Sonny Boy Terry and Michael Durbin In Conroe’s Corner Pub (04/14/07) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“The more one loves music,
the less music one loves.”
— Really?!!
I was going through some of my brother’s notes on music this morning and came upon the Roger Sessions statement, “The more one loves music, the less music one loves.” From my own personal experience, there is music I may not have liked but learned to love it.
So, I decided to research the context of what Sessions was saying.
“. . . this initial stage in listening to music is an entirely direct one; the listener brings to the music whatever he can bring, with no other preoccupation than that of hearing. This is, of course, what is to be desired; it is the condition of his really hearing. He will hear the music only to the extent that he identifies himself with it, establishing a fresh and essentially naive contact with it, without preconceived ideas and without strained effort.
. . . the listener’s reaction is immediate and seems, in a sense, identical with the act of hearing. Undoubtedly this is what many listeners expect. And yet, on occasion, one may listen to music attentively, without any conscious response to it until afterward; one’s very attention may be so absorbed that a vivid sense of the sound is retained, but a sense of communications experienced only later. It is this sense of communication to which I refer under the term ‘enjoyment’; obviously, one may not and often does not, in any real sense, ‘enjoy’ what is being communities. There is certainly some music that we never ‘enjoy’; experience inevitably fosters discrimination, and there is certainly some truth even in the frequent, seemingly paradoxical statement that ‘the more one loves music, the less music one loves.’ This statement is true in a sense if we understand it as applying to the experience of an individual, and not a general rule. But if our relation to the music is a healthy one — that is to say, a direct and simple one — our primary and quite spontaneous effort will to deny it.”
The more you learn about something you like, the more you will love it.
Last week I learned via Facebook that a fellow Blues lover and photographer, Martin Miglioretti pasted away in Houston at age 58. Martin was very well-known in the Houston Blues community. In 2009 Martin began a series of poster tributes to Houston blues, “Blues In All Its Colors.” For Martin, the blues was more than just blue; it’s a rainbow of colors. The posters borrowed from the vintage “boxing-style” posters.
Another love of Miglioretti’s was photographing classic cars. Hot Rod magazine said, “This guy takes photorealism to the extreme.” Equally well-known in both blues and hot rod circles, Martin will be sorely missed. The Houston Blues Society’s logo was created by Martin.
Houston Blues Society Logo By Miglioretti
Martin Miglioretti, Rich DelGrosso & Sonny Boy Terry — Image by Jenny Jerome
February 22, 2003, Blues lovers and legends in Houston gathered at Houston’s Mr. Gino’s Lounge in the memory of blues/jazz great, Kinney Abair. Now that it’s almost the 10th anniversary of Kinney’s death, I’m sharing my images of the Mr. Gino’s event. Some of the musicians in the photos are Joe ‘Guitar’ Hughes, I.J. Gosey, Ashton Savoy, Mike Stone, Pee Wee Stevens, Sonny Boy Terry and Texas Johnny Brown. Many other legends were in attendance, but not necessarily in my photos.
That evening we were also remembering AJ Murphy, who had a heart attach and passed away after giving a eulogy for his close friend, Kinney.
AJ Murphy
kenne
(To review other Blues posting on the blog, use the search function for “blues” on the home page, left column.
I’m reposting an April 2010 entry in memory of the Tucson killings and last Friday’s killings of children and the people that served then so well — to the people of Newtown.
In the spirit of the Season, I’m again posting a video recorded at Ken & Mary’s Blues Project, October 2009. I have been fortunate to see Sonny Boy Terry and Rich DelGrosso play together on many a occassion. Together they create a natural down-home feel that is best exemplified by their rendition of Amazing Grace. This was the last tune they did before the next band. Darkness had settled in and the resulting video is a little dark, so I included some still photos along with the dark video footage to give the viewer a better feel. However, it’s the audio that really counts. This tune is always a request of Ken & Mary at their house concerts.
In a previous posting, I noted that Sonny Boy Terry and John McVey preformed a Kenneth Harris’ retirement party, May 28, 2010. Here’s a video of one of their bluesy songs.
This past week, Kenneth Harris entered the ranks of the retired. Some of his friends and family were able to celebrate the occasion in the usual Ken & Mary style, plenty of food, drink, great conversation and the best blues this side of the piney-woods. After listening to John McVey and Sonny Boy Terry’s first blues set, people gathered to march behind Ken to the burial site to bury his job. Only Ken would create such a rite!
As always, the music was great! Sonny knows how to always surround himself with the best blues guitar players in the business, this time bringing John McVey out to Ken & Mary’s.
kenne
p.s. I was able to get some video, which I will be posting later.
On the 11th of this past November, I posted an entry with a video of Sonny Boy Terry and Rich DelGrosso playing “Amazing Grace.” Because of lighting, the video was on the dark side. So, with Sonny Boy Terry’s encouragement, I have redone the video using a combination of photos and video.
On the 10th of January, the Houston Blues Society held a fund raiser at Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar to help pay the costs to send the Houston Blues Challenge winners (Sonny Boy Terry and Depree) to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. The Blues Foundation’s 26th International Blues Challenge set for January 20-23, 2010, will see a record number of participants: 111 bands; 83 solo/duo acts; and 32 youth. Participants hail from 39 US states, plus the District of Columbia and 13 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Latvia, Poland and Sweden.
Joy and I are looking forward to attending this year’s challenge in support of our Houston representatives.
Are we not all
standing in line
at heaven’s door?
Waiting,
watching,
wondering
who’s number
will be next.
Many are called
when they are ready,
most are not.
But, all are called before
others are ready
to pass through the door
to the big house of blues
that’s always rocking.
The house of the blues
where the music
goes on and on
at the house
with no last time around.
Charlie Parker,
your music
and images will remain.
Even as we
all wait to hear
our number called
to enter the ever-rocking
house of the blues,
the music goes on.
Until them,
we will miss you.
kenne
T99 Nelson, Charlie Parker & AJ Murphy – Image by kenne
Sonny Boy Terry and Michael Durbin In Conroe’s Corner Pub (04/14/07) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Sonny-Boy Terry and Joe ‘Guitar’ Hughes at Houston’s ‘
Ken & Mary’s Blues Project (On a humid east Texas night the rain forced everyone to move inside) —
Original Stage at Ken & Mary’s Blues Project (August 2005)
Becoming is Superior to Being 
