BORN to a mother of slavery and misery, “the blues” offered the downtrodden wretches of early America comfort and a means of coping with the appalling repressions of a dark period in history.

They sang about feeling low and it somehow made life liveable.

Their instruments were basic and often home made.

But, they devised a harmonic structure known as “the twelve bar blues” to support their songs of woe and to this day it still forms the foundation of blues, pop, rock and jazz.

If you were at last weekends Thredbo Blues Festival searching for music of misery you would have been sorely disappointed.

On the other hand if was the “twelve bar blues harmonic structure” you were seeking, it was there in abundance.

Guitarist Kevin Borich could probably have good reason to feel depressed and blue, having lived under the cloud of cancer however his music and stage demeanour was bursting with jubilation.

The Jimmy Hendricks Trio came to mind as I worked my way into the crush at the Schuss Bar to catch him live.

Speaking of “crush,” it was soon time to squeeze into the “Eagle Nest” restaurant (which always reminds me of a big box crammed with people and perched precariously on the highest craggy peak in Thredbo), to hear vocalist Dallas Frasca.

Gentleman" Jeff Curran and Dallas Frasca stirring up the blues with not a miserable bone between them

Dallas has the best female blues vocal sound I’ve ever heard.

Solid tone, excellent tuning (she holds her pitch for a whole unaccompanied song) and engaging delivery.

Maybe it’s in the genes?

She told me there’s a family connection to Dame Nellie Melba.

Together with her gentleman guitarist Jeff Curran, she cooked up a storm using “the twelve bar blues harmonic structure” but no hint of low down misery blues.

I was beginning to think that the “misery blues” was dead.

Are people really that happy now days?

The next two bands on the musical repast; “Andy Cowan” and “The Hands” were plain groovy, musically slick and foot-tappin’.

Two brothers and two keyboardists Lachlan and Clayton Doley fronting Sydney band "The Hands".

Andy Cowan and silky sax man Jimmy Sloggett.

Andy Cowan, keyboardist, vocalist and composer rattled off a list of musical influences in a song he composed called “Dedication”.

The list included people such as; Miles Davis, Jimmy Hendricks and Ray Charles.

Hardly “she done me wrong and the dog’s dead” types!

Clayton Doley, organist from the two brothers, two keyboard fronted band “The Hands” is basically self-taught but took himself to New York for a lesson with the legendary jazz organist Jimmy Smith.

It’s no wonder “The Hands” swung like mad.

Oh well, that confirms it.

The “twelve bar blues harmonic structure” is alive and well but the “low down misery blues” are dead.

Not such a bad thing really.

I’d rather be swinging and happy.

Wouldn’t you?

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