Jan. 18, 2005 – So you want to go out on a lovely Caribbean evening, sit down somewhere civilized, and relax as your ears and soul are massaged by the playing of live music.
You don't want to hear something that reminds you of Jimmy Buffett, or Carnival, or a band you've already heard a thousand times. You yearn for something new, something with spark, something you've never heard before, but you are convinced you'll never find it on little old St. John. Think again.
The St. John School of the Arts is bringing Corky Siegel and his Chamber Blues to the island for a concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 27, at the school.
This will be a repeat performance in the Virgin Islands for singer-songwriter, pianist and blues harmonica master, Siegel, and his band of violins, viola, cello, and hand percussion.
Classical and blues music may sound like an odd pairing, but audiences everywhere love it. And if you have any doubts about whether or not you're going to dig it, you can visit Siegel's Web site and listen to a few clips for yourself.
In mid-1960s Chicago, Corky's group was the house band at Pepper's Show Lounge, where blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor, and many other greats went to work out.
Then, in 1966, a young Seiji Ozawa, even then among the top 10 conductors in the world, asked Corky to jam with his band – the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Ozawa, it turns out, thought blues was just the spark classical music needed.
Corky and blues guitarist Jim Schwall went on to recorded William Russo's landmark work, "Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra," with Ozawa conducting the San Francisco Symphony in 1971.
Corky has composed numerous symphonic blues works and holds the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest-Meet the Composer National Award for Chamber Music Composition and the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award for Music Composition.
Tickets for the concert are $40 and can be purchased at Connections, or at the door. For more information and reservations, call 779-4322.