Robben Ford Discussion

Marc Greeson · Member Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 15 Location: Uxbridge MA

Got a chance to see Melvin Taylor Friday night in Sringfield MA.For those of you not familiar with him he is a very good(lightning fast) blues guitarist from Chicago.Totally different style from Robben but worth checking out.Has anyone else seen him before?Let me know.Thanks,Marc

Bluelobster · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 5:18 am Post subject: Melvin

In 1989 i was in nice Jazz Festival which is exactly an american concept
copied on US. Open Air , 3 stages and in the middle plenty of junk food,
CD, T.shirt for sale. (The only difference with USA is that people don't know what the f...k they are doing there: lot of babbling, kids yelling).
Anyways i was there for miles Davis , this venue open at 5PM, while heading to the Garden Stage to fight to take the best places (miles played at 10)a guy i knew took me by the arm and brang me to the Arena Stage, where Melvin Taylor and the slack Band started a wild wild gig.
Some people says Buddy guy is really wild, i think he has to retire.
At first i was not going to like it, i've seen so many time Blues bands like let's say Luther Allisson not being able to bring the audience on an upper level, putting line note for note...........
When they played Peter Gunn, i was conquered, he fought hard to put the crowd in his pocket , and he won.
He showed me a new way to consider covers in a trio context.
I have one of hisCD too Eight Ball. Very good . With covers from SRV or 2 and a bord under a bad sign and i love it . Blobester

edpesco · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:13 am Post subject:

Melvin Taylor? Forget him. This guy just fools around, he plays nothing concrete, just as if he doesn't care about music at all, only gimmicks and some "funny" tricks all the time like slamming the strings with his cable. Embarrassing shit. Someone interested? I know stories about clinics where he bullshitted everyone, looks like a big bluffer to me.

Bluelobster · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:59 am Post subject: Uh

Hey Ed so you have heard me play yet

Blob

edpesco · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2003 1:33 am Post subject:

no blob, I haven't heard you play yet, d'ya think this would change my opinion about

Melvin Taylor?
Ed

Bluelobster · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2003 2:44 am Post subject: Nope

No i don't, but , but try a little tenderness.

Being nosy by nature tell us about Bullshitting Clinics???

Only a fool can go to a clinic done by a black gun from chicago, it's like in seattle all the homeless sing you Red House.

X,cuse me i am not that clear today it's somethin' between liver and fever.

Blobby

edpesco · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2003 8:47 am Post subject:

Sorry Marc for my unfriendy reply, but this guy annoys me. But I will try to calm down. The first time I saw him was on TV from New Morning/Paris. I thought wow what a player, he knows everything but the longer I whatched the more I asked myself why doesn't he bring something to an end, why can't he play something with sense? He starts something, fiddles sloppy around, starts something new and fiddles and foodles, useless, senseless, boring and at last upsetting. No emotions, no passion for music. When I saw him live I had the intention that he even hates music and he gives this back to the audience. The boys that paid for his clinic (young guys with no money) also felt ripped of, he gave them nothing they could use, just fooling around to make the time pass away.
Maybe I'm just spoiled by the architecture of Robben's playing that combines emotion, passion and sense.
Ed

Marc Greeson · Member Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 15 Location: Uxbridge MA

Ed,I do agree that Melvin can't hold a candle to Robben Ford.But I like to listen him for a change of pace.I have ssen him twice and I haven't had the experiences that you had.I find him to be very expressive with his guitar solos .He does tend to ramble on with some solos though.If I had my way he would slow down and get more done with less notes(something I need to work on as well)
Also,don't feel you have to apologize,I love different opinions.We can all learn something from other people's opinion.

StratCat · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2003 5:16 pm Post subject:

Interesting seeing blob's comments on Buddy Guy and the comparison to Melvin Taylor.

I've seen Buddy Guy twice here in Australia. The first gig was absolutely awesome - great playing, good band too and great blues. Really intense gig too - the whole place really went off and I've never seen anything quite like it.

The second gig (a few years later) really sucked. He was climbing on speaker stacks, making funny noises on the guitar, only doing parts of songs and the solos really lacked everything. No emotion, no feel. Pretty boring really.

So not sure if I'd see him again - I've got a 50% chance of seeing a good gig!

Chris
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