Chamber Blues has a whole new sound for kids–and it’s a cool twist on classical music that really rocks.
A musical group with two violinists, a viola player, a cellist, a percussionist and a wild blues player who wails on his harmonica and bangs on his keyboard, Chamber Blues, and its unusual sounds, are the brainchild of Corky Siegel.
Siegel is a well-known blues harmonica player who has jammed with some of the world’s greatest old-time blues musicians–Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Dixon, to name a few–and has recorded rock/blues records for several labels.
“I don’t really like classical music, but I never knew it could sound phat like rock and still be classical until I saw Chamber Blues,” says Germain W., 12, of Chicago, who attended a recent concert. “The concert was fun,” adds Alex N., 10, of Evanston. “I like the music because it had good rhythm. My sister and brother and I bought two CDs. We play them at home a lot.”
Chamber Blues performs for children and holds workshops, so kids “can experience the beauty and diversity of music,” says Siegal. “Music is like ice cream. You have all different flavors–vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. And they’re all good. It’s just a matter of preference, but you can like all three. Whether it’s hip-hop, opera, classical or rock ‘n’ roll . . . it can all be enjoyed.”
All the songs played by Chamber Blues are original compositions by Siegel. “When I write music, it has to be uplifting with lots of energy,” he says.
Siegel wasn’t much more than a teen in the ’60s when he started playing in bars and rock clubs with the Siegel-Schwall blues band. So how did he come to combine hip music played in dark, smoky bars with elegant orchestrations performed in concert halls?
“I was playing with the Siegel-Schwall band in a Chicago club when I noticed a Japanese man who used to come and stay all night, several evenings in a row. One night he invited my band to jam with his,” says Siegel. The man was Seiji Ozawa, and his band was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Ozawa was the summer guest conductor for the CSO.
“It was actually Ozawa’s idea to bring classical and blues music together,” says Siegel. “My group played with the 100-piece Chicago Symphony Orchestra. They were all in their tuxedos and we were in our grungy clothes.”
Siegel went on to perform with other major orchestras, including Arthur Fiedler’s Boston Pops Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony.
Sharon Grutzmacher, executive director of the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wis., said kids were really excited by a performance Chamber Blues gave late last year. “The kids were inspired to practice their instruments and make use of what they’d seen,” she says.
“It was so cool that the viola was in the spotlight,” says viola player Erin B., 9, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. “It made me think it was one of the most important instruments.”
The Chamber Blues ensemble’s current tour includes Wisconsin, South Carolina, California, Texas and Illinois. On Sunday, Jan. 26, the group will perform an afternoon concert (4 p.m.) at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, so kids can bring their parents. “Parents will not be admitted without a kid,” Siegel jokes. The concert is $20.
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For more information on events and workshops for children, check out www.chamberblues.com.
