Corey Harris
With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, Corey Harris has earned critical acclaim as one of the few modern-day bluesmen able to channel the raw, direct emotion of acoustic Delta blues without coming off as an authenticity-obsessed historian. Along with Keb’ Mo’ and Alvin Youngblood Hart, Harris raised the flag of acoustic guitar blues in the mid-1990s. Although well-versed in the early history of blues guitar, he is no well-mannered preservationist, mixing a considerable variety of influences—from New Orleans, the Caribbean, and Africa—into his richly expressive music.
Cedric Watson
One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole, and zydeco music in the past decade, four-time Grammy nominee Cedric Watson is a fiddler, singer, accordionist, and songwriter with unlimited potential. The San Felipe, Texas, native made his first appearance at the zydeco jam at the Big Easy in Houston at just 19 years old. Just two years later, he moved to south Louisiana and immersed himself in French music. Over the next several years, Watson performed French music in 17 countries and on seven albums with various groups, including his own, Bijou Creole. Watson’s albums are a tapestry of pulsing rhythms and Creole poetry, and his unforgettable live performances are at once progressive and nostalgic.
This event is part of the 2024 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival presented by PDX Jazz