Friday, February 09, 2018

Band Review: Darell Christopher and the Ingredients

Darell Christopher and the Ingredients is the last of the bands I've been meaning to review from the Smithsonian article by Touré.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/keeping-blues-alive-180960128/

It was fun to hear an interviewed Christopher mention the article and the featured festival both, as it had been a positive experience for the band.

During the interview Christopher also did some wordplay with "ingredients". Those are the band members, and it is the mixing together that creates the end result. The band has had to deal with one member relocating and another being in and out while attending college, but continue to work on assembling the "right" ingredients. One member's bass skills, or keyboard skills, or the sound of a particular instrument... those things become the key ingredients.

Having the right ingredients can be misunderstood. Instead of knowing that for this particular recipe you need these specific items, it is probably more that these elements we have are wonderful, and then figuring out what special thing can be made. It seems like a very good analogy for blues.

To be fair, they play more than blues, including elements of jazz, gospel, and rhythm & blues. It is nonetheless impossible to ignore the infectious delight when the band plays. Blues may start in sorrow, but it can be turned into joy, and with a good combination Darell Christopher and the Ingredients make that happen.

http://www.darellchristopherband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DarellChristopherBand/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcEVSPYHJw8VbeRjHg5qCZQ

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