Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 15 Location: SouthWest Ohio
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 6:49 pm Post subject: RF article in latest VG issue
"Robben Ford...Part One: The Early Years " in the June issue of Vintage Guitar magazine {latest issue} authored by Wolf Marshall.....
Most of the info will be old news to long time fans and followers of Robben, but still a few tidbits of info that I had either forgotten or never was aware of. Wolf states that Robben gave a series of astonishing performances at the 1972 Guitar Explosion Concerts; at age 20 he stole the show from the likes of T-Bone walker, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis and Roy Buchanan.
Wolf doesn't mention where those shows took place and I don't recall reading or hearing anything about them at the time. If anyone has info as to where those concerts took place, please share it with us.
Oh Yea ! there's a black and white photo of Robben holding what looks like an early Ultra Esprit {not sure tho} and wearing some interesting footwear _________________ Then Play On...
it also states that robben recieved some informational tips from larry carlton regarding equipment, effects, & rock tone......umm, i thought carlton was the one who got tips from robben. kinda got the feeling that wolf might of copied this info 2nd or 3rd hand.
Joined: 09 Feb 2005 Posts: 197 Location: San Jose Ca.
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:21 pm Post subject:
Wolf Marshall is correct. This ocurred when Robben was using the Super 400 and Fender amps. He was about to join either Joni Mitchell or Tom Scott and didn't know what to get, so he met Carlton through Tom Scott, and Larry got him into the 335, volume pedal. fuzzbox scene that all the L.A. session cats were doing.
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Southern California
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 2:09 pm Post subject:
Red Suede wrote:
Wolf Marshall is correct. This ocurred when Robben was using the Super 400 and Fender amps. He was about to join either Joni Mitchell or Tom Scott and didn't know what to get, so he met Carlton through Tom Scott, and Larry got him into the 335, volume pedal. fuzzbox scene that all the L.A. session cats were doing.
Red Suede,
The way I've heard Robben tell it is that he came down here to So. Cal for a gig and forgot his guitar. So he and Tom Scott went down to GC on Sunset and he got the 335 because it looked like the kind of guitar that he thought he should have.
Joined: 09 Feb 2005 Posts: 197 Location: San Jose Ca.
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 4:43 pm Post subject:
I got my data from "Guitar World" magazine (November 1988) where Robben is talking about that period. The journalist (Matt Resnicoff) writes: "on Tom Scott's suggestion, Larry Carlton (who had done the sessions for the first L.A. Express record and Joni Mitchell's "Court And Spark" was called in to some rehearsals to confer on the tunes' guitar arrangements and the tools best suited to see them through. Purist Ford deferred to Scott and Carlton, and reluctantly entered the state-of-the-art.
"The outboard equipment in those days was very primitive" he smiles.You had the MXR phase-shifter and distortion box, a wah-wah pedal and a volume pedal (laughs). I mean, this stuff was, by today's standards...tacky. I had to make a big adjustment. I got a different amplifier, I bought a late-fifties 335, I got the volume and wah-wah pedals, the phase shifter and distortion unit, all of that. There I was with all this stuff, and it was a major drag for me, and I was pissed. I didn't know how to work it; every time I hit the distortion box it would feed back "(laughs)." So who knows? (another urban legend)
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:07 pm Post subject:
Long, long before I had any awareness of Robben as a player, or much of any awareness of any music beyond rock radio, I remember a short interview with him in Guitar Player where he said something like, 'here I was, this blues player with my Super 400 and volume pedal, and there was all this other stuff.' 30 years later, I found out who that was. I don't know why he had a volume pedal other than perhaps some country background from his dad. When I first became aware of Robben, it sounded as if someone mixed Mike Bloomfield, a country player, and a touch of Joe Pass and let it simmer for 20 years.
There was some mention in that old GP article about talking with the former guitar player (who I didn't have any awareness of either) about what to do with all the "stuff". _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Joined: 21 Jul 2003 Posts: 401 Location: College Station, TX
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:34 am Post subject:
I remember the Guitar Player issue that had a brief article on the Guitar Explosion concert, with a picture of RF( and maybe T-Bone, too?). I think this was one of the first times he got any press in a major national publication. I had seen him prior to that with Spoon and remembering - wow, now everyone else will know what a great player he is! I also remember showing this to my guitar friends and telling them - this is the guy I saw! And the story about Larry giving him some pointers on the pedals and other stuff when he joined up with Tom Scott has been around - I have seen several versions of it over the years. Good stuff, I may have to buy the VG this month.
Joined: 15 May 2005 Posts: 1 Location: los altos, CA
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: RF article in latest VG issue
JonyB wrote:
"Robben Ford...Part One: The Early Years " in the June issue of Vintage Guitar magazine {latest issue} authored by Wolf Marshall.....
Most of the info will be old news to long time fans and followers of Robben, but still a few tidbits of info that I had either forgotten or never was aware of. Wolf states that Robben gave a series of astonishing performances at the 1972 Guitar Explosion Concerts; at age 20 he stole the show from the likes of T-Bone walker, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis and Roy Buchanan.
Wolf doesn't mention where those shows took place and I don't recall reading or hearing anything about them at the time. If anyone has info as to where those concerts took place, please share it with us.
Oh Yea ! there's a black and white photo of Robben holding what looks like an early Ultra Esprit {not sure tho} and wearing some interesting footwear
I was just posting something on fb about Roy Buchanan's birthday today - and was reminded of the Guitar Explosion Concert which Roy headlined and where I first saw Robben. I've googled this event in the past and come up with no info... which was kinda maddening as it was such an astonishing concert.
Tonight I got a hit about (maybe the first) Guitar Explosion concert taking place in the summer of 1973 in Newport RI, apparently as part of a promoter's attempt to do a second/different type of Newport Jazz fest concert. The date of the article was July 7 1973. Don't think Robben was at that one, could be wrong.
Robben was definitely at the Guitar Explosion concert I saw at the Berkeley Community Theater (in beserk, ca:)) def in summer 1973, probably July. And Robben was one of the show stealers.
I was a rocker kid who'd had my mind blown by Roy's tele magic at a concert the winter before on a visit to NYC. I went to see Roy at Guitar Explosion...and came out a changed musician. Joe Pass/Herb Ellis duo, Jim Hall, Barney Kessell, Kenny Burrell...my gosh!! Amazing, amazing stuff.
And maybe the third act on was this kid about my age...wearing a floppy hat (still looking cool:) playing a Gibson Super 400 plugged into a cranked fender combo and just KILLING with great jazzy blues playing. Yes, it was my first time hearing the magic of Robben Ford, and it's a clear memory almost 40 years later
Robben played 3 or so songs (as did everyone in this 'all-star concert' context) a couple were (jazzy) blues but I think he played one straight ahead jazz tune..maybe just to show the audience he had that music going on too. He definitely wowed the mainly older (blue-haired:) jazz crowd ...with his energy, great chops, FAT TONE...and his unique approach to the blues.
Did Robben totally steal the show? Well... he definitely got Major notice by everyone there. His playing turned a lot of heads..
But ya gotta remember that 'top-of-his (considerable) game,' peak-era Joe Pass was there doing an amazing counterpoint duet thing with Herb Ellis...and this totally blew us away too. Barney Kessell was (typically) amazing. I would later come to appreciate the understated but brilliant playing Jim Hall displayed that night...and sooo many other great guitarists there.
Also T-Bone Walker was there, though he was near his end and it was more of a token appearance. At the time I didn't realize I was seeing one of the guys who invented electric blues guitar playing....One of the songs he played was familiar to me as the Allman Brothers had made it a blues jam staple a couple years earlier: Stormy Monday. Didn't know this was the guy who Wrote It:)
Roy Buchanan was the nominal headliner as he had all this buzz going on about his magic tele playing in 1972-3...but Roy himself said "how am I supposed to follow these great players?" when he came on ..then proceeded to turn in a low key (for him at the time) performance.
I had seen Roy do his particular thing much better in an earlier concert, and would see him do it again and again in future concerts, but not this night. He was misbooked as the headliner, he knew it and he didn't 'bring it.' The volume and super bitey tone he needed to pull his stuff off would have been out of place at this jazzy concert.... so he didn't turn up much, and it was only about a 50-60% performance from a guy who normally took his unique thing to 110% every night in those years.
Robben's fat Gibson Super 400 tone seemed to fit right in this night...or if it didn't exactly fit in, it sounded so righteous that everyone loved it. After Robben's first song he'd won over the packed house.
----------------
In anycase, glad some more people are finally talking about this astonishing (apparent series) of concerts..called 'Guitar Explosion.' 1973 for sure, at least the ones with Robben.
I definitely became a lifelong fan of Robben and Joe Pass that night. I automatically put them on the 'just go' list. If I wasn't gigging and Joe or Robben were in the area- with anybody, i'd "just GO:) Still do with Robben..
---------------
I'm not big on autographs but I did buy the Renegade Creation CD at their appearance at Yoshis last Christmas season. I just wanted to get the CD on the break between shows and all of sudden Robben's standing there with a sharpie ready to sign em.
I said "maybe you could write "Keep On Practicing" like you did on the "Inside Story" LP I had you sign at the Bodega in San Jose in 1978 or so"... Robben said "wow, that's a loong ways back there" ...I was going to mention first seeing/hearing him at Guitar Explosion - but that might have been too far back for us both:)
ok- long post:) good memories though. Hope this provided some info about a most magical concert many years ago.
Interesting you mentioned about the practising. At the last clinic he held in the UK this month, he said he never really practised, he just played. What did come across though is, like so many of us, Robben really did have to put the time in, struggled, and still does apparently! Unbelieveable I know! Infact I came away feeling Robben is just like the rest of us; he isn't some naturally gifted guitar god like some perceive. He just constantly works hard, and from what I can tell, likes to reinvent himself once in a while.
Well, to my ears he is something very special indeed!
Cheers,
DD _________________ Music is the universal language; speak it with emotion, listen with a passion.
George Wein, the promoter of the Newport Jazz Festival, started a west coast version of the festival in the early 70’s called Newport East and West. The first west coast festival ran from June 17-24, 1973. According to Billboard the Guitar Explosion concert was scheduled to occur on on Saturday, June 23, 1973 at the Hollywood Bowl. It featured Roy Buchanan, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Shuggie Otis, Joe Pass, T-Bone Walker. Robben Ford was on the bill, but wasn’t a featured player. It looks like the festival venue was changed to the Berkeley Community Theater at the last minute, probably due to poor ticket sales.
There was also a Guitar Explosion concert at the east coast Newport Jazz Festival held in New York City (they moved to NYC in 1972) the week before the west coast version that featured Roy Buchanan, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, and Joe Pass. Billboard doesn't mention Robben playing at the New York City concert.
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