Netflix to release documentary on legendary music band the blues……
When the players of the Norman Jackson Band were preparing for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis last month, they wrestled with how they should present themselves.
The Norman Jackson Band receives the third place award in the International
Would the banter between songs work for the competition strictly judged by industry leaders? Would the onstage gymnastics of saxophonist Rick Shortt help or hurt?
“We had a turning point about what we thought about what they thought they wanted us to act like,” Shortt said. “We decided we needed to just be us. So we went there with the stories and the antics — the same things we do when we play wherever. We didn’t change anything.”
To stand out among 257 blues bands from around the globe, being themselves apparently was the way to go — good enough for third in the world.
“To come in third at age 64, that’s an honor to me,” said Jackson, who considers the blues a gift from God to spread for the uplifting of all who listen.
“I have been there with other musicians, great musicians, but with the band I have now, we play because we love it,” Jackson said. Audiences respond accordingly, he said, evoking his longstanding motto: “What comes from the heart reaches the heart.”
The Norman Jackson Band performs in the International Blues Challenge, Jan. 30 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. The players (from left): Norman Jackson, Ron ÒBoogiemanÓ Brown, Rick Shortt, and Danny Williams.
Jackson has been working for many years with drummer Ron “Boogieman” Brown and bass player Danny Williams. With the addition of Shortt four years ago, Jackson has a lively foil on stage who also handles business matters.
For the competition, they had to calibrate performances to conform to shifting time limits as they moved through the rounds. They met their goal of reaching the semifinals.
“Then it felt like we turned into a buzz saw. People told me we were just different than everybody else,” said Shortt, who, as a child, idolized Jackson. “We had the soul machine, the real thing.
“When we heard we made the finals, we all thought it was a dream,” Shortt said. “For me, it was such a big deal, because I was the 12-year-old kid watching Norman through that window at the Bar Next Door. And to finally see him get his due!”
Brown and Williams also are getting their due. Brown, born in Detroit, began his career in percussion by beating his hands on a table to accompany his parents’ a cappella Gospel group. Williams grew up in East St. Louis, Ill., and played in the family blues band.
Brown, who is Jackson’s nephew, said his approach to drums is to listen to what’s happening around him. “When I’m hearing that smooth bass line coming from Dan, certain beats enter my head and I try to project them to enhance our sound. When Rick plays something, I try to follow his steps, try to mimic him so people can say, ‘Wow, that’s something different.’”
Williams has a straightforward purpose in music and in life: to
make his late mother proud.
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