Blues in Asia

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Comment by R.D.Olson on November 12, 2009 at 4:58pm

Sure would love to bring our blues brand your way,please check us out. My bags are packed!! RD

Comment by PEDRO WYANT on September 29, 2009 at 3:31pm

Another asian blues tidbit to add.
Some of you in Japan might know of Taka Numazawa, the drummer. He's one of the top drummers there now. When he was here in the states, he played with Chaka Kahn and Bobby Womack among others. His dad is the famous baseball player. When he was a student at MI, I contracted him to play in my blues band. The 1st night he was pretty clueless, played everything like jazz fusion. So the next week I sat him down and explained a few grooves to him, layin back on the beat etc, and the next gig he played like a wise old veteran. He was my drummer for a couple of years and was excellent and has a wonderful feel and genuine love for playing the blues. If there has been any doubt, let me say from my point of view, Asians play blues as good as anybody.

Comment by PEDRO WYANT on September 22, 2009 at 3:33pm

I was a teacher in Musicians Institute from 1980-1997 and we had a lot of young kids from Japan and Korea. Among them were some kids that had a genuine talent, feel and appreciation for the blues, several. 3 were young girls. One of them, Yayoi Kamio won the award for most improved guitarist, and I hired her to play in my band. A lot of fun to watch the young boy's in the audience whose jawas would drop upon hearing her carve up a spicy solo.

Comment by Sugar Blue on April 7, 2009 at 7:28am

Keep fanning the flame friends!

Comment by Bluebird & Skoko on January 10, 2009 at 1:40pm

To all of you out there, Bluebird & Skoko will be touring Asia in few months. You will find all the info here. Keep the blues alive!

Comment by "BIG ROCK" Yuto Oiwa on December 23, 2008 at 11:35pm

Hi! Nice to see you!!
I have been playing Blues live sometimes in Tokyo. These are mini stgae at bar or so though.

Comment by Mercy Street Blues Band/BILLY THE MOUNTAIN on December 13, 2008 at 9:11am

It's easy to come flat-footed into Asia waving the 'merikan flag and supposin' you is the only blues dude who knows anything here, cos you got tenure with your shiny ol' Strat and Magic Slim and recycled SRV licks. But there some savvy players over here, and some can cut us old blues cats a new asshole any day they fancy...been to Chiang Mai/KL/S'Pore lately? Preachin' is for religious types and and we don't need no bully pulpit here where the grass is fresh and 'facts' is a tad harder to check. The blues is wherever the bluesmen go...there's a ripple of blues in the young ocean that is Asia for sure, but don't expect too much from a region where the blues is just another esoteric flavour to the music-loving cultures that have yet to be burned in the fire of greed and irony. You sing the blues from the bottom of your heart and if it resonates with your audience in Chicago or Shanghai then you smile on the way home to your bedsit or rented room. Blues is about giving out, not taking or proving a point. Like my Daddy said: "If you mean it, just play the Blues and then shut up!" Guess that's my cue!

Comment by DC Rapier on December 11, 2008 at 3:01am

I know that there are lots more Blues players in Asia than the 8 members we have so far. I'd like to ask each of you to take a moment and invite a couple of Blues buds to this site and this group. With just a little effort, all of the active Blues folks in Asia and the western Pacific can get to know each other and see that, taken all together, there is a Blues scene here to build some cooperation adn maybe even set up some gig exchanges.
What do y'all, think?
DC

Comment by Anthony Moreno on December 10, 2008 at 1:58pm

well there has to be one in japan with all the tours going through there, very interesting and frustrating story, i hope 2009 will be the year the bluesakes a breakthrough, with our efforts, maybe!

Comment by Ken SNOWMAN Minahan on December 10, 2008 at 9:14am

I did have a wkly radio program every Sat at 3 pm here in Pattaya. I put a lot of work in each program ,trying to educate the listener rather than just playing songs. I had interesting guests and told personal stories, rumor and legends about artists . But I felt people were just not listening. It was entirely the stations fault. They played too much Thai programing and had only a few show hosts doing everything from Latin to hip hop and some shows in European languages other than English. The rest of the day it was just random computer programed playing from a song list ,and worse not the original artists but some one else covering the pop tune from a compilation album. Many Saturdays I would go in to do my show and there would be no one in the station. I would fade out the computer and fade in my show ,do my hour and fade the computer music back in and leave, never seeing another person. Really an unprofessional station. One Sat I decided not to go in and stopped. No one ever asked me why I wasn't doing the show.It even took the station over a month before they called to see if I was still doing it.
During this same time a new station started ,very professional, even though they use the same computer format the songs were better,your basic oldies station of today, and they had professionally done station IDs , commercials and news.
The manager ,from the new station, came to the Blues Factory and introduced himself. He told me ,that before he started the new station, he had listened to all the existing stations,who broadcast in English, to see what the competition was like. He then surprised me by complementing me on my program. He said that their format wouldn't have a place for a Blues show,but said he had another idea if I was interested.I told him I was because I knew that I would be heard more on his station than the other where I'd been wasting my time. He suggested I do a Blues Minute. I had 1 min.,including intro and outro to say anything I wanted about the Blues.He explained he especially liked my stories and history of the Blues and that it was important that I talk about how the Blues is the roots of R&R. He was willing to play 10 1 min spots a day. So far I have recorded 7 of them and I'm waiting for their production team to finish them up. An example , the first one I did was on Ike Turner, the program opens with the beginning of Freddie King's 'Hideaway' ( I used it for the theme song on my other program) The announcer says"96 FM is proud to present the Blues Factory Blues Minute w/ Ken Snowman Minahan ." I go on to talk about how most people only know Ike Turner as the abusive guitar playing x husband of super star Tina Turner . I tell them about "Rocket 88' and how it was his band but credited to his sax player, who sang the song, Some music historians consider it to be the first R&R record. Also the little known fact that Ike is the piano player on the track. I wrap it up ,then comes the last couple measures of 'Hideaway' w/ the out over it.."that was the Snowman w/the Blue Factory...etc.? After that the will play the original 'Rocket 88' . or a song by whatever artist I am talking about this actually extends the show a few min.!
I have done Blues Minutes on Ray Charles, T Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker and others showing the effect the Blues had on the development of R&R.
As far as I know I had the only Blues show in Thailand, But now it will be just down to 10 min a day,& 7 days a wk, My other show was 60 min so it's really more air time for the Blues than before with more people listening!

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