Published By:
Lamont Jack Pearley
On this episode of The Jack Dappa Blues Podcast, I speak with Joel Bailes, historian, musician, and husband of a Blues Harp Woman at Augusta’s Blues & Swing Week, which provides participants with the opportunity to work with some of the finest performers and educators in the Blues and Swing worlds.
Joel shares with us his musical journey, family story and why African American Traditional Music is important to him. He also speaks about how culture is extremely important to America.
Augusta’s Blues & Swing Week provides participants with the opportunity to work with some of the finest performers and educators in the Blues and Swing worlds. Workshops cover a variety of styles and levels of instruction on guitar, bass, piano, harmonica and voice, as well as the history of both genres. Evening activities include legendary late-night jams, concerts, and dances. All workshops (except Beginning Vocals) are intended for those who can already play their instrument to some extent and are ready to start learning blues & swing style, technique and repertoire. Youth, as well as adults, are welcome to participate.
Blues & Swing Week runs concurrently with Old-Time Week; Arts, Crafts, & Folklore Workshops; Folk Arts for Kids; and Evening Mini-Courses. This is the first year of our Old-Time Week and Blues & Swing Week pairing, and we have some exciting plans in store. Participants can take advantage of both weeks by attending special events, swapping tunes and songs in jam sessions, and sharing in the fun!
Welcome to Blues and Swing Week 2018! Our staff includes people who truly love the music and enjoy teaching and sharing it . Our vision is to focus on the roots of these two great musical traditions in a supportive, sharing environment. Workshops, jams, and getting to know people who love the music as much as you do makes Blues & Swing Week the ideal place to come and learn something new or share and grow the skills you already have. We hope you won’t just learn the music, but in the process will better understand its folkways and origins. Our blues dance program puts the music in context. The swing cabaret gives you a chance to perform for your fellow participants in a fun, nightclub atmosphere. Many of our participants come year after year, and we hope that if you haven’t been to Augusta, or to Blues & Swing Week, you will join us this year and make us part of your summer plans every year. –Phil Wiggins and Joan Fenton, Blues & Swing Week Coordinators
It’s held at the Augusta Heritage Center.
