Times Union interviews roots musician Corey Harris '91 about new album

Albany Times Union contributor Michael Eck speaks to roots musician Corey Harris ’91 about Harris’ new album, blu.black that fuses Harris’ love of both reggae and the blues. Awarded a MacArthur “genius award” in 2007, Harris, an anthropology major, says the grant has allowed him “to further my music. I’ve been taking some time off to write, and it’s also enabled me to record some independent projects.” Asked about the state of the blues in 2010, Harris says “there is a side of blues that’s extremely commercialized, which doesn’t have any real connection to…where the music comes from…. Then there’s another side of blues, which is not commercial at all, which continues to be enjoyed mainly in the South.” Harris says that the money-making side of the blues “is at the expense of the root and the tradition. It used to be about personal expression and creativity, but that has taken a backseat to making money.” View story from the Times Union, Sept. 9, 2010