I have seen Jeff Beck in the south of France three weeks ago.
Amazing concert, open air, the stage above the Mediterranean sea, that was really great.
I never had the occasion to see him live since I got my first Beck shock with "There and Back" in 1981...but that was worth the wait
Cool band too, with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums (amazing) and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass.
Four days before that it was Vicente Amigo at the same venue, a flamenco guitarist for those who do not know him. He is the heir to Paco De Lucia as far as I am concerned. Again a great concert, even though I had preferred the first concert I saw with him ten years ago.
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:35 am Post subject:
It's been a great Musikfest for me -- the best in the 11 years I've been coming to Bethlehem. Wednesday was unbeatable: Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, Fiona Boyes, and Chris Smither. Rishell and Raines are always very enjoyable for me. I enjoy their studio CDs as much as I enjoy their live shows. Fiona Boyes blew me away. She was part of a Women's Blues Alliance Showcase, and she went first. After 1 hour of listening to her hard driving fingerstyle and powerhouse vocals, I couldn't stay for the other two performers. I had heard her name before, but I had not listened to her music before seeing her perform. She was great -- I loved everything about her live set. If she had gone second or third, I probably would've missed Chris Smither, because of music overload. But as it worked out, I got to stage early enough to get a great seat and his performance was great too. He gets a lot of airplay on the community radio station back home, so I was familiar with some of his songs. In the singer-songwriter genre, Smither is one of my favorite artists.
Thursday, I caught two sets by David Jacobs-Strain, one set by Carrie Rodriquez, part of Todd Wolfe's set, and part of a Boston area reggae-funk band Spiritual Rez. It's been a few years since I've seen David Jacobs-Strain play and I really enjoy his music. He played a lot of original music and he was accompanied by a harp player, Bob Beach. One cover that I liked a lot was Treetop Flyer. David's voice has a breathy quality that adds mystical charm to his music. It works very well with his playing style and that's what I like about his recordings and live performances. Carrie Rodriquez was great and I would've liked to see her play again later with her band, but I had to make a choice between seeing her or seeing Todd Wolfe. Todd and his band were great, although the sound at the stage was not very good. Too loud and distorted for me. Yesterday, I saw Marcia Ball, and that was all. She always puts on a great show. Today will be my last day at Musikfest, and I'll try to catch The Duhks, John Nemeth, John Lee Hooker Jr., and maybe a little of the Red Elvises. _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 7:54 am Post subject:
I spent last week in NYC with my daughter and we saw Steely Dan perform the Royal Scam and other songs at the Beacon Theatre. Jon Herington was amazing. He played many (most) of the meaty guitar parts and solos. We also saw Derek Trucks and Jake Shimabukuro at Lincoln Center (a free show!) Ravi Coltrane and Eric Krasno made guest appearances. The show was dedicated to Les Paul and drummer Rashied Ali. It was Jake's first time playing Lincoln Center and his set was wonderful. We took front row seats and I was a nervous that Derek would blow our ears off, but the sound level was just right. It was a thrill to be so close to the stage in such a famous place and seeing these great musicians. We also got to see Hair, on Broadway, which features a terrific band and 13 new songs. I bought Robben's new cd last Tuesday, but didn't have a chance to listen to it until yesterday. I rented a car in NYC yesterday morning and drove to the Berkshires. I was very anxious about driving in NYC... I was anxious about crossing the street as a pedestrian. But it was a lot easier than I could've imagined. We were across the Willis St Bridge in no time and on the highway. Last night I went to Tanglewood -- and I'm going back again tonight. It's something I've always wanted to do (picnic and all!). The weekend will end appropriately at Infinity Hall on Sunday, where we'll see Robben. As Buzz Lightyear said, "to infinity and beyond!" _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 80 Location: California
Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 9:41 pm Post subject:
[b]Larry Carlton at Kuumba Jazz 8/17/09[/b]
My dad and I went down to the Kuumba to see Larry Carlton and his trio play on Monday night. Travis Carlton was on bass and the drummer was Gene Coye. The set was great, I don't remember the names of the songs but they were all great! My favorite was burnable and his encore which was Room 335. After the show me, dad, and two very good guitar player friends of mine, Henrik Martin and Mike Roberto were hanging out and we got onto the subject of if we brought any thing to get signed. I had brought my guitar (my Larry Carlton Signature Gibson ES - 335) and told Mike. He said well lets go ask Larry's road manager/ tech. So I asked him and he said," I'm sorry but Larry only signs his signature Gibson models..." and I smiled and replied, "Then we're in luck!". I then ran to the truck got my guitar and hustled on in. I opened the case to show him it was the real deal then he went backstage to go get Larry. A few minutes later he comes back and says, " Larry doesn't want to come out so follow me" and my friend Henrik says "can I come???" and I said "yeah, lets go!". By this time I'm seriously jazzed. So we get backstage and there's the band, Travis is sitting down having dinner, Larry is standing in the middle of the room and Gene is near the stairs that go to the stage. So Larry says "Hey hows it going?" and I'm nervous and saying how the show was killer and that he's a really big influence on me and then I opened the case and take the guitar out. He then plays my guitar for the next 3 or 4 minutes and asking me if I like it, why I took the pickup cover off "What does this do for you?" and how long I've been playing/ had the guitar. He then asked me where I wanted it signed and how big I wanted the signature and then I took a couple of pictures with him, he gave me a pick, I thanked him a bunch and then went back out to the main area. Overall it was an [u]unbelievable[/u] night at a great venue!!
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:45 pm Post subject:
I saw Jesse Harris and Audrey Ryan at Club Passim when I was in Boston for a few days last week. Jesse Harris is the Grammy award winning songwriter who penned five songs and played guitar on Norah Jones' debut album. Jesse is a great singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was accompanied by drummer-percussionist Bill Dobrow. I bought his new album, Watching the Sky, as well as Audrey Ryan's Dishes & Pills. Audrey Ryan is a great singer-songwriter too, but I was most impressed with her ability to multi-task (with one foot on the drum pedal, one foot shaking a different beat on the tamborine, drum sticks or a hand held shaker, all juggled with an accordian, electric guitar and loop station... and vocals filled with style and emotion !) You have to see her to believe it. It was a great show.
Two other bands I saw this summer that deserve a shout out are Missy Raines and the New Hip, and the Lovell Sisters. Both bands have new albums that are great and both were awesome live!
I'm planning to see Jorma Kaukonen (Electric Hot Tuna) this weekend at Skippers, now that I'm back home again. _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 29 Jan 2004 Posts: 1504 Location: Methuen, MA
Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:01 am Post subject:
Chickenfoot, last night in Boston. This is as bad ass as it gets. Loved every minute! I don't know what's more amazing- Joe Satriani's mastery of the guitar, or Sammy Hagar's mastery of screaming vocals! And, Michael Anthony (Van Halen) and Chad Smith (Chili Peppers) made for one helluva rythm section... _________________ Soul on Eleven
Ruthie Foster, last Saturday night. Like me, many of you were introduced to Ruthie as part of the "Guitar Blues" tour with Robben.
As good as she was in that setting (mostly solo, then some tunes with Robben's band), she was even better this time.
The venue was the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, which is probably the best-sounding room I've ever been in. Seats about 400, and every seat is close to the stage.
Ruthie played acoustic and sang, backed by a female drummer and female (5-string) bass player, who also sang (wonderfully) as well. Together, the 3 of them produced a wonderful tight, fat sound. Just a joy to hear them play and watch them interact.
It was simply a stunning evening. Ruthie is as good a singer as I've ever heard: a master of blues, soul, and gospel styles as well as more straight-ahead singer/songwriting stuff. She is also a fantastic entertainer--wonderful storyteller and very, very funny.
You couldn't ask for a better night of music. Highly, highly recommended.
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:51 pm Post subject: Ruthie Foster
Blues Revue magazine arrived today and Ruthie Foster is on the cover. There's a wonderful feature story about her music, and lots of nice photos too. I agree with Tom, Ruthie is amazing! _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:28 am Post subject:
Still learning at 74. Sam Lay said he started playing guitar about 20 years ago. Saturday night in Bradeton, FL., he played a solo acoustic set that lasted about one hour. He played Blues, rock & roll, and a little country music. He told some stories and he shared his sentiment of gratitude for the late, great Paul Butterfield.
Young musicians reinvent themselves all the time. For a legendary 74-year-old drummer to go on tour with a guitar is amazing. Mr. Lay was wearing a silver sequined cape and matching hat when he walked on stage. Methinks he deserves to feel like the superhero he IS based on what I heard him play. He's got a great voice too.
Before Mr. Lay's acoustic set, drummer Gabriel Butterfield, son of Paul Butterfield, guitarist Johnnie Marshall, and harp player Rockin' Jake played a lively set of rockin' Blues. There was also a good local warm-up band, The Whodoo's. _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:32 am Post subject:
I saw Larry Coryell Sunday afternoon at a 240-seat theater in Tampa. It was a beautful concert. I really enjoyed it! Loved the way he unraveled Ravel's Bolero. I wish I knew more about the music he played, but I know practically nothing about jazz. Larry was accompanied by pianist Kenny Drew Jr., who was great at call-and-response playing and improvising.
A question for all the resident jazz & jazz fusion experts here... Larry mentioned an old recording named "Free Spirit" ??? Does anyone have this one? _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 246 Location: San Mateo, CA
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject:
roadwarriorfortheblues wrote:
I saw Larry Coryell Sunday afternoon at a 240-seat theater in Tampa. It was a beautful concert. I really enjoyed it! Loved the way he unraveled Ravel's Bolero. I wish I knew more about the music he played, but I know practically nothing about jazz. Larry was accompanied by pianist Kenny Drew Jr., who was great at call-and-response playing and improvising.
A question for all the resident jazz & jazz fusion experts here... Larry mentioned an old recording named "Free Spirit" ??? Does anyone have this one?
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