Hoochie Coochie Man

I don't even know where to begin to explain the magic of Paul Ubana Jones.

He is a musician that really set the tone for my musical appreciation for my whole life.
I have seen him play live twice - the first time I was a troubled and tortured teen who had yet to even begin the long search for herself and the second was last night.
I have been wracking my brain to pin point exactly when it was he did play in my high school hall. I think I can narrow it down to being 20 years ago almost to the day actually - and this would fit with the karmic/ therapeutic aspect the performance had on me last night.
20 years ago all of high school were ushered into our school hall in that authoritarian fashion you just ache to rebel against as a teen. Sitting there waiting for we didn't know what and there is a guy sitting on the stage with hair and a guitar - in that order - because the man's hair is a dominant feature of his persona.
I do not remember anything he said that day but his music, his stage presence and an appreciation of his skill has literally lived inside me since then.
Watching him play was the most amazing thing I had ever seen at that time.
Last night I was transported back to that exact feeling on waves of accoustic rhythm and deep rich vocal timbre.
It was literally incredible to be again immersed in being completely mesmorised by his magical sound.

This time the venue was intimate - Fairfield House (which is an historic house in Nelson). So many people were packed in but this was buffered by the amazing feeling of space from his presence.

I mentioned the word therapeutic and I really feel that. Although my musical abilities were never fostered I am primarily a musical learner and music has been the only thing that I have found true solice in over the years. It has only been in the last few years I have started to appreciate that, for me, sound is the only effective healer outside of myself.
As soon as he started tuning his guitar even (and he does a lot of tuning during a set because he is constantly changing the key of his guitar) I felt a sense of comfort and familiarity. He has such a large stage persona - strong, emotive and engaging - combined with such a small venue your emotional protective walls really are stripped away and you are touched by his sound and words and his actions.
Part of being mesmorised by him is the tapestry of sounds that emerges forth as he literally weaves together with his fingers on the loom strings of his guitar. His fingers flick over the strings and produce melody and rhythm in a way that you can't help but be amazed and intrigued by how he's doing it! It is easy for me to want to describe this magical tapestry as a healing comfy blanket that encompasses me when I listen to him play.

Highlights for me were his cover of 'Norwegian Wood' (an old Beatles song which has a number of covers I really love) and 'Raga - Bird without song' which is one of his originals from 1974, which was the song my tortured teenage self connected most with back in '88. A beautiful sweeping epic piece of music which had me weeping within the first four bars and all the way through it last night as I flicked back to the young me and the life that I have created for myself between then and now.

To this day I have never seen another guitar player that I can compare to him in skill and feeling that comes from his music. Artist is a true description of this amazing music man.
I am very grateful to life for giving me the opportunity to see him play again and to myself for having such an appreciation of his art and what I allowed myself to feel through the experience.

It was such an experience and reflection for me personally, it makes me feel that an era has been passed through and I wonder what is going to happen now.

Thanks, Paul.

Paul's myspace, where you can find the song that moves me so much ; Raga - Bird Without Song