Corey Harris is playing three shows at The Mitch next week Wednesday, January 28, Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30. This is actually a big week for local Blues in that Gary Clark from Austin is playing nearby as well.

What distinguishes these shows beyond the difference between country blues, and electric Blues is the three different openers: Wednesday is DJ Sep, spinning reggae, and dub; Thursday is the duo of Jack Tuttle violin and Walter Jebe guitar; Friday is Will Bernard jazz guitar stylings. Tickets are $20 each or all three shows for a total of $45.

I told Corey’s story many times in brief in the 22 years of our acquaintance : he’s from Denver and was studying to be a teacher at Bates College; he won a fellowship to study in West Africa; while there he was taken by the music of Boubecar Traore; he did Teach for America in New Orleans and became serious about acoustic blues. He was signed to a record label Alligator Records. He had a duo with piano legend Henry Butler. I met him when he and Henry were part of the Front Porch Blues caravan that played on a tour that started in San Diego and finished in Maine. I saw him play at the Kennedy Center that year 2003 and then again at Yoshi’s five years later, but I really have not seen him since. Because JoVia Armstrong played in my series and is Corey’s colleague at the University of Virginia. I was put back in touch with him and this set of shows is the result.

Corey is also a winner of the MacArthur foundation genius grant for his work, articulating the theory of American rock, blues and jazz, coming up from New Orleans coming from the Caribbean and originating in West Africa. Martin score says he included Corey in Africa is part of his miniseries about the blues.

Score!!!