quite interesting. How would you characterize it?

Janiva: I would say Americana Soul covers it. Because the definition of Americana as a genre encompasses elements of several different kinds of American roots music. So it encompasses folk music, blues and also soul music. It encompasses elements of early or traditional country music. And so I think Americana Soul is a pretty accurate place to put it.

DATC: It’s very listenable. I think people from various backgrounds and tastes will find something to really like in this.

Janiva: I hope so. My digits are crossed!

DATC: Let me ask you this: Yesterday was International Women’s Day.  What has it been like for you, as a woman, building your career in this industry?

Photo: Earl Gibson III

Janiva: It’s been a tremendous amount of hard work. I’m grateful that I have a very strong work ethic. If you are pushing on the idea that women have a different experience than men in business, I can absolutely speak to that, of course I think that that’s true.

I do not believe that it is the case that men have an easier time than women, overall. I do believe it is difficult for men on different levels. But the fact that there are certain disadvantages because I have different plumbing than you – that’s real. That’s not based on skill, or ability, it’s certainly not based on talent, so those prejudices are based on some very old distorted thinking and philosophy.

And I have to raise my hand on the #metoo movement. So, it’s been very real; it’s been part of the experience. I have absolutely dealt with sexual harassment my entire life. I’m a woman in the world. Anyone who is surprised by that is either not paying attention or is on some level some kind of perpetrator.

Now, it took me quite some time as a young woman in business of music to understand that these prejudices that exist in the business world and in the world at large – it’s really not my problem.  If someone sees me as worth less, that’s not my problem, it’s theirs. I get to make a decision whether or not to endorse that perspective. The song Hammer speaks to it: when they tell you “you’re too black, too white, too blues – they’re just words.” Now those can be hurtful. But I have to make a decision. Whose problem is that? Am I going to take that on, am I going to carry that prejudice? – “yes, I’m not worth as much because I’m a woman, or I’m not worth as much because I’m not a white blues artist” – who’s problem is that?

That’s not my problem. I’ll leave that with the person that brought it into the room. Take it with you when you leave. I’m not taking that. Now that needs some discipline. And there are some days – well I’m an artist and some days I’m going to question myself, I’m a human being. But this is not my problem, it’s their problem.

We fight it. I stand up to it all the time, it’s very real.

DATC: Janiva, you’re touring the US during March and April?

Janiva: And May, June, July and August! It’s looking to be a good year and I’m grateful for that. But I definitely want to come over to Europe in October – November. So digits crossed.

DATC: Janiva, great to talk to you, thank you so much.

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The Blues: Why It Still Hurts So Good

The other day I tweeted a quotation from Bruce Iglauer, founder and head of the independent blues record label Alligator Records, which got scores of likes and retweets. It clearly struck a chord. It said simply,

“Blues is the most important, most emotionally fulfilling music ever.”

Blues music, Iglauer has said, “speaks to some primal, necessary place in people’s consciousness.”

The quotation in my tweet was taken from an interview Mr. Iglauer had done with Dr. Marie Trout, and appears in her excellent and highly-readable book “The Blues: Why It Still Hurts So Good.” Marie Trout explores the world of blues music and its fans, helping us understand why this music speaks so deeply to people. In interview after interview, and in Marie’s analysis, we get to appreciate the way that the blues helps people gets their lives into perspective, feel a sense of community, find a means of emotional expression and catharsis, and helps them “keep on keeping on.”

Dr. Trout has done us a great service in this book, helping us blues fan understand better what we know deep down – that the blues has the power to touch us deeply. On one level it’s simple music, both lyrically and musically – but there is something in the rhythm, the repetition, the emotional content of the lyrics, and the actual structure of the musical form that has extraordinary power. And, of course, the genesis of the blues in a situation of oppression and suffering, inevitably bleeds through and adds its own weight to our sense of it.

How many times have you heard a guitar solo that somehow seems to reach right inside you and physically twist your innards? How many times have you just wanted to listen for entertainment’s sake, only to be drawn in to the intensity of the music. The blues’ll do that do you.

As Iglauer said in his interview, “I think a lot of us blues fans think we’ve found the Holy Grail of music and nothing else compares.”

 The Blues: Why It Still Hurst So Good by Marie B. Trout, PhD, Las Vagas, Yakkabiz,  2017

 

Our interview with Walter Trout can be found here

Bob Dylan’s Blues: Trouble No More

Volume 13 in Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series has just been released, Trouble No More, covering the so-called “gospel years” of 1979-1981. There’s a two CD pack with 30 songs, including a couple never before released, and then a whopping 8 CD + DVD offering which, at over £135, I’m afraid priced me out. I might have a friend who can help me out though!

Dylan’s three “gospel” albums from the period were widely pilloried at the time, but the release of this material, all recorded live from concerts in the United States and Europe, has shown what anybody who attended these gigs at the time knew – the performances were nothing short of electrifying. I went to my first Dylan concert on July 1, 1981 at Earl’s Court, London, which was kicked off by four tambourine swinging female gospel singers, Regina McCrary, Carolyn Dennis, Clydie King and  Madelyn Quebec, before Bob weighed in with Gotta Serve Somebody. By this stage, Dylan was beginning to mix in some of the old songs with the gospel material, so it wasn’t long before the whole place was erupting to Like A Rolling Stone. I was in Bob heaven with the set list that night, but it was the energy and conviction of the performances that pulsated through the arena that stayed with me long after the final chords of Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door had died away.

Rolling Stone, never a fan of Dylan’s gospel material, admitted of Trouble No More, “What’s often lost in those arguments is that it produced some of his greatest concerts,” while the Times of London grudgingly confessed that “the two-disc version is ample proof that Dylan finding God was, in musical terms at least, no bad thing.” The New York Times understood better what went on: “What comes through these recording is Mr. Dylan’s unmistakable fervor…[the songs are] “anything but routine…Mr. Dylan flings every line with conviction.” Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin says simply, “Like the mid-1960s, he was at the absolute peak of his powers.”

This was a prolific period. More than a dozen songs that didn’t make it onto the three albums from 1979 to 1981 show up in Trouble in Mind. The body of work composed by Dylan during this time “more than matches any commensurate era in his long and distinguished career – or, indeed that of any other twentieth century popular artist,” says Heylin, and it’s hard to disagree.

The song performances are in turns exhilarating, rowdy, playful, and combative, combined with moments of prayerlike reverence. It’s hard not to be moved by What Can I Do for You, from San Diego’s 27 November 1979 performance. This was a centrepiece of Dylan’s performances in these concerts and his passion and sense of gratitude is undeniable. The gospel backing and the mournful harmonica adds to the poignancy. “You have given all there is to give; what can I give to you?” Dylan’s sense of indebtedness oozes from the song. My wife and I were listening to this song the other day in the car. She doesn’t really like most of the music I listen too – she’s more of a classical music fan. But she suddenly said, “He’s really a fantastic singer, isn’t he?” The character of Dylan’s voice will always, I guess, be something of an acquired taste, but he is indeed a very fine singer, able to phrase a song exquisitely, and, as he does on this one, wring the emotion out of it.

What I found interesting listening to these performances is how much they are blues songs. Gospel blues, yes – but nothing wrong with that – we have a long line of such songs from Blind Willie Johnson and Rev. Robert Wilkins onwards. Slow Train, Gotta Serve Somebody, When You Gonna Wake Up, Do Right to Me Baby, Are You Ready and Dead Man, Dead Man are all served up in a heady mixture of the blues, rock and gospel. There’s something about the blues, when it’s played right that just manages to get right inside you and touch you deeply. And that’s what’s going on here with these songs – aside, of course from the deeply felt lyrics.

And then there is the very solid blues rock of The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar. The November 13, 1980 performance of this from San Francisco features Carlos Santana on guitar with a couple of blistering solos and Dylan as intense as you’re likely to hear him. The song is not on my vinyl version of Shot of Love, but was eventually added to the CD version.

The Groom’s lyrics are not anywhere near as explicit in Christian meaning as most of the other songs, which speak clearly of God, Jesus, the need for faith, repentance and Christ’s second coming. Here Dylan seems to be in enigmatic prophet mode, speaking of a world of chaos, madness, war and misunderstanding. But remember, this is a period where Dylan has steeped himself in the scriptures, and with his prodigious memory, all this theology and apocalyptic imagery is still swirling around his head. The talk of the groom, the implied bride and waiting at the altar seems to me has to refer to Christ and his bride, the church, straight from the pages of the Revelation of St. John. The stage, says Dylan, is burning and the curtain is rising on the new age, but we’re not quite there yet – the groom (Christ) is still waiting at the altar for his bride (Christ-followers) to be welcomed to the new age. For now, there is chaos, massacres of innocents, enough to nauseate you. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

The song is a powerful one – “a fiery piece of molten fury” [album liner notes] and the repetitive blues riff drives home the prophet’s urgent message. Before anyone gets too dismissive of this apocalyptic thread in Dylan’s songs, here and elsewhere, let’s realize that, like it or not, the idea of a second coming of Jesus has been part of orthodox Christianity for the last two thousand years. Yes, recently some Christians have got a bit confused about the idea of heaven as a golden city in the skies and about expecting a so-called “rapture,” but Christians have always hoped for a new world forged out of the old, where peace, love and justice would prevail. And that idea comes through loud and clear in, for example, When He Returns: “Like a thief in the night, he’ll replace wrong with right, When he returns… Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace, that the war won’t cease, Until He returns?”

Dylan gives us, as the New York Times put it, “a sense of moral gravity, a righteous tone, apocalyptic thoughts and a delight in the rich and powerful receiving their come-uppance.”

The important thing for Christians is to live now as if that new age mentioned in The Groom’s Still Waiting At the Altar had already arrived – peaceably, loving neighbours and enemies alike, and seeking justice for all. That’s the answer to Dylan’s question, What Can I Do For You?

Sidemen: Long Road to Glory.

(Dir: Scott D. Rosenbaum)

Hubert Sumlin

Sidemen, narrated by Marc Maron, is a splendid tribute to three legendary bluesmen – pianist Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and guitarist Hubert Sumlin. Over an hour and twenty minutes we get brief life histories of the three men, interviews and live performances by them, and tributes from a who’s who of the blues world, including Bonnie Raitt, Greg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, to name but a few. It’s a beautifully crafted film, utterly engaging and an overdue appreciation of three musicians who left an indelible mark not only on the blues, but on rock’n roll. Their role was to support, and yet their contribution was foundational for both Muddy Waters’ and Howlin’ Wolf’s bands. Today’s musicians interviewed in the film leave us in no doubt that these three helped redefine modern music as we know it.

The beauty of the film is in the intimate interviews and live performances shot shortly before Perkins, Smith and Sumlin passed away in 2011, though there is a wealth of concert footage of Waters, Wolf, Hendrix and the Rolling Stones over the years too. Both Perkins and Smith died a few months after their Grammy success for the “Joined at the Hip,” album. Perkins was 97, the oldest Grammy winner, and Smith 75. It was indeed a long road to glory.

The film strongly makes the case for Hubert Sumlin’s induction into the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame. Not only was he an outstanding guitarist – number 43 in Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Guitarist list, but rated by Derek Trucks as much, much better than that – but he was, according to Kenny Wayne Shepherd, “an extraordinary example of a human being.”

Sidemen is an affectionate, but never sentimental, tribute to three top class musicians who were overshadowed by two titans of blues history, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Any music fan ought to enjoy this film; any blues fan will be delighted – indeed for them it is required viewing.

 

 

Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ – Seven Things We Learned

Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ have teamed up for an album and tour under the name TajMo. We caught their gig at the lovely old theatre, the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, which was packed with appreciative fans.

1. What a fabulous idea to bring two blues masters together in this way. Two performers with great stage presence, two very different but complementary singing styles and two people clearly with a love of life and music. Add to that mix an outstanding band with drums, bass, saxophone, brass, keyboards and two wonderful singers – and you have a recipe for a hugely entertaining night. Oh, and stir in Keb’ Mo’s guitar virtuosity (and his dazzling range of guitars – that PRS Semi!)

2. At 75, Taj Mahal’s still got his groove. He jiggled and shook his way onto the stage, shaking a pair of maracas, beaming broadly, as the band played him in, clearly delighted at the raucous reception from the London crowd. And, oh my, that voice – still strong, with a throaty rasp. The man can sing the blues – and play the guitar, harmonica, banjo and ukulele.

3. Keb’ Mo’ is a hugely talented songwriter, singer, guitarist and performer, but even he seemed to be delighted to be on the same stage as Taj Mahal. Mahal, of course, is a legendary artist who has been performing since the late 60s. As we waited to get into the venue I chatted to Randolph from New York City, who’d first seen and heard Taj Mahal at Woodstock in 1969. Mahal has released more than two dozen studio albums, as well as live albums, and contributions to other people’s records. He’s been nominated for nine Grammy awards, and won two Grammy’s for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Nobody was in any doubt that we were in the presence of a blues legend.

4. At ten years his junior, Keb’ Mo’ must have been delighted when, after another tasteful guitar solo, the older master called for a reprise with, “One more time, son.”

5. The collaboration of these two artists dispels the notion that the blues are downbeat or depressing. Friday evening was two solid hours of unmitigated joy. As Taj Mahal says, “Some people think that the blues is about being down all the time, but that’s not what it is. It’s therapeutic, so you can get up off that down.” The blues faces life head on, calls it like it is, but it’s a way to work through trouble and hard times. This performance was fun, even uplifting, and more than a thousand people went away after the performance with huge smiles on their faces and optimism in their souls.

6. Backing singers needn’t take a back seat. Taj Mahal’s two daughters, Zoe Moon and Deva Mahal smiled, grooved, danced, and of course – sang – their way into the audience’s affections throughout the course of the evening. Their joy in the music was infectious.

7. Keb’ Mo’ had obviously read our review of his concert last year in Union Chapel, where I bemoaned the fact that he hadn’t played a personal favourite of mine, Life is Beautiful. He, Taj and the band duly rectified that with a sweet version of the song. The setlist overall covered most of the songs on the TajMo album – which I’d highly recommend, by the way – a few Keb’ Mo’ songs and a couple more songs done by Taj Mahal in the past. At the beginning of the concert we had the up tempo Don’t Leave Me Here, a longing for the blues heartland of Mississippi, which drew the audience from the get-go. The band disappeared for a few songs along the way to allow Mahal on acoustic guitar and Mo’ on a Resonator to give us some nice country blues, including the Sleepy John Estes number Diving Duck Blues, which was particularly enjoyable. As the concert drew to a close, the Empire crowd sang and clapped along to Soul, with its African rhythms and world music feel. And let’s not forget All Around the World, with its indomitable optimism:

“What’s all the fuss about, why can’t people just get along?

Maybe we ought to talk about all the good we got goin’ on

Everybody knows there’s a better way

And we’re all hopin’ and prayin’ that one day

There’ll be love all Around the world

There will be peace and understanding All around the world

There will be joy All around the world

There will be happy children singing All around the world.”

There’s a lot of heartache, pain and suffering going on around the world. But New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff pointed out recently that, “Despite the gloom, the world truly is becoming a better place.” Indeed, 2017 is likely to be the best year in the history of humanity.” He pointed to the large gains we’ve seen in combating disease and poverty, even in the developing world. Scourges like leprosy, malaria, worm infestation are receding and that’s before we starting thinking about the decline in extreme poverty. Yes, there are still huge challenges and many millions living in desperate conditions – so we must never be complacent or stop the fight for justice. But, there is hope – especially when we strive for peace and understanding. Thanks for the reminder, Keb’.