- Corky Siegel
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Corky Siegel Birth name Mark Paul Siegel Born October 24, 1943 Origin Chicago, Illinois, United States Genres Blues Occupations Musician, composer Instruments Harmonica, piano Years active 1964–present Associated acts Siegel-Schwall Band
Chamber BluesWebsite www.chamberblues.com Mark Paul "Corky" Siegel (born October 24, 1943) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. He plays harmonica and piano. He plays and writes blues and blues-rock music, and has also worked extensively on combining blues and classical music. He is best known as the co-leader of the Siegel-Schwall Band, and as the leader of the Chamber Blues group.[1][2][3]
Contents
Musical career
Corky Siegel's professional music career began in 1964, when he met guitarist Jim Schwall. Both were studying music at Roosevelt University in Chicago. The two became a duo, performing blues music. They landed a regular gig at Pepper's Lounge, where well known, established blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon would often sit in.[4] After a while the duo became a quartet, the Siegel-Schwall Band.
The Siegel-Schwall Band enjoyed increasing popularity, and by 1967 were touring nationally, playing at large rock venues like the Fillmore West and sharing the bill with famous rock bands.[5][6] Between 1966 and 1974, they released ten albums. After 1974, they stopped playing concerts, but the band re-formed in 1987. They still play occasional live dates and have released two albums of new material.[7]
The idea of combining blues and classical music was first suggested by classical conductor Seiji Ozawa. Ozawa brought together the Siegel-Schwall Band and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. They first performed "Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra", by William Russo in 1968. In 1973, the band and Ozawa released a recording of this work performed with the San Francisco Symphony. In 1975, Siegel and Ozawa, with the San Francisco Symphony, first performed another William Russo work, "Street Music: A Blues Concerto". A recording of this piece was released in 1979.[8]
Inspired by his collaboration with Ozawa, Corky Siegel formed Chamber Blues in 1988. The group's music combines elements of classical, blues, and jazz. The band consists of a string quartet — two violins, a viola, and a cello — along with a percussionist, and Siegel playing harmonica. Chamber Blues is still together. The group has toured nationally and has released three albums.[9][10][11]
Siegel has also worked on numerous other musical projects. In 2004, he was a member of a band called the Chicago Blues Reunion, which released the album Buried Alive in the Blues.[12]
Book
With Peter Krammer, Corky Siegel wrote a book for musicians and music students, called Let Your Music Soar: The Emotional Connection. It was published by Nova Vista Publishing in 2007.
Discography
For Siegel's recordings with the Siegel-Schwall Band, see Siegel-Schwall Band.
- Corky Siegel – Corky Siegel (1974 – Dharma)
- Street Music: A Blues Concerto – San Francisco Symphony and Corky Siegel (1979 – Deutsche Grammophon)
- Out of the Blue – Corky Siegel (1980 – Stuff)
- Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues – Chamber Blues (1994 – Alligator)
- Complementary Colors – Chamber Blues (1998 – Gadfly)
- Corky Siegel's Traveling Chamber Blues Show – Chamber Blues (2005 – Alligator)
- Buried Alive in the Blues – Chicago Blues Reunion (2005 – 33rd Street)
References
- ^ Corky Siegel at Allmusic
- ^ Corky Siegel interview on WTTW public television
- ^ Corky Siegel biograpny at the official Siegel-Schwall Band web site
- ^ Widen, Larry (2005). Tombstone Blues. Apple Core Publishing Group. pp. 55–60. ISBN 1411648234. http://books.google.com/books?id=BMnNlHgAqWQC&pg=PT55&dq=corky+siegel&cd=3#v=onepage&q=corky%20siegel&f=false.
- ^ Concert review of the Siegel-Schwall Band at the Fillmore West, Billboard, March 27, 1971, pp. 28, 44
- ^ Milano, Dean (2009). The Chicago Music Scene: 1960s and 1970s. Arcadia Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 0738577294. http://books.google.com/books?id=E2D1kNHag9wC&pg=PA47&dq=corky+siegel&lr=&cd=14#v=onepage&q=corky%20siegel&f=false.
- ^ Siegel-Schwall Band at Allmusic
- ^ "Corky Siegel's History and Tall Tales — The Symphonic Blues", chamberblues.com
- ^ "Corky Siegel's Triple Blues Threat", National Public Radio, December 17, 2005
- ^ Bessman, Jim. "Siegel Makes Concerts Crystal Clear" Billboard, February 12, 2000, pp. 38–39
- ^ "About Chamber Blues", chamberblues.com
- ^ Fricke, David. Buried Alive in the Blues review, Rolling Stone, November 17, 2005
External links
- Corky Siegel's Planet, the official home of Chamber Blues and the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band
Categories:- 1943 births
- American blues harmonica players
- American blues pianists
- Living people
- Musicians from Chicago, Illinois
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