Symphonic Blues No. 6 by Corky Siegel
At least as far back as Rhapsody in Blue, composers have combined American vernacular music with European classical traditions to varying results. Harmonica master Corky Siegel has been at it for many years and is better at it than most. He isn’t building unwanted bridges but establishing a genuine interchange.
Siegel brought skill as well as enthusiasm to the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band, a popular act in the Upper Midwest during the ‘60s and ‘70s. He crossed the classical divide as early as 1968 in a performance of William Russo with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Unlike some of the creaky bullshit that has gained unwarranted accolades—symphony orchestras fiddling with simplistic arrangements for simple rock tunes in hopeless gesture of gaining new audiences—Siegel’s compositions bring the tonalities of the blues (and a raga flourish on “Coda for Tabla and Harmonica”) into the melodies and harmonies familiar to classical music. Most of Symphonic Blues No. 6 probably wouldn’t play well in a noisy roadhouse but sounds beautiful in a concert hall—and on CD.
Stream or download Symphonic Blues No. 6 on Amazon here.
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