Indian Summer Showcase Series: The Blues: Roots, Branches, and Beyond, featuring Canadian musician George Leach August 22, 2009

Saturday, August 22
Indian Summer Showcase Series: The Blues: Roots, Branches, and Beyond. George Leach Band and the Rez Bluez All-Starz with special guests Corey Harris and the Carolina Chocolate Drops

5:00 p.m., Welcome Plaza

George Leach (Sta’atl’imx) comes from the majestic mountain terrain of Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada, bringing his soulful rock-driven music derived from a cherished tradition of Aboriginal and mainstream music.

The Rez Bluez All-Starz, an Aboriginal blues collaboration of phenomenal proportions, joins together especially for this concert: Shakti Hayes (Plains Cree), vocals, bass guitar; Murray Porter (Mohawk), vocals, piano; Beaver Thomas (Plains Cree), guitar; Oren Doxtator (Oneida), drums.

Corey Harris, an artist whose musical reputation and repertoire is ever-expanding, has explored the many roots and branches of the blues, from the Mississippi Delta to Mali, while incorporating ska, reggae, rap, and jazz into his music.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a trio of young African American musicians (with Native ancestry as well), are reviving the tradition of African American string-band music from the time and places in the Carolina foothills where the blues and many other American musical traditions first took root.

Official Website: http://www.americanindian.si.edu/iss/2009/schedule.html