PRESS RELEASE
Symphonic Blues No. 6
Concerto for Blues Harmonica by C. Siegel
"…a masterpiece of stunning proportions."
GOLDMINE - The Music Collector's Magazine - Mike Greenblatt
*Digital download link below. A physical review copy is available upon request.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December, 2024
CONTACT: Holly Tucker Management: (773) 551-6141, mgmnt@chamberblues.com
OR: Karen Leipziger/KL Productions: (615) 513-4824, karenleipziger@comcast.net
CORKY SIEGEL introduces SYMPHONIC BLUES No6 on November 29, 2024
Chicago, IL — Dawnserly Records is proud to announce the release of legendary blues harp ace, composer, innovator, CORKY SIEGEL's SYMPHONIC BLUES No6, a ground-cracking BLUES/CLASSICAL SYMPHONY, on NOVEMBER 29, 2024.
"For more than half a century, Corky Siegel has brought new colors to the blues… to bridge musical genres and cultural divides, making the world slightly smaller and kinder.. Tell Tchaikovsky the news." (Steve Wine/Associated Press)
*Symphonic Blues No6 Audio Folder
(Includes drafts of cover package, 24 page booklet, and score)
Corky Siegel’s magnum opus, Symphonic Blues No. 6 (a concerto for blues harmonica and symphony orchestra) is the clincher to a 59 year career of interweaving the diverse/opposing forces of blues and classical and purposefully taking us on adventures to places we have never been before. This is his first symphonic blues recording since the release of his two major selling benchmark albums on Deutsche Grammophon with Maestro Seiji Ozawa and the San Francisco Symphony that rocked the music world back in 1973 and 1977.
Symphonic Blues No6 was commissioned by Maestro Stephen Gunzenhauser and the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. This was Corky Siegel's 4th out of 5 symphonic commissions (which included San Francisco, Grant Park, and the National Symphony). It was premiered in 2008; "One of the thrills of attending the premiere of a major composition is the possibility that it will go on to become an international hit. We heard an artist of the highest caliber lead the the orchestra in an extraordinary piece of music." - Lancaster News. He toured the world with this work and received raves from conductors, musicians, opera stars, and other composers. Celebrating his 80th birthday last year, the idea that this beloved masterwork would disappear into oblivion (besides the live performances) was heartbreaking. There was a deep desire to get it on record. An innovative creative explorer from the start, Siegel began a meticulous process. He gathered a collective of first chair musical masters from the Chicago Symphony, other top orchestras, and his own accomplished Chamber Blues ensemble members. Each musician recorded the work individually and "in the dark" so to speak, hearing only themselves, without any reference to any sound or music. This deemed all the parts "solo parts," and all the musicians "soloists."
Now available to stream, the CD, SYMPHONIC BLUES No. 6, will include the new Wrecking Ball Sonata for Siegel's Chamber Blues ensemble, Opus 11 for solo violin, followed by Corky Siegel's audio book style reading of a remarkable story always worth re-telling.
A synopsis:
An innocent victim of incredible good fortune
1965: Corky Siegel stumbles unknowingly into the hangout of the Chicago blues masters. He and his guitar partner Jim Schwall are hired on the spot to perform every Thursday night from 9pm till 4 am. As if in a dream the blues deities themselves that he had been idolizing on his hallowed blues LPs, hop up on stage to sit it. Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, Otis Spann, Buddy Guy, Jr. Wells ... From under the wings of these music mentors Siegel and Schwall formed the Siegel-Schwall Band and within a year they were whisked up for another residency at Big Johns (known as ground zero of the American blues rock revolution). And then it happened.
A blues player and a classical conductor walk into a bar
As Corky tells it; “1966 … this fellow used to come into Big John’s night after night and stays all night. Apparently he’s a big fan of our music. One night he comes up to me and says; 'Corky, I’d like your band to jam with my band.’ I’m thinking; Who is this guy and what is his band? He was the renown Maestro Seiji Ozawa and his band was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra."
The 1968 premiere of William Russo's Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia was a great success, but the realization by Corky Siegel that this was now his world was about to crash into his life.
Almost Booed off the Stage!
As Corky tells it; In 1969 America was so divided. I was only 24, and I was almost booed off stage at Lincoln Center with the longest and most intense vitriol from an audience that I could imagine. The audience was outraged that hippies, in a blues band, were onstage as guest soloists with their New York Philharmonic. We reached the last measures of William Russo's Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra to a thunderous, standing ovation. The Symphony president told me that it was the longest and most intense standing ovation he had ever seen. He compared this to Enrico Caruso's last appearance. The headline in the New York Times the following morning from Harold C. Schoenberg, the feared classical music critic read; “They Love Corky Siegel in Lincoln Center.” The review ended with, “Cheers rang though Philharmonic Hall. The audience did not merely like it, the audience loved it!” That was my first real experience of music’s power to bring people together in harmony. From that moment my role in life became harmony: musical harmony, my inner harmony, and social harmony.
A testimony to his role of bringing together in harmony seemingly opposing cultures is that he is the only blues player on the exclusively classical label DG and the only classical string quartet featured as soloists on the exclusively blues label Alligator Records. He is also reaching across the political horizon with his project JinglesForDemocracy.com and continues to perform Chamber Blues and Symphonic Blues when the conditions are ripe.
Little known facts about CORKY SIEGEL:
- Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall produced Joni Mitchell's last demo tape including "Circle Game".
- Worked with Rado and Ragni for many months on a four-man musical that would turn out to be the predecessor to the hit musical "Hair". (Before "Hair" debuted Off Broadway Rado and Ragni came to my house and played all the songs on my piano.)
- During 1967's 'Summer of Love' Siegel-Schwall was managed by Chet Helms (often called the father of the 'Summer of Love'), putting them in the eye of the storm of the San Francisco hippie music scene, with frequent performances at all the San Francisco ballrooms including the Filmore and Avalon where opening acts included Steppenwolf, Buddy Guy and Santana.
- Toured with Bob Hope as a solo performer
- Toured extensively with George Carlin as a solo and was opening the show for him with Siegel-Schwall when he got arrested right on the Milwaukee Summerfest stage for saying "The Seven Words you can Never Say" .... in Milwaukee. LOL!
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, DIGITAL OR PHYSICAL REVIEW COPIES, PHOTOS, OR TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW, PLEASE CONTACT: Holly Tucker (Management) - 773-551-6141 or mgmnt@chamberblues.com
1967 on the road with Howlin’ Wolf: Siegel-Schwall Bassist Jack Myers, Jim Schwall, Howlin’ Wolf, Corky on Wolf's knee, drummer Russ Chadwick // Corky with harmonica, composer William Russo, Maestro Seiji Ozawa 1968 Chicago Symphony rehearsal at Ravinia
1968 - Corky and harmonica, composer William Russo, Seiji Ozawa, Ravina with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
On the road with Howlin Wolf - 1967
