Robben Ford Discussion

marc trow · Newbie Joined: 05 Dec 2003 Posts: 1

Hi All,
Went to see Robben for the first time with my 2 sons(21 and 23)
We were not disappointed. The whole band were rockin' and Mr Ford was as good as it gets.
I am a drummer, not a guitarist but I have never heard such melody, variety and the best of timing from a guitarist.
I am of the opinion that Tiger Walk is the best I have heard from Robben, I suspect that I might be in the minority on this one.

Filmore · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2003 8:12 am Post subject: Tiger Walk !

Hey Trow,

Tiger Walk is indeed one of the best records that Robben has under his name, allong with Supernatural !
A fine man with fine music is hard to find these days !

Greetings,
Fill from Brussels Twisted Evil

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Filmore

Aeolian · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2003 1:36 pm Post subject:

As a drummer, you probably love what we sometimes call "the snare drum record" Laughing

Seriously, I think with Tiger Walk, Robben was trying to make Kind of Blue. Get some great musicians together, some charts, and let it rip. He talked about making it as live as possible, how few takes and having the drums and keys in iso booths while he stood in the main room leading. There are some great tunes here. Freedom and Red Lady with Cello are my favorites. But I don't think he quite achieved the senergy he was looking for. I think Jing Chi made a better shot at the same idea with it's looser format. That the live album sounds so much better to my ears goes with the sense I have that Robben is a live player. In spite of his years of "session" work. He always seems to play more openly live. The songs usually get better after being on the road a bit. I'm really looking forward to the shows out here and being able to hear the new tunes after he has worked with them awhile. Remember, he played Help the Poor for years before ever committing it to a recording. He had tried all kinds of ideas over it and pulled all his favorites together for the album. My main complaint with Blue Moon, is that you can tell the new songs from the few he had been playing for awhile. If only this industry would support artists like Robben enough for them to but a great band together, take some new tunes on the road, and let them work out all the little fun bits they come up with, before going into the studio.

Just my sense of things. We're in for a feast the next month with several gigs coming up. I especially love the Yoshi's stands. Where he gets to settle into a room, get comfortable, and then really stretches out.
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Bluelobster · Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2003 2:56 am Post subject: walkin'the tiger

PierreL · Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2003 4:47 am Post subject:

I love Tiger Walk, it really grew on me. It grooves hard, the tunes are very good, they remain simple yet never become boring, the guitar sounds stellar , rawer than usual but really good in my opinion. Jing Chi is a different kind of music for me , but I love it just as much, especially the Live album. I wish there will be a "Tiger Walk 2" someday, although this is very unlikely to happen.

Aeolian · Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2003 1:54 pm Post subject:

We can all hope for another "fusion" album. There is a song Robben wrote for Miles called "The Chief" which really cooks. He sometimes uses it as an intro to Help the Poor. During a promo tour for Tiger Walk, I asked him why it wasn't on the album. He said they tried it "but it just wasn't happening". The ultimate would be a live recording of a great band pulling out the stops on this.
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There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com

edpesco · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2003 1:36 am Post subject:

I love Tiger Walk though I still think that the mix is not good and the drums are to loud. From a musical point of view Supernatural is his best album: great songs with interesting harmonies, good lyrics, good sound. It does not rock like Tiger but it's also for the women and people who are not into that guitar thing as most of us here.

PierreL · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:21 am Post subject:

Totally agree with you Ed. Everytime I play this record to people who do not know Robben at all or who are not into guitar ( I always play it when I have guests for dinner, as background music ) , the always says : "Hey who is this ? This is really good, where can I get it ? " , which is not the case for his other albums, however good they are. Supernatural just seems to be perfectly balanced.

telefunk1 · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2003 8:04 am Post subject:

In my feeble opinion, Tiger Walk and Supernatural are the two best releases RF has done - innovative, in writing and sound and playing, as well as distinctive in his playing. And just enough blues to keep the blues hounds happy!

frank0936 · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2003 8:13 am Post subject: radio blues

I agree. I just couldn't get my local radio staions to play them. I thought "Ghost" would have made a great single!
Frank