Portland and the Piedmont Blues
Jorma Kaukonen has said that Mary Flower is “a national treasure in your own back yard,” for her mastery of acoustic blues guitar. As she has nearly every year since moving to Portland, she’ll be performing at the Waterfront Blues Festival in July. You can also see her on the Sail on Sister, A Blues Fest Cares Cruise benefiting the JWF Musician Health & Services Program.
Written by Claire Levine
Mary Flower had been playing and performing folk-style guitar from the time she was a teenager. But when she became aware of Piedmont Blues guitar picking, she found her calling. In pursuing it, she has gained an international reputation as a masterful performer and instructor.
This guitar style, Mary said, “is very different from what people normally think of as blues – like Buddy Guy or B.B. King. It’s acoustic blues using finger picking. And it’s syncopated,” with the thumb alternating on bass strings while the other fingers are playing melodies and counterpoint harmonies.
Mary loves the challenge of Piedmont blues, more complex than the strumming and flat-picking associated with folk, rock and electric blues. She’s also fascinated by the evolution of the tunes as they get passed from farms to cities, from generation to generation and from person to person.
Following this passion, Mary conquered the complexities of finger-style picking to the point that she is in great demand across the continent – both for her performances and her ability to pass on her skills to eager students. She has students around the globe who appreciate her instructional materials or schedule on-line sessions.
Until 18 years ago, Mary had been living in Denver, where she was a fixture in the Colorado music scene. When she started visiting her son, who was attending Lewis & Clark College, she fell in love with Portland – for its vitality, for its river access, for its bike paths and for its music.
She found a house in Northeast Portland where she indulges her love for big, bold flowering plants.
Mary’s voice is rich, gutsy and compelling. Her original music ranges from complicated ragtime-inspired instrumentals to moving (and sometimes quirky) love songs. Her talents have been recognized by numerous national organizations and publications, as well as the Cascade Blues Association. Her albums routinely receive the highest critical acclaim.
Mary has performed at the Waterfront Blues Festival almost every year since she arrived in town. “I think it’s the biggest festival of its kind west of the Mississippi . . . .and that’s saying a lot right there. They have such a great array of performers from all over the country.” She’s a big fan of the event and what it represents.
This year, Mary will be sharing the stage with Sam Broussard, the remarkable guitar player with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, who she recently performed with in Louisiana. She said, “he’s legendary.”
Their show will be an example of why the festival is so special. “Somebody from my background playing with someone from his background.” They’ll be doing a set on the workshop stage, where “you’ll see him doing a couple different styles of playing, which is really great.”
Mary also has performed on the annual blues cruises associated with the festival for a number of years. This year, she’ll be on the Sail on Sister Cruise, featuring Portland female blues musicians. And she’ll be accompanied by Adam Scramstad – a fine musician who studies with Mary to learn everything he can about her guitar playing.
Proceeds from the Sail on Sister cruise will be dedicated to The JWF Musician Health & Services Program, one of the two charity partners of this year’s festival. And Mary also will be at the JWF festival booth to meet fans, as well as contributing one of her songs to a compilation project to benefit the foundation.
She loves supporting the foundation, as “it gives a little bit of confidence to everybody who might have some kind of medical issue.” Because not having health insurance and being out of work “it’s a really scary thing.”
Mary was one of the local music community members who received a cash grant from the foundation shortly after the venues shut down during the early days of the pandemic. “They helped a lot of people who just needed a check to get by for those first few months. For the foundation to be able to do that was pretty incredible, pretty wonderful.”
She said, “It’s just great to know it’s there. It’s a fallback for a lot of people who need assistance.”
And, she said, “That’s another great thing about the blues festival. It’s helping people,” both through its charitable donations and by giving a showcase to so many talented musicians who deserve to have their talents recognized.
Mary Flower at Waterfront Blues Festival
July 1 - 4
Sail on Sister, A Blues Fest Cares Cruise benefiting The JWF Musician Health & Services Program
Sunday, July 2 from 3-5 pm (boards at 2:30 pm)
Northwest Women Rhythm & Blues • Carly Harvey • Mary Flower & Adam Scramstad
BUY TICKETS FOR SAIL ON SISTER
Mary will be at the
JWF Tent for a Meet & Greet
July 2nd at 5:30!
DOES IT GET ANY BETTER?
