"The Blues" Feel Like Going Home (TV Episode 2003)

Feel Like Going Home: Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Sam Carr, Toumani Diabaté, Corey Harris, John Lee Hooker. A documentary about the blues and it’s African origins.

“Just an ok start to the series. Enjoyable at times, but mostly dissapointing. It first traces the earlier years of recorded blues then you wonder if it will provide enough background to what their was before recorded blues. Eventually, it does. But then over does.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA few highlights. Son House it appears, was an awesome guitarist. Sort of Jimi Hendrix, without amplifiers or groupies. Or maybe just without amplifiers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSecondly Robert Johnson was quite good. (Whether by nature or devil.) I do not say that, because itu0026#39;s been said before, but because I personally believe their was some magic in his voice and guitar playing. Beyond all the mythology, their existed a truly fascinating talent.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThirdly, the importance of flute and drum related instruments to early African-American music. I was already aware of that through Lomaxu0026#39;s recordings, but the documentary reveals it also. Of course, the flute and drum didnu0026#39;t make it out of Mississippi it appears, and didnu0026#39;t reach to St. Louis or Chicago. But yeah it was an early, and important connection to Africa.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe documentary is hosted by a young blues artist named Corey Harris, who acts as a sort of Virgil through the regions of blues. He is humble and very sympathetic. So thatu0026#39;s nice.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy biggest criticism of the film is that it spends maybe too much time in West Africa, which causes things to dip from 7/10 to 5/10. Too bad. Maybe Iu0026#39;m mistaken, but I think documentaries should have some propulsion.”