Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A short hiatus - for a very good reason ...


Susanne is teaching her first quarter up at Western Washington University, so we're having to skip a couple of weeks on the blog as she adjusts to her busy schedule.

In the meantime, however - and as a little celebration for her good fortune - here's a link to her favorite Faces song ...

Flying ... by the Faces

... and another fun video of the boys, performing live at the BBC in 1971 ...





Susanne says, "Woody's playing on the first one is divine ... and Ronnie's bass lines on the second are BRILLIANT!"  :)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Another moment in jazz history - the fabulous Barney Kessel ...


We are letting the late great jazz guitarist, Barney Kessel say it all through words and playing tonight. Here he is on the program Jazz Scene USA, circa 1962 - enjoy!



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The finesse and power of Nancy Wilson ...


Short and very sweet in words tonight - because her absolutely brilliant playing and wonderful commentary say it all (you can skip ahead to 2:13 to see just the performance of "Crazy on You" - but the backstage stuff at the beginning is pretty cool too) ...




Back in the day (around the time of this concert), a fellow guitarist and friend told Jesse about seeing Heart in concert - and as Jesse recalls, the guy was completely blown away by Nancy Wilson's playing. She became one of the most influential female rock players out there, and still manages to wow the crowds at concerts - just do a search on YouTube for recent performances by Heart to see her kick up the dust on stage. Here's one more video of them, performing "Barracuda" at the Sky Church in 2010, with sister Ann giving every young female vocalist out there today a run for their money ...




Incidentally, Heart's bassist, Steve Fossen (who plays on the first video in this entry), joined Jesse's band Strypes in the mid 1980s. He is great bass player and a really nice guy, and played with them for a couple of years.  Yes, it was quite the small world back then in the Seattle/Tacoma music scene - as I suspect it still is!  :)

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

"In a Silent Way" at Bill Graham's Fillmore West ...


Jesse and I watched Fillmore: The Last Days this past weekend, which is a documentary of the final concerts at Bill Graham's world famous venue in San Francisco between 29 June and 4 July, 1971. There were a number of great performances featured on the film - however, for us, the high point was watching Santana perform Miles Davis' "In a Silent Way"on the last day. At the time, the band featured Carlos Santana and a very young Neal Schon on lead guitars, David Brown on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, Mike Carabello on congas, José "Chepito" Areas and Coke Escovedo on Timbales, and Gregg Rolie on keyboards - in short, an absolutely brilliant line-up.  Here is an audio recording of the performance ...




I love the play back and forth between Santana and Schon in this version - amazing technique and tone in both these guitarists, which is only enhanced by that killer percussion section throughout the entire song.

Bill Graham moved his Fillmore Auditorium to the Carousel Ballroom on South Van Ness Avenue in 1968, and renamed it the Fillmore West (he also owned the Fillmore East in Manhattan). Building on an already world famous reputation, Graham would continue to feature the best of the best until the venue's final days in 1971. Everyone who was anyone on the scene performed at the Fillmore West, from Jimi Hendrix to Jefferson Airplane - and Graham was known for mixing it up in his bookings for a single night, featuring pure psychedelic rock acts on the same ticket as major blues and/or jazz groups. These were the days of affordable ticket prices and pretty intimate settings - so the crowds packed in and history was made night after night.  Graham also hired professional artists to create some of the most iconic posters of the era - here are a couple from 1968 and 1970 that feature Santana alongside a handful of other amazing bands ...






Ah those heady days of colorful swirls and black light ballrooms - it must have been fun!

One last thing regarding "In a Silent Way" ...

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Slidin' with the boys and girls ...


Feeling a bit under the weather today, so I decided to post a video tribute to some of our favorite slide players tonight - hope you all enjoy this lovely little trip down memory lane!


First up the legendary and absolutely brilliant Ry Cooder, performing "Vigilante Man" live on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test in 1973 ...



Second on our bill, the ethereal, but oh so solid Bonnie Raitt, performing "Sugar Mama" live on Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special in 1977 - she's scary good in this ...



And last up, but far from least - those absolutely lovable English boys, The Faces, performing "Richmond" live on the BBC's Top of the Pops in 1971 (featuring both Ron Wood and the late Ronnie Lane on slide) ...



Also, a bonus track I chose for tonight - which has nothing to do with slide guitar - but man, Ron Wood kills on the guitar solo in this live performance by The Faces of "Maybe I'm Amazed" for the BBC's Sounds for Saturdays in 1971 - and the rest of the boys in the band are crazy good!!  They were all so young here, and so happy - watching this put a smile on my face, and made my day just a little brighter ...


Like I said, crazy good! ... thanks boys!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

In from the storm with Jimi ...


This will be the first of many entries that Jesse and I will post about Jimi Hendrix. One of the most important figures in the music scene from the mid 1960s until his death in 1970, Hendrix's influence remains a constant in the world of rock and pop today. He was, and still is a legend - someone who took electric guitar playing to a whole new level of creativity, while at the same time paying homage to those who came before him - and a player who approached performance with the sensibility of a fine artist.




Towards the end of his life, Hendrix was on par with some of the more socially conscious players of his era, bringing a sense of intellectual importance to the music he and other artists created during those years. For him the guitar was a tool that he could use to reach out to people through the language of music - and in interviews he had an almost metaphysical way of looking at how music was linked to the social issues of the day. Part playful trickster and part elder statesman, his turbulent childhood and tragic death were eclipsed by the heights he reached during the peak of his career.  And throughout it all, he left a lasting impression on those who he encountered - and a lasting legacy for those of us who discovered him long after he was gone.


Hendrix with the amazing Buddy Miles during their Band of Gypsys days


Here are a few clips of Hendrix in action ... a) from a press conference in September, 1969, promoting a benefit concert for the United Block Association (UBA) in Harlem, at which he performed ... b) his interview and performance on the Dick Cavett Show in 1970 (if you who would like to skip Cavett's monologue, just fast forward to 5min 35sec) ... c) his absolutely brilliant performance of "Machine Gun" during the New Years concert at the Filmore East in 1970 ... and finally, d) a clip of Hendrix performing "In From the Storm" from the film Rainbow Bridge, filmed during the concert on Maui (July, 1970) ... enjoy!



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kickin' it with Mike Stern ...


It is almost 90F (32C) outside - a lovely but sweltering day for Bellingham - and Jesse and I decided to let a pro do the talking for us today ... the amazing and brilliant Mike Stern. Not only is he one of the most widely respected jazz guitarists around, with strong roots in the blues and rock, but he also happens to be one of the most charming professional artists who we have met over the years. A frequent visitor at the University of Washington Music Department (where Jesse's brother Marc teaches), he is fabulous in the workshop setting with students, generously sharing his knowledge and wonderful stories, and making everyone feel at ease.

I cannot find any information about where this two-part interview/mini-workshop was filmed - but it reminded me a lot of when we saw Mike a couple of years ago at the UW. He has absolutely perfect technique and an amazingly positive attitude about everything - a real joy to watch and learn from!






And here is a recording of a live performance by Mike in Paris a few years back, featuring Richard Bona on bass, Dennis Chambers on drums, and Bob Franceschini on sax  - enjoy!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

It's all about Wata ...


Enough already with the men around here - it's about time I posted something about a female guitarist - and an absolutely brilliant one at that ... roar!

Allow me to introduce you to Wata, lead guitarist of the Japanese experimental rock band Boris ...


Image from the ModDB's Metal Appreciation Society - copyright by Damon Allen Davison


A musician who is way too cool, and way more eclectic than your average joe ...


Image from Wikimedia, taken by Tim Bray at Vancouver's Biltmore nightclub in 2011


And one who knows how to dress it up, when she wants to ...


Promo shot of Wata by Miki Matshushima, for Boris's 2011 album Attention Please


Sometimes she drones - sometimes she shreds - sometimes she riffs up an amazing storm ...

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Crossing the Bridge of Sighs ...


I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs;
A palace and a prison in each hand ...
                    ~~Lord Byron


                                                            Why so unforgiving, and why so cold;
                                                            Been a long time crossing, Bridge of Sighs ...
                                                                                ~~Robin Trower


From the first hint of atmospheric effects, to the last droning notes of a brilliantly executed chord progression, the title track off Robin Trower's 1974 solo album The Bridge of Sighs sets a mood that fits the theme of the song. That short, yet emotionally long walk across the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) was the last view of freedom granted to the petty thieves and other small-time criminals of 17th and 18th-century Venice; men and women who were often unfairly tried in the palace of the Doge, and if found guilty, sent to their fate in the dungeons of the "New Prison" on the other side of the Rio di Palazzo - a fate from which many of them never returned. That final hint of daylight, moonlight, starlight through the stone grillwork midway across - maybe a brief glimpse through those narrow openings of wind-rippled waves sparkling off San Giorgio's white marble facade - and as Lord Byron aptly wrote, "a palace and a prison in each hand" as they stood for mere seconds between freedom and the horrors of incarceration.





Trower's haunting rift and melancholy lyrics transport the listener to that moment, standing balanced between light and dark, and looking through the prisoner's eyes as they ask why. Working through a chord progression that includes major and minor 7ths, he maintained the perfect amount of sustain and distortion in his performance, capturing the atmosphere of time and place with the repetition of a relatively simple signature. As Robert Fripp once said: "Robin Trower is one of the very few English guitarists that have mastered bends and wobbles. Not only has he got inside them, with an instinctive knowing of their affective power, but they went to live inside his hands. ... This was a man who hung himself on the details: the quality of sound, nuances of each inflection and tearing bend, and abandonment to the feel of the moment." In this song, that sense of abandonment is apparent at every shift - from verse to chorus, from beginning to end, the listener is drawn into another world, where they walk alongside the guilty, crossing the Bridge of Sighs.

The Bridge of Sighs album features James Dewer on vocals and bass and Reg Isidore on drums, and was produced by Trower's former bandmate Matthew Fisher (of Procul Harum), with sound engineering by Geoff Emerick (best known for his work on The Beatles' Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road).

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Playing penny dice with T-Bone Walker ...


How does one start an article about a legend? Well, in the case of Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker, I think a film clip of him performing in London at Jazz at the Philharmonic in 1966, backed by such notables as Dizzy Gillespie and Coleman Hawkins, will do the trick ...




Of all the great twentieth-century blues guitarists, T-Bone Walker can easily be counted amongst the top five who have had the strongest influence on later generations of blues, rock, and jazz musicians. Not only did he write some of the most classic blues standards of all time (including "Call it Stormy Monday", which is still a popular cover tune today), but he was also part of that generation of blues artists who could easily bridge the gap between blues and jazz. Born in Linden, Texas on 28 May 1910 to two working musicians, his roots in the family trade were a blend of learning from his elders (including his mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson) and picking up what he could on the fly. From his early days as a boy, playing for change outside venues like Eddie's Drive-In, he honed his craft as a guitarist and singer. As a result, by the time he performed for the elite of London at Poplar Town Hall in 1966, his ability to improvise was legendary. As one of the innovators of electric blues guitar, his often complex style was an inspiration to the next generation of blues players, including B. B. King, Chuck Berry, and Albert King; and rock musicians such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck worshipped the ground he walked on.

Here is another clip of Walker, this time performing in 1962 on Horst Lippman's German television show Jazz Gehört & Gesehen (Jazz Heard & Seen) ...

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The guitar in ambient soundscapes ...


Jesse and I have decided that this blog will feature not only the usual fare from the world of guitar playing, but also some of the fantastic variety that is so often overlooked by the mainstream.  And although many of these styles may not initially appeal to those looking for the standard melodies and structures found in rock, blues, and country, they are worth listening to for a taste of what is considered cutting edge in the world of music.

Today's entry features a couple of our favorite groups who rely heavily on the use of guitars and synthesizers to create a whole range of ambient soundscapes in their compositions - the post-rock group Hammock and the minimalist drone-based ambient group Stars of the Lid (SOTL).

It is important to point out that these artists are inspired by not only the vast catalogue of music history, including classical and jazz compositions, but also by countless works of literature and fine art from around the world.  And like most innovators, they draw ideas from life's many abstractions and peculiarities, as well as its beauty, including all aspects of light and dark.  These elements are incorporated into their music as themes, which are threaded into the notes of composition, and used to set the shifting mood of each piece.  And while their use of guitars may at first seem simplistic, it is important that as you listen you consider technique, tone and composition - all of which demonstrate that these are far from simple songs!  Additionally, it is important to point out that much of what you think is pure synthesizer sound may in fact be guitar played through either effects boxes or through computerized synthesizer units - this is especially true of SOTL.

I have selected an original composition from each group to feature here, as well as SOTL's cover of Arvo Pärt's "Fratres".  First up is "Breathturn", a song featured on Hammock's 2010 release Chasing After Shodows ... Living with the Ghosts - this is the official video, which was directed by David Altobelli ...




Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Some Beck - oh la ...


Back in 2009 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored one of my favorite guitarists - and it was about time too! A mover and shaker by the late 1960s, Jeff Beck has left his mark on the blues, rock and roll, and jazz, and has worked with and garnered the respect of a number of notable musicians, including Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Nicky Hopkins, Tim Bogert ... and the list goes on and on.




This musician is, in my opinion, the very essence and definition of cool; and he has paved the way for countless other rock and roll guitarists since his entry on the scene. As Jimmy Page said in a red carpet interview outside the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, '... he's been instrumental in pioneering a whole blueprint that was totally unique to him, that has been such a ... well again, such a blueprint for everyone else to learn from ... I mean no one's ever equaled what Jeff's done, but he really shifted the whole ... sound and face of electric guitar ...'

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Danny Kirwan & Peter Green, 'Like It This Way' ...






This performance of 'Like It This Way' by Fleetwood Mac, recorded for their 1970 Live in Boston album, features Danny Kirwan on vocals and guitar. The other guitarist is the legendary Peter Green. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, these two were considered by many to be the best guitar team in rock music, and they were integral in shaping much of Fleetwood Mac's early musical style.

For younger students of guitar, it is important to note that Danny Kirwan was only 19 years old at the time of this recording. He shows us all that age is not a handicap to those who work hard at their craft. In his performance of this song, each note is clearly executed, as he improvises over the pattern set by the rest of the band. And despite the fact that he breaks a string in the middle of his solo, he continues to play without missing a note or beat, completing it with the finesse of a master artist. His playing reflects hours of dedicated study and practice, which helped to shape his ability to play with some of the best musicians of his era.

What is most extraordinary, however, about this performance are Green's and Kirwan's obvious convictions about and understanding of the blues idiom. Although they were from the UK, which was a world away from the American roots of the music they played, and lived during an era before computers, CDs or even cassette tapes, they became serious students of the blues. Like other guitarists, such as The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, they studied rare imported blues records by African-American musicians (who were part of a marginalized ethnic group in the United States), and applied what they learned to their own compositions. Because of their intense dedication to and respect for these authentic American blues artists, it is possible to label Peter Green and Danny Kirwan as 'authentic' guitarists of that genre.