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Double bill: Matt Schofield and DK Harrell on playing the Blues in India
Schofield, from Britain, performed at the Mahindra Blues Festival's first edition 15 years ago; this is the first time here for the younger American performer
Matt Schofield: ‘I had a fantastic and very memorable visit’
The first guitarist inducted into the British Blues Awards Hall of Fame, Matt Schofield has been playing for three decades.
What was it like, the last time you performed at the festival?
I had a fantastic and very memorable visit 15 years ago to the Mahindra Blues Festival. One of the most memorable concerts of my career in fact! Along with the wonderfully warm welcome from the music fans, it was the first time I had the opportunity to play with my lifelong guitar hero Buddy Guy! Since I was a kid, I guess I’d always imagined that happening in Chicago or somewhere, but no, it was Indian music lovers who made that moment possible for me! It’s a very special memory!
What do you plan to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival this year?
I’ll be performing mostly material from my newest album, Many Moons, Vol.1, which came out last year. Our shows always go by the feel and response of the crowd. It’s a shared experience between all of us. I never write out an exact set list. We see where the mood and moment takes us. We love improvising within the framework of the songs. It makes every show special and unique.
What do you think about the Blues scene in India?
15 years ago, I was blown away by the scale of the festival, and the open- minded nature of the audience. The audience makeup in the US and Europe is fairly predictable, as far as demographics goes. Maturer crowds, and usually more men. But I was happy to see all ages and more of a balance of male and female at the Mahindra Festival last time. Sometimes at home the Blues is thought of as “old people’s” music. Maybe India doesn’t suffer with such preconceived notions about it, which is great! Because it is music for everyone. It’s music about, and a story of life, and we all have that in common! These days I know there are some great up and coming blues guitarists coming out of India. There’s a guy called Arinjoy Sarkar who I think is a very fine player.
Your guitar playing is often likened to that of Robben Ford. Tell us more about your biggest musical influences growing up in Manchester.
Yeah, I used to get compared to Robben Ford, especially when I was younger. At first, it’s flattering, then frustrating, and eventually the comparison gets a little bit boring. It’s understandable when you’re starting out to be likened to musicians who came before you, but I’ll turn 50 years old next year! I’m very much my own man at this point. I’ve been playing and gigging for more than 35 years, touring internationally for 29 years, and writing and releasing my own albums for 22 years! To me, the period where I was learning directly from my heroes all happened a long time ago! Now I have a lifetime of my own original music, my own style, and that’s what I’m interested in.
Robben was, of course, very important to me growing up, and as a teenager, he turned me onto exploring jazz. I’ve long since got to know him, we’ve worked together many times, even talked about making a record together. He has been very supportive and encouraging over the years. But long before I discovered him, I was working from my dad’s record collection: BB King being my first hero. Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Albert King. All the great traditional blues artists. And then, of course, Jimi Hendrix, and other contemporary blues artists of the era. I started playing Steve Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jeff Healey, etc, the early ZZ Top records... I could go on. So many players, all equally important to me! And also, lots of non-guitar influences – just good music. Oscar Peterson is one of my favourite musicians; Steve Wonder, Tower of Power! I love a lot of music from New Orleans. In fact, my touring drummer, Doug Belote, is from there. That city has its own mix of Blues, Jazz and Funk, and that’s what I like.
Tell us more about your band, the Matt Schofield Trio.
We’ve been playing together a long time! In fact, this year marks 30 years since Jonny Henderson, my organ player, and I did our first gig together. There’s a special kind of chemistry that can only be had with time! I think the first concert ever billed as the Matt Schofield Trio was 2002, but we go back to playing in different UK bands together much longer than that.
I love the organ trio format. It’s my “little big band!” One reason we started playing with that lineup was because nobody else was doing it back then, certainly in the UK. Everyone else had a “power trio” and was more “blues rock” style. We wanted our own sound, that could include our funk and jazz influences too. The organ trio was more commonly found in jazz, although BB and Albert King, and Jimmie Vaughan, all used it often. I don’t always tour with this trio. Aside from me being based in the US now, and Jonny still being in the UK, everyone has other projects they’re involved with, so it depends on everyone’s schedules. We usually do a couple of international tours a year. But even after all this time, I always call these guys first to see if they’re available!
Tell us about your new studio album, Many Moons, Vol. 1.
Matt Schofield: It’s sort of a 20-ish year anniversary record, since my original trio lineup released our first studio album together in 2005. I’m very happy to have it out finally! It took a while, between music industry wrangling, scheduling, and because I wanted it to be specifically this trio of musicians. Then Covid happened in the beginning of us starting to work on it, so we didn’t get together again for nearly two years (I was in the US, and they were in the UK).
The idea was to basically get us in a room playing together just like we do live, but really well recorded. Just three guys playing, no layered parts. Each track is just voice, guitar, organ, drums. The songs were written to be played exactly like that. Capture a real honest and pure version of the band in a great sounding room. Like you’re in the room with us. So, we went to Peter Gabriel’s studio for a few days, which is incredible and the perfect environment. I feel like the mission was accomplished. And my fans seem to think so too! It’s just what we sound like now, after all these years.
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DK Harrell: ‘The blues is a universal experience’
The 27-year-old plays a fusion of traditional blues and contemporary compositions.
You will be performing at the Mahindra Blues Festival for the first time. What are your thoughts about the blues scene in India?
Really, I don’t know much about it. I found a short documentary on YouTube called Bring on the Blues about the blues influence in India. I was happy to see how blues is being accepted here. For a long time, people thought that the blues only existed in the Deep South of the US. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The blues is a universal experience, and anyone who experiences the blues has the opportunity to express themselves in this music. We’ve witnessed pockets of blues sprouting up in many countries over the past 30 years or so. I fully expect that to continue.
BB King as one of your biggest influences. Tell us about some of your other musical influences growing up in Louisiana?
Outside of big-name stars, my first musical influence came from Ricky Davis, who plays organ at Springhill Baptist Missionary Church in my hometown of Ruston, Louisiana. At an early age, I witnessed his musicianship and showmanship from very close range. He definitely left an impression on me, particularly with his grace and class, things I have tried to adopt into my own life. As for BB King, how can you go wrong? He’s just a tremendously dynamic stage presence who plays an incredible vibrato on his guitar. I have learned so much from his style. I like to think that I incorporate parts of both of these gentlemen in my performances. They have both had a tremendous impact on me.
Tell our readers more about your Alligator Records debut album, Talkin’ Heavy.
I’m extremely grateful to be part of Alligator Records. It is the biggest blues record company in the world and has such an extensive history of producing some of the best blues over the past half-century. Talkin’ Heavy is an album that mixes a lot of my personal feelings and thoughts, I think it captures feelings that I struggle, at times, to put into my conversations. I guess I just feel I can communicate better through music. I’ve noticed that people are more accepting when you express your ideas through music. The team at Alligator understands and respects that. And that clearly shows in the dedication they have to the blues.
Tell us more about the contemporary subjects that you are bringing to the blues, which a lot of people can relate to.
History repeats itself, and what is going on today is nothing new. It’s only new to us, because it is our first time experiencing it. I try to make contemporary music by writing songs that are personal and involve feelings that I have experienced. I think that resonates with the modern audience. These things have happened before but when I set the song in a contemporary setting, people relate to it more easily.
Which have been some of your most memorable performances?
We have been fortunate to have many memorable experiences. In the summer of 2024, we got to play the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. That was very important to us because the festival has a long history of presenting the best blues and jazz artists of the day. It went by very fast, but it was also very exciting. Also, that summer we played the Bilbao Blues Festival in Spain and were captivated by how receptive the audience was to our music. When you see people enjoying your music so much, it makes you want to work harder. We also had a memorable show last July at the Open Air Blues Festival in Romania. The festival is held in the small town of Brezoi and the entire power system for the city went out during our performance. Our band improvised. We played acoustic, and band members with electric instruments picked up percussion instruments. We continued the show for several thousand people for more than half an hour. The audience loved what we did. I remember looking at the other band members while the lights were out, and everyone had a big smile on their face. It was very emotional for us, and a great memory.
Neha Kirpal is an independent journalist. She writes on arts and culture.
