Playlist of Reference: Blues

Our Playlist of Reference series has seen a wide range of music, and today we’re excited to add to that by tackling one of the oldest genres of music: Blues. Before Electro Swing, before Rock n Roll, before Jazz, there was the Blues, the picked and strummed guitars, the sadness, the beauty of a raspy voice. The simplicity of the sound. Today’s playlist is curated by Milenko, and as usual, let’s get the story behind this amazing playlist.
When did you start listening to Blues?
Since an early age, I was listening to Jazz artists like Duke Ellington, Ray Brown, Count Basie, Herb Ellis, Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, etc. As my father was a Jazz listener, I think my ears were trained to this genre from the beginning. During adolescence I switched to more Blues Rock artists like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Doors, AC/DC, etc. Then the teenage rebel years, with some Blues-inspired Heavy Rock.
Today, while I still listen to Jazz and Blues Rock, I found myself having a preference for Slow and Traditional Blues with people like B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. (There are too many to list!)
Did you ever have a moment when you felt like Blues started speaking to you?
Every time, that’s the main effect of Blues. When you listen to a Blues song, it’s not about the technique (Blues scales are quite simple), it’s all about the phrasing, it’s about the way the artist is telling a story with his instrument. Each Blues track is about storytelling. That’s probably why you have so many standard tunes interpreted by so many players, and they are all unique masterpieces. For example, take a song like “Born Under a Bad Sign”, do a simple search on Whyd, and listen to the different version of Albert king, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cream, Warren Haynes, etc. They all tell the same story with variations in the phrasing, that’s how the Blues speaks to you.
What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself?
I listen to this playlist at work essentially. In fact, the main goal of this playlist is to act as a central repository for all the Blues songs I discover while watching movies, listening to concerts, radio etc. When I find something interesting, I just want to share it with other people hoping they will enjoy it as much as I do.
If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite?
B.B. King - Blues Boys Tune (From B.B. King - Live at Montreux 1993) And because, like in Blues, you don’t have to follow the rules as long as it works and sounds great … My second “just one” would be: Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood - Voodoo Chile
Thanks Milenko!