Who brings a flute, a saxophone and a flugelhorn to a two-man blues gig? If you guessed Alphonso Sanders, you may have been present at last weekend's book signing blues party for Mississippi: State of Blues, the excellent new book by photographer Ken Murphy and blues scholar Scott Barretta.
Alphonso showed up at Turnrow to play with "Howlin' Mad" Bill Perry, one of the featured artists in the book. State of Blues provides a compelling overview of the contemporary blues scene in Mississippi, and as Alphonso demonstrated, musicians continue to riff on the old blues tradition in new and interesting ways.
Read more about State of Blues here, or order a signed copy here. It's a superlative gift for any blues or Mississippi music fan. And check out this moment we captured in which Alphoso adds concert flute to Perry's traditional blues performance. Pardon the amateur video quality. We're still sorting out the kinks and will post more video soon....
