Bob each way on republic

Alex de Vos
In the fictitious “Independent Republic of Brozmanistan”, legendary guitarist Bob Brozman turns his hands to a different set of instruments.
On tour the blues musician spends his time strumming away at his signature hollow-neck acoustic steel guitar while surrounded by a variety of traditional American resonator instruments.
But in his personal haven, Brozman’s tools of the trade, which include shovels, forks and hoes, produce a very different result.
“My own little plot of land, the Independent Republic of Brozmanistan, gives me a lot of pleasure,” the talented New York blues artist said.
“I raise a lot of fruit and vegetables and also run 36 chooks for fresh eggs.
“My life has a good balance – London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, clean out the chook sheds.
“Presently I’m ploughing the vegetable gardens before setting off for Oz again.”
The knowledge of his hobby back home, just waiting to be attended, provides Brozman with comfort during his exhaustive international tours.
“After this four-week tour in Australia I’ll be on tour for the rest of the year in Canada, Italy, England, Ireland, France and Belgium,” he said.
“Airports are getting to be less fun all the time and six instruments weigh a lot.
“At home I get a chance to raise my fruit, vegetables and chooks, so the balance between the jetlag and the farm labour suits me pretty well.”
After picking up his first guitar at the tender age of five, Brozman started experimenting with one of the earliest styles of blues music – Mississippi Delta blues.
“It was unlike anything I’d ever heard before,” Brozman marvelled.
“It was rich with intensity, great timbres and free improvisation.”
From there, the award-winning musician “followed (his) ears, collecting 78s and absorbing 1920s to ’30s jazz and swing”.
“Further along I got interested in Calypso, which led me to Africa.
“Through serendipity and an open mind, I’ve since created collaborative projects in (the Japanese region of) Okinawa, Reunion, Papua New Guinea, India, Guinea and more.”
Brozman likened his eclectic style of music to a “tour of blues of the world, presented in an intense but light-hearted manner, with plenty of rhythm on half a dozen instruments”.
Last year Brozman won Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Best Acoustic Slide Guitarist, capping an “honest” 50 years in the industry.
He labelled the recognition a “great honour”.
“It makes me even more grateful to my listeners and inspires me to work even harder,” he said.
Brozman said he was looking forward to returning to the region after a successful performance at last month’s annual Apollo Bay Music Festival.
“I found it to be a very friendly audience who were prepared to have fun from the first moment to the last.”
Bob Brozman plays Geelong’s The Studio this Friday night.