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THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR |
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"English
bluesman Papa George playing a "…In the late 1980s, Dobro guitars were still going for only a few hundred dollars", said Bob Brozman…"Then Dire Straits put an old National guitar on the cover of their album Brothers in Arms in 1989, setting off a wave of interest."…"Their value has increased by 1,000% in the past 15 years, said John Edward Dopyera, who donated five guitars from his late father's collection to a Trnava museum in 1996…."Resophonic guitars have the best sound for blues", said Papa George, a finger-picking London bluesman who said he fulfilled a two-decade wish by buying a 1932 National guitar in 1998. "I've wanted to buy one since the seventies, but couldn't afford it"… |
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A "Dobroweek" in the Life of Papa George Papa George launched his brand of UK blues for the Dobrofest at the "Calipso Club", Trnava on Wednesday, 29 August. He warmed the atmosphere with a tantalising invitation to, "Come On Into My Kitchen" (Robert Johnson). This little appetiser, spiced with sweet harmonics and tempered with coaxing vocals, prepared Papa George to bite the dust and play five consecutive original numbers from his solo acoustic album, starting with the title track, "Being Free…ain't no crime". The crowd opened their hearts, tapped their feet and seemed genuinely amused at the personal, rather than political, connotations of the song. Travelling on with that 1932 National rolling along the tracks of time we were transported along a journey of reminiscences, and Papa George left us waiting for our trains at 'The Station', This was a phenomenally full number, considering the fact that Papa removed his fingerpicks and used raw nails! The complex rhythms of "Blackjack" drew the people closer and there was an air of anticipation, finally broken by a hollerin' for more. Many of us were caught off balance as this old guitar seemed suddenly to be mimicking a banjo and that catchy little number "Broken Mirror" rippled through our conscientiousness, leaving us swaying in our seats. Papa George's manipulative guitar playing is renowned and his finger-picking style is the envy of many, add his smooth, rich voice and you'll understand his ability to provide a wide repertoire of blues styles. More importantly, Papa is a man who has lived his own blues, who feels his own blues and delivers his own blues. This polished act was brought to an end with "Cold Shot" (Stevie Ray Vaughan) delivered in a lush melancholic groove. During the final encore "Walking Blues" (RJ), a talented local harmonica player accompanied Papa George, a superb ending to a great blues session. On Thursday 30 August, guest artists, including Papa George, were honoured by being formerly presented to the Lord Mayor of Trnava, who thanked them for contributing to the Tenth Anniversary Celebrations and gave them souvenir gifts to mark the occasion. Papa George was then interviewed by a television company and talked of his musical history and his focus for the near future i.e. a new CD, combining both acoustic and electric guitar. He then spoke of a project currently being undertaken by Finnish Guitar Maker, Matti Nevalainen, designer and maker of the "Flying Finn" guitar. Matti is in the process of developing his first reso-electric guitar. It is to be named the "Papa George Signature" model. Hopefully, when Papa George tours in Finland this November he'll be testing out prototype 1. Later
that day Papa George participated in a live Slovakian blues radio
show, hosted by Peter Radvanyi (organiser of Dobrofest). He is a great
lover of blues music who plays resophonic guitars in his band, the
'Blues Mother in Law'. Peter's appreciation of Papa George as an accomplished
artist and songwriter, who has established his own style of blues,
resulted in this guest appearance. Papa George talked about the programme's
most requested tracks (top 13), from bands such as: The Beatles, Family,
Bad Company, Led Zeppllin, Creedance Clearwater and Johnny Winter.
The material was mainly classic rock of yesteryear, but nevertheless
good stuff. During the two-hour show Papa George played his vintage
National Steel Guitar. He chose two numbers from his solo album: 'Nite
With You' and 'The Station' plus a Johnny Winter song 'Dallas'. The
evening was rounded off perfectly with a guest appearance of Papa
George with, "Blues Mother in Law", at the popular Calipso
Club. An
ongoing event of the Festival was the daily "Face to Face",
broadcast on live television from the House of Music (Culture Centre),
Trnava. Two or three artists play samples of their music and then
answer questions posed by the audience. On Friday 31 August Papa George
shared this event with friends from Hawaii, Ken Emerson and Michaelle
Edwards. PG opened with a bit of humour, "I want to play you
one of my songs called "The Station" and it's like using
just the bare fingers and it's quite tough. This song should be called,
"Nail Destroyer". At the end of the song Peter Radvanyi
commented, "He plays a so real train song". When asked about
the last time he had travelled by train, PG had to admit that he really
could relate to the subject, "…Probably about ten days ago.
I live with my partner on a station". This provoked laughter.
When asked questions about other artists with whom he played, PG candidly
answered, "I play with Papa George, that's all I've done since
about 1984/85. I have a rock blues trio (bass, drums, guitar). I write
my own material as well and I feel more comfortable doing what comes
natural to me. To play with other people, as a guitar player, does
not give me satisfaction, that's a job!" But he did go on to
explain that he does enjoy working with other players from time to
time, including Ken Emerson and certain talented UK artists. He explained
that he needed "variety to keep it interesting". PG then
invited Ken to play a number with him, that he wrote in the 70s. He
said, "It's a ragtime thing called, "Broken Mirror".
With a bit o' Slacken, it feels real good." It certainly sounded
really good, two superb guitarists with complementary vocals demonstrating
the best of musicianship. On
Friday 31 August, guest musicians, attended a "Dobropost"
party, where they were again honoured. They were individually presented
with a specially designed Set of Stamps, celebrating the 10th Anniversary
of the Dobrofest. Later that evening, at the Gala Concert, Papa George,
represented the Blues genre. In his best Slovak, Papa thanked the
people and wished them a Good Evening at the Dobrofest. A gentle humming
introduction to "Nite With You" captured a mood and made
it obvious that Papa and his steel guitar were really ready to share
that special night. "Come On Into My Kitchen", "Broken
Mirror" and "Blackjack" received tremendous responses,
again. Papa George then switched guitars. He picked up a Tri-cone
(Amistar) and played "Aloha Anne" a compelling instrumental
with Hawaiian overtones, inspired by a holiday in paradise. An atmospheric
interlude of original material, rising and falling in tempo and mood,
climaxed with a haunting version of "The Station", deemed
to be remembered as a Dobrofest favourite. Papa George chose "Dallas"
(JW) as an encore, he explained that he had just received news from
the Bishopstock Festival, saying that Johnny Winter was unwell. Lots
of love went out to Johnny from international fans in Slovakia. The
grand finale, involved all acts from the show: Shady Mix (D+USA);
Cop (CR); Papa George (UK); Peter Szabados + friends (SR); Ken Emerson
+ Michaelle Edwards (USA-Hawaii) and; Bob Brozman (USA). This host
of superb musicians came together to share a special version of, "Will
the Circle be Unbroken?" There were fiddle solos, guitar riffs
etc., and Papa George's voice came to the fore as he sang to this
diverse, international "orchestra". To cap it all, Papa
George ended this session by adding a little "Built For Comfort"
before the musicians promenaded off stage and officially ended this
international celebration enjoyed by players and fans of resophonic
instruments. The Synagogue, a nineteenth century, oriental-styled building, presented an ideal venue for a Special Concert, Saturday 1 September, presenting new faces at the Dobrofest i.e. Papa George and his Hawaiian friends, Ken Emerson and Michaelle Edwards. Papa George opened with an instrumental, "Papa's Rag" it had an interesting upbeat ragtime tempo. He used a further couple of popular originals to lead into the highlight of the concert, the debut of the Papa George/Ken Emerson duo in Slovakia. Contrasting styles of slide, finger-picking, rhythms and harmonies blended smoothly with their strong voices to produce an outstanding performance. They started with a raunchy version of "Blackjack" (PG), followed by a seemingly nostalgic, "The Good Times Have Packed Their Things and Gone" (KE). This interlude was well concluded with a sanguine version of "Dallas" (JW), shared vocals, great harmonies and a beautiful sound. Papa continued his set with two instrumentals: Ken's highly moving "Barnes Station Blues" (KE), and then his own gentle, melodic "Aloha Anne". But it was his strongly percussive "The Station" which received the highest accolade. Continuing to please the audience, Papa George presented his version of Bob Brozman's "Old Dog Blues", and Papa said that Bob might not play it on his gigs, but "I like it". His set concluded with an intimate portrayal of "Nite With You". A night session, held at the Calipso Club later on Saturday night, provided the opportunity for artists to perform farewell acts for their deserving public. Papa George was to follow the diverse Bob Brozman, a truly loved veteran of the Dobrofest. But instead of leaving the stage, Bob stayed on board to play with Papa. Together they produced a tantalising version of "Built For Comfort", technically great and emotionally enthralling. Papa George's farewell included favourite requests, such as The Station and Blackjack. Anne Marshall et al. Thanks to all fans who contributed to this article. Papa George guests on the Peter Radvanyi Show"An afternoon with Peter Radvanyi and you better make sure you've had your Weetabix mate. Into a cab and we were whisked off to his weekly radio program, the studio is set on the 15th floor of an office building with a great view of this little town of Tnvara in the Slovak Republic. I met his two engineers, very welcoming young guys, and whilst they were getting things sorted, I thought I'd have a smoke out on the tiny balcony looking over Trnava and I watched the sunset behind the distant mountains. With no real agenda of the program, all I knew is that Peter R wanted me to bring my guitar and be a guest on his show. Peter is always on the go. He is the main organiser of the Dobrofest. He is a great lover of blues music, electric and acoustic, and, not surprisingly, he plays resophonic guitars in a band called 'Blues Mother in Law'. Peter's two-hour radio show broadcasts to a third of the Slovakian population. As special guest I talked about certain tracks from Peter's most requested top 13, mainly classic rock of yesteryear, but nevertheless good stuff. He asked me what I thought of certain bands, like Free/Bad Company, and I gave my opinion, saying whether they had had an impact on me and, of course, they did in this example. Peter translated our discussions. The show went out live and therefore it was in a spontaneous format. The artists he played, to the best of my recollection, were: The Beatles, Family, Bad Company, Black Sabbath, Creedance Clearwater and Johnny Winter. Using my 1932 style 'n' National Steel Guitar, I played Johnny Winter's 'Dallas' and two songs from my solo acoustic album, "Being Free…ain't no crime". The first was 'Nite With You', a little later I played a track called "The Station". The vibe in the studio was real nice. The two young guys were mesmerised by my old National steel guitar and spoke very highly of it. It is such a pleasure to play such a fine instrument. It was fun taking part in the top 13 countdown, Peter and I alternately reading out chart positions etc. Finally I picked one postcard from a bunch and announced the name and address of the winner of the latest competition." Thank you Peter Radvanyi for inviting me on to your show. I enjoyed hearing your wisdom on many aspects of music and sharing your kindness and humour. It was a real honour. Papa George's recollections: Radio Slovakia 30 August, 2001 |
