"The blues created one instrument and that instrument was the blues diatonic harmonica!"

Giles Robson:The spirit of Brit Blues

Giles Robson and The Dirty Aces are fast rising stars on the UK and international music scenes. Robson first came to the attention of the UK national press in 2010 when backing blues legend Muddy Waters’ eldest son Mud Morganfield.

At a packed show in central London, The Daily Express praised his “Exquisite harmonica” and The Dirty Aces were described as “Virtuosi”. The Express’s Paul Stewart stated that Robson could “Possibly be the best harmonica player on the blues scene today” and praised Filip Kozlowski’s “Cutting guitar” and lauded the band as a “Great blues combo”.
A track called “The Mighty Incinerator” from the band’s 3 track promo CD was played on BBC Radio 2′s Paul Jones show and was immediately spotted by Chris Evans and played on his Breakfast show the next morning with Evans stating “This is so good”. This is the first time in the Paul Jones show history that a track has been heard by a mainstream radio 2 DJ and chosen spontaneously to be played on their show. "Crooked Heart of Mine" is his new album with amazing reviews international.

Interview by Michael Limnios

Giles, when was your first desire to become involved in the blues & what does the BLUES mean to you?
Well I played a bit of violin and Jazz saxophone before finding the harmonica. I heard the harp on a couple of TV shows and became attracted to it's amazing sound. I then picked one up on a school trip to Toledo in Spain and started to learn the moment I got home. Blues became an addiction not long after. Mainly the feeling - it became more important than anything else I was listening to. I heard everything I wanted in music within the blues and It's still the first music I go to now for comfort and consolation and for joy.

What do you learn about yourself from music? How do you describe your sound & your progress?
That's an interesting question! I would have to say that you are always learning, listening and pushing. I love music and process of making music in general and I listen to loads of different genres. It gives you a sense of perspective and helps you appreciate the strengths of the music you're really into. Also it help you approach what you a are creating in a different way and means you can add other elements.
I really don't know what I've learnt about myself from music, but I have learnt that music transcends races and nationalities and languages. Good music passionately played gets the same reaction from the South Side of Chicago to deepest  snowy Poland to the sunny South of France.
Sound wise and progress wise - we've progressed from a straight ahead Chicago twelve bar sound to, with our album "Crooked Heart Of Mine", a more eclectic selection of song forms and genres. We wanted to get an earthy, rootsy sound with a hint of grit and dirt.

Do you know why the sound of the harmonica is connected to the blues?
The blues created one instrument and that instrument was the blues diatonic harmonica! African American musicians started to imitate Fox chases on it, train impersonations then more and more songs until you get to the grand masters - Little Walter Jacobs, Walter Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson 1 and 2 and James Cotton. The harmonica is to me a miracle. Here is a seemingly technically crude instrument, that fits into the palm of your hand and was mainly designed to play very simple music - marching band stuff. African American musicians transformed this instrument an axe that has the range of a tenor sax or guitar and a huge textural and tonal palette and a massive emotional impact!

Tell me about the beginning of Giles Robson & the Dirty Aces. How did you choose the name and where did it start?
Well I met the great Polish guitarist Filip Kozlowski and we went from there with several different line ups. The name "The Dirty Aces" took a while to think up - but there's always some grit and dirt in our music so it seemed to fit and went down well.
Which is the music philosophy of Giles Robson & the Dirty Aces?
Originality but with respect for the tradition both lyrically and musically. We don't want to be another shuffle band playing the cliches on our instruments and not sound like its coming from us and we're not trying to sound like a cartoon version of the blues.

Do you remember anything funny or interesting from the recording time?
Well we were very quick! The majority of takes are completely live and second of third takes and we recorded the album in one two day and one one day session so here was barely any time for anything funny to happen! It was the smoothest session I've ever done and the studios in Poland RecPublica studios we amazing - a massive studio in a converted mill. Patryk Zukowski mixed and mastered it in record time and we were all bowled over with the results.

Are there any memories from Mud Morganfield, which you’d like to share with us?
It was great touring with Mud, he's a funny guy and a great performer. The thing I will take with me to my grave was when he sang Mannish Boy. You'd look over and his face would morph between his and his fathers. It was cool to see.

What are some of the memorable stories from Steve Cropper & Animals jam you've had?
The jam was great and Mr Cropper really enjoyed it. The best bit was talking to him in the hotel ba afterwards. I had Albert King's stax sessions on my laptop and he talked through them and also other sessions - Wilson Pickett etc. The great thing about Steve Cropper is that he is a combination of great producer/musician his perspective on things is very useful to hear indeed! He knows how the whole industry works, how a song works and what sells and how to sell it.

How/where do you get inspiration for your songs & who were your mentors in songwriting?
Lyrically I listen to a tremendous amount of prewar blues, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. With the "The Mighty Incinerator" I wanted to write a cautionary tale with a strong central image… The sort of thing a mother would tell her children…. If you're bad you ride a train down to "The Mighty Incinerator… deep down below the ground" It sounded archaic and like something that would have been passed down through the generations.
Musically I will come up with a vocal melody and maybe a harp riff and then Filip Kozlowski will sit down and work it all out. Filip has a massive impact on the sound and has a great knowledge of song forms and genres that is invaluable. He also knows what to leave in and what to take out. He's a ruthless editor!

Do you have any amusing tales to tell of Paul Jones, Tom Robinson and Chris Evans Shows?
I was asleep when Chris Evans played us and I got loads of texts straight after. I thought they were talking about the Paul Jones airplay we got the night before so it was a very pleasant shock! It was the first time in the Paul Jones show history that anything has crossed over like that to national radio.

What are some of the most memorable gigs and jams you've had?
I've just done a European tour with Chicago's Tail Dragger. He was great, and really liked harmonica and to have his vocals pushed by tough harmonica. It was grate when you played a solo he'd like he would turn around and grin. He also had a great set of stories about the old days in Chicago - when he used to hang out with Howlin' Wolf and the lesson Wolf passed down to him. Also playing in the Southside bars of Chicago and doing a great gig at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago with Mud. At one point we shared a stage with Buddy Guy!

Which of historical blues personalities would you like to meet?
All of them! All the geniuses! Muddy, Wolf, Walter, Sonny Boy, Jimmy Reed….. the list is endless! Living wise I've met and shared a stage with Buddy Guy. That was a scary and amazing experience. He is one of the most amazing entertainers and performers and is one of the last living greats alongside BB King.

From whom have you have learned the most secrets about blues music?
The list is endless again! I'm always trying to learn something. Also as you get older and gain more life experience blues makes even more sense! I just mainly listen to the records and ask myself  lots of questions "Whey and how did the musician do that?". Also I read a lot of blues history too and old interviews.

Secrets wise Little Walter Jacobs records taught me and  just about every other harmonica player since how to make the harmonica sound like a real instrument - in terms of technique and taste. He also taught me how to back up and push a singer. Sonny Boy Williamson 2 records taught me about the poetics of space/phrasing and the expressivity of notes. He also taught me the power of rhythm and swing and how to bounce off the drums.
Contemporary wise - one of the most innovative and technically accurate players must be Sugar Blue - who was the first harmonica player to convincingly and creatively utilise the entire range of the diatonic harp.
I also listen to a lot of jazz/funk horn and piano players like Miles Davis, Maceo Parker, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

What do you think is the main characteristic of you personality that made you a musician?
I think I'm programmed to be creative and blues chose me! It doesn't seem, that I had a choice and I'm very proud to play it and be involved in this music and to gain the respect of my peers.

Do you think that only real blues is something gloomy, played by old grey-haired men with harps and battered guitars in some smokey, dark and little shabby clubs?
Blues is only as limited as the people who play it and present it to the audience. My band doesn't go in for fancy dress - no fifties suits and fake American accents. We've played lots of different venues that are not blues venues and young people love it! You've got to keep it fresh by respecting the musical rules and history - but adding your own spin and originality on top. The music get's stale when people think there is a rule book to be stuck to rigidly - both musicians and audiences. Jazz musicians called these sorts of cats "Mouldy Figs"! Also if you keep making music that is stuck  in a "Imitation Mode" - no young generations/new fans are going to get interested in the music. You'll be playing what you THINK you should be playing instead of what you FEEL you should be playing BAD MOVE!

What was the first gig you ever went to & what were the first songs you learned?
The first song I learned was the folk song "Oh Susannah" It was on an instructional tape from Hohner called "Harpin' It Easy" and the first gig I saw was literally the week after I returned with my first harmonica from Toledo. It was the African American blues duo Cephas and Wiggins and I was blown away! It was a great live introduction to the art of the harmonica!

What was the last record you bought?
It was a massive Bill Doggett compilation. I've been learning the horn lines on my harp. I love fifties RnB instrumentals. Also The Black Keys El Camino. A tremendous record

Some music styles can be fads but the blues is always with us.  Why do think that is? Give one wish for the BLUES
Blues gets better as you get older. Pop is music for the young played by the very young for the very young.  When you see pop bands perform this material when they are older it can sometimes look and sound ridiculous. Because blues is music about life experience, and the feeling comes from life experience - things like groove, use of space phrasing just get better with age as things settle down. So the older the musicians get the better they get - like a fine wine. Also because it's about real life - it has real value to people as they will more often than not go through experiences that blues lyrics address. Life only gets tougher and pop doesn't address that toughness. Blues lyrics are incredibly insightful, incisive and witty. You can learn a lot about life from them. You can also draw a lot of comfort from the music. As lightning Hopkins said, Blues is like ointment you get for a sting.

What is your “secret” music DREAM? Do you have any hobbies, which do not have anything to do with music?
Well - music is my main thing. My music dream is to be able to play more and more in more and more countries and really get my show out to as many new audiences as possible. I love being on the road and I love playing. It's involving and a lifetime's work!

What do you think for the 60s BRIT BLUES & how close are to the MODERN BRIT BLUES?
I never really listened to brit blues when I started out - more the original African American music from the States. However I really got into the Stones and think Mick Jagger is a great blues singer perhaps the greatest British Blues singer, also liked John Mayall's singing a lot. The only thing I don't like from the harmonica playing. It was REALLY bad and I think it put a lot of people off the instrument. There wasn't really any method back then for playing it properly. So I hope we're carrying on in some way the spirit of Brit Blues - just with better harmonica playing!

Giles Robson & the Dirty Aces - Website