Harris has a colorful CD, show

Corey Harris is exploring shades of musical meaning through the layers of tones between black and blue.

Determined to show that blues is far “more than three chords,” Harris used his latest album, “blu.black,” to trace the heritage of African music through the sounds of blues, reggae and old-school American soul. Fans can get a live taste of the results Wednesday night at the Southern Cafe and Music Hall.

Several tracks on the Telarc CD, which was released Sept. 29, bring to mind the soul traditions of the 1970s, but there’s always a fresh modern slant in which Harris is acknowledges his own place in the musical continuum as a filter of the musical traditions he respects.

“I wanted to tell the story of the blues from the perspective of someone who grew up in a black household in a black family,” Harris said. “There’s definitely history in it, but I don’t want it to be dry like a lesson.”

Harris said his 2007 MacArthur Fellowship “indirectly” helped him create the album. Thanks to the $500,000 grant, he didn’t have to accept every gig that came along, and the freedom to be more selective has paid off musically and personally.

“It gave me a little more time to write the music,” Harris said. “It has given me the ability to say no and spend more time with my kids and with my music.”

During Wednesday’s show at the Southern,

Harris will perform a couple of solo songs, and he and his band will be joined by vocalist Davina Jackson.

She and her twin sister, Davita Jackson, bring out the gospel depth of “My Song” with their vocal harmonies, and Davina Jackson provides background vocals on several other tracks. To get an idea of how well their voices blend, give “blu.black” a listen. On the track “King and Queen,” Harris and Davina Jackson trade lyrics with smooth confidence.

“I love singing with her,” Harris said. “She and her sister sound so good together. They complement each other. They make a great team, and they’re just very pleasant to work with.”

Harris has worked with the singing Jackson sisters for seven years now. He first heard of them because they’d worked with keyboardist and pianist Chris “Peanut” Whitley, who can be heard on all but one of the new disc’s tracks, and a mutual friend — drummer Johnny Gilmore.

“I think we’re all just coming to grips with it,” Harris said of the loss of Gilmore, who died Oct. 22 in a house fire.

“We did a lot of work together over the years. It’s just not going to be the same without him.”

Harris thought back to the first gig he performed with Gilmore. It was a show in 1993 in West Virginia that include two other local favorites — Houston Ross and Jamal Millner.

Ask him how many places he and Gilmore played together since then, and Harris doesn’t just lose track of clubs and venues. They’d gotten their passports stamped together so many times that Harris is hard pressed to recall how many countries they’d toured.

“We did a tour of the Czech Republic and southern Poland,” Harris said. He started listing island stops on their Caribbean tour, as well as Mexico, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Guyana. “I’m sure there are some I’ve forgotten,” he said.

It’s not just his beloved African music and blues that have enriched Harris’  life, but also the people who’ve helped him play it.

“The lesson to all of us needs to be to give the people you love their flowers while they’re still around,” Harris said softly. “We should look to our friends and our family and tell them that we love them.” 

AT A GLANCE

Corey Harris and the Rasta Blues Experience

8 p.m. Wednesday

The Southern Cafe and Music Hall

$15; $12 advance

All ages

(800) 594-8499

thesoutherncville.com