Month: October 2009

Had fate and negligence not interfered, Jimi Hendrix would have turned 65 in 2008 – only five years older than Bruce Springsteen, four older than Carlos Santana, two older than John Fogerty, and 18 years younger than B.B. King, all of whom are still going strong.

Though we can only assume Jimi would still have the fire, creativity, and skill that made him shine so bright, it’s stupefying to imagine hearing him jam with his musical fathers (King, Guy), brothers (Santana, Clapton, Jeff Beck), and “sons,” some of whom deliver blazing versions of his songs here.

Mixed by Eddie Kramer, this DVD combines selections from San Diego and Seattle stops on the ’07 Experience Hendrix tribute tour. Though the dream version of this gig would climax with Jimi and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan in a jam, there to pick up the slack are Longtime Howlin’ Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, Mick Taylor, and Paul Rodgers with Vaughan’s Double Trouble bandmates Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton and the Experience’s Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox. Rodgers sings his butt off, cementing his position as one of rock and roll’s great vocalists. And Cox, Jimi’s bassist of choice, reveals his underexposed vocal talent on “Freedom.”

Sumlin and Guy – who is unabashedly respectful and deferential to Sumlin onstage – carry themselves like the pros they are. Guy – 71 at the time of filming – teases, tantalizes, and satisfies on “Hootchie Coochee Man” and “Five Long Years” with his spot-on imitations of Muddy Waters’ gestures and style. His voice, reminiscent of Joe Tex, along with his still-dazzling chops, and Sumlin – then 75 – is confidently humble, playing with flashes of what made him such an influential part of blues guitar history.

Younger players also have spectacular moments. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is all swagger on drop-dead versions of “Come On (Let The good Times Roll),” “Voodoo Chile” and “I Don’t Live Today.” Kid Rock’s Keith Olsen brings more than a little Detroit sting to “Stone Free” with Mitchell, Cox, and Andy Aledort. If Olsen is a hair behind some of the other players in smooth virtuosity, he makes up for it the enthusiastic joy of a guy with something to (successfully) prove. Less cocky but equally impressive is Indigenous and its take on “Hear My Train A Comin’.” Guitarist Mato Nanje gives Taylor a run for his money on “Red House.” Indigenous, with Guy, Shepherd, and Eric Gales, provide the brightest highlights on a stone blast of a disc that’s loaded with them.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Dec. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Dave Alvin is one of America’s best songwriters, and as such runs the risk of alienating casual fans when he does an album of covers. But then again, maybe not…

The idea with his newest disc, West of the West, is to pay tribute to songwriters from the West Coast, where Alvin grew up. That means is you get stuff like “California Bloodlines” from John Stewart, with its gorgeous changes and nice, melodic lead guitar from producer/string-wizard Greg Leisz blending nicely with Alvin’s acoustic. A bluesy, and very menacing version of Jackson Browne’s “Redneck Friend” features a fine vocal and stinging leads from Alvin. “Down On the Riverbed,” by his buddies in Los Lobos, gets a folk turn with fine banjo.

Alvin pulls out a wah pedal to highlight Tom Waits’ “Blind Love,” and grand treatments are applied to tunes by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, John Fogerty, Merle Haggard, Richard Berry. And the surprise highlight is a stunning version of Brian Wilson’s “Surfer Girl.” It’s laid back and sparse, with marvelous harmony vocals from the Calvanes.

The record does on occasion sound like someone treading water to his next effort, but the effort nonetheless is valiant, and Alvin never fails to sound soulful.

The Great American Music Galaxy is a CD that Alvin originally sold at concerts. Alvin and his band deliver live on great cuts ranging from old Blasters standards to new stuff. Dave and Chris Miller handle the guitar work, and when they stretch out, it’s a joy to hear.

These two records show Alvin at the top of the heap amongst those who record what he once referred to in song as “American Music.”

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Oct. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

With the addition of Chris Frame (Sun Volt) on guitar and Jen Gunderman (The Jayhawks) on keyboards, the Coal Men have gone from trio to quintet and their second full-length release, Beauty Is A Moment, reflects creative growth that shows no sign of letting up. Composer and guitarist Dave Coleman – who wrote or co-wrote most the disc’s 12 cuts – is the force behind much of what puts the Coal Men into the first rank of roots rock/alt country music.

Coleman writes with the fearless emotional candor that marks the best of Alabama songwriter Will Kimbrough’s work, and the band is just similar enough to the Jayhawks to invite favorable comparison. But despite Coleman’s slight, dismissible vocal resemblance to an earthier, more soulful Jackson Browne, the Coal Men don’t really sound like anyone else. Coleman’s songs have the naturalness of good conversation and unfold with the same freshness. A laconic but literate and expressive lyricist who isn’t afraid to let melody pull an equal share, he paints with fewer strokes than many, yet gets so much out of them. For him and the rest of the Coal Men, beauty is a moment – actually, a series of moments – and there are a wealth of fine ones (“Natural Wonder,” “Cleveland Sky,” “Louisiana”) here. Coleman and Frame’s guitars, Dave Ray’s deep-bucket Levon-Helm-type drumming, the tight but unceremonious competence of the band, and the quality of the songs put the album outside of trends and vogue.

The next big thing always comes and goes, but everything about Beauty Is A Moment indicates a deservedly long and laudable musical life ahead for the Coal Men.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Every song on this latest album by the Canadian quartet Sloan has a great hook; the simple “woo-oows” in “Witch’s Wand” are impossible to forget while “Down In the Basement” speaks like some of Dylan’s best ’60s rock. “All I Am is All You’re Not” is a driven pop tune with a guitar solo that’d make George Harrison proud. Punk influence surfaces on “Emergency 911,” and the two-song set that opens the record is about as perfect as it gets. “Believe” is a stomper with wonderfully loud, blaring guitars, a great vocal, B-3, and a great solo. It’s a perfect song. And if that’s not enough, like many of the songs it segues into another great one in the form of “Cheap Champagne.” The perfect power pop is driven by piano with a lovely, short guitar solo.

Lyrically, the band is much the same; some things may be a bit foreign, but it works. They write separately and on occasion play all instruments themselves on their own songs… much like the Beatles as they neared the end. And while it’s probably not a harbinger, there is a commonality in the music. Anyone who appreciates sophisticated, smart pop/rock will want this disc.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Aug. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

31-year-old Jason Williams was born with a right arm that stopped a little below his elbow. Not many in that condition would pick guitar. But pick it up he did, and pick he does! When he was six he devised a way to affix a guitar pick to his abbreviated limb, taught himself to read music, and like tap dancer Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, gave the impossible a short, sharp, shock. Over time, he refined the pick attachment and spent several years teaching guitar at the Atlanta School of Music (imagine coming into his classroom with some lame excuse for not practicing!). On Snake Oil, his second release, Lefty continues to show he doesn’t need a leg up (as it were) to play in the big leagues.

Williams’ Southern blues-rock is rougher than the Allman Brothers’, smoother than Lynyrd Skynyd’s, and at times a little jazzier than either. Except for a bit of overdrive, his electric guitar is effects-free – satisfactorily gritty on the rough numbers and clean and full on the sweet stuff.

With a voice that sounds like a Dixie Steve Winwood, Lefty would be a first-class front man even if he didn’t play well enough to render his so-called handicap irrelevant. Maybe the only fault with Snake Oil and its memorable, smartly tailored songs (“On The Prowl” and “So I’ll Stand”) is that he doesn’t show off enough. The man’s got more chops than a Kansas City butcher. It’ll be great to hear him stretch out even further on the next disc.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Merely putting three great guitar players together doesn’t guarantee the results will qualify as music. All too often, ego, lack of chemistry, or merely inadequate rehearsal time results in a stiff, formulaic CD. Fortunately, this New Guitar Summit CD avoids these pitfalls. Jay Geils, Duke Robillard, and Gerry Beaudoin have a level of simpatico that would make many longstanding bands envious.

Given Geils’ reputation as a bluesy rocker and Robillard’s penchant for post-war electric blues, you might expect that the material would be along those lines. But instead of updated versions of “Love Stinks” or “Route 66,” the album is populated by classic-style jazz numbers such as Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose” and Benny Goodman’s “Flying Home.” Other material comes from Beaudoin; his four contributions all have a timeless feel and could have been written in 1948 just as well as 2008. The arrangements and orchestrations also harken to post-swing and pre-bop ’40s and ’50s jazz. Most tracks have only drums, bass, and guitars.

Another notable aspect of Shivers is how each guitarist modified his signature personal style to fit within this musical context. Those familiar with Geils’ early work with the J. Geils Blues Band will be surprised to hear how different he plays on this CD. Nary a bent string or fuzz-tone laden note will you hear. The three guitarists also opted for harmonically rich archtop jazz guitar tones. Their guitars sound so similar that without the liner notes listing the solos order it’s unlikely listeners could tell who was soloing when.

And as if three great guitarists weren’t enough, Randy Bachman does a guest spot on guitar and vocals on the Mose Allison tune “Your Mind is On Vacation.” He, too, sublimates his signature rock and roll style for a more subdued and urbane delivery. The result is a version that would make its creator smile. Speaking of happy faces, the most endearing aspect of Shivers is how convincing the whole album sounds. These three players don’t merely try to do a retro guitar jazz album; they completely succeed.

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s Oct. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

A brilliant concept: 15 instrumental selections from the ever-evolving Canned Heat’s catalog, spanning – or more accurately, bookending – 29 years.

The L.A.-based band was formed in 1966 by a core of blues scholars and 78 collectors whose self-titled 1967 debut revealed them as reverent but capable interpreters, injecting life into blues standards. Boogie With Canned Heat, from the following year, pushed the envelope a bit more, producing the hit “On The Road Again,” with Al Wilson’s haunting falsetto vocal, and introducing “Fried Hockey Boogie,” with everyone soloing over a John Lee Hooker boogie rhythm.

By that time, Fito de la Parra, who remains the band’s leader to this day, had replaced original drummer Frank Cook – forming a killer rhythm section with bassist Larry Taylor, pumping behind Wilson, guitarist Henry Vestine, and ringmaster Bob “The Bear” Hite. But, with notable exceptions, the band’s command and charisma was rarely captured on record. Oddly enough, 1968’s Living With The Blues probably represented the band most accurately – at their most experimental in the studio and live onstage, with an extended “Refried Boogie” engulfing two sides of the double album.

Instrumentals opens with “Parthenogenesis,” a 20-minute songs cycle from that album – a definite timepiece of the era, but one that still holds up today. Wilson’s solo Jew’s harp segues into a tapestry of overdubbed harmonicas, then Hite belts some blues over John Mayall’s barrelhouse piano before Fito becomes a modern-day, one-man African drum corps, followed by Vestine’s turn, with five overdubbed fuzz guitars, more harmonica from Al, a great tribute to Albert Collins by Henry, and more Jew’s harp at the fade.

The band, who helped bring Collins out of obscurity and get a major label contract with Liberty, pays tribute to the Master Of The Telecaster again with “Hill Stomp” – Hill being Joel Scott Hill, who reprises “Caterpillar Crawl,” his 1959 instro hit with the Strangers. Taylor and Vestine trade instruments (quite impressively) for the slow blues “Down In The Gutter But Free,” and de la Parra shows some jazzy Latin chops on “Mi Huautla.”

The program jumps from 1972 to 1990 more seamlessly than one would expect, and we find the great Junior Watson front and center for a swinging live recording of his tour de force, “The Hucklebuck,” with just the right mix of reverb and distortion.

With the exception of 1996’s “Gorgo Boogie,” a fuzzy duet between Fito and guitarist Robert Lucas, Watson is at the helm for the remainder of the CD, paying tribute to Guitar Gable with the Louisiana syncopations of “Mambo Tango” (essentially “Congo Mambo”) and to Pee Wee Crayton on the blues master’s classic “Blues After Hours.”

Despite the instrumental theme, this is one of the most representative sets of this great blues institution.

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This article originally appeared in VG’s Feb. ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Best known to classic radio listeners for ’70s Southern rock hits like “Struttin’ My Stuff” and “Fooled Around And Fell In Love,” Elvin Bishop had already earned a reputation in the guitar community – specifically blues guitar, via his ’60s work with the pivotal Butterfield Blues Band, where he played alongside guitar icon Mike Bloomfield.

The past 20 years have seen him return to his blues roots, with albums for Alligator and Blind Pig. Perhaps to drive home the point that the blues do indeed roll on, Bishop gathered a disparate group of guests for his Delta Groove debut, from adolescent newcomers like the Homemade Jamz Blues Band to the octogenarian King Of The Blues, B.B. himself.

The latter joins Elvin on the Roy Milton chestnut “Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket,” which has nice studio chatter between the two guitar greats. The title track features Bishop trading slide solos with Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes, who is also one of five guitarists (along with Allman Brother bandmate Derek Trucks and Bishop group alum Johnny “V” Vernazza) on a party-feel reworking of “Struttin’.”

The 66-year-old Bishop is equally at home in the zydeco-blues mode of “Black Gal,” featuring Andre Thierry’s accordion and R.C. Carrier’s rubboard and vocals. For “Send You Back To Georgia,” Bishop taps George Thorogood for that raw Hound Dog Taylor sound.

John Nemeth handles lead vocals on several songs (and alternates harp duties with Kim Wilson and James Cotton), sounding like a cross between Junior Wells and Robert Cray. But “Oklahoma,” featuring Bishop alone on distorted guitar, foot stomp, and vocal (singing his autobiography, about moving from Oklahoma to Chicago to San Francisco), is the album’s strongest track. Note to Elvin: how about a whole album of just you and your guitar?

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s Dec. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Finding two never-released, hour-long concerts by Big Bill Broonzy from 1953 – Amsterdam Live Concerts 1953 – on Munich Records – is indeed like unearthing buried treasure.

Broonzy was a towering figure in the blues world, literally and figuratively. Some reports put his height at 6’6″, and beyond his formidable talents as singer, songwriter, and guitarist, he was mentor to younger artists like Muddy Waters and, as the first American bluesman to tour the UK, was a major influence for at least two generations of English musicians of various genres – from British blues pioneers John Mayall and Alexis Korner to rock stars Eric Clapton and Ray Davies to jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, who cites his father’s Broonzy records as his initial inspiration for taking up the instrument.

A nod from Big Bill got Muddy’s foot in the door at Chess Records, and Waters later dedicated an album to him (Muddy Waters Sings “Big Bill”) and named his son (bluesman Big Bill Morganfield) after him. Following Bill’s death in August, 1958, Waters was one of his pallbearers, along with Tampa Red, Otis Spann, Sunnyland Slim, author and broadcaster Studs Terkel, and Brother John Sellers, who gave a eulogy at the funeral. (Conflicting dates are given for Broonzy’s birth, but he was probably in his early 60s when he died of throat cancer.)

Though they were both born in Mississippi, Waters’ playing (even after he plugged in and cast the dye for Chicago blues bands) was more indicative of the Delta style. Broonzy, who spent his formative years in Arkansas, learned from Papa Charlie Jackson, and fingerpicked in a style more in common with Eastern Seaboard players like Brownie McGhee, who recorded with the elder bluesman.

Broonzy, cut his first sides in 1927, after moving to Chicago. Over the years, he also recorded with Washboard Sam, Bumble Bee Slim, St. Louis Jimmy, John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson (I), Roosevelt Sykes, the Hokum Boys, Sunnyland Slim, Merline Johnson, Jazz Gillum, Casey Bill Weldon, Walter Davis, Victoria Spivey, Cripple Clarence Lofton, Lil Johnson, boogie pianist Albert Ammons, and others. In 1938, he performed at John Hammond’s famous “Spiritual To Swing” concert at Carnegie Hall.

As a writer, he penned such blues standards as “Feel So Good,” “All By Myself,” and the classic “Key To The Highway,” which has been recorded by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Luther Allison, Clifton Chenier, Derek And The Dominos, B.B. King and Eric Clapton, Mance Lipscomb, Jimmy Witherspoon, Dinah Washington, Jesse Fuller, Dr. John, David Bromberg, Freddie King, Junior Wells, John Hammond, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, George “Harmonica” Smith, Charlie Musselwhite, and Snooky Pryor, to name a few.

But perhaps Big Bill’s most important role, and one for which he was perfectly suited, was as blues’ first ambassador to the world. Thanks to the “trad jazz” craze, he made his first trip to England in 1951, and soon started touring there and on the Continent, in France, Belgium, and The Netherlands. As his February 26 and 28 appearances in Amsterdam, recorded by Louis Van Gasteren, illustrate, he charmed audiences with his between-song patter and served up a smorgasbord of American music, from blues (like Bessie Smith’s “Backwater Blues” to Leroy Carr’s “When The Sun Goes Down”) to folk songs like “Crawdad Hole” and “John Henry” to spirituals like “Down By The Riverside” to hillbilly music like “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad,” usually credited to Woody Guthrie, to pop fare like “Glory Of Love,” transformed into driving ragtime in the style of his variations of “Guitar Rag” included here, spotlighting his hammer of a right hand.

The sound quality here is surprisingly good, accommodating the full dynamic range of Bill’s voice, from hushed to soaring, with his Martin ringing like a bell. My only quibble is that the songs are indexed with the spoken intro to one song tacked onto the previous song – meaning that if hit your CD changer’s shuffle button you hear a song and the intro to another song, then the machine skips to an entirely different selection. This also makes it difficult for disc-jockeys to play songs in their original settings, with spoken introductions that are informative and often humorous.

Overseas, Broonzy was pleasantly surprised to not encounter the type of racism that was status quo back home (depicted in his well-known “Black, Brown and White”). As recounted in anecdotes and rare photographs in the package’s 40-page booklet, he became comfortable enough to father a son by a Dutch woman in 1956. Although he and the boy’s mother both divorced their then-spouses, and he returned to visit his new family several times, he died before they could marry.

Almost 50 years after his death, these recordings bring Bill Broonzy back to life, and are perhaps the best example of what made him such a giant.

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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The incomparable Redd Volkaert and “Mr. Honky-Tonk Piano” Earl Pole Ball (whose collective resume is a Who’s Who of musical greats that includes Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens) join drummer Tom Lewis, bassman Kevin Smith, and composer/vocalist/guitarist Gary Claxton to turn their Sunday night jam band into something special.

The album, recorded live in Lewis’ home studio, has no overdubs (save for vocals) and no retakes, except for fun. And this disc is a flat out blast.

Claxton was a real find, putting his all into Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got To Memphis” and making a heartbreaker of his own with “House Of Secrets,” a ’70s-style cheatin’ song that would also have been a winner in the hands of the late Tammy Wynette.

Volkaert’s Telecaster wizardry, from his Roy-Nichols-meets-Chet-Atkins solo on “Guess Where I’ll Be This Morning” to the faux pedal steel on “Heybalin’” will have guitarists smacking their foreheads in wonder and appreciation.

But the whole band (and its auxiliary, like fiddler Erik Hokkanen, who wrote the instrumental “Heybalin’” on the spot) is working at the happy nexus of inspiration and virtuosity. There’s no missing the kicks they’re having, rolling expertly through the Western swing of Bob Wills’ “Hang Your Head In Shame,” voiced by Volkaert in a Dave-Dudley-like baritone too rare (and much missed) in contemporary country music, to the honky-tonk of Haggard’s “Mr. Record Man,” to top-notch originals, including their “lost” Haggard song, “California Wine.” Listening, you’ll be hard pressed to wipe the grin off your own face. That is, as long as they’re just kidding with that title.

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sept. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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