Lyrical Lounging with Mellow Baku

New Walk Museum - Lord Mayor’s Room

July 31^st 2010

Mellow Baku has performed jazz, reggae, soul, funk world and blues music with bands, ensembles, and solo for over 10 years. Her work covers a range of these influences including Spoken Word. An accomplished performer and songwriter she has toured with Afro/Jazz/Dub band Soothsayers around UK/Europe, performed in New York with El Pussycat Ska, and supported saxophonist Courtney Pine.

Mellow Baku brought down the house with stunning live performance at The Steampunk Party, the official after party of The Lyric Lounge which rounded off the opening day of events.

Mellow returned to the Lyric Lounge to host ‘Lyrical Lounging’ on Saturday 31^st July. The workshop gave members of the public the opportunity to explore the legacy and vocal tradition of the Blues.

Zara Dillinger one of the participants in the workshop tells us about her experience of the event.

The workshop began with Mellow singing some blues while the group were sitting down in a circle. She briefly said what were going to do in the day’s session. The participants got into groups to create a blues song. Mellow then played her guitar and showed us how differing tempos alter the mood of the same song.

We then did some vocal exercises. Mellow played a different blues song entitled Wade in the Water. As a group we all had a quick discussion about the history of Blues and it origins from the slave trade era. A lot of the songs at this time were about pain and escape.

We then all had to think of something to put in the song. We all came up with something to use in the song then Mellow and the group transformed the ideas into 3 verses and a chorus. We got a rhythm together we started with Trouble Everyday, Take My Blues Away.

To end the session we all sang the arrangement while Mellow played guitar. It was fabulous and thoroughly enjoyable workshop with I’m sure the entire group including myself found it very rewarding.