It’s an all women lineup for the 12th Edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival

Nearing the end of the Mahindra Blues Festival (MBF) this weekend (February 10 and 11) at Mehboob Studio, Sheryl Youngblood’s music unfolded gentle and smooth, enveloping a glittering crowd in a heart-warming ballad of At Last by Etta James. The Chicago based musician, who had been interacting with the audience through her set – making them sing, dance and yell with her magnetic stage presence – suddenly changed tone for this ode to James.

The reason this rendition of At Last was particularly befitting was not only because Etta James has been a pioneering force in the blues genre, but also: what better way to celebrate MBF’s all women line-up than to pay heed to her who is renown as the ‘matriarch of the blues’? Although the song was originally recorded by Glen Miller’s orchestra, it was James who placed it in cultural history.

The 12^th edition of this fest, I believe, was all about honouring the many women responsible for initially shaping and later, reclaiming the music style from the staunch boy-clubs formed by their industry counterparts. Last weekend, the women ruled the stage, flying in all the way from Kansas City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and our very own, Shillong.

Despite missing Meghalaya’s pride and joy and MBF veteran, Tipriti Kharbangar’s set (backed by her band, Soulmate), I spent my weekend hearing only the fondest of praises of her performance. I write this as I stream Set Me Free by Soulmate which I intend on listening to until I am sick to my stomach of the blues.

As a first-time attendee, I only now realised that the Mahindra Blues Festival is unlike most other music concerts I have known or personally been to. There is a kind of earnestness to the atmosphere where attendee and organiser alike seemed to nurture a genuine interest in the music before them. An interest in this genre is also not marked by one’s knowledge of lyrics or facts about the artist, but instead by a deep love for these characteristic sounds and rhythms.

Even the Courtyard, a central open buffer space for one to eat, drink and take breaks between shows, fostered a spirit of the blues where people mingled over who and what they had just heard. When I was not gushing over my newfound love for Vanessa Collier and her saxophone, I was eavesdropping on some great conversation transpiring at the tables nearby. Without offending anyone, I would like to say that this environment, all salt, pepper and seasoned, was perfect for me; someone who prefers the company of those twice my age.

With regards to the music, I found that the more artists dabbled in sounds without an over-reliance on the electric guitar, the more infectious the performances become within this genre. This sentiment came especially alive when Sheryl Youngblood whipped out a set of drum sticks that she began furiously tapping on her mic stand to produce some impressive percussion.

Specifically for this year, considering the edition’s theme, I would have loved to hear more covers or odes to musicians like Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith; the original women of blues who pushed through 1930s racism and paved the way for us to be here, almost a 100 years later, singing along to their stylistic successors.

Nevertheless, it was truly remarkable to witness these award-winning women perform, individually no doubt, but especially all together; a force to be reckoned with, bringing the curtain down on the spirited event. Seven sensational women took a final bow while the audience chanted relentlessly, “one more!”. “The blues lives here,” Sheryl Young bellowed on stage, and now, they have a lifelong guest in me.