Biography

and infographic

"DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE BEST ALBUMS OF 2022"

Tap here for all three September releases

Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues
MORE Different Voices released 9/23/2022

Contact: Holly Siegel
holly@chamberblues.com
773-551-6141
Interviews/station IDs

SEPTEMBER REVIEWS 2022
The implications from music journalists

GOLDMINE MAGAZINE "incredible indelible masterwork …
like no blues album you’ve ever heard … like no blues cat you ever heard … ethereal, mysterious, satisfying and wholly entertaining." - Mike Greenblatt

BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE “It’s safe to say that no one in the blues world has pushed the boundaries of the blues more in the modern era than Corky Siegel … And he absolutely hits it out of the park with this disc” - Marty Gunther

AMERICANA HIGHWAYS"…mind-blowing mightiness of Corky Siegel’s latest extravaganza. This man just won’t stand still...His new release crosses all kinds of ear-expanding boundaries...there isn’t much else to say except 'Wow!' And then 'More!’" - Bently's Bandstand

MAKING A SCENE “… simply a thing of beauty … for over five decades. Remarkably, he continues to make it work in astounding ways” - Jim Hynes

ASSOCIATED PRESS "They sound great. Tell Tchaikovsky the news." - Steven Wine

DOWNBEAT “…welter of musical relationships … High artfulness of the exploratory sort” -Frank-John Hadley

LIVING BLUES “Corky Siegel is a musical visionary ... genius for conducting. playing, writing, and arranging. ... astonishing range of vocalists and musicians” - Henry L. Carrigan Jr.

ROOTS MUSIC REPORTS “Masterful blues harp…compelling listening that continually refreshes…a don’t-miss performance” - Duane Verh

See these reviews in their entirety as well as other reviews at http://www.corkymusic.com/album-reviews

TRACK LIST
(scroll down for some great video)

1. No One’s Got Them Like I Do (7:03) Sung by Lynne Jordan. Song and arrangement by C. Siegel - Dawnserly Music BMI [ISRC QZ67522 00002] – A good example of the compositional juxtaposition of classical and blues featuring Chicago’s bodacious diva.

2.Insurance (5:44) Written and sung by Toronzo Cannon - Exceleration Music Partners - Arr. C. Siegel - [ISRC QZ67522 00003] – blues/classical shuffle keeping the hysterical lyrics and vocal by Toronzo Cannon, bubbling along.

3. There Goes My Man (6:14) Written and sung by Marcella Detroit - Music Sales, Make Zee Music ASCAP - Arr. C. Siegel - [ISRC QZ67522 00004] – Nice harmonica battle between me and Marcella. Taking the classical blues juxtaposition seriously Marcella throws in a little opera flavor to start out the story

4. Little Blossoms Falling Down (6:21) Written and sung by Frank Orrall - Guava Juice Music BMI - Arr. C. Siegel [ISRC QZ67522 00005] – A calming salve by Frank Orrall (Poi Dog Pondering) - a song for our times. A song for deep contemplation.

5. Joyful Jambalaya (3:13) By C. Siegel - Dawnserly Music BMI [ISRC QZ67522 00006] – Instrumental with a shade of “Sonny Terry” flavored harp and classical violin/viola licks featuring Chihsuan Yang.

6. Oasis (10:23) Written by Ernie Watts & Jeremy Monteiro - Wixen Music and Invariant Music Publishing P/L (COMPASS) - Arr. C. Siegel [ISRC QZ67522 00007] – Ernie Watts jazz saxophone – a little harp in the middle. I tried to approach the quartet parts not as jazz but as classical, and Kalyan wails on this one.

7. Twisted (5:03) Written and sung by C. Siegel - Dawnserly Music BMI [ISRC QZ67522 00008] - I received a commission for a string orchestra in Austria to write and perform a blues sonata. But I was told that the audience and the series is pure classical, so I did what I could.

8. Down So Low (4:10) Written and sung by Tracy Nelson [ISRC QZ67522 00009] – This iconic song of Tracy Nelson’s is so right on the nail it would have broken my heart to add a single note of harmonicaC or tabla. And my orchestration goes way “minimalist.” Take it away Tracy!

9. Hine Ma Tov Blues (6:43) Sung by Cantor Pavel Roytman (Ukraine) Arrangement by C. Siegel - Dawnserly Music BMI - [ISRC QZ67522 00001] – A traditional Jewish chant for peace sung by Cantor Pavel Roytman (recorded 2014 and added to this album in 2020) so we didn’t know then the significance of Pavel being born in Ukraine. Long live Ukraine.

10. Penguins in the Opera House (3:46) Poem and Narration by C. Siegel & Music by Hans Wurman - Dawnserly Music BMI [ISRC QZ67522 000011] – Children’s poem I composed in the early 70s, put to music by Hans Wurman in the 90s.

Chamber Blues is Corky Siegel's compositional interweaving of blues and classical flavors, featuring blues harmonica, classical string quartet, and Indian tabla

BIOGRAPHY

Corky Siegel is known internationally as one of the worlds great blues harmonica players, blues pianist, singer-songwriter, and the sole pioneer/composer of award-winning revolutionary works that weave blues and classical forms together. Co-founder of the SIEGEL-SCHWALL BAND, and Blues Hall of Fame Inductee, Corky Siegel has a catalogue of recordings on RCA, Vanguard, Alligator, and million selling blues/classical recordings on the iconic classical label Deutsche Grammophon. His close associations with the blues masters in the earlier days of Chicago blues, his essential part in the blues rock revolution, and his surprising success in bringing together blues and classical audiences make him a pivotal (though inconspicuous) figure in modern music history. "under-appreciated national treasure - Editors Pick" - DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

A premonition: “When Corky Siegel cupped his harmonica and the pavilion microphone together and began a half saxophone half blues trumpet wail, even the least conservative Chicago Symphony Orchestra member might have shivered at the hand-writing on the crumbling walls.” – Chicago Tribune 1968 Ravina with the Chicago Symphony and Seiji Ozawa in Russo's Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra

For well over 5 decades I have been flying at 100 miles an hour straight into the concrete walls of musical traditionalism and having the time of my life - Corky Siegel

These video samples (mostly unmixed) are especially fun because they show how Chamber Blues and our guests recorded this album during the 2020 lockdown. The end of track 6 - Oasis, you can see me (Corky) actually recording in the woods with a hi-res recorder hidden in my pocket.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Synopsis about the recording and all the tunes in one minute and 32 seconds:
From the islands to lockdown

01. No One's Got Them Like I Do (0:43)
Lynne Jordan

02. Insurance (0:42)
Toronzo Cannon

03. There Goes My Man (2:22)
Marcella Detroit

04. Little Blossoms Falling Down (1:16)
Frank Orrall (Poi Dog Pondering)

05. Joyful Jambalaya (0:34)
Chihsuan Yang

06. Oasis (2:15)
Ernie Watts

07. Twisted (1:23)

08. Down So Low (0:40)
Tracy Nelson (re-recorded later w/better keys)

09. Hine Ma Tov Blues (0:55)
Cantor Pavel Roytman from Ukraine

10. Penguins in the Opera House (3:50)
(Full Video)