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Summary: If you love Chicago Blues from the sixties...
Review: Chicago Blues As Seen From the Inside, the Photographs of Raeburn Flerlage is a blues book, a photography book and a history book. Chicago in the 1960s saw the popular emergence of a new kind of music -- urban, electrified blues -- that changed the sound of music throughout the world. No other photographer documented the Chicago blues scene of that period like Raeburn Flerlage, from recording studios and private homes, to small clubs and giant ballrooms, Ray and his camera were there capturing the scene with rare artistry.
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Summary: Flerlage Is A Great Guy And Knows His Stuff
Review: Electrifying images with intense feeling. Fine photography by Raeburn Flerlage and superb editing by Lisa Day. What a moving adventure to turn each page. I felt like I was in the audience and part of each photograph.
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Summary: Passion
Review: Electrifying images with intense feeling. Fine photography by Raeburn Flerlage and superb editing by Lisa Day. What a moving adventure to turn each page. I felt like I was in the audience and part of each photograph.
Rating:
Summary: Flerlage Is A Great Guy And Knows His Stuff
Review: I met Flerlage a few years ago in Chicago when I was doing some research for a now-forgotten project and I went through his collection of fantastic photos with him in his apartment and loved every second of it. The composition and lighting in these pictures is beautiful, and he catches something of the energy of the performances that is pretty amazing. Flerlage isn't one of these precious blues prigs (e.g., Steve Calt) who spends all of his time trying to protect some pet thesis and trashing everyone else's work relentlessly, but is a real dude who lived jazz and blues on the South Side in a way that few other writers or photographers have. The result is what you see -- great photographs, on the ground, in the clubs with the people who made the scene as wild and energetic as it was. If you want to see pictures that give you a real taste of the power of jazz and blues in teh 50s and 60s, get this book and linger over these fantastic photographs. You won't regret it.
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Summary: The Blues in black and white
Review: Someone sent me a copy of this book...what a find. Whether you're into Blues greats of the 50's and 60's, or just into good photography, this is worthwhile. Some of the greatest black and white photographs I have seen. Puts your right in the smokey clubs of South Chicago, and in the artists' face. Sensitively accomplished and carefully assembled after 40 years. Photographer Raeburn Flerlage had a remarkable feel for the soul of the music, and a love of these peformers, and was granted unusual access to their lives. It shows in the photos, both candid and peformance, if there is a difference here. A lovingly crafted collection, and a time capsule of a age fled, a city now changed, that gave us an American art form. Done by a photographer with the soul of a poet. Excellent notes by Flerlage, now in his eighties. For music lovers, a must have. Ditto fans of Chicago.
Rating:
Summary: The Blues in black and white
Review: Someone sent me a copy of this book...what a find. Whether you're into Blues greats of the 50's and 60's, or just into good photography, this is worthwhile. Some of the greatest black and white photographs I have seen. Puts your right in the smokey clubs of South Chicago, and in the artists' face. Sensitively accomplished and carefully assembled after 40 years. Photographer Raeburn Flerlage had a remarkable feel for the soul of the music, and a love of these peformers, and was granted unusual access to their lives. It shows in the photos, both candid and peformance, if there is a difference here. A lovingly crafted collection, and a time capsule of a age fled, a city now changed, that gave us an American art form. Done by a photographer with the soul of a poet. Excellent notes by Flerlage, now in his eighties. For music lovers, a must have. Ditto fans of Chicago.
Rating:
Summary: An evocative look at the Blues.
Review: The blues are not just notes and lyrics, instruments and people, but, more a frame, a view of the world, and of life, from inside and under. Raeburn Flerage's evocative photographs and commentary, partnered with Lisa Day's luminous editing, have given us all a rare opportunity - a chance to take that view through Flerage's camera lens and rembrances. Black and white - could the pictures be anything but black and white and all the muted tones of grey inbetween? And could the comments be more laconic and straight to the heart of the Blues? I do not think so. I cannot reproduce the sensation in this review, but Flerlage's description of a 1964 performance of Sam House, tells the tale and paints the picture: "After a brief ingratiating smile, his face change dramatically, first slowly but then swiflty as the lyrics changed he projected those terrible moments that haunted his memory. When he sang "Death Letter Blues," he saw his dead girlfriend, "lying on the cooling board" and it made your own blood run cold. The scene was reflected in his face, sounded in the violent guitar strokes and his painfully forced voice. Unforgetable!" Unforgetable indeed when those lines are coupled to the stark photos of that performance by Lisa Day's skillful use of words and pictures, white and black and grey. We weren't there. We can't really know the feelings. Like Sam House's comments on hearing his lyrics sung by an up-and-coming, young White blues pretender - "Those are my words all right, but it sure ain't my music." - we can't know it unless we are inside, down and under. "Chicago Blues: as Seen from the Inside" takes us about as close as we can get visually. Turn the pages with real blues in the background - "Unforgetable!"
Rating:
Summary: An evocative look at the Blues.
Review: The blues are not just notes and lyrics, instruments and people, but, more a frame, a view of the world, and of life, from inside and under. Raeburn Flerage's evocative photographs and commentary, partnered with Lisa Day's luminous editing, have given us all a rare opportunity - a chance to take that view through Flerage's camera lens and rembrances. Black and white - could the pictures be anything but black and white and all the muted tones of grey inbetween? And could the comments be more laconic and straight to the heart of the Blues? I do not think so. I cannot reproduce the sensation in this review, but Flerlage's description of a 1964 performance of Sam House, tells the tale and paints the picture: "After a brief ingratiating smile, his face change dramatically, first slowly but then swiflty as the lyrics changed he projected those terrible moments that haunted his memory. When he sang "Death Letter Blues," he saw his dead girlfriend, "lying on the cooling board" and it made your own blood run cold. The scene was reflected in his face, sounded in the violent guitar strokes and his painfully forced voice. Unforgetable!" Unforgetable indeed when those lines are coupled to the stark photos of that performance by Lisa Day's skillful use of words and pictures, white and black and grey. We weren't there. We can't really know the feelings. Like Sam House's comments on hearing his lyrics sung by an up-and-coming, young White blues pretender - "Those are my words all right, but it sure ain't my music." - we can't know it unless we are inside, down and under. "Chicago Blues: as Seen from the Inside" takes us about as close as we can get visually. Turn the pages with real blues in the background - "Unforgetable!"
Rating:
Summary: An evocative look at the real blues
Review: The blues are not just notes and words, instruments and people, but, more a frame, a view of the world and life from inside and underneath. Raeburn Flerage's evocative photographs and commentary, partnered with Lisa Day's luminous editing, have given us all a rare opportunity - a chance to take that view through Flerage's camera lens and rembrances. Black and white - could the pictures be anything but black and white and all the muted tones of grey inbetween? And could the comments be more laconic and straight to the heart of the blues? I do not think so. My words cannot reproduce the sensation, but Flerlage's description a 1964 performance of Sam House, tells the tale and paints the picture: "After a brief ingratiating smile, his face change dramatically, first slowly but then swiftly as the lyrics changed he projected those terrible moments that haunted his memory. When he sang "Death Letter Blues," he saw his dead girlfriend, "lying on the cooling board" and it made your own blood run cold. The scene was reflected in his face, sounded in the violent guitar strokes and his painfully forced voice. Unforgetable!" Unforgetable indeed when those lines are coupled to the stark photos of that performance by Lisa Day's skillful use of words and pictures, white and black and grey. We weren't there. We can't really know. Like Sam House's comments on hearing his lyrics sung by an up-and-coming, young White blues pretender - "Those are my words all right, but it sure ain't my music." - we can't know it unless we are there, inside, down and under. "Chicago Blues: as Seen from the Inside" takes us about as close as we can get visually. Turn the pages with real blues in the background - "Unforgetable!"
Rating:
Summary: An evocative look at the real blues
Review: The blues are not just notes and words, instruments and people, but, more a frame, a view of the world and life from inside and underneath. Raeburn Flerage's evocative photographs and commentary, partnered with Lisa Day's luminous editing, have given us all a rare opportunity - a chance to take that view through Flerage's camera lens and rembrances. Black and white - could the pictures be anything but black and white and all the muted tones of grey inbetween? And could the comments be more laconic and straight to the heart of the blues? I do not think so. My words cannot reproduce the sensation, but Flerlage's description a 1964 performance of Sam House, tells the tale and paints the picture: "After a brief ingratiating smile, his face change dramatically, first slowly but then swiftly as the lyrics changed he projected those terrible moments that haunted his memory. When he sang "Death Letter Blues," he saw his dead girlfriend, "lying on the cooling board" and it made your own blood run cold. The scene was reflected in his face, sounded in the violent guitar strokes and his painfully forced voice. Unforgetable!" Unforgetable indeed when those lines are coupled to the stark photos of that performance by Lisa Day's skillful use of words and pictures, white and black and grey. We weren't there. We can't really know. Like Sam House's comments on hearing his lyrics sung by an up-and-coming, young White blues pretender - "Those are my words all right, but it sure ain't my music." - we can't know it unless we are there, inside, down and under. "Chicago Blues: as Seen from the Inside" takes us about as close as we can get visually. Turn the pages with real blues in the background - "Unforgetable!"
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