Blackmailers
Encyclopedia
Blackmailers Rekord Orkestr — the wedding and funeral orchestra
.
repertoire. However, little by little its creative vision gravitated towards blues formats of Californian persuasion with discernible influences by T-Bone Walker
and Tiny Grimes
.
At that time, the Blackmailers took part in all major Russian blues festivals and toured the country extensively, but the real breakthrough in the band’s life happened in 2004. Under the impression of the Gypsy Cycle of the famous movie director Emir Kusturica
, the Blackmailers attempted to mix the blues with southern Slavic folk music. It was then that they discovered for themselves Balkan wedding-and-funeral bands, such as Fanfare Ciocărlia
, Kočani Orkestar
, and Mahala Rai Banda, which later reshaped the Blackmailers’ music and concert performances.
In 2005 they released their debut album, Zlatno Zrno Blues. The title was an allusion to the flour mill from Kusturica’s Black Cat, White Cat
. The record made it to the 2005 Russian Blues Bestsellers Top Ten compiled by the BluesNews network magazine. The band was noticed by the mass media. They played together with the world’s top bluesmen, such as Junior Watson
, Gary Primich
, Vidar Busk, Rick Holmstrom
, Mitch Kashmar, and Alex Schultz.
The band’s second album, Paradise Fanfare Blues, was released in 2007. Its major influences included Nina Simone
, T-Bone Walker
, Jimmy Witherspoon
, and Johnny Cash
on the one hand, and Balkan wedding-and-funeral bands on the other hand. The musicians say that their style is evolving slowly and naturally, and that their new album, another attempt at fusing the blues tradition with the Balkan ethnic music, has turned out to be even more organic and powerful.
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1. Zlatno Zrno Blues (2005)
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
.
History
The band was created in 1997 by Aleksey Baryshev, a well-known Russian guitar player. At first it was a classical “guitar hero” blues band with an undiluted blues-rockBlues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
repertoire. However, little by little its creative vision gravitated towards blues formats of Californian persuasion with discernible influences by T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
and Tiny Grimes
Tiny Grimes
Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He was a member of the Art Tatum Trio from 1943 to 1944, was a backing musician on recording sessions, and later led his own bands, including a recording session with Charlie Parker...
.
At that time, the Blackmailers took part in all major Russian blues festivals and toured the country extensively, but the real breakthrough in the band’s life happened in 2004. Under the impression of the Gypsy Cycle of the famous movie director Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
, the Blackmailers attempted to mix the blues with southern Slavic folk music. It was then that they discovered for themselves Balkan wedding-and-funeral bands, such as Fanfare Ciocărlia
Fanfare Ciocarlia
Fanfare Ciocărlia is a popular twelve-piece Romani brass band from the northeastern Romanian village of Zece Prăjini. The band began as a loose assemblage of part-time musicians playing at local weddings and baptisms. In October 1996, the German sound engineer and record producer Henry Ernst...
, Kočani Orkestar
Kočani Orkestar
Kočani orkestar also credited under the names: Kocani orkestar, Kocani Orchestra, Kochani orkestar and Kochani Orchestra is a Macedonian Romani brass band from Kočani, Macedonia led by Naat Veliov .Kočani orkestar are among the funkiest exponents of the Balkan brass band style which is found across...
, and Mahala Rai Banda, which later reshaped the Blackmailers’ music and concert performances.
In 2005 they released their debut album, Zlatno Zrno Blues. The title was an allusion to the flour mill from Kusturica’s Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat is a 1998 Yugoslav romantic comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival....
. The record made it to the 2005 Russian Blues Bestsellers Top Ten compiled by the BluesNews network magazine. The band was noticed by the mass media. They played together with the world’s top bluesmen, such as Junior Watson
Junior Watson
Junior Watson is an American jump blues guitarist and singer.-Career:Watson is regarded as an influential West Coast blues player. He was a founding member of the blues band The Mighty Flyers and, starting in the early 1980s, he performed with the band for a decade. He also performed with Canned...
, Gary Primich
Gary Primich
Gary Primich was an American blues harmonica player, singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for his 1995 album, Mr. Freeze.-Biography:...
, Vidar Busk, Rick Holmstrom
Rick Holmstrom
Rick Holmstrom is an American electric blues and rhythm and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Holmstrom has released five albums since 1996, and previously worked with William Clarke and Rod Piazza. In addition, Holmstrom has played and recorded with Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, Jody...
, Mitch Kashmar, and Alex Schultz.
The band’s second album, Paradise Fanfare Blues, was released in 2007. Its major influences included Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
, Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
, and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on the one hand, and Balkan wedding-and-funeral bands on the other hand. The musicians say that their style is evolving slowly and naturally, and that their new album, another attempt at fusing the blues tradition with the Balkan ethnic music, has turned out to be even more organic and powerful.
Discography
1. Zlatno Zrno Blues (2005)
- (Intro) People Get ReadyPeople Get Ready (song)"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart...
- Rock This House
- Blues For Kusturica
- Alimony Blues
- Bad Bad Whiskey
- 5-10-15 Hours5-10-15 Hours"5-10-15 Hours" is a rhythm and blues song written by Rudy Toombs in 1952 for Ruth Brown and became another Rudy Toombs' number-one R&B hit for Brown. The song, smooth, sophisticated blues shouting at its best, has a touch of suppliance more characteristic of the vocal qualities of popular...
- Howlin' For My Darling
- Going To New York
- Nine Pound Steel
- 300 Pounds Of Joy
- Oooh-La-La
- Why Don’t You Eat...
- Brujo>
2. Paradise Fanfare Blues (2007)- Work Song
- Well, Well, Well
- Don't Let Go
- Evenin'
- Oh, Red!
- St. James Infirmary BluesSt. James Infirmary Blues"St. James Infirmary Blues" is based on an 18th century traditional English folk song of anonymous origin, though sometimes credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose . Louis Armstrong made it famous in his influential 1928 recording.-Authorship and history:"St...
- Judgement Day
- Peace in the ValleyPeace in the Valley"Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies...
- Feelin' GoodFeeling Good"Feeling Good" is a song written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd starring Cy Grant, who sang the original version of the song...