What ever happened to things getting quiet over the summer?
This year there have been some very good quality blues CD’s and DVD’s released, two great blues guitar greats I wanted to point out here…can’t see anyone being disappointed in either of these great pieces of work.
1. Everybody’s Talkin – Tedeschi Trucks Band Live:
I recently caught the husband and wife Blues giants Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi at Ottawa’s Blues Festival where they impressed me with new material that was tight, well thought out, matched very well with respective talents of Tedeschi and Trucks and showed an evolution of their band into many different areas always coming back to the blues as their foundation. As terrific as the Ottawa show was, the material caught live on Everybody’s Talkin is even better.
It kicks off with “Everybody’s Talkin” featuring a special binding of Tedeschi’s soulful voice and Truck’s rock solid “Motownish” guitar riff’s…the greatness builds.
“Midnight in Harlem” hits you right between the eyes with an astounding evolution of Trucks guitar playing toward the Santana Latin + Blues tradition – you will get caught up in this one.
“Learn How To Love” shows us Tedeschi and Trucks roots in hard rock (a’ la’ Joe Bonamassa) on this track
Next we get into a couple of core blues guitar tunes “Bound For Glory” and the “Rollin & Tumblin’ – a traditional blues number that (in its current incarnation) is most often attributed to Muddy Waters and was covered by everyone with perhaps most famously, the Rolling Stones.
There’s also some slow, sweaty blues with “That Did It” and “Wade In The Water” and another Motown Soul number “Uptight” – a delightful crowd pleasure when it was played near the end of their set in Ottawa.
This is a CD that you will not soon get tired of, and even with all of this fabulous music you still are left wondering what they will come out with next.
2. “Driving Towards Daylight” – Joe Bonamassa
I’m a huge fan of the talent Joe Bonamassa brings to the guitar, his mastery of the instrument reminds me allot of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Hendrix even though his style is quite different.
Joe has been pumping out material at quite a pace over the last few years, some of the works have not been 100% solid, I would argue the same of this one, but it is near the 90% range and because of that, I would have no hesitation recommending it to anyone.
The CD starts off with “Dislocated Boy” – a Bonamassa standard rock ballad in the same style as “The Ballad of John Henry” from his 2009 CD of the same name
Next comes a version of “Stones In My Passway” that first appeared on Robert Johnson’s great “King of the Delta Blues Singers” CD back in the late 1930’s. I have to admit, this is the number I like least on this CD, to me it strays too far from the original and sounds over-produced. You may think differently, I’ve talked with others that quite like it.
Joe knows how to drive a shuffle and there’s a good one on this CD in “I Got All You Need” where he gets the groove going very well and the CD begins to really heat up.
“A New Coat of Paint” gives us a high-powered, slow blues from Bonamassa that melds his wonderful vocals with high-octane blues guitar.
The CD finishes out with one of the stronger numbers…a slide guitar rocker “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” and a soul/slow blues “Too Much Ain’t Enough” with an exceptional vocal by Jimmy Barnes (Australian singer ex Cold Chisel) that just works.
Some really interesting collaborations and some very good shuffle and slow blues numbers make this one of the best Joe Bonamassa CD’s since John Henry in 2009 – well worth the pick up for sure.
Filed under Blues CD Review, blues guitar by on Aug 3rd, 2012. Comment. 
Great local Ottawa, Ontario blues guitar talent JW Jones released his new video for “Aint Gonna Beg”, shot in Ottawa it features a ton of local Ottawa scenes in the background including: Classic Mayfair Theatre, Metropolitan Brasserie, Karters Corners Go-Carting…pretty cool when you can fit your hometown landmarks into your own video.
Oh ya, pretty darn good song too with some nice guitar work. If you haven’t hear of JW before, he is definitely one of Ottawa (and Canada’s) premiere blues guitar players…here’s the video:
Filed under blues guitar by on Aug 12th, 2012. Comment.
Gibson recently published a listing of their top 10 list for current/new blues guitar greats…obviously this is subjective, and I wanted to give my opinion…
First, let’s look at their list:
1. Joe Bonamassa
2. John Mayer
3. Jack White
4. Eric Gales
5. Don Auerbach (The Black Keys)
6. Davy Knowles
7. Kenny Wayne Shepherd
8. Derek Trucks
9. Johnny Lang
10. Ben Harper
I agree with about half of this list, but here’s who I would swap/add
1. Joe Bonamassa – no argument here, this guy is rooted in the blues and can take it in so many directions with his talent
2. Derek Trucks – have to have him second, pure genius and with Susan Tedeschi he’s moving beyond his roots
3. Kenny Wayne Shepherd – yup, SRV is alive in well in the spirit and guts of Kenny Wayne
4. Gary Clark Jr – how can this guy be missing…so dynamic, skilled, pure foundation in the blues holding a ton of potential
5. Davy Knowles – definitely
6. Walter Trout – Blew me away in his latest concerts, the guy has found something special of late
7. Jimmie Vaughan – only because I think he is still re-inventing blues by keeping true to the roots, think he still has at least one more innovative CD in him, perhaps in a collaboration with someone else on this list
8. Doyle Bramhall II – hugely creative, great pedigree, played with Clapton for years, watch for him in the next few years
9. Buddy Guy – Yes, still MODERN after all these years!
10. ?????
Who would you pick as #10?
I’m on the fence with guys like Jack White, Johnny Lang, Colin James, and from my area there are guys coming up like Tony D (MonkeyJunk), David Gogo, and JW Jones…these are names you will hear more from in the coming years.
What would your list be? Leave us a comment.
Filed under New Blues by on Aug 12th, 2012. 2 Comments.
I happened to be on Twitter (why not connect over at http://www.twitter.com/highertrust ) this past week heaping some praise on local legend in the making JW Jones for some of his latest work when we started exchanging posts about how he constantly seems to be linking up with blues legends in the process of carrying out his own blues guitar and music career.
In the process of our exchanges he pointed me to the video below where he explains how persistence, patience, focus, and some networking led to the opportunity working with Kim Wilson (front-man for the Fabulous Thunderbirds – one of the top Texas blues bands EVER!). If you have dreams of building your own blues or music career, listen to the lessons that JW shares in the intro of this video – oh yes, and the song isn’t bad either.
By the way – “Time To Move On” is from his 2002 CD “Bogarts Bounce”, you can also check out his latest work
Here’s a great promo video for Seventh Hour – his latest hot CD, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up.
Filed under blues guitar by on Aug 19th, 2012. Comment.
Started recording some stuff this afternoon, intended on laying down a clean version of Freddi King’s Hideaway on my recently purchased Blues Deluxe Amp, but it just wasn’t happening. Then I ended up in this G Blues Shuffle that sounds not bad – a few mistakes along the way, but not a bad version – what do you think?
[mc id=”205″ type=”audio”]Blues Shuffle In G[/mc]
Filed under blues guitar, Jeff Smith by on Aug 19th, 2012. Comment.
It still seems like yesterday when I heard the devastating news of SRV’s death in a helicopter crash after a show at Alpine Valley. Yet, incredibly it is 22-years later and the flame burns ever brighter.
Stevie Ray continues to influence a generation of guitar players, continues to inspire those who find themselves mired in addiction and I believe continues to bless us with his spirit each and every day.
In an era of electronic music, selfish interests and celebrity – it reminds me of the eighties when Stevie hit with his authentic, raw talent single-handed re-invigorating the guitar and music with feeling…god we could use him NOW!
Our hope today is with guys like Joe Bonamassa and Doyle Bramhall II as well as Gary Clark Jr can pull us through. With Stevie, you go it all – incredible talent, that unique ability to channel raw emotion through an instrument, fundamentally kind soul and the ambition of a leader…those qualities don’t come along everyday and that’s why we may never again see another SRV.
For now, here are a couple of reminders of what we had, how we were blessed, what we lost and what (god willing) we may again see one day…
In this interview, Stevie shares some great opinions and views on the music business, blues and how we got his start as well as an amazingly well spoken explanation of his addiction struggles…
Love his answer to the question “Why do you think you appeal to the masses?” – SRV’s answer “Because I try my best to play the music that I love – it’s HONEST!”
And here is an interview with his band (Double Trouble) drummer Chris Layton…some additional insights into his past playing with Stevie Ray – explaining him as a “Kind Soul” and “Gentle” – pretty much sums it up…
Don’t know about you, I’m just happy to have witnessed and been inspired by Stevie Ray and Double Trouble.
Do you have a favorite memory of seeing Stevie – leave a comment and let everyone know.
Filed under stevie ray vaughan by on Aug 27th, 2012. 2 Comments.
Dance halls, Juke joints, seedy bars, the local watering hole, larger arenas and intimate theaters – blues music has always been about connecting with the people and pulling them in emotionally in as honest and pure a way as possible.
A top-notch blues shows IS about the performance, but it’s not about the flash, electronics and light show as much as it is about the energy, the passion, and empathy as the performer reaches deep into the heart of their fans and wins them over many times during a performance.
That’s why blues shows are so memorable…that’s exactly how I was hooked when I saw my first Stevie Ray Vaughan show way back in the 1980’s and have been to thousands of blues shows since.
Recently, BB King came back to Indianola for his annual BB King’s Homecoming performance (a community where King used to pick cotton as a youngster) for such an intimate performance where once again blues guitar royalty led the way guiding today’s young artists in the direction of becoming CLOSER to their audience than more distant.
At 86 King is the elder statesman – everything he does, you can be sure, is watched by those who are on the way up in blues music, so these sorts of situations are very important to the future of the blues where the past comes together with the present and guides the future.
King has always worn the ambassador’s role well – knowing that if he can attract the kids and teens not only can he keep them from getting into trouble, giving them an alternative path in life, but also keep the blues alive and well for generations to come.
By all accounts King allowed a young group of 11-14 year old’s (part of a rock ensemble from Clarksdale MS) to come aboard his “home” – his tour bus – to have a chat. Following that intimate encounter, he performed inches from his audience on a grass hill, connecting with his ecstatic audience.
The blues has always been about connecting with the audience…I have met many of my blues mentors at clubs or shows, that wouldn’t happen at today’s rock or pop shows. Intimacy is just another key human value that keeps the blues alive.
Filed under bb king by on Aug 28th, 2012. Comment.
