Musician Scott Ainslie will bring the African and American roots of Delta blues music to Denison University in a teaching concert under the sponsorship of the McGregor Connections Initiative. Ainslie will appear at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday (Feb. 1) in Slayter Auditorium for "Call and Response: African and American Musical Traditions." The presentation is free and open to the public. Granville residents may remember him from performances at previous Hot Licks Blues Festivals.

Delta blues legend Scott Ainslie [jpg]

Ainslie also will conduct an hour-long demonstration workshop at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon on Slayter's third floor, which also is open to the public. Both guitar players and observers are welcome to join the student group as they work with the accomplished musician. Following his appearances at Denison, Ainslie will appear at the Midland Theatre in Newark.

Ainslie is described as the "rarest of performers -- a man who can speak about the Blues with the same compelling passion and authority that drives his musical performances." He is the author of the bestselling book "Robert Johnson/At the Crossroads," about the Delta Blues legend. He also has been featured in a Starlicks Master Session Series video and has released three CDs.

Drawn to the blues after hearing Virginia Bluesman John Jackson in 1967, Ainslie earned a bachelor's degree in music theory and composition at Washington and Lee University, graduatingmagna cum laudeand as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He worked in avante garde and Broadway theater productions, toured in Europe under the auspices of the United States Information Service, and now works extensively in college and school settings teaching the African roots of American music, where he instills his deep reverence for the tradition and history of the music.

Ainslie has received numerous awards including the St. Andrew's Presbyterian College 20th Annual Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award, a place as a University of North Carolina Public Fellow, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Teaching concert, "Call and Response: African and American Musical Traditions," by Delta Blues artist Scott Ainslie; 11:30 a.m., Thursday (Feb. 1), Slayter Auditorium (200 North Road). Free and open to the public. Call 740-587-6206 to confirm information.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Demonstration/workshop with Delta Blues artist Scott Ainslie; 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday (Feb. 1), Slayter Third Floor (200 North Road). Free and open to the public, both guitar playing participants and observers. Call 740-587-6206 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575