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blues portrait

  • blues portraits vol 1 and2Blues Portrait Volume 2 by Pauline Bailey 
    Blues Portrait Volume 3 by Pauline Bailey

    If you want to pick an argument, get into a discussion with a professional musician about what constitutes blues music.

    There are those who regard themselves as “blues players” and those who do not, and never the twain shall meet.

    There’s a mindset among some self-described blues players that they’re the “real deal” and everyone else is not. It must really rankle for them to have seen the annual Bluesfest evolve into a (mostly bland) celebration of the mainstream.

  • blues portrait vol 5Blues Portrait: A Profile of The Australian Blues Scene Volume 5
    By Pauline Bailey (Pauline Baileyu Art)

    You could call Melbourne visual artist and author Pauline Bailey a “blues preacher” but James Blood Ulmer got there first with an album title. “Blues evangelist” works better anyway.

    Pauline’s been self-publishing this series of soft cover “Blues Portrait” books since 2019 but the title is a misnomer. “Blues” is a tag in such broad use that it’s slipped its shackles almost to the point of redundancy. It means many things to most people.

    The Blues were born into impoverished and downtrodden circumstances but are better characterised as a feeling than a school of academic thought. As the author points out, there’s traditional blues and there’s music that’s been influenced by the blues, Her books span both.