Image source: http://www.culturamas.es/blog/2013/02/15/fulton-blues-de-corey-harris-di…

On a cold, rainy night in November, my classmates and I visited the Rotunda for the opportunity to hear Corey Harris in person. Comforted by tea and hot chocolate, we were exposed to Harris’ uniquely harsh blues sound. Harris, an American blues guitarist and singer who draws inspiration and influence from Mali, was exceptional in his ability to fill the auditorium with sound without the aid of backup instrumentalists or vocalists. In particular, Harris was innovative in his creation of percussion. Harris was able to add percussion to his music most noticeably by stomping his left foot, while varying the power and rhythm of the stomps. In addition, Harris also added guitar slaps and short, hard strums to add secondary percussion to his pieces. Overall, the performance was intimate, exciting, and emotionally charged, giving the audience a taste of one interpretation of American-West African fusion music.
-Matt Hanessian, SAS ‘15

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Harris

The Corey Harris concert is an experience that I will never forget.
We arrived about thirty minutes to the church where the concert would be happening. Harris was still performing his free children’s concert, so we all quietly moved to the back and took a seat. I was immediately captivated by his voice. There was so much power, so much emotion being every note and every pitch. When it came time for the actual concert to begin we all moved to the front and he gave a brief introduction. He is an African American blues and reggae musician who was born in Denver, Colorado in the 1960s during a time of heightened racial discrimination. When he finished he introductory speech, he immediately began his performance. The strength of his sound was staggering, shaking the walls of the room with every vibration of his voice. The actual lyrics of the songs he performed were hard to make out; at times they sounded like a series of perfectly pitched moans and groans. However, the emotion could not be misinterpreted. He made it very clear what type of feeling he was trying to convey and did it very well. Corey Harris had a very interpersonal connection with the audience that made his performance that much more enjoyable. He wasn’t putting on a concert for a group of paying fan. He was playing a few of his songs for some of his friends.
-Chibuzor Ugwu, SAS ’18

Corey Harris performing his song “Catfish Blues”