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Ducatista47
04-22-2008, 08:29 PM
We are following up here on Rich's desire, bless his heart, to know more about The Blues. Let me start by posting a few links to some of the more outrageous things I (with help from AdaminAdam) have said in it's defense and behalf.

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=204662&postcount=97
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=204720&postcount=99
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=204968&postcount=100
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=204986&postcount=101
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=204796&postcount=1

I doubt I am the resident Blues scholar here, but I'll do what I can until the more knowledgeable come forth. Perhaps what I lack in knowledge I can make up for with enthusiasm. Blues is as broad and varied as Rock and Jazz are, all huge fields in their own right. There is room for everyone to contribute here, so please join in. I'll do a few posts to start out.

Clark

Ducatista47
04-22-2008, 08:58 PM
The UK is as good a place to start as Chicago (my home town for my first eighteen years) or the Delta. That is because in the early 1960's one young fellow saw some really cool records under another youth's arm. Thusly Mick and Keith met. The disks were from Chicago's Chess Records. When the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton and others pleaded with their fans to check out "the real thing," their American heroes, those said heroes were rescued from relative obscurity and found their greatest audience - people my age, kids at the time like Mick and Keith. For many years one could have said that Keith would be reduced to do-re-mi if you took away the Chuck Berry licks.

These Bluesmen came to the UK and the Continent to tour and caused a sensation wherever they went. So did the Chess rock artists who learned from their record company stable mates - Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley to name a couple. I remember watching a clip from a BBC show where the featured guests, the Stones, were sitting down and being interviewed. Brian Jones, bless his wonderful soul, was sitting on the floor as I remember when he suggested they stop talking and bring on someone they brought along who was much more important - Howlin' Wolf. I can still see the joy on Brian's face when he uttered The Wolf's name. So out came Wolf and did a GREAT Little Red Rooster.

As far as I am concerned, the UK hatched more musicians who idolized and learned from American blues music than the USA did, at least in those days. The UK is sacred ground to a blues fan like me.

Clark

Ducatista47
04-22-2008, 09:51 PM
I might as well mention Robert Johnson sooner than later. The Chicago Blues, men like Muddy Waters and hundreds of others, was made largely by African Americans who migrated North seeking work and just plain leaving the South. So what were they hearing and playing down South?

Unlike the usually electrified guitar (thank you Les Paul) blues of Chicago and the other northern cities, the so called country blues of the earlier South was acoustic, often a solo musician/singer. The most famous of these, at least the most famous to modern Blues fans, was Robert Johnson. He was a young man who had a real gift, actually traveled a bit, and died quite young. Only two recording sessions, more or less, and only two photographs, exist. The fascination comes from the very high level this playing and singing occurred at. I doubt that as unified a presentation of voice and instrument will ever occur again. Only a few artists have even approached the intensity of the resulting music. Son House does comes to mind. If you are not positively haunted by the music of Robert Johnson, you are not a Blues fan yet.

A wonderful two CD collection is in my hand right now. It is Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings. Columbia C2K 46222. The recordings are not up to modern quality standards, but it doesn't matter. The music comes through just fine. They were cut in the field onto "metal parts" - master discs - and even these were not used to make the modern releases. When the LP's which caused a sensation among the London musicians were being prepared, it was discovered the metal parts were missing. A tape of them was used. The originals are still missing. If they still exist, they are music's greatest hidden treasure. Start looking!

Never mind the stories and legends about his life. Enjoy the music. I'm not alone. You can hear both The Stones (Mick) and Crosby, Stills and Nash (David Crosby) starting tracks by humming the beginning of Johnson's Come On In My Kitchen, one of my favorites. They were not borrowing, they were giving an invocation.

oznob
04-23-2008, 02:46 PM
A quote by Peter Green from an old Blue Horizon studio recording. I guess the post war kids in Brittain found music they could relate to from accross the pond. No secret that most "British Invasion" bands were heavily influenced by american blues while the white US groups were into the beach music scene. I find the study of the roots of american music, especially blues, facinating. Stevie Ray Vaughn explained once, the blues was like every day life, a horse walking, a train chuggin', a truck lumbering down a dirt road etc. It comes from down deep inside and is poured out with sweat and emotion. Damn shame he left us so young!:(

Great thead and insight Clark. I look forward to hearing from other Blues fans, which I'm sure is most members of this forum in one way or another.

Hofmannhp
04-23-2008, 03:05 PM
..... I look forward to hearing from other Blues fans, which I'm sure is most members of this forum in one way or another.

you can count me in guys....:applaud::applaud:

HP

richluvsound
04-23-2008, 03:06 PM
Hi clark,

what would you classify Cassandra Wilson as ? I also heard a guy called josie Cotton many years ago in Victoria BC . He played Harmonica, I wouldn't mind finding other stuff by him. To come to think of it any harmonica along those lines would be brilliant. In the meantime, I'll check out Robert Johnson !

SRV, "Tin Pan Ally" gets a lot of play time on the 4345's sounds -:jawdrop:

thanks for the tips ,keep them coming!:D

Rich

Hofmannhp
04-23-2008, 03:13 PM
... In the meantime, I'll check out Robert Johnson !
SRV, "Tin Pan Ally" gets a lot of play time on the 4345's sounds
thanks for the tips ,keep them coming!:D
Rich

Hi Rich,

first I thought you forgot our meeting in my Blues Garage with "Tin Pan Ally" and Robert Johnson.
Tin Pan Ally is my special speaker tester title.....also my neighbours are forced to hear it several times a week.:D

HP

oznob
04-23-2008, 04:37 PM
Hi Rich,

first I thought you forgot our meeting in my Blues Garage with "Tin Pan Ally" and Robert Johnson.
Tin Pan Ally is my special speaker tester title.....also my neighbours are forced to hear it several times a week.:D

HP

I assume you guys are talking about the live recording with Johnny Copeland? PURE MAGIC!:yes:

Krunchy
04-23-2008, 06:41 PM
Very Nice Clark! & thank you for the links. If its not too much trouble could you say a little something about the other master, your avatar's namesake.
If I could only listen to one blues artist it would be him, would'nt even have to think about it as he embodied every aspect of the Blues.

Oz mentioned Stevie (rightly so) and I would also like to mention his brother Jimmie Vaughan & the Fabulous Thunderbirds who is sometimes overlooked but is absolutely amazing. Both are worth looking into, some interesting genes in that family.


The Blues run Deep & Wide so dive in! :applaud:

Ducatista47
04-23-2008, 11:48 PM
Rich, Cassandra Wilson is firmly in the jazz idiom. Your instincts are excellent, however. Jazz not only came from The Blues, it is in its less pop and dance music influenced forms a version of The Blues for sure. Given the same qualifiers, so is Rock. When I listen to John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Michael Brecker, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page or David Gilmour I feel I am listening to Blues music. I personally think an exploration of The Blues is incomplete without exposure to its "children." Carlos Santana is one of my favorite Blues musicians. His CD's are in the Rock bins.

Much is made of the common twelve bar blues form and its 4/4 time being all over Rock and a lot of jazz, but there is more to it than that. That depth, that feeling that comes only from digging deep within one's self, that elemental truth and a foundation consisting of the Earth itself - the better examples of all three "branches" have that in common. That's not abstract fancy music critic's talk, you all know exactly what I mean. Pop music hits just don't have any of that. I find the Blues and Jazz and a great deal of Rock very entertaining, but there is so much more than that going on. Dance music connects with your feet. The stuff we are talking about connects directly with your soul. Some Jazz also connects directly with your brain, your intellect. I just don't get that from mass market pop. I'd rather sleep with Madonna than listen to her. And then leave and go listen to honest music.

Now there is a phrase, Honest Music. Way back when MTV was new and experimenting with the form, they had a few "Guest VJ's." The first was Robert Plant, and I remember it well. They just taped him and ran it without editing, inserting the clips and running the whole package. At one point he gave a rant dismissing most pop music and most MTV offerings as garbage and stating his distinct preference for "honest music," which he said they should be broadcasting instead. Then he said something like "well, that will be edited out, you won't hear that."

Clark

Krunchy
04-24-2008, 05:52 AM
Great points my friend! Unfortunately in my opinion there is'nt a whole lot of "honest music" out there today (jazz is doing ok in this regard I think, ok not great), especially in the blues end of things. I was going to bring this up so I may as well do it now. Besides my dear B.B. what other true bluesmen are out there today? (and please bear in mind that I am not trying to be inflamatory) John Lee Hooker left us fairly recently. I think the lack of interest in blues (and there is a lack of it) stems from the fact (imo) that there is/are very few if any real bluesmen out there. Most of what I hear today is some sort of watered down version, they go through the motions but it doesnt seem real, it doesnt have the honesty, it seems posed. Buddy Guy is all over the place & is quite popular and has credibility but mainly from the fact that he's been around for a long time and knew a lot of the giants. Robert Cray is technically proficient but something is missing (though I really enjoyed his playing on JL Hooker's Boom Boom). Also I must admit that I have not been following the blues and mainly due to the points that I just mentioned, hence I may be quite a bit out of touch with the wholse scene, if thats the case please throw me a life line.

Now that I am done ranting and raving.....How's about some Albert Collins
This guy was just amazing, real bluesman! Capo on the 7th, anyone know his tuning? (just found out, its a D minor open chord tuning)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519a6QOiafL._SS500_.jpg
and if you like all instrumental blues with a bit of jazz thrown in how bout Dave Stryker,
was just listening to the cd and man, forgot how good this was, well recorded to boot.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21ZXXWBQXEL._SL500_AA130_.jpg
this quote from a review pretty much sums it up " It is amazing that this mainly East Coast ensemble of gifted musicians needed to find a company in Denmark to produce them! What is wrong with the American music industry??? Guess they are missing REAL music!! Thank goodness this was recorded! If you love jazz and/or blues this is it!"

Smokin Joe Kubec is pretty decent stuff as well.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GT1WS13ZL._SS500_.jpg

Krunchy
04-24-2008, 06:01 AM
Wish Ken Burns would do a documentary on the Blues like he did for Jazz. I know Scorsese did one but it was not as in depth as Ken's wonderful offerings.

richluvsound
04-24-2008, 09:47 AM
Guys,

I just ordered this - Telarc, so the production should be red hot :D

Rich

Ducatista47
04-25-2008, 10:12 PM
I am working too much lately and am short of time to post, but here is a quick something out of left field.

The world of so-called classical music seems an odd place to find The Blues, but that ignores a man named George Gershwin. Try out a piece named Piano Prelude #2, which you will recognize as a Blues lament of the highest order. It is a very simple piece (hell to play well though) that will tear your heart out.

Here Krystian Zimerman plays all three Preludes. #2 is the middle one of course. Krystian is a great showman, but you can still tell he is in love with #2. Watch him handle the keys with piety and nearly quiver and float in the sounds coming from the instrument during Prelude #2. Notice his subdued - no, his intense but somber - mood when he leaves the piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSDUW8PhK7A

And here by another fine pianist, Rami Bar-Niv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW2l0BxDqMM&feature=related

Piano Prelude #2 - most pianists will know what you mean by that - is my favorite piece of piano music. It makes me feel like Robert Johnson is at the keyboard. Gershwin was a fracking genius, taken from us too soon by a brain tumor if I remember correctly. Not only a great composer, he was a force of nature tickling the ivories. What a great player. Try to catch his piano rolls if you have any interest.

Gershwin is remembered for his love of the Jazz Age. You can tell he was awestruck and dumbfounded by The Blues in particular. He as much as anyone knew Jazz and The Blues are inseparable.

Enjoy, Clark

oznob
04-25-2008, 11:43 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzNEgcqWDG4

Great observation on Gershwin Clark! If the music from Porgy and Bess aint' The Blues then I don't know what is! Check out Janis Joplin belting out "Summertime!"

Krunchy
04-30-2008, 05:50 AM
How about the magnificent and often overlooked Sister Rosetta Tharpe!
Simply unbelievable talent, ventures into Gospel but she has got IT!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kzToNJ9RL._SS500_.jpg

richluvsound
04-30-2008, 09:39 AM
Krunchy,

I'll call you 1-1.62 now or Mr Phi or master Fibonacci :D

Rich

Krunchy
04-30-2008, 09:56 AM
:D !

Steve Schell
05-13-2008, 12:39 PM
Clark, group,

Great subject and thread. After decades of a superficial appreciation of the blues, I have been delving deeper lately as an extension of an interest in resonator guitars. The subject is powerful enough to distract one's attention away from... dare I say it... old loudspeakers!

Recently this fellow Andrew Rose and his company Pristine Classical has issued restored versions of the Robert Johnson recordings that really do seem to bring him closer to us. Samples can be auditioned here:

http://www.pristineclassical.com/LargeWorks/Vocal/PABL001.php

Mr. Rose says a little about his restoration process here:

http://www.pristineaudiodirect.com/More/NaturalSound.html

Ducatista47
05-13-2008, 11:08 PM
I see my absence is not affecting the quality of this thread. Well, maybe it is better! I figured this topic is too well loved and too important to fall into the usual trivia, misinformation and acrimony that kill so many well intentioned discourses on our happy little piece of the Web. Every post is rock solid and I couldn’t be happier.

The mere mention, never mind two, of resophonic guitars sets my heart ablaze. From Son House to Jerry Douglas, you might say from National to Dobro, the history of the instrument is associated with players possessed of great feeling and the means to project it. I don’t know why more players don’t employ these instruments. Then again I wonder the same thing about the pedal steel. So far only one notable Jazz player, one possible great rock work (was that one on Red Rider’s Lunatic Fringe? Probably not, but that lead would be even better on one.), and no Blues appearances of the instrument, one of the most soulful and expressive ever invented. I hope I am wrong and simply haven’t heard what is out there. I’m getting pretty tired of hearing only Country licks coming from pedal steel. Even Jerry Garcia stuck to country style on The Wheel, great as it was. I’m trying to remember what Jimmy Page sounded like playing one. What song was that on? Cal Hand could do more, but was still rooted in traditional country playing. The “Crying Steel” hasn’t changed much since Buck Owens and the Buckaroos.

Anyway, I wanted to get us thinking about the instruments of The Blues. There are instruments as important to The Blues as tenor sax is to Jazz. I welcome any contributions discussing this; while most Blues instruments are used by other genres as well, in The Blues they seem to find their most vital, important voice. That is so typical of all the elements in The Blues, isn’t it?

What sends you to the highest place? Is it Muddy Waters playing amplified guitar? Son House with a National? Little Walter, James Cotton or Kim Wilson on a harp into a Shure Green Bullet mike? SRV, Walter Trout or John Mayer on a strat? Robert Johnson or Willie Nelson (yes, his leads are mostly Blues) on simple non-dreadnought flattops? BB King, Peter Green or Johnny Winter playing Gibson Humbucking pickups? Who's your favorite with a slide? What finger pickers get you highest? How about Blues piano?
Clark

Steve Schell
05-14-2008, 01:03 AM
Clark, I had begun reading up on the history of the guitar industry in Los Angeles after a friend bought a 1930s Rickenbacher lap steel and had it delivered to my place. I discovered that the Dopyera brothers' factory of the mid 1930s was located at 6920 McKinley Avenue... right next door to Lansing Manufacturing Company. Jim Lansing probably learned how to spin aluminum diaphragms from John and Rudy Dopyera, who had been spinning resonator cones since the mid 1920s. Jim supplied speakers to several guitar amp builders around town, a foray into professional sound that may predate his involvement with the Shearer team. Pictures of a nice McKinley era Dobro amp are located here:

http://michaelmesser.proboards7.com/index.cgi?board=notecannons&action=display&thread=688

After trying some spider bridge and biscuit bridge resos at the NAMM show in January, I started buying cheap ones and fixing them up. This has been a lot of fun, and I have gained an appreciation of these noble instruments. The spider bridge Dobro design offers one type of sound while the biscuit bridge National type offers another- both are great. John Dopyera, inventor of all of these, considered the Tricone to be his finest work. I haven't gotten that far yet. The biscuit bridge National is perfect for the blues, just as it was in 1929.

Krunchy
05-14-2008, 04:44 AM
Thanks for that bit of info Steve and Clark, I love this stuff, its so interesting. The last time I head a decent and unconventional use of the pedal steel guitar was on Dark Side of the Moon as a segway into Clare Torry's amazing solo on "The Great Gig In The sky". If you listen to Rogers bass line on money its all blues, you just have to change the emphasis on the notes but that is blues my friends. Play that line on a steel guitar and you'll see :)

Mark Knopflef has used the steel guitars in few of his songs, that instrument in his masterful hands is just so amazing.
Aside from that I do not hear either of them used much these days, kind of reminds me of Jimmy Page's use of the the violin bow, no one ever used that after him until Pete Distefano (from porno for pyros) who used it very cleverly on some of their material on the album of the same name but I'm getting a little bit off topic here, sorry.

Been Listening to the clomplete early recordings of Skip James - 1930 :)
And a lot of Son House :) :) :D
and some Gershwin, Clark you are quite the catalyst! I thank you, my wallet doesnt :D
still trying to find that Hydn Boccherini ;)

Ducatista47
05-14-2008, 09:24 AM
Clark, I had begun reading up on the history of the guitar industry in Los Angeles after a friend bought a 1930s Rickenbacher lap steel and had it delivered to my place. I discovered that the Dopyera brothers' factory of the mid 1930s was located at 6920 McKinley Avenue... right next door to Lansing Manufacturing Company.

Steve, you are probably the first living person to have discovered that location coincidence. That is amazing. I know that the resophonic instruments, except banjos, fell out of favor when amplification became available. What puzzles me is why they have not broken out of their remaining niche in all the time since. Played with feeling, they speak directly to the heart. As if they had a special conduit. I know many players have kept one in their arsenal, but use them as a side dish rather than a main course.

I've never seen a Rickenbacher lap steel in person. Wow! I imagine adding resophonic repair and restoration to one's bag of tricks could be quite an opportunity as well as an avocation. Careful, old musical instruments are more seductive than sex or drugs... I have a Gibson ES-125 f-hole that has stolen my senses for many years now. Thank goodness I have not added to the pile.

Clark

oznob
05-14-2008, 01:20 PM
http://www.roy-rogers.com/music_alternate.html

Just a short mention of one of the most prolific slide gutarist today IMHO, Roy Rogers! The guy is a phenominal talent and very much a student of the craft!

As far as blues pianists, Otis Spann is one of my favs, great vocals as well! If you can find his album, "The Biggest Thing since Collossus", you will be in blues piano heaven!

Mark

Ducatista47
06-03-2008, 11:05 PM
OK, I haven't found Blues yet, but listen to all this pedal steel Jazz.
http://www.steelguitarjazz.com/music.html Don't miss the clip Dialing Out by Dave Easley. Sounds Like Pat Metheny might on steel. If your taste is more dreamy, try Susan Alcorn. Almost New Age. The styles of the clips are all over the place.

Here is the Home page of this site:http://www.steelguitarjazz.com/home.html
This is an incredibly nice shock to discover all this music.

Clark

Ducatista47
06-11-2008, 12:46 AM
OK, found some Blues pedal steel. This page, the David Wright video. I've heard these licks in both Blues and Jazz, but this does seem bluesier. It sounds like a lot of Chicago Blues - the style that has served as the soundtrack for much of my life. I'm hereby threatening to post about Chicago Blues if nobody else steps up.
http://www.steelguitarjazz.com/bio.html

This sound is smoother than I had imagined Blues pedal steel. I hear in my head hard edged notes, that Red Rider Lunatic Fringe tone with tons of sustain and volume but with Johnny Winter type licks, but with the notes more drawn out. I guess the possibilities are endless! :)

There may be more here, I have not had the time to search yet. Curley Chalker, by the way, was the only Jazz pedal steel player I had heard of until now.

The guitar on the Blue Bossa video is a Gibson ES125 thick body just like the one I have. Off topic, but I love mine! And they are showing up more and more in the hands of good Bluesmen. Here is one the same year as mine: http://www.archtop.com/ac_64ES_125.html

Note also the harp being played into the aforementioned Shure Green Bullet mike. Legend has it Blues harp players used to "liberate" these from taxicab companies.
http://www.greenbulletmics.com/

Clark

Ducatista47
06-11-2008, 07:34 PM
Speaking of Chicago Blues, here is a nice new page about the Wolf on the Gibson site. There is some nice history.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/happy-98th-birthday-howlin-w/

Clark

Ducatista47
11-11-2008, 12:04 AM
I recently discovered him quite by accident. Waiting in my car one night for my son to come back from a football game, I heard Prisoner's Talking Blues on WGLT, our local NPR Jazz & Blues station (how many of you are lucky enough to be able to say that?). The wonderful Frank Black played it. http://wglt.org/about/staff/black.phtml WGLT is "The Blues Blowtorch of the Midwest" on the weekends and streams it all week.

I don't know from what about Williams yet, but he is the real thing. Check him out on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AdhY7XQn9Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfk5gs9x5Jk&feature=related
and lots more.

Sitting in that car in the dark Prisoner's Talking Blues sent chills up and down my spine.

Clark

Wornears
11-20-2008, 09:58 PM
The Blues Is It!

I was lucky enough to go to graduate school beginning in Austin, TX at UT in 1978. That was when my blues experience hit the nitrous. The club scene was unbelievable -- the Armadillo World Headquarters was still going (but not for long). Roy Buchanan nearly burned it down one night with his searing guitar sonics.

Used to see "Paul Ray and The Cobras" with a skinny SRV on one guitar and Denny Freeman on the other, and Paul Ray inciting the crowd. SRV learned a lot from Freeman. Ray used to have a radio show too, and play the craziest, obscure records -- mostly blues and R&B -- and open up your ears. First time I ever heard, "Twine Time" and it knocked me down. Had to find it.

Also saw the Fab T-Birds when Kim Wilson used to wear a turban and Jimmy Ray Vaughn taught us (again) that it is which note you play, not how many. A very young Charlie Sexton (likely underage) used to sit in with them.

Can't forget Albert Collins -- with his 100-ft (I think) long guitar cord. He'd play through the crowd, out into a parking lot (all the while wailing on his Tele), and then make his way back inside. And the crowd went wild.

Funny how it was a Brit Eric Clapton (via John Mayall -- which led me to Peter Green -- Hey, nobody could carry Clapton's guitar case. Uh, wait, who is this Green guy!?). That brought me (and so many others) to Robert Johnson, which progressed to Muddy, to Magic Sam (get his recordings on Cobra records), The Wolf (The Blues Voice for me, and of course Sumlin's sublime guitar work), and Son Seals, etc.

I've heard cover bands in American Samoa, and Brazil play Johnson's "Love In Vain" they had learned off Rolling Stone records.

Hoerninger
11-21-2008, 02:54 PM
Just saw/heard the first time Walter Trout (http://www.waltertrout.com/) on TV channel HH1 (http://www.hamburg1.de/hh1/moderatoren/index.html?3)interviewed by Kuno Dreysse former leader of the Hamburger Star Club.

As far as I have understood Walter Trout, obvious living in Huntington Beach (CA), likes very much the musical scene of LA with its clubs and lots of musicians.

He playes an outstanding Blues. I will switch to Youtube (http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=FQToIMlHP0Y&NR=1)with him now and buy some of his music later I presume.


Walter Trout
will play in Hamburg
29. & 30. November 2008
in Landhaus Walter in Stadtpark
(Downtown Bluesclub (http://www.downtown-bluesclub.de/))

____________
Peter

rdgrimes
11-21-2008, 03:50 PM
There's an older DAD (24/96) of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom". Was produced by Roy Rogers. It's pretty much a must-have for hearing all the depth and sensuality of Hooker's voice. I love the Wolf and Muddy, but for sheer balls and blues, there's nothing compares with the combination of JLH's guitar and vocals.

Hofmannhp
11-22-2008, 03:37 AM
Just saw/heard the first time Walter Trout (http://www.waltertrout.com/) on TV channel HH1 (http://www.hamburg1.de/hh1/moderatoren/index.html?3)interviewed by Kuno Dreysse former leader of the Hamburger Star Club.

As far as I have understood Walter Trout, obvious living in Huntington Beach (CA), likes very much the musical scene of LA with its clubs and lots of musicians.

He playes an outstanding Blues. I will switch to Youtube (http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=FQToIMlHP0Y&NR=1)with him now and buy some of his music later I presume.


Walter Trout
will play in Hamburg
29. & 30. November 2008
in Landhaus Walter in Stadtpark
(Downtown Bluesclub (http://www.downtown-bluesclub.de/))


____________


Peter




Hi Peter,

as I sad.......an outstanding Blues guitarist....

take a look at this:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=111682&postcount=1

I can absolutely recommend the live CD " live at Tampa Bay 2000"
There are not only one or two titles which are great....the complete double album is fantastic stuff and this in a very good "live" quality.

HP

Hoerninger
11-22-2008, 03:43 AM
HP,

thank you for reminding!
I read your post a while back, but I only realized HP on the foto, is it a shame? ;)
___________
Peter

Ducatista47
11-28-2008, 11:04 PM
We will get to a real exposition of the Chicago Blues, the greatest eruption of Blues music in history, but for now here is a taste. Howlin' Wolf, on tour in England, 1964.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LNt5J0Cesc

Clark

Hoerninger
11-29-2008, 12:28 PM
Great music! :thmbsup:
Howlin' Wolf I did not know, but he reminds me of the early Rolling Stones.
I remember an interview with Mick Jagger where he told that at the time he met Keith Richards they listened to music which they had bought from overseas in Chicago. At that time this sort of music was not available in GB (and the rest of Europe neither of course). He mentioned Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
(Compare Little Red Rooster. ;) )
___________
Peter

PS: I just read the start of the thread. "Mick, Keith, Chicago, Chuck, Bo, Rooster" - all mentioned before - sorry.

Ducatista47
11-29-2008, 01:53 PM
I recall that the records that thrilled Mick & Keith were all Chess label releases. There is a very good book about the Chess brothers and the musicians they worked with called Spinning Blues Into Gold. The full roster of the label (which included Checker and Argo) will astound anyone. Blues, Jazz, R&B, early Rock, and the best of everything. Go Chicago! (The new Western White House!) Look at the roster of artists here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_Records The authors do not seem to know about the Jazz releases. Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis come to mind immediately.

I post this unrelated link without comment, except to advise to all - enjoy, listen and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmuIkJtL42g&feature=related

And here is a freebie from me. There are people who, in their own heads, can separate Jazz from The Blues. They are called fools and morons. Peter, I need your help here. Please add a choice German word to describe such people.

Hoerninger
11-29-2008, 03:52 PM
enjoy, listen and learn.

With the music it is fine :) , the spoken word will take some more time.


fools and morons ... a choice German word
Here are some choices for fools /morons:
A bit more friendly which could be said to a person - Depp /Trottel
More ugly when talking about somone else - Dummkopf /Idiot.
(complete moron - Vollidiot, very ugly in German).
I do not know what you have in mind (freebie?), I hope it helped.
___________
Peter

Ducatista47
11-29-2008, 10:07 PM
Thank you! I like Trottel. Dummkopf I should have known, we say it all the time in places like Chicago and Milwaukee with big German and German-American populations.

I like what the British youth call someone who is really messing up. "You compleat f**kwit!" Kind of like Dummkopf on steroids. If a f**kwit became a git, that would be an improvement.

Freebie is slang - informal language - for something given or received at no charge - for free, as we say.

Clark

jeenie67
03-21-2009, 05:14 PM
....Texas Blues.....Johny Winter. Muddy Waters...and the two of em' together. Bought some today at the Salvation Army...hell holding on to em' on my bike...in 30 degree weather.... :coolness:

Krunchy
07-16-2009, 07:23 AM
Hip-O Records just released a 5 disc set "Little Walter: the Complete Chess Masters. Anybody get this yet?
Released in March I just heard about it (always late to the party), not cheap at $71 for 5 discs, getting good reviews though.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/619F2ix40JL._SS500_.jpg


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106643020

sba2
08-07-2009, 08:49 PM
Here is a well written article (actually a fragment of an autobiographical book, which has never been published) by a Chicago blues musician named Nick Gravenites. He touches on the 50's, 60's and 70's music scene in general, and on Chicago blues in particular.

http://www.bluespower.com/a-ngbtb.htm

Steve Schell
08-08-2009, 09:56 AM
Bob Margolin was a guitarist in one of Muddy Waters' later bands. In this article he talks about his time with Muddy and provides fascinating insights on the man. Not sure where I got this link; if it was from this thread, my apologies...

http://www.bobmargolin.com/muddylike.html

Clark, you indicated your affection for resonator instruments earlier. I'll just mention that I recently purchased a National tricone, the 70th one built if our understanding of the serial number sequence is correct. It has the "Style II" pattern of engraving, and would have been built within two or three months of their introduction in April 1927.

Ducatista47
08-09-2009, 12:25 AM
Scott, that is one great link, thank you. I remember hearing/seeing Nick back in the Hippie days in Chicago, where I was from. I would hear Nick playing at public festivals and such. Steve, I had never seen the Margolin piece. A treat.

My favorite memory of the time was during one of the nights I was let in underage to a Blues club, Mother Blues, because my sister and her musician boyfriend knew Mother (the owner and door "man"). This was in the mid 1960s and Muddy was playing, and between songs he spotted me, in shock I am sure, at a nearby table. He proceeded to stare at me for a few moments and smiled warmly. I will never forget it. I was too shy to introduce myself. His bass player at the time was eager to make my or anyone Else's acquaintance. "Got any gin? Have any money for some gin?" The only drinker I ever met who only wanted one kind of hooch, no matter what. I'm thinking, "Dude, I can't let on I am underage, I'll get Mother in trouble! What the hell can I say?" It was a small club, only a few people were in attendance, and Muddy played and sang like a god.

A friend, a musician, would go to his house. A woman in a nurse's uniform would answer the door and say, "I will see if Mr. Morganfield is in." It was his wife, according to my friend. I can't verify that!

Steve, what a wonderful find. The only thing to compare in my entire family's history was my late Grandfather's going to Milwaukee to get his first (of several) Harley Davidson in 1906. I showed him a photograph of the original four, three Davidsons and William Harley. He pointed to one man and said, "That is the man I would see. He sold me all my bikes." He was pointing at Walter Davidson, the first President. A 1906 would have been one of the first sixty bikes they made.

My grandfather was quite a guy. He taught the Lincoln Park police to ride, and raced on board tracks.

I can only tell lame non musical stories like these because there were no musicians in my family history. Wouldn't you know it, musical talent runs in families. :( At least I was born to be a listener.

Clark

sba2
09-24-2009, 08:52 PM
Clark, It's nice to hear that you had an early exposure to Chicago blues clubs. As a high school student in the mid 70s I had a fake ID and hung out with an older crowd that went often to Kingston Mines and Wise Fool's Pub (both on Lincoln ave), as well as Biddy Mulligan's (on north Sheridan rd). The usual protocol was for us to grab a table and let the legals go up to the bar and order pitchers of beer. We occasionally bought drinks for the musicians, too. And if we had reefer, we shared it with the bluesmen out on the sidewalk during breaks. The reefer and the pitchers of beer are long gone from my diet, but the music goes on.

sba2
09-24-2009, 08:57 PM
A year before he died, the guitarist Michael Bloomfield wrote a short little book about his early days in Chicago, and his friendship with the bluesman Big Joe Williams.

The book, "Me and Big Joe," is out-of-print and rare ... so I've attached a pdf of my copy. It's a quick 15 minute read! ... sorry for the poor copy.

41978

41979

41980

41981

sba2
10-19-2009, 09:43 PM
Well, this really made my day...finding some 1960s clips of Big Joe Williams (the subject of Mike Bloomfield’s book in the previous post) playing his mid 1930s song “Baby Please Don’t Go”, and “Arkansas Woman” (with Willie Dixon on bass).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikxLNaAYu5k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Ql1IDeTbU

Steve Schell
10-20-2009, 12:16 AM
Sba2, thanks much for the book scans and YouTube links. Big Joe Williams and Willie Dixon were just so great. I got to hear Willie Dixon live one time. I was wanting to strangle that announcer on Arkansas Woman, seemed to me he was patronizing and disrespectful. Just a taste of what those magnificent gentlemen had to put up with their entire careers, I fear.

jcrobso
10-20-2009, 09:29 AM
It was about the early days of Chess records and Muddy Waters and others.
I know that movies of this type tend to be a mixture of fact and fiction, but it was still very interesting. A high school friend of mine Dave Purple worked at Chess for a few years as an engineer, and for a few years worked with Isac Hays. Dave was the original bass player for the Cryn Shames. Sadly Dave died about 8 years ago.

sba2
10-21-2009, 05:24 PM
Steve, I agree with you...but I was so enraptured by seeing footage of Big Joe that I really didn't pay that announcer no 'tention.

***********

jcrobso, I just read that, after working at Chess, Dave was the head engineer at Stax...sounds like he had a good life.

***********

Here's Big Willie, Big Joe, and Memphis Slim sharing a happy moment--

42475

jcrobso
10-22-2009, 02:59 PM
I heard things via the grape vine, it wasn't until our High School 25th that we got to talk. He was living in Nashville and selling Harrison consoles at the time.

http://www.cryanshames.com/davep.html

I met Dave near the end of Sophomore year. I had just joined a band called "The Invictas" as the bass player, in Junior and Senior years we played at a lot of school functions. Dave was just learning how to play bass at the time and he would come over to my house and I would show him bass lines. The same ones I had learned from a fellow class mate Jim Holvay*. That was how we learned, no DVDs or bass lessons on You Tube.
After high school I joined a different band and Dave joined the Travelers, both of our bands were playing at all sort of events, sometimes worked with radio jocks.
Short version: A promoter heard the Travelers and took them into the studio recorded a record, the changed the name to the Cryan Shames and the rest is history.
*Taken from a Buckinghams info site.
While these songs did well in the Chicago area, it took the wistful, Jim Holvay written, "Kind of a Drag"
http://www.classicbands.com/buckinghams.html

Ducatista47
11-12-2009, 10:52 PM
Not all blues per say, but all blues at heart. An anthology collection.

The sound is pretty good. My Stax Omega II headphones found no fault. This is now a favorite of mine. I find the combination of Blues and Native American music to be completely intoxicating.

Clark

BMWCCA
11-12-2009, 11:02 PM
Not all blues per say, but all blues at heart. An anthology collection.

The sound is pretty good. My Stax Omega II headphones found no fault. This is now a favorite of mine.I've learned to trust your taste and opinion but you must have a great record store; I can't find any place that lists this. :(

Ahh, found some sample tracks here: http://www.bluesweb.com/p_disque.php3?id_article=1509

Ducatista47
11-12-2009, 11:05 PM
http://www.tower.com/indian-reservation-blues-more-various-artists-cd/wapi/113296846

http://www.bluesweb.com/p_disque.php3?id_article=1512&id_rubrique=2

I notice that the band Indigenous sounds like Arc Angels, especially Doyle Bramall II.

BMWCCA
11-13-2009, 07:29 AM
I notice that the band Indigenous sounds like Arc Angels, especially Doyle Bramall II.I've been an Indigenous fan for years. I still remember Mato Nanji as one of the most exciting guitarist I've ever seen perform live. That man travels with a rack of twenty guitars and plays them so hard he swaps them every song. The Indian Hendrix, for sure. I used to keep hitting "back" over and over on the car CD player to replay "Rest of My Days" for his beautiful lead.

Do the best players just know how to tempt us? I always want the great guitar parts to go on twice as long, but are they better because they make you want more?

For anyone interested, the entire cut from Indigenous off that Rezervation Blues compilation is available to stream from their My Space site here: http://www.myspace.com/indigenousrocks

I was also impressed enough by the Wayne Lavallee sample track to check out more of his work.

rockin'rushmore
11-13-2009, 11:21 PM
Man some times ya just get lucky!Got to see Mato in small seat theatre,right here in Rapid City s.d..Wow,played a acoustic set,then with the band.Third row,little to the right:applaud:AWESOME!

hjames
11-14-2009, 06:20 AM
http://www.tower.com/indian-reservation-blues-more-various-artists-cd/wapi/113296846

http://www.bluesweb.com/p_disque.php3?id_article=1512&id_rubrique=2

I notice that the band Indigenous sounds like Arc Angels, especially Doyle Bramall II.

Wow, thanks for the heads up - the Tower link shows this as 3 CDs for about $25 shipped - what a deal on a sampler of great sounding tracks!!

Ducatista47
11-14-2009, 08:15 AM
Wow, thanks for the heads up - the Tower link shows this as 3 CDs for about $25 shipped - what a deal on a sampler of great sounding tracks!!
I hope you and BMW enjoy it as much as I do. I have been very taken with Native American culture since I was a child, so it is a special treat for me. Perhaps some will not find this collection's sense of historic injustice as welcome as I find it. One hip hop song details some of the most horrendous practices visited upon these peoples who's main "crime" was being here first. It is not easy listening. I find myself walking around singing "General Sullivan," and I usually never pay any attention to lyrics!

I am also a sucker for traditional Native American singing and find myself buoyed by each cry, chant and whoop. We have a Pow Wow annually here. I especially like the singers/drummers from the Wisconsin Dells. I don't know how much longer this will survive. The older speakers state that only "the Grandmothers" are wishing to hear the native languages spoken.

My predilections aside, there is a lot of great music here, and in a variety of styles.

Clark

sba2
01-09-2010, 10:31 PM
Here’s some video of Muddy Waters & his band prepping for a show at the Ash Grove in 1971. The interview (video 2) is pretty good, especially at the end.

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/concerts/support/ash-grove.html

hjames
01-10-2010, 03:41 AM
Wow, thanks for the heads up - the Tower link shows this as 3 CDs for about $25 shipped - what a deal on a sampler of great sounding tracks!!
Pretty sure I ordered it at the time, but it slipped my mind and
apparently my VISA was never charged. Now their page says

Availability: This item is not currently available on Tower.com.

Krunchy
01-10-2010, 07:40 AM
Yep, I noticed that too Heather, it is ironic that only the Bluesweb link that Clark posted has it, but they are in France! of all places. This is the kind of stuff that boggles my mind....its Blues, its Native American but no one in the USA is carrying it, why would that be???
In any case, I am definitely intrigued, especially coming from Clark, thank you Sir :)

hjames
03-21-2010, 01:32 PM
Pretty sure I ordered it at the time, but it slipped my mind and
apparently my VISA was never charged. Now their page says

Availability: This item is not currently available on Tower.com.

But it just arrived in the mail, on Saturday!

I ordered it in November, and it arrives a bit over 4 months later ...
Unbelievable!

richluvsound
03-21-2010, 02:59 PM
Hi Yawl ,

looking for a good recording of Elmore James " rollin & tumblin"

any ideas ?

Rich

jcrobso
03-22-2010, 07:45 AM
Steve, I agree with you...but I was so enraptured by seeing footage of Big Joe that I really didn't pay that announcer no 'tention.

***********

jcrobso, I just read that, after working at Chess, Dave was the head engineer at Stax...sounds like he had a good life.

***********

Here's Big Willie, Big Joe, and Memphis Slim sharing a happy moment--

42475

Dave was selling recording consoles for Harrison, he said the recording engineer life was hard, mostly late nights and the wee hours of the mornings. As a sales rep he had a normal life.

sba2
03-23-2010, 08:40 AM
...he said the recording engineer life was hard, mostly late nights and the wee hours of the mornings.You can see that in this film about Tom Dowd--

Tom Dowd & The Language of Music

http://www.amazon.com/Language-Music-Ray-Charles/dp/B00011ZBOS

sba2
03-23-2010, 08:47 AM
looking for a good recording of Elmore James " rollin & tumblin"
any ideas ?
There's precious little on Elmore James.

Why not try another James!

No, not hjames.....

Try Skip James. There's some great stuff of his on the Vanguard and the Shout Factory labels.

Ducatista47
03-23-2010, 09:10 AM
Hi Yawl ,

looking for a good recording of Elmore James " rollin & tumblin"

any ideas ?

Rich

Track twelve on this collection, in stock at Amazon USA

http://www.amazon.com/Rollin-Tumblin-Elmore-James/dp/samples/B00000JAH6/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1

Clark

hjames
03-23-2010, 12:50 PM
There's precious little on Elmore James.

Why not try another James!

No, not hjames.....

Try Skip James. There's some great stuff of his on the Vanguard and the Shout Factory labels.

or ETTA James - she's got some nice tracks out there as well, even some recent recordings!

richluvsound
03-23-2010, 01:46 PM
Track twelve on this collection, in stock at Amazon USA

http://www.amazon.com/Rollin-Tumblin-Elmore-James/dp/samples/B00000JAH6/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1

Clark

Many thanks Clark

Ducatista47
03-23-2010, 09:31 PM
But it just arrived in the mail, on Saturday!

I ordered it in November, and it arrives a bit over 4 months later ...
Unbelievable!

So what do you think of it? A pretty mixed bag but I sure like most of it.

Clark

hjames
03-24-2010, 02:38 AM
So what do you think of it? A pretty mixed bag but I sure like most of it.

Clark
Very busy week - I haven't had time to give it a full listen - but I did like what I heard. And you're right, I did hear some that does sound like Stevie Ray or Hendrix - powerful playing!
As always, thanks again for the musical heads up!