Jamming with the Queen of the Swamp Blues

With energy as powerfully moving as her courageous voice singing of soulful experience, roots and blues phenomenon Kat Danser is as much an inspiration as she is a force to be reckoned with. The first roots and blues woman to ever headline The Arden Theatre in St. Albert this coming November 5, Kat Danser?s musical style is rooted in the tradition of blues, peppered with a passion for story-telling, driven by contemporary textures, and defined by the need to connect with her audience.

29 September 2010

With energy as powerfully moving as her courageous voice singing of soulful experience, roots and blues phenomenon?Kat Danser is as much an inspiration as she is a force to be reckoned with.

The first roots and blues woman to ever headline?The Arden Theatre in St. Albert this coming November 5, Kat Danser?s musical style is rooted in the tradition of blues, peppered with a passion for story-telling, driven by contemporary textures, and defined by the need to connect with her audience.

?Traditional blues is rooted in the need to communicate what?s happening in the everyday lives of the people,? explained Danser. ?My style is inspired by this practice of early story telling.?

A multi-media exploration of the sounds and images collected during her many travels through Mississippi, Danser?s November performance marks the celebrated release of her third recorded album, Passin?-A-Time.

?Eleven years ago, before I even picked up an instrument for the first time, I was sitting in The Arden watching a live show and had an overwhelming feeling I should be doing that, I should be playing music!? Danser laughed. ?I just knew I?d be back in the Arden someday. It?s such a high profile yet intimate venue; I knew this was the place to release Passin?-A-Time. This is the realization of a dream.?

An ethnomusicology graduate student with the Department of Music, Danser extended her passion for playing roots and blues beyond the stage by exploring graduate study rooted in the music traditions of Mississippi.

?My experience in the Department of Music has been nothing short of outstanding,? said Danser. ?I came from a career as a social worker and arrived at the Department because music is so inspiring to me. It was the energy, inherent curiosity, passion and support of the faculty I?ve worked with who really helped me define my educational path.?

Working under the tutelage of Drs Regular Qureshi and Michael Frishkopf, Danser realized upon entering the program ethnomusicological study would provide her the vocabulary necessary to give voice to her experience as a performer.

?I really had no language for my experience as a musician. As the only musician in my family, as the first person in my lineage to go to the University, first in the 80?s and again now as a graduate student, I knew I had many barriers to overcome ? gender, economic status ? but all of that was humbling enough to keep me motivated, to remind me to treat this experience as a privilege.?

It was through her academic study Danser finally understood how to unite academics and professional musicianship.

?While recording Passin?-A-Time hip-deep in snow in rural Manitoba, I was writing a paper on Schubert, analyzing my own song-writing and recording process for an ethnomusicology report, and recording an album with a talented bunch of musicians from across the county. It was a defining moment!? said Danser.

Following the recording of her album, Danser spent this past summer expanding her music education through the Department of Music?s study abroad program, where Danser spent just over a month at the University of Ghana in the West African Music and Culture program before embarking on her own graduate field work in Mississippi.

?There?s only so much energy an artist can have on his or her own,? explained Danser. ?It?s important to commit to mentorship and learning experiences to grow through interaction with enduring artists.?

Her experiences abroad not only introduced Danser to new instruments and rhythms, but also helped define her own musical style.

?Studying abroad introduced a change; it really opened up my personal musical style. I feel as though, through these experiences, I?ve come into my own and have identified the need as a musician to be on the edge of creation. The textures and rhythms of the music of Ghana, the story-telling of Mississippi blues ? these experiences are crucial to learning as a musician.?

Already established in the roots and blues world, Danser celebrates a storied career. Awarded the Black-American Music Association of Canada Blueswoman of the Year in 2009, she has played countless showcases, festivals and clubs.?Those career highs, however, haven?t damaged Danser?s genuinely humble view of music.

?I truly believe I am a conduit for music ? the spiritual essence of music flows through me. When I?m song-writing, I allow my ego to take a long sleep so I can really bring through what?s being asked of me through the expression of images and emotions that shape who I am and what my music is about.?

Building a bridge between her music and the audience, Danser expresses her own personal spiritual lessons through performance.

?Blues isn?t any one thing ? it?s a multitude of expression which crosses barriers. It?s important to let down those barriers and explore our experiences ? music is for everyone!?

Deemed the Queen of the Swamp Blues by a Vancouver based journalist some six years ago, Danser celebrates a style of music which is unpredictable, balancing tradition with a modernistic tone while honouring the artists who have come before her.

?I absolutely respect and pay homage to the artists ? especially the women of blues ? who came before me,? said Danser. ?But I learned early on that the only voice I could speak from with any sort of confidence was my own, and through that realization my style evolved.?

Exploring the space between sin and salvation while drawing a distinct line straight from the wheat fields of Saskatchewan Prairies to the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, Danser?s evocative songwriting is a as much a journey of miles traveled as it is an exploration of the human condition.

?I sing about the issues important to my life, the issues of human condition. I?m not scared to bring out the trash bag of my life and spill it all over the street for everyone to see,? laughed Danser. ?That?s all part of the creative process.?

See Kat Danser live at The Arden Friday, November 5, 2010.