Shades of Blue” is a CD celebrating the “Blues” form and its tone color. The word blue is so rich…. The only true original American Music Form is jazz which is derived from the “Blues” form. In my journey to “find my own voice,” I have traveled and lived in various states in the U.S. but I have always ventured back “home” to my Ky. roots for extended periods of time. In a search for “identity” and following the lead of the Afrilachian Poets, I began to explore everything around me with intense scrutiny. I remembered gospel at Broadway Baptist Church, classical music in high school, Motown as a teen, jazz as an adult professional, Bluegrass & country on the radio and of course the Kentucky Derby (even though I never ride horses). I asked myself: Where am I in all that? For me I kept coming back to the same common denominator, the basics, the “Blues”. Even after researching bluegrass music which uses the banjo as its primary instrument the facts are best expressed in the “Encarta Encyclopedia”:
“ ...In some cases, African musical traditions have blended into American culture with little notice. The “banjo” now associated primarily with bluegrass music popular among white Southerners, was originally an instrument used in African religious ceremonies. Southern slaves adapted the instrument to suit secular (nonreligious) musical styles in the 18th and 19th centuries...”
Ironically, in the 19th century according to the Kentucky Derby Museum in 1875, the first Derby, 11 of the 12 jockeys were African American including the winning jockey, Oliver Lewis. The “Blues” and the African American footprints are imprinted all over Ky. history. I have found a great sense of pride from the African American influences and accomplishments in Ky. Regardless of where I go, “Shades of Blue” is a celebration of my roots and results from seeds planted 40 years ago in my birthplace Winchester, Ky. located in the “Heart of the Bluegrass”. In this project I have made musical tributes to some of the powerful individuals and traditions rooted in Ky. from an African American perspective.
I collaborated with visual artists Ashi Bey,
www.artistsites.org/ashibey/, Sandra Charles,
www.picturetrail.com/sandracharles ,and Paulina Constancia,
www.paulinaconstancia.com on this project. The results are amazing and in the Memories Section.

THE SHADES OF BLUE COLLECTION
A collection of Contemporary M.U.S.E.
Music Unleashed from Soul Experience
1. All Strung Out-”kool” blues with strings attached
2. A M.U.S.E. - (music unleashed from my soul experience) (2020 blues)
3. Azure Allure - fantasies of the Azure Coast, French Riviera
4. Blue Sonata - weaves the “spiritual” & “worksong” with a motherless theme
5. Ballad of a Blue Lady - melancholy song about a woman’s loneliness
6. Black & Blue - tribute to Kentucky native Muhammad Ali
7. Bluegrass Bop - fusion of bluegrass, blues and funk
8. Blue Island - flavor of Kingston, Jamaica at the foot of the Blue Mountains
9. Derby Blues Run For the Roses -tribute to the African American Jockey
10. In a Flute Funk-tribute to Herbie Mann, Yusef Lateef & Hubert Laws
11. Indigo-go –Afro-blue songa
12. Lapis Lazuli – the “Blues” Rock
13. Lil’ Boy Blue - fairytale blues with reggae twist
14. Morning Doves-doves & blue the symbols of peace
15. Out of the Blue - tribute to legendary Kentucky jazz/blues shouter/balladeer “Helen Humes”
16. Sapphire - dedicated to my sister Colette, whose September birthstone suggested the title
17. Shades of Blue - exploring the essence of blue as a tone color (shape, sound & touch)
I selected 11 of compositions from the collection to release on the current CD. Look forward to Shades of Blue Too!
