Edmonton based blues, roots and jazz musician Kat Danser is digging deep into the roots of the blues for her PHD in Musicology specializing in blues and root music in the deep south.
She comes to the Owl Acoustic Lounge, to play for the Lethbridge Jazz Festival, June 13.
“I’ve been working on it for the past four years studying roots and rock and blues music in the deep south,” Danser said,” adding she has been particularly fascinated by the role of the banjo in music in north Mississippi.
“There have always been a lot of talented black banjo players down there,” she observed, adding whites co-oped their techniques and instruments to help create modern roots music.
She has also been learning languages like French and Spanish to help better understand the culture
“ It’s never too late to tell people the history, ” she said.
She noted her studies have meant putting her music career on the back-burner. She released her fourth CD “ Baptized by the Mud” with Juno award winning producer Steve Dawson a couple years ago.
“It takes a lot of dedication,” she said, adding she is fortunate to be able to combine academia with her music career.
“I’ve been learning how to play banjo in a the Appalachian style,” she said , noting she isn’t ready to add that into her live show.
She observed music in the south in strongly connected to dancing.
“It’s a very lazy kind of dance. It’s very sensual. But there is a real rock vibe. you can trance out to it,” she said.
She is excited to be asked to play the Lethbridge Jazz Festival, where she and her trio, upright bassist Chris Brzezicki and guitarist Jimmy Guiboche will be stepping away from traditional roots and blues to explore their jazz chops.
“ They are my go to guys for the past 10 years,” she said.
“ I’m super excited about ti. We’re open to play any styles,” she said.
“Not a lot of people get to be able to do this,” she continued.
“It will be a mix of originals and covers,” she continued, noting it has been several years since she played Lethbridge. She noted the last time she played here was at the Lethbridge Folk Club.
“Lethbridge is interesting. On one hand it’s a hard core blue collar community, but there is also a strong academic audience,” she observed.
In between shows and studies, she is also Artist In Residence at the EPCOR Centre for the performing Arts in Calgary, where she has been working with marginalized youth facilitating music and healing since September.
“ I’m doing a lot of projects,” she said.
“ I’m working with 25 students in Grades four and five,” she said, adding she is working with students who have some psychological problems, which has been interesting and educational.
“ It’s been really interesting. I’ve been learning a lot,” she said.
Tickets for her Lethbridge Jazz festival performance cost $20. The show begins at 9:30 p.m., Saturday June 13.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor