This month marks Duane Allman’s 70th birthday. If you are a fan be sure to check out Photo tab on Talking2musicians with lots of b/w photos brought to life with color There’s also my epic Duane Allman profile piece on the web most popular jazz website, AllAboutJazz.
Heard the news today that Johnny Winter has died at age 70. You’ll notice on my post of 25 essential albums from 1960 to 1974 I listed Johnny Winter’s Progressive Blues Experiment. Talk about being blown away. I’ll never forget hearing that for the first time.
BB King was only a couple of weeks away from his 87th birthday when he played the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 5, 2012. For the finale he was joined on stage by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and John Mayer.
Even now BB King tours nearly 300 nights a year, clearly the love he gives and receives keeps him going. I was lucky enough to catch BB King in a small lounge in Reno, Nevada in 1973 and it remains a vivid memory.
Here’s a tip, rent or buy his DVD about his life, it has interviews with Clapton, Santana, Derek Trucks, Dr. John and many, many more. It is a wonderful film about an amazing person.
He and his band, named “Stay Human,” do just that, and they just released a breakout album entitled “Social Music.” When you watch video clips of him on the streets, or listen to his album, it’s music without borders or labels, but with integrity. I caught up with Jon in San Francisco in the middle of a very hectic tour
He first gained attention as the “next big thing” in instrumental rock with his impressive guitar skills. On his just released album “YEP” on the Magna Carta label, he puts his singer/songwriter skills on display, backed up by the legendary Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones, John Mayer, Allman Brothers), and Matt Abts and Andy Hess of Govt. Mule.
Listen to, or download these interviews here
Listen to my extended interview with The Ringers, the first interview of the band. Jimmy Herring is of course known from Widespread Panic, Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Allman Brothers Band, Keith Carlock and Wayne Krantz from Steely Dan and their work with Tal Wilkenfeld, and Michael Landau from his work with people like Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell a.m.m.
They are just about to start their first tour, listen in here
UPDATE Feb, 20th, 2013
I noticed a bunch of traffic to talking2musicians.com coming from http://www.burnthday.com/p/live-stream.html Wasn’t familiar with the site so I checked it out and found myself watching and listening to The Ringers first concert via Ustream. They now have audio files (MP3 & FLAC) posted for download. Or you can stream online here.
Hard to imagine these guys only had a couple of days to rehearse. Essentially this should be considered a jam session, but what I heard gave every indication that this could indeed be something grand. Keith Carlock was spectacular, as was Etienne Mbappe. If they were doing straight ahead blues, or standards something like this would be a snap, but that’s not who these guys are. It’s scary to think how good this could get if, given their busy schedules, they have a chance to play together often.
If you’re on the East Coast you don’t want to miss this — amazing.
Looking for some great roots & blues music? Paul Harvey, a veteran radio personality based in the Netherlands, has a great radio-on-demand program. Paul has promoted, interviewed, and brought many great musicians to Amsterdam over the years. For example, he was the first person to interview Derek Trucks on European radio, and organized his first three concerts in Europe. His show not only presents some fantastic music, but Paul also gives you the story behind the music. Do yourself a favor and check this out.
Check out my interview with Jimmy Herring in All About Jazz and also my First Impressions look at his latest album Subject To Change Without Notice (Abstract Logix, 2012)
Each week, Val Haller, the founder of the music Web site Valslist.com, matches music from her baby boom generation to music of her 20-something sons’ generation.
Val Haller has a nice piece in the New York Times that recommends the Tedeschi Trucks Band to Bonnie Raitt fans. Her own website is worth visiting regularly, she helps “busy adults keep up with what’s happening in modern music.” Also a big thank you to her for mentioning this site in her article.
To see the above clip in 3D you will need a pair of these
This clip is part of my latest Talkin’ Blues interviews on All About Jazz, the Internet’s most popular jazz website. Click on the photo below to see more clips.
The After Hours Version
click photo to see in full size
Lot of fun, and check out the young guitarist Mike Smeeton (playing in the clip above) with the Smeetone’s Family Blues Band (dad and his four sons)
Chuck Leavell talks about Keith Richards, the possibility of John Mayer doing an instrumental tour, Gregg Allman and much more.
Jerry Jemmott’s groove is the bedrock of guitarist B.B. King’s career defining hit, “The Thrill is Gone.” He was in the studio with Duane Allman and singer Wilson Pickett recording “Hey Jude,” a track that was instrumental in launching the late Allman Brothers Band guitarist’s musical career; and they were together again for flautist Herbie Mann’s Push Push (Atlantic, 1971), Allman’s first and only jazz sessions, and the last full album he recorded prior to his death on October 29, 1971. Jemmott was also there on December 13, 1968, when guitarist Mike Bloomfield called another six-stringer, an unknown Johnny Winter, up onstage at the Fillmore East—a Friday the 13th that turned out to be Winter’s lucky day.
Jemmott was with singer Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul herself, when she conquered San Francisco’s hippie community at the Fillmore West in March of 1971. The album, drawn from this series of concerts (with a surprise appearance by singer Ray Charles), earned her a gold record, and was something she would later refer to as a highlight of her career.
Jerry Jemmott’s blues credits are truly remarkable: in addition to B.B. King, Freddie King, Mike Bloomfield, Duane Allman, Otis Rush, Johnny Winter, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, there’s his legendary association with Cornell Dupree, Bernard Purdie, and King Curtis. In my last column, Jimmy Herring had this to say about him: “He’s a genius, there’s just nobody like him. He’s the sound that defined an entire generation. I love Jerry Jemmott, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Another of his seminal achievements, which will no doubt be watched by generations yet unborn, was his collaboration with Jaco Pastorius on the instructional video Modern Electric Bass (1985). Even beyond its instructional value, because it was done so close to Pastorius’ death on September 21, 1987, it provides an invaluable insight into this extraordinary musician and composer. Pastorius had this to say about Jerry Jemmott: “He was my idol. That stuttering kind of bass line, bouncing all around the beat but keeping it right in the groove—well, they don’t call Jerry the Groovemaster for nothing. He’s the best.”
In this extensive interview Jerry Jemmott speaks about all this, as well as his wide ranging session work for Atlantic Records, and his current gig with blues/rock legend Gregg Allman.
Check out my new interview with Jaimoe, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.
UPDATE: You can now watch a significantly edited version of the concert on PBS. It’s a shame they cut so much from “Sweet Home Chicago” so for that reason, be sure to watch the clip below.
click photo to watch video
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wo wings of equal strength endow a bird with the capacity to truly soar. This principle also helps to explain why Revelator (Sony, 2011), the debut album of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, has soared to #1 for blues releases on Amazon, #2 in rock, and #3 in all of music. This band brings together vocalist Susan Tedeschi, whose previous release in 2009 earned her a Grammy nomination, with slide guitarist Derek Trucks, who won the Grammy for his 2009 release. What’s particularly striking in this pairing is how evenly matched these exceptional talents are. Continue reading
