The Little Steven’s Blues School
If Little Steven’s Blues School bears this name, which is that of the guitarist of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, it is because the latter, after a visit to the camp in 2015, wanted to participate in the cause…
After numerous visits to the trainees, he agreed to have the Blues Camp bear his name, thus improving its international reputation. It also allowed the creation of a second course reserved for older students.
Little Steven’s Blues School received this year in Memphis a Keeping the Blues Alive Award, an award from the Blues Foundation for those who defend this music throughout the world.
Little Steven’s Blues School has existed since 1989, a year after the festival’s creation, thus revealing the extent to which transmission is part of the Notodden Blues Festival‘s DNA. It allows young musicians, aged 13 to 26, from all walks of life, to cut their teeth. The young people are divided into two groups, the first bringing together budding musicians aged 13 to 18 and the second those aged 19 to 26.
Blues Camp 2 (19-26 years old)
Sharing accommodation with the older students, I witnessed the commitment of everyone and the quality of the supervision. Attending the presentation of the program, after two or three pieces played by the teachers in front of the students; I am forced to admit that I would have loved to participate in my younger years, now distant.
The program offered to older students: a week of rehearsals of a list of 10 pieces or other pieces chosen by the students, composition of original songs, recording at the Juke Joint Studio, Masterclasses with John Primer, Bob Corritore and their musicians, several concerts during the festival, jams and a pass to attend the concerts… A certain idea of musical paradise!
For now, the young musicians from Norway, the United States, but also from Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Croatia, and France are finding their feet. But they are already convinced that they will have a fantastic experience that will mark their personal journey, whether musical or not… Among these students, 4 were supported by the EBU (European Blues Union): Paavo Huttunen, from Finland, Eduardo Vicente, from Portugal, Filip Paulo from Slovakia and Sören Foucher, from France, also accompanied by France Blues.
The trainees are supervised by a caring team, led by Espen Fjelle, for the teaching part and for the reception and logistics by Kjersti Kamperhaug, the “Camp Mama” who ensures that no one lacks anything, and that the apprentice bluesmen and blueswomen can experience this week in the best possible conditions.
The originality of this Blues Camp is that the young participants are not grouped by instrument, but by group (drums, vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, etc.). The main part of their week of training therefore consists of playing the proposed pieces together, or composing others, to present them on stage during the festival. And it’s intensive: From 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. for the youngest (Bluescamp 1) and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the others (Blues Camp 2)!
In addition to rehearsals, the larger groups thus formed are offered a recording session at the Juke Joint Studio, in the same premises, two floors below, each group, in turn, learns what it is like to record in professional conditions. Here, the mistress of the house is Elisabeth Moen Pettersen, who, with a wealth of experience (she has worked with Mike Zito, among others!), records and teaches the basics of studio techniques to the trainees.
Juke Joint Studio is a magical place, Seasick Steve recorded there and much of his material comes from Stax Studios in Memphis. What’s amazing is that despite the studio’s relatively recent age (created in 2001), you feel a “Roots” atmosphere: the spirit of the Blues blows through these places! No doubt that for a first studio experience, there are much worse!
All this attention is put to the service of particularly motivated young people and, even if the levels may be different, the emulation gets everyone involved! Music is not a competition, and, after seeing them play together, it is confirmed! On the other hand, everyone gives their best, and it is heard.
Transition to the younger generation (Blues Camp 1)
After spending time with the older students, where the atmosphere is one of improvement and openness towards professionalization, I head to Blues Camp 1, in a music school a little outside the city, where I am welcomed by the seminar leader, Audun Haukvik. A passionate and fascinating man, like all those I have met so far.
Here, the goal is different from Blues Camp 2: it’s about teaching a life skill as well as a skill. As with the older students, everything is about group play; the team of 8 teachers brings together people who are committed to transmitting their knowledge with, and it’s no exaggeration to use this word here, kindness.
For Audun, the Blues Camp is the most important part of the festival, because it represents the future and the transmission of knowledge. And kindness doesn’t exclude rigor; in fact, it takes both to manage forty teenagers!
The students are divided into different groups, with the addition of a brass band, three to be precise, whose task is to accompany the other groups. The age differences mean that the levels are heterogeneous, but that’s not the main thing. In this Blues Camp 1, each student learns how to play in a group and the need to listen to each other. The instructors, one per group, are there to help them, and, even if they have different personalities, they are all guided by the passion to pass on their knowledge.
It’s a real joy to go from room to room and attend rehearsals, and to see these teenagers and young adults having so much fun. And don’t think that the songs are easy, and it’s a real achievement to be able to play “Still Got the Blues” by Gary Moore in a week, whether at this age or older. Blues Camp 1 is just as demanding as Blues Camp 2.
Finally, I was able to attend a rehearsal of advanced students who will open the festival, with a cover of “I’d rather go blind” by Etta James, and I was able to measure this level of demand but also the pleasure that the young people take in performing. Audun and his band give them the keys to performing on stage: how to position themselves, how to move, how to look…
And, while the younger generation also attended the masterclass of John Primer and Bob Corritore, they were also treated to one by Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport, a rising 18-year-old Blues star, which gave rise to some wonderful discussions with a great up-and-coming musician of their generation.
The Little Steven’s Blues School – Concert time
The young interns’ selection participated in the festival’s opening on Thursday evening, sharing the stage with, among others, John Primer and Bob Corritore. A magnificent performance under the moving gaze of their teachers in front of several thousand spectators.
The night before, on stage at the Maison du Blues, their elders also offered exceptional performances, with “imposed” covers of great classics, such as Stormy Monday, but also compositions of their own. The talent is undoubtedly present! Special mention for the improvisations of Pavo Huttuden, the young Finn on saxophone and Otto Junior, a young 19-year-old guitarist who undoubtedly represents the future of Blues in Norway. These two found each other well.
The trainees’ temporary bands will perform twice during the festival: once on Thursday evening at the Bellmann Kulturpub, where they met with well-deserved success in a packed pub filled with aficionados, and then the following day on the festival’s youth stage located at the entrance to the Hovis Hangar, the main stage, again a resounding success.
On Thursday morning, we also had the chance to hear the results of the recording sessions at Juke Joint Studio. The quality of the tracks matched the work done by Elisabeth Moen Pettersen. The result was truly astonishing, and the smiles on the faces of the trainees spoke volumes about their feelings.
On Saturday, the juniors performed on the “youth” stage in front of a packed audience and they met with the same success as their elders. The performances of the youngest, of high quality, demonstrate, in addition to the talent of the performers, that of their teachers who knew how to get the best out of these young talents. The finale, in the pouring rain, bringing everyone together was eminently symbolic “With a little help from my friends”, Joe Cocker version, was a particularly moving moment as one could feel the pleasure and happiness that these budding musicians were able to share during this week of training.
What can I say in conclusion? The interns had a fabulous week at the Little Steven Blues Camp. It was an exceptional experience for each of them: they were taken in hand to give the best of themselves. Whether with Audun Haukvik and his team of teachers driven by an overflowing passion for the youngest or with Espen Fjelle and his magnificent team of volunteers, for the older ones we feel a project, a continuity between the two camps that can guide the most motivated towards professionalization. It’s a fantastic approach. But the essential is elsewhere: the young people discuss, exchange, share around a love for a common music, discovering artists; some are already old hands, including those aged 13-18, others are more hesitant. For a Blues lover like me, concerned with transmission, it was a real joy to experience this week.
Discovering Notodden
Notodden is a huge blues festival that has existed since 1988, after the town was hit hard by the crisis in the metal industry, its main source of income. Many works of art recall this industrial past. Originally, 13 blues enthusiasts decided to create this festival, investing their time and money in the first edition, which was a success that has never failed since. In 1990, it was Jostein Forsberg, musician and former metalworker, born and raised in Notodden, who runs the festival which becomes a vital financial resource for the town.
Notodden and its festival are linked toso much so that a magnificent building, theBok & Blueshuset (House of Books and Blues)was built on the shores of Lake Heddalsvatnet, it houses the town library, but also a collection of records dedicated to the Blues, a bookstore, a bar, a recording studio (Juke Joint Studio), a concert hall, and rehearsal studios. It is also the location of part of the Little Steven’s Band School, a Blues course dedicated to young musicians.
Christian Foucher
Comments are closed