vusidirkriley

Honestly, with the title "South Africa meets the American South", I had expected the artists involved would perform together.
They did not.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I had worked at The Barr Brothers and The Apache Relay show, on their second night in town. Then, I had worked both shows for Hot Club of Cowtown and Asleep At The Wheel last Sunday. At those two pairings which I attended during this year's 26th Savannah Music Festival, each group performed as itself, with no intermingling with the other group of the evening. Also, the order in which the groups performed remained the same.
At least that was not the case tonight. The groups shared the billing quite nicely, with each being the "headliner" for one of the two shows. Quite egalitarian!
The "American South" duo almost missed performing altogether for that first show! If not for the police escort to get one member from the airport to the Morris Center, his bandmate would have had a solo gig. (He was fresh from a concert tour of Europe. Incredible timing! He arrived just minutes before their set was to begin. Kudos to Dirk Powell for even having the energy for a double performance after such a flight! Kudos to his longtime friend and fellow performer, Riley Baugus, for remaining calm and his "The show must go on!" attitude!)
Kudos, also to Vusi Mahlesela and his group, representing the "South Africa" portion of the bill. They played for an extra fifteen minutes for their set in that first show, allowing Dirk time to catch his breath and shift gears to this time zone.
I was only scheduled to work that first show, but when the House Manager (the lovely Daniela!) asked if I would stay, I did. For that second show, I operated the front door, to control light and sound pollution. That meant I was able to see the entire sets of both acts in that second show! That was very nice, as I had only caught a few songs for each during the first show. Responsible actions have their rewards!
Yes, I did get to dance a bit, too!
(smile)
I figured out why these two diverse acts were paired together, too.
Vusi, Dirk, and Riley are all involved in keeping memories alive. They're folk song writers, preserving a part of history, reminding their audiences to be mindful of the past. They also remind us to be hopeful of the future and of wrongs being righted.
Sure, the tunes differ greatly in musical style. However, the tunes carry messages, with words that are meant to be minded.
I like that.
I listen to lyrics, not just the refrain.
I dance to accentuate the words, not just the beat.
What do I have to share this time around?
(smile!)

Well, here's a TED video showcasing Vusi, solo, when he was 32 years old. (He'll be 40 this year.) "Miyela Afrika", very upbeat, was one of his first songs tonight. Then there was this exquisite ballad, "Ubuhle Bomhlaba" (The Beauty of the Earth). Of all his songs, my absolute favorite was "Say Afrika"! Very positive message about keeping your culture at your core, wherever you may wander, wherever you may roam. What a treat to have been able to hear it live twice tonight!
Honestly, I think he and Clarice Assad should get together and make music. With their vocal skatting and tonal ranges, that would be some incredible world music!

As for Dirk and Riley, their music was a real mixed bag, with a bit of blues, a bit of old-time religion, a bit of bluegrass. Here's "Driftin' Blues, played with accordion (!), bringing the sound of New Orleans into the house. Very nice! I guess the accordion is not just for polkas!
(smile!)
I really liked the two songs Dirk sang for his grandparents. He wrote "Waterbound" for his Pawpaw, with a nice story to go along with it. Then he sang "John Hardy", one that his grandma used to sing.
I really like that he spoke with such love of his grandfolks.
Dirk and Riley did some fun songs, too! "John Henry" is one from my youth and it was all I could do to not sing along. Really! That one sometimes gets confused with "John Hardy", a cautionary tale of a card-playing murderer. "John Henry" is about an honest, steel-driving man who built railroads.
Get it straight!
(smile)
The most fun song was "False Hearted Lover's Blues" - it even featured a whale! Seriously, it did! The poor guy had to resort to "oceanic mammalian love", as Riley called it. Great fun, I tell you!
I'm glad I was able to be there for both shows! What a happy accident!