Gabriel Weber
Staff Writer
For a groundbreaking combination with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and a slice of true Mississippi Delta Blues, Morgan Freeman Presents: Symphonic Blues Experience offers up a tribute to America’s musical heritage with a soulful celebration.
At 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater, Vienna-based composer, conductor and music director Martin Gellner leads the CSO and a powerhouse lineup of blues artists for a collaboration of deep southern heart and classical brilliance. Artists include Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Jacqueline “Jaxx” Nassar, Lee Williams, Heather Crosse, Adrienne “Lady Adrena” Ervin, Adrian “Rev Slim” Forrest, Mark Yacovone and Keith Johnson.
“Blues has really spread and influenced every modern kind of music — R&B, jazz, pop, rock,” Gellner said. “Nothing would be here without the blues.”
As actor, producer and narrator with an iconic voice, Morgan Freeman hails from Mississippi and loves the blues, he aims to elevate the blues beyond the juke joint and into the concert hall; he co-founded Ground Zero Blues Club with Bill Luckett and Howard Stovall 24 years ago as a commitment to preserve the stories of the musicians who shaped the blues. It’s based in Clarksdale, Mississippi — known as “Birthplace of the Blues,” as many influential blues artists like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Sam Cooke and W.C. Handy have called Clarksdale home.
At its conception, blues music was an outlet for African American slaves or sharecroppers to reflect their common experience in the Jim Crow South. Freeman has voiced the narration of the legendary blues musical tradition that will be paired with cinematic visuals.
Guitarist, vocalist and harmonica player Johnson honors his family heritage every time he plays — he is Muddy Waters’ great-nephew — and anticipates Chautauquans walk away from the night with more than pure enjoyment.
“I hope some of the stories resonate with them — look into the art and culture of the music,” Johnson said. “How can I spread what’s going on and be an advocate of this new style, symphonic blues? We’ve always had the blues, and we’ve always had orchestras, but blending it together in having an entire orchestra for some of these traditional songs that had to be revamped or rearranged by Martin, our conductor, takes some work. I just hope they leave viewing, not only the blues but also the African American culture in a new light.”
Telling a story through the program, the musicians will play “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” by Blind Willie Johnson, “Crossroad” by Robert Johnson, “You Got to Move” first recorded by Mississippi Fred McDowell, “Death Letter Blues” by Son House, “Dust My Broom” by Robert Johnson, “The Thrill Is Gone” by B.B. King, “Cadillac Assembly” by Mack Rice, “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Booker T. Jones, “Hard Times” by Ray Charles, “Somebody’s Knockin’ ” by J.J. Cale, “Travelling Riverside Blues” by Robert Johnson, “I’ll Take You There” by Al Bell, “I Lied to You” by Miles Caton from the movie “Sinners,” “Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke and “Why I Sing The Blues” by B.B. King. They’ll also feature two songs by one of their very own, performer Big A, titled “Tried and Tried” and “Someday.”
Gellner got his start in music as a guitarist playing in rock bands, so it makes sense that he is most excited for “Death Letter Blues,” which sits at the intersection of rock and blues.
“It’s a very intriguing piece; I love this piece. It’s my most favorite piece of the whole program,” Gellner said. “With an orchestra and the blues band, you can’t pick two more different poles of music. I really tried to get everything out of these separate cultures and marry them without compromising the other.”
With improvisation being a fundamental element of blues, collaborating with a structured symphony orchestra creates foundational yet exhilarating challenges. Vocalist Lady Adrena specifically appreciates the rawness and authenticity of the blues, which sometimes amounts to what she calls “good mistakes” — something the listener likely won’t even recognize.
“The orchestra plays by sheet music, so it has to be on time and structured. Even with that, I’ve made some mistakes, but I can recover well because I know where I am in the song,” Lady Adrena said. “With a great conductor, he can get you back on track, even if you happen to get out of line. So that’s what I call ‘good mistakes,’ and the crowd never knows.”
Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Lady Adrena grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and fits right in with blues as she sees a strong correlation to it with gospel music in the chords and music structure. She finds blues music to be a form of empowerment.
“(Blues) will definitely give you hope. Music is a means of giving us a language that everybody understands,” Lady Adrena said. “With the blues, you have live instruments, and with the live instruments, you can create a roller coaster. In a roller coaster, you could take (the audience) up, you could take them down and you can also invite them in to join
in with me and be a part of your show.”
As Johnson also grew up in Mississippi playing traditional gospel music, he finds blues and gospel are deeply intertwined.
“You almost have the same approach because you’re coming from a place of love and a place of pain,” Johnson said. “There’s so many similarities when you look at sharecropping, going to the nightclubs and enjoying blues music on Saturday; so many of that same crowd is in church on Sunday — people staying spiritual. It’s about the spirit of the music. The spirit of that music resonates with me more than anything.”
Having watched Freeman in movies growing up, it means a lot to Johnson to be a part of his creation and play live in concert with a symphony orchestra for the first time. All artists involved are dynamic forces of nature in their own right and mostly self-taught.
“I love taking all those pieces, those inspiring parts and bringing it together, being able to travel the world with it, so people can understand the story of Parksdale, Mississippi, and also the story of Keith Johnson. A lot of artists — Big A, Lady A, Slim, Mark, Jaxx, Lee Williams — everyone has their own individual stories,” Johnson said. “I always compare it to an all-star team; it’s getting the best of the best together without any egos. It’s fun. And the energy is high. We’re making history with this.”
