Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 - by Mark Bastin

WOW! What can I say? It's been days and I'm still on a musical high I refuse to come down from! After the event I ventured out on an extended leave of sorts and I've returned to share that which was Crossroads Guitar Festival! It was the largest single music event I've ever attended and gave promise to be the most amazing assembly of musicians I've ever witnessed live and it didn't disappoint! First off, let me tell you the weather was warm but a gorgeous sunny day which turned into one unbelievable evening! As the day started people made there way into Toyota Park, finding their place on the field which was covered with a removable flooring, others located their seats in the stands. You could feel a sense of excitement in the air as every face you met gave way to a smile, as there was much to smile about! Prior to the actual Crossroads kickoff they had Kirby Kelley, Guitar Center's King of the Blues winner out to perform the track which won him the title and prizes. It was a tease of sorts as people including myself filed into the area in front of the stage reserved for the first 3,000 attendees who entered that morning. They all had wrist bands, some with cameras, many sporting previous Crossroads shirts, finding their way to the stage as the event was about to open. Bill Murray once again graced the stage as Ambassador of Chicago to begin the festivities and Crossroads 2010 was under way!! I'll come back to the music highlights but I want to continue on in describing the event and the attractions.

I was able to move about freely while my photographer Raymon Guajardo was stationed on the photo riser just left of the sound booth on the field, as I walked within those on the flooring it was apparent many were return visitors from the 2007 event and the conversations combined to highlight past performances and praise what was ahead. The best part of moving through the crowd which was evident throughout the whole day was the unity displayed. Guitar fanatics unite!! Early in the afternoon I had made my way over the far end stairs to investigate the Guitar Village which wrapped that end at ground level. My discovery was both exciting and educational! Among all the vendors one theme was constant, plug and play!! You could walk up to Fender, Gibson, Guitar Center, and many other vendors and sample their offerings to the guitar world with many on hand to field questions and encourage purchases. Guitar Center had a Legends display showcasing three world famous guitars, two of Clapton's most famous including his strat named Blackie. The third was one which stopped me in my tracks, the strat played by the man responsible for drawing me to blues, Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1965 Lenny! As I stood in front of the guitar my eyes began to swell, now I realize this was most likely a replica of Lenny but I was struck with the overwhelming feeling that came when I heard Stevie's music which still gives chills when listening. I had my picture taken in front of the larger than life picture display of Stevie, it's now my phone background.


As I strolled through the village it was my intent to hear Ryan McGarvey, the Ernie Ball contest winner who earned the right to perform on the Ernie Ball Stage placed within the village. It was a small trailer stage and very much like walking up to a game at a local fair which had a huge impact on my day! It was early afternoon as Ryan and his band began to play with many from the midwest who knew nothing of him on facebook or myspace as they were all asking his name. As Ryan's set proceeded viewers began to gasp in amazement for never knowing of such a talent! Words like incredible and hot were used to describe the young guitarist as the crowd grew larger around the stage. The song which impacted the audience most was saved for his finale, a nine minute instrumental called "Mystic Dream" and it delivered as the crowd erupted after his guitar solo where he displayed why he was the winner! As the song and set ended Ryan gave thanks for the invitation to Crossroads and to the crowd for listening. After a blistering acoustic set from Joe Bonamassa on the same stage I was off to hear more from the main stage. Joe was equally as exciting and gracious to the fans with more to come on him in the arena.

Crossroads on the main stage began as it did in 2007, an intro from Bill Murray introducing Eric, then Eric introducing Sonny Landreth and the music was off and running. Sonny performed Promiseland with Eric onstage in one of his songs reminding us all why Sonny opens the show and is who he is! Robert Randolph and the Family Band followed with Joe Bonamassa and Pino Daniele assisting. Joe's only song of his own he performed was Further On Up The Road and it was stellar as usual but it was odd only seeing Joe lead on one song. Robert and Pino both took lead vocal honors with Robert's sister assisting as well. On the next set Robert Cray, and Hubert Sumlin, took the stage with Jimmy Vaughan performing an emotional rendition of Six Strings Down in their set. As each performance ended they spun the rotating stage around to speed the transition so we all had little down time between sets, it was very effective and pleasing to the crowd. I don't want to overlook the fact Robert Cray sounded better than ever and any time Hubert Sumlin is on stage makes it a legendary performance! Moving further into the day I found myself listening to Jesus Just Left Chicago once again having just seen ZZ Top at the Indy 500 Carb Day show but the difference on this day was they sounded better than any time I've ever heard them live! They also covered Foxy Lady which drew great approval. Albert Lee, Keb Mo, and Vince Gill jammed together with Albert's daughter joining in on lead vocals on one song. Vince performed his top hit, Whenever You Come Around but his guitar play was really what took center stage! Then Vince covered with permission, Eric's song, Lay Down Sally, with Sheryl Crow assisting on vocals and James Burton and Earl Klugh jamming on guitar. It was exciting to see and hear all the genres covered with all the musicians on stage as rock, country, blues, and jazz were all represented by many of the best in their respective genres, although blues was the theme of the day.

I spoke of my trip to the guitar village earlier in the day which unfortunately meant I had to miss someone on the main stage, this was a big sacrifice for me as my favorite guitarist, Doyle Bramhall was on stage with Sheryl Crow and I missed it all. Fortunately a few fans had videos online allowing me to see what I missed but as with any live show it's more moving when it's in your face. The next group in our face was Chicago legend Buddy Guy along with Ron Wood, and Jonny Lang, representing three generations of blues and or blues rock. They were like three little boys on stage!! To see Buddy still playing as he does at a young 73 is simply remarkable!! Ron and Jonny's guitar play pleased the crowd as well while Buddy makes the comment, "it's a blast between two who play like that, makes me feel like I'm in heaven." We were all feeling it as Buddy screams and goes into playing the Rolling Stone's song Miss You, while Jonny begins to sing requesting the crowd to join in. This was my favorite set on the big stage as all three have meant so much to me musically so I was truly in heaven with them! This being my largest music event ever to cover I was struggling to focus on covering the event versus falling into an all out blues rock fanatic coma! There were some great songs but the musicians stood out on this day as Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and Warren Haynes performed in place of the Allman Brothers since Gregg was unable to attend due to a successful liver transplant. David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos also joined in. They covered the Allman Brothers song Soul Shine as a tribute and it was well received!

Johnny Winter slowly walked out and sat on a chair performing a cover of Red House as the fans all showed respect for the elder statesman of blues. It was a magical day of music and Jeff Beck added to the magic with a magical musical score of his own which left you writing the story in your head as the notes took you to another place. Jeff was also sporting a new bass player named Rhonda Smith who not only had some amazing bass lines, but she also thrilled the crowd with her vocals! After such an amazing performance you'd expect more of the same right? What followed was Bill Murray in one of his many costumes over the course of the day. He was Elvis and wiped his forehead with a red cloth which he revealed was a Chicago Blackhawks Flag, the crowd cheered as he through it in the audience as Elvis had thrown a scarf. A last minute addition to the event was Citizen Cope as he performed I Shot The Sheriff with Clapton leading into Steve Winwood's performance with Eric Clapton and a stirring Clapton style cover of Voodoo Chile which was very intense! Cocaine and Mr. Fantasy were also favorites played for an estimated crowd of 30,000.

The final set was upon us with what appeared to be 20 guitar amps across the stage as Eric, Jimmy Vaughan, Robert Cray, and B.B. King took the stage. As the three younger artists strummed softly B.B. began to tell a story which took a very long time to complete but the living legend of blues was given his due and began to sing Rock Me Baby. Watching this finale made me realize I could be seeing things I may never see again so it was both amazing and emotional for me. These four men then went into another B.B. tune, The Thrill Is Gone, and it was equally special to witness! From there many of the day's performers took the stage to sing Sweet Home Chicago and nearly all of the crowd had remained in their seats to witness another historical ending in the making! It was a truly sweet ending to an extraordinary day in witnessing some of the best musicians the world had to offer, leaving memories which would last forever! One last note, Eric Clapton spoke at one point in the day stating that the crowd was reason to say there would be another Crossroads, so for those who had heard this was the last one, rejoice, and get to the next one, it will be all you had hoped it would be. I know it was for me, an unforgettable experience as a writer, fan, and music lover, one I will cherish!

Mark Bastin

American Blues News

Photos courtesy of Raymon Guajardo

http://www.crossroadsguitarfestival.com/

Delaney & Bonnie's On Tour With Eric Clapton Reissue!!! - by J. Blake

(New York, NY)

The year was 1969. Blind Faith, rock’s first ‘official’ super-group had formed and was reluctantly touring to promote their first (and only album). Disillusioned by the stardom that Cream and Blind Faith had bestowed upon him, guitarist Eric Clapton found exactly what he longed for in Blind Faith’s opening act; a rootsy rock ‘n’ soul group from America called Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. The enjoyment the band appeared to be having together, along with their energetic stage-presence and their ‘down home’ sound, shed light on the musical path that the British guitar-God had been searching for since Cream’s end.

Against the rest of Blind Faith’s wishes, Clapton began taking the stage nightly, with the dynamic opening act and when his ‘super-group’ met their inevitable demise in October of 1969, the guitar-slinger decided to take to the road as a sideman in Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett’s traveling musical family.

It was under the Bramletts’ tutelage that Clapton found his voice as a front-man and singer. It was his relationship with Delaney and Bonnie (and their band) that led to one of his most artistically fruitful periods; most notably his first solo album and the eventual formation of Derek and The Dominos.

Released in June of 1970, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends’ ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON was recorded live on December 7th, 1969 at Fairfield Halls in the U.K. and featured Clapton and future Dominos Bobbie Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon as well as Leon Russell, Dave Mason and George Harrison. The album reached #29 on the Billboard album charts and has proven to be the Bramlett’s most successful recording.

Now, 40 years later, the good people at Rhino Handmade are giving ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON more than just the standard ‘deluxe’ treatment. Due out this July, the reissue will contain four discs featuring four complete concerts from December of 1969 and over three hours of unreleased performances…including Clapton singing a rare gem from his first solo album, “I Don’t Know Why”!!!

The following passage has been taken from www.rhino.com:

The set, which comes packaged in a mock road case, contains Delaney & Bonnie & Friends’ complete performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, plus a composite of the next night’s performances at Colston Hall in Bristol, and both the early and late shows from the tour’s final stop at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. Along with the Bramletts, the touring band showcased on these discs includes guitarists Eric Clapton and Dave Mason, bassist Carl Radle, drummer Jim Gordon, organist Bobby Whitlock, Jim Price and Bobby Keys on horns, percussionist Tex Johnson, and singer Rita Coolidge. The Croydon shows also features Mysterioso (aka George Harrison), who can be heard playing bottleneck slide, a technique Harrison reportedly learned from Delaney during this tour.

Along with unreleased versions of all the songs from the original, this reissue also contains several songs not featured on the 1970 album, including “I Don’t Know Why” a track the Bramletts penned with Clapton; “My Baby Specializes” and “Everybody Loves A Winner” from the Bramlett’s debut HOME; “Get Ourselves Together” from the couple’s 1969 follow-up ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE; the traditional “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”; a cover of Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’”; and the instrumental “Pigmy.”

For more information and to preview tracks, visit Rhino’s site by clicking HERE.

*Note, the following videos are not featured in this epic reissue, but were filmed during the same period. Enjoy!!!







If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy: Derek & The Dominos Live In Philly

Thanks and keep reading American Blues News!!!

NYC blues fans, make sure you check out Johnny Winter live at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill on June 23rd and Chuck Berry on June 25th !!!

Copyright © 2010 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved

Beck & Clapton Rock NYC!!!! - by J. Blake

(New York, NY)

This past week, almost exactly two years after New York City’s Madison Square Garden housed three historic concerts by two of England’s most influential rockers, the venue known as “The World's Most Famous Arena” once again hosted a legendary team up of British rock (and blues) royalty. On Thursday February 18, 2010 Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton took to the stage for their first of only two USA concert dates and entertained the capacity crowd with close to three full hours of rock ‘n’ roll, jazz fusion, reggae, classical and a heaping helping of blues.

Unlike the 2008 Winwood/Clapton concerts, which found the two music titans taking the stage together for the entirety of their performances, Beck and Clapton opted for a different approach. Mimicking their original joint concerts in Japan in February of 2009, the two Yardbird alumni split the evening into three sets; Beck and his band opening the show with 45 minutes of instrumentals, Clapton following with his own band and an a hour’s worth of career-spanning hits and the two joining forces for a blues-filled 40 minute finale.

As Jeff Beck took the stage at 8:01pm with his band and a 30 piece orchestra, patrons were still making their way to their sits. The arena was not yet filled, but there was excitement in the air. The guitar virtuoso opened the evening’s festivities with a medley of John McLaughlin’s “Eternity’s Breath” and Bill Cobham’s “Stratus”. The remainder of his set was full of Beck show staples like “Led Boots”, “Big Block”, “Brush with the Blues” and his Grammy nominated instrumental arrangement of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life”. The orchestra waiting patiently, only accompanied the aging guitar-legend on the above mentioned Beatles cover and a handful of songs from his forthcoming album, EMOTION & COMMOTION; including a melodramatic encore of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”, an aria made famous by the late Luciano Pavarotti.

As always his playing was exceptional; his technique and execution light-years beyond the capabilities of any of his “British Blues Boom” contemporaries. His set-list, noncommercial sensibilities and unorthodox/confrontational playing-style may have found the majority of the classic rock loving audience a bit off guard, but it was clear that he had won them over by the intermission.

After a 30 minute resetting of the stage, Clapton emerged from the wings. He began his set seated with an acoustic guitar in hand; opening with renditions of Charles Brown’s “Driftin’” and Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”. “Running on Faith” from his 1989 album JOURNEYMAN as well as “I’ve Got a Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart” from his currently running T-Mobile television spot, followed. As he stood up and strapped on his Stratocaster, newly revived Dominos classics like “Tell the Truth” and Big Bill Broonzy’s “Key to the Highway” elicited cheers from the audience.

The highlight of Clapton’s set unsurprisingly came in the form of reggae. Some of his most inspired playing of the evening occurred as the band vamped in the key of ‘G’ over a standard reggae beat; before launching in the signature riff of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff”. A slow blues arrangement of Robert Johnson’s “Little Queen of Spades” and yet another lackluster version of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” concluded Clapton’s solo set and though his set certainly satisfied the casual concertgoer, it undoubtedly left the Clapton fanatics in the audience (like myself) slightly disappointed.

His hour long set was casual and laidback, but unfortunately not in a good way. The song selection would’ve been better suited to a smaller venue and despite a few sparks of musical intensity, his playing as a whole seemed a little cold, distant and uninspired. His lack of a rhythm guitarist, though a rare and interesting occurrence, sadly left some of the songs sounding hollow and empty; i.e. “Running on Faith” sans its familiar slide-guitar/dobro accompaniment.

Fortunately the evening was not yet over. As “Cocaine” came to a close Jeff Beck strolled on to the stage with a Telecaster slung over his shoulder and a bottleneck slide on his finger. The two former blues disciples returned to their roots, launching into a lively cover of Elmore James’ “Shake Your Moneymaker”. In fact, with the exception of an oddly chosen and crudely executed version of Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” and an energetic cover of Sly Stone’s “(I Want to Take You) Higher”, the bulk of their time together on stage was spent (for better or for worse) exploring the simplistic beauty of the 12-bar blues.

As on Jeff Beck’s 2009 DVD, PERFORMING THIS WEEK…LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTTS, the night’s highlights were undoubtedly Willie Dixon’s “You Need Love” and Muddy Waters’ “Little Brown Bird”. On these songs, the two guitar-legends lived up to their titles with their musical interplay and Clapton’s vocals were particularly passionate and on point. From a trivial standpoint, it is also worth noting that “Little Brown Bird” actually appeared as the B-side to Muddy Water’s original Chess single of “You Need Love” in 1962.

Their cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Wee Wee Baby” was also exceptional and their joint set was rounded out by covers of two former Cream blues classics; Blind Joe Reynolds’ “Outside Woman Blues” and an encore of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads”.

It was a fun evening of music and it undoubtedly satisfied the bulk of those in attendance, but for guitar enthusiasts and Beck/Clapton fanatics (like myself), the performance just did not live up to expectation. Though their separate sets were certainly entertaining enough, they did not reach the bar that either artist has set for themselves in previous solo performances. Unfortunately the night became more about waiting for their inevitable team up, as opposed to being awed by their individual talents.

Sadly even the team up, as great as it was, just managed to miss the mark. Obviously seeing these two masters play the blues together was a thrill, but to only play eight songs and have six of them be so similar; it seemed like a bit of a waste and quite frankly, a little beneath them. Seeing that these are two of the greatest guitarists to ever strap on a Fender, a more varied and complex set-list would’ve been more satisfying. What they played together may have been unbelievable in a small club, but for a sold out (19,500+) crowd, Beck and Clapton needed to step it up just a bit.

Unfortunately the two guitarists did not share the same kind of chemistry that Clapton and Winwood had on stage. They did not seem to be having fun while they played together and they appeared to lack that friendly rivalry that could have pushed them both to new heights. If anything, their joint set seemed to be more about dumbing down Beck’s skill, than pushing Clapton out of his comfort zone; a harsh contrast from Clapton’s exceptional performances with The Allman Brothers Band in March of last year.

With all that said, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton are legends of rock and blues guitar and their team up is iconic. Their performances may not have completely satisfied this picky critic, but thousands of other music fans that were in attendance that night left Madison Square Garden with their minds blown and I would be lying if I said the performance wasn’t well worth the price admission.

*If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy: Clapton & Winwood Rock Philly!!!

Thanks and keep reading American Blues News!!!

Copyright © 2010 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved

Derek and the Dominos Live In Philly (Retro Concert Review) - by J. Blake

(New York, NY)

It is October 1970. Eric Clapton has already been called “God” and found international fame with his previous bands, Cream and Blind Faith. In an attempt to step out of the spotlight, he spent four months as a supporting player with the American rock/soul group Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and during that time switched his axe of choice from Gibsons to a 1956 sunburst Fender Stratocaster affectionately called ‘Brownie’.

His latest musical endeavor, Derek & The Dominos, involves keyboardist/vocalist Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon; the core rhythm section of Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett’s band and by now they have already spent the spring writing new material and the summer gigging in Europe with guitarist Dave Mason and backing George Harrison as the session band for his first solo album ALL THINGS MUST PASS.

The last few days of August and the first half of September were spent in Miami Florida at producer Tom Dowd’s Criteria Studios. The band has laid down a collection of blues standards, a Hendrix cover and nine Clapton/Whitlock original compositions. Clapton’s almost juvenile romantic obsession with George Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd and the presence of Clapton’s recently realized guitar soulmate, Duane ‘Skydog’ Allman, has fueled the sessions with an energy that few studio recordings ever achieve.

On September 18th, just 8 days after Derek & The Dominos recorded a version of Little Wing as a musical tribute to Clapton’s dear friend, Jimi Hendrix died of mysterious circumstances at the age of 27. With the exception of returning to the USA with the intent of attending his funeral on October 1st and instead opting to spend that time putting the finishing touches on their then unfinished first album, Clapton and his band spent the remainder of September and early October playing a handful of European concert dates.

The Dominos’ American tour kicked off yesterday, October 15th, 1970 at Rider College in Trenton New Jersey. Unfortunately not much is known about that show specifically, but if tonight’s performance in Philadelphia is any indication, then the Trenton crowd was in for quite a treat. Clapton and his band will be spending two consecutive nights in Philadelphia, playing its legendary music venue The Electric Factory. Tomorrow night’s show will slip into obscurity and be barely remembered as time marches on, but thanks to an industrious bootlegger, a decent quality recording will document the band’s performance tonight, Friday the 16th; creating a ‘boot’ that will eventually be considered by many collectors to be among Clapton’s best.

The band’s set-lists up to this point have been mostly made up of material from both the forthcoming double-album LAYLA AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS and Clapton’s recently released self-titled first solo album, but remarkably, tonight’s performance feature The Dominos performing a unique and very blues-heavy collection of songs.

With the exception of two shows in December, Duane Allman will unfortunately not be joining Clapton for The Dominos’ American tour, but the weeks they spent in the studio playing alongside one another have had an effect and influence on the British bluesman that will never be more evident than during tonight’s performance. As the band takes the stage, an introduction is announced over the P.A., “Ladies and gentlemen, Derek & The Dominos” and we watch as Clapton counts off the night’s opening number. Suddenly our ears are assaulted by a flurry of slide-guitar as the band launches into an Elmore James-esque version of Robert Johnson’s Rambin’ On My Mind; a song that Clapton made his vocal debut with, on the now legendary BLUESBREAKERS: JOHN MAYALL WITH ERIC CLAPTON.

The bulk of tonight’s material may indicate that Clapton is here to play the blues, but that does not stop him from treating the audience to an electrifying preview of what will be on the band’s upcoming studio album. As the Johnson cover comes to a close, we hear a quick “thank you” before the band breaks into an extended and funky prelude to the Clapton/Whitlock composition Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? This type of drum-driven introduction will prove to be commonplace for this song during the tour, but tonight we hear Clapton do something out of the ordinary. He takes on the role of an M.C., hyping the audience with a carnival-style bark, “Get ready to go! Get ready for the show! I’m gonna sing you song. Yeah yeah!” As the band explodes into what will later be considered arguably the best recorded version of this future fan favorite, Clapton’s fingers attack the 16 minute high-octane jam with an energy and fluidity that will rarely be summoned by the guitarist after this particular period of his career.

The rest of the show is bookended by long and spirited renditions of songs from the self-titled album ERIC CLAPTON; which was released just two months prior to this Philadelphia performance. These versions of Blues Power and Let It Rain are both wonderful and worth mentioning, but it is what the band plays between them that makes this show unique and historic. For their live shows, it is common for the Dominos to instantly follow the Clapton/Leon Russell collaboration, Blues Power, with a slow blues number in the key of ‘C’. They usually play either Stormy Monday or Have You Ever Loved A Woman? (a song that Clapton originally played with Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, but recorded just a seven weeks ago for the LAYLA album) and this night in Philly is no exception. Clapton’s guitar playing on Have You Ever Loved A Woman? is full of vigor and intensity. He plays through his normal pauses and assaults the 12-bar progression with extended stretches of 6-string agility that will one day be more often associated with Stevie Ray Vaughan than Ol’ Slowand.

The “LAYLA sessions” officially wrapped on October 2nd with Clapton and Duane Allman performing a Little Walter Jacobs song titled Mean Old World. Unfortunately the song will not make it on to the album, but it will eventually turn up decades later on various Clapton and Allman compilations. Clearly though, it is still freshly planted in Clapton’s mind, because tonight he breaks out the slide once again; treating the Philly crowd to an extremely rare live performance of the Little Walter standard. As with Rambin’ On My Mind, Clapton dances around the fret-board, bottleneck in hand, with a looseness that is atypical for the British guitar icon; who will eventually develop a habit of playing slide with almost too much precision for some people’s tastes. Once again the Skydog influence boils to the surface, as it does on the following song as well; the first known live performance of Clapton playing the Blind Willie Johnson composition Motherless Children. For you “non-Clapton junkies”, the reason why this is significant is that this song will not surface again in his repertoire until 1974, when a studio version of it is recorded for the album 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD. The song will eventually become a semi-staple of Clapton’s live shows, but for now, we hear a slightly less polished glimpse of what is to come…and it is amazing.

As mentioned earlier and like most of The Dominos’ live performances, the night ends with a lengthy (yet explosive) rendition of Let It Rain and it is a fitting finale to jaw-dropping night of music. For a concert that clocks in at just over 73 minutes, the fact that the band only played 7 songs is quite astounding. Clapton and his band’s ability to keep relatively basic blues and rock conventions interesting and entertaining for such extended periods of time, is both outstanding and commendable.

A week from now, on October 23rd and 24th, Derek & The Dominos will record two of their four sets at the Fillmore East in New York City and selections from those recordings will eventually be released, first as a double-LP titled IN CONCERT in 1973 and then as an extended double-CD collection titled LIVE AT THE FILLMORE in 1994. Nearly half of the songs performed in Philadelphia will not make it to the Fillmore stage, or any other Dominos performance for that matter. They instead will be replaced with more selections from the future Dominos studio album, other Clapton/Whitlock compositions and songs from Clapton’s past career, like Crossroads and Presence Of The Lord; two songs that for some reason will rarely make it back on to any of the band’s future set-lists.

The American tour will end at Suffolk Community College in Seldon New York on Sunday December 6th, 1970. The Dominos’ masterpiece LAYLA AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS will be released just 5 days later (on 12/11/70) to mediocre sales and minor critical acclaim; though its title track will go on to be considered one of the greatest rock-guitar anthems of all-time. In spring of 1971, Derek & The Dominos will enter Olympic Studios in London to record their 2nd album, but tensions and stresses caused by substance abuse will lead to their breakup during these sessions and Clapton will go into nearly 3 years of heroin fueled seclusion before recording again. Sadly, Duane Allman will die in a motorcycle accident in Macon Georgia on October 29th, 1971 at the age of 24.

In 2006 and 2007 Clapton will revisit most of The Dominos’ material alongside Allman heir and Dominos namesake Derek Trucks, but it is in 1970, with Whitlock, Radle and Gordon, that Clapton played with a fire that he arguably will never be able to reproduce. Like all great artists he and his style will evolve throughout the coming years, cementing him as an important figure in not only blues and rock, but in popular music in general. Thankfully we have the recordings, both official and unofficial, to document these periods in time and music and to illustrate the creative evolution of artists like Eric Clapton and so many others.

*If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy:The Real King Of The Blues

Thanks and keep reading American Blues News!!!

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved

NEW YORK: Strange Brew (Book Review)- by J. Blake

When we, the writers of American Blues News, were asked to give Holiday gift ideas, I have to admit that I was a little stumped. For the past few months I have been writing CD reviews for some potentially great stocking stuffers, but when faced with the task of actually suggesting an item as a “great gift” for blues lovers everywhere, I really had to give it some thought. What I came up with is something I’m sure some of my fellow ABN writers will cringe at, not because it is a bad gift idea, but because it does not deal with “American blues”. The item in question is a book titled STRANGE BREW: ERIC CLAPTON & THE BRITISH BLUES BOOM 1965-1970 by Christopher Hjort.

The title can be a little misleading. This is not a book about Eric Clapton. It is in fact an almost day by day archive of the entire professional (and at times personal) lives of the British blues scene’s most notable groups and musicians. Yes Clapton was unquestionably a huge part of this particular music movement, but in addition to chronicling every move “Slowhand” made and every band he participated in over this 5 year period, the book also pays equal attention to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (both with and post-Clapton), The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac (as well as following a few other groups in slightly less detail). If you really break it down, it seems to zero in specifically on the professional lives of John Mayall and his three most noteworthy blues guitar alumni, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor.

Now I’m sure some of you are sitting there saying to yourselves “that’s pretty cool”, but you have no idea! When I say an “almost day by day archive”, I mean “day by day”. The book is laid out like a journal, in chronological order starting in January of 1965 and going through December 31st of 1970. Some of the early months are left pretty vague and it does not include an entry for every single day, but it is quite astounding just how detailed Hjort manages to get. You can literally pick almost any day, flip to it in the book and see which bands played that day, which venue they were at and who was on the bill with them. In many cases Hjort even includes show notes, snippets of interviews and excerpts from concert reviews written at the time for publications like Melody Maker and New Musical Express. The inclusion of this kind of information undeniably provides an insight to not only the times, but in many cases even the temperament of the audience and the set list. For instance the entry for Monday October 5, 1970 shows that Derek & The Dominos played at the Town Hall in Birmingham England. The entry includes portions of a review written for New Musical Express that not only slam Clapton’s vocals and recall the fact that a fire hydrant blew in the venue, soaking the spectators, but also confirms a few of the songs from the set list and reveals a catastrophic missed opportunity. According to the NME reviewer, “Robert Plant casually wandered on stage. It was obviously unplanned. None of the group saw him. Few of the audience seemed to recognize him. And nor, apparently, did the roadie guarding one of the wing stage doors. Robert Plant was unceremoniously ushered back through the door, and the chance of a monster impromptu jam session was gone.”

Remarkably the wealth of this book’s information is not restricted to just live concert dates and first-hand show accounts, it also manages to do as good of a job covering things like radio & television appearances, fairly unknown all-star jams, recording sessions & album releases. Ever wonder what it would’ve been like to see The Paul Butterfield Blues Band jam with Cream? Well according to a periodical called the Record Mirror, some lucky London club-goers got to witness it on Wednesday October 19, 1966. Ever wonder about how Mick Taylor came to join The Rolling Stones? The joint entry of June 1 & 2, 1969, discusses how Taylor’s “trial run with the Stones” went well, explaining that he was brought back in for a second session; where they worked on the song ‘Honky Tonk Women’ until the wee small hours of the morning. A separate entry for Monday the 2nd goes on to explain that just 10 days after Taylor left The Bluesbreakers, he was officially asked to join The Rolling Stones, but according to the following day’s entry, he was sworn to secrecy, because the band had not yet notified Brian Jones that he was being replaced.

When you take into account that in addition to this book’s interviews, reviews, dates, facts, trivia and gossip, it also includes a foreward by John mayall, some amazing photos, illustrations, complete discographies and even musical equipment information, this book proves to be an absolute must for any British blues fan. Sure, it would’ve been nice to include a few more bands and it would’ve been even nicer to include more complete set list information, but what I’ve described above really isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking about hundreds of informative and entertaining entries. What Christopher Hjort managed to do with this book is nothing short of amazing and I can’t recommend it enough.

Happy Holidays!!!

*For other gift ideas, check out our CD Review page.

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved

NEW YORK: The Real King Of The Blues - by J. Blake

Out of all three of the major electric bluesmen that shared the last name “King”, he is probably the least known, yet arguably the most influential to the legendary rock axemen that followed him. Everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Jeff Beck and even Papa Chubby have covered his most famous songs, but the biggest and probably most clear-cut evidence of his influence rears its head very time Eric Clapton sings or plays the blues.

The 'King' in question is of course the Texas Cannonball himself, Freddie. Clapton has often said (including in his autobiography) that Freddie’s solo on I Love the Woman was what inspired him to learn single-note soloing. “It was absolutely earth-shattering for me, like a new light for me to move toward.” Clapton has also admitted that the reason he played a Les Paul guitar in the mid-60s was because he had seen a picture in a record store of King playing that same guitar.

The Texas blues legend’s influence emanates out of Clapton and was especially noticeable on the 1994 blues tribute album FROM THE CRADLE, where Clapton covered King’s I’m Tore Down and Someday After a While. As well as on the accompanying, "The Nothing but the Blues" Tour where the slow standard Have Your Ever Loved a Woman? was played nightly. Signs of Freddie certainly show in Clapton’s playing, “'If I'm building a solo, I'll start with a Freddie King line”, but especially in recent years you can hear the influence in the aging rocker’s voice. Clapton sings with a confidence now that he didn’t have in the 70s or even 80s and as he belts out the blues with authority and guttural growls, you can definitely hear Ol’ Slowhand attempting to channel his Texas blues hero.

During the mid-70s the two guitar giants were able to play together quite a bit and luckily some of the fruits of those collaborations can be found on the album that commemorates King’s life and untimely death, FREDDIE KING (1934-1976). It is in this album’s liner notes that my favorite Clapton quote can be found, “He taught me just about everything I needed to know…when and when not to make a stand…when and when not to show your hand…and most important of all…how to make love to a guitar.”

Freddie King was born in Texas on September 3rd, 1934. His mother and uncle began teaching him guitar when he was only six years-old and then in 1949 he and his family moved to the South Side of Chicago, an event documented with the first line of his auto-biographical hit Palace of the King, “I was born down in Dallas, raised up in the city of the wind.” By age 16 he was frequenting blues clubs and it was this magical combination of Texas and Chicago guitar influences that created his signature style.

He led the life of a true bluesman, recording 160-odd songs in the studio and touring the world extensively before it all caught up with him on December 28, 1976. Freddie King died of bleeding ulcers and heart failure at the age of 42, leaving behind a wife, 7 children and a musical legacy that inspires every kid that picks up the guitar and learns to solo over a 12-bar blues.

As for me, Freddie continues to inspire. His studio work contains an energy that few non-live recordings manage to achieve. The addition of funk combined with his classic blues-style in the 70s, in my opinion makes for some of the best music made in that very musically fruitful decade. The song Place of the King never ceases to impress me when I listen to it and he is one of the few blues artists whose collection of instrumentals is as notable as his lyrical blues standards. His guitar-style is breathtaking and his vocals are awe inspiring. In my humble opinion, he has the quintessential “blues voice”. In 2003 Rolling Stone Magazine put him at number 25 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time, but I personally would’ve ranked him higher.

The album mentioned above, FREDDIE KING (1934-1976) is by far not his best work, but it was the first Freddie CD I ever bought. It contains a few live tracks, which are of course “smoking”, as well as several studio tracks, most of which feature Clapton and his mid-70’s touring band (George Terry, Dick Sims, Carl Radle and Jamie Oldaker). King, Clapton and Terry’s give and take on songs like TV Mama, Gambling Woman Blues and the live version of Further on up the Road are certainly worth the price of admission.

In current Freddie news, I’m not certain of the exact date yet (it seems that every website I look at lists something different), but within the next month or so Bear Family Records will be releasing an amazing 7CD box set featuring every Freddie King studio recording ever released. The set will be titled TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS and will include a 104 page hardcover book. It will undoubtedly satisfy even the most diehard Freddie fans...or any blues fan for that matter.

Here's a little treat:


Also, please check out some NYC Blues with J. Blake & The Earthquake at: www.myspace.com/jblaketheearthquake or http://www.livebluesworld.com/profile/JBlakeTheEarthquake as well as on Facebook.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK:

Freddie King (1934-1976)

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved

NEW YORK: Clapton & Winwood Rock Philly!!! - by J. Blake

Over the weekend I was once again very fortunate to be given the chance to see two Rock/Blues legends take the stage together. At around 8:15pm on Friday June 12, 2009 Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed in front of a sold-out crowd at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. It was only the second show of a very short 14 date USA tour and even though the set list did not differ greatly from their original 3 Madison Square Garden concerts from last year (which you can read about by clicking HERE), there were certainly enough song substitutions to keep it interesting.

Like last year’s New York shows the aging rockers opened Friday’s set with Blind Faith’s Hard To Cry Today and J.J. Cale’s Lowdown, but instead of moving directly into Clapton’s 1985 single Forever Man, as they did in February of 2008, they decided to hit the audience with a J.J.Cale double-play, moving right into a very laid back version of the Cale composition, that Clapton made famous in 1970, After Midnight.

The show continued for an hour or so without any major surprises. The set list seemed to mimic the ’08 NY shows and the recent DVD/CDs to a ‘T’ with only two exceptions. The Buddy Miles tribute Them Changes was dropped and in place of Otis Rush’s slow blues classic Double Trouble, Clapton led the band through a terrific rendition of a rare Big Maceo Merriweather B-side, Tough Luck Blues.

Forever Man found its new place in the list, 12 songs in…oddly enough just about where a faster/more album-like version of After Midnight was played a year and a half earlier. The band then exited the stage, leaving Winwood to serenade the crowd with his signature (and beautiful) solo rendition of Ray Charles’ Georgia On My Mind on organ. Just seconds after the awe inspiring performance, the band returned to the stage and accompanied Clapton, very minimally and quietly, through an acoustic version of Charles Brown’s Driftin’ (a.k.a. Driftin’ Blues). It was on this song that in my opinion the real magic of the night occurred. The song and performance as a whole was nothing special, I’d even go as far as to say that it was a bit lackluster, but it was during his solos here that Clapton’s genius and total mastery over his instrument really showed itself. His first solo, 2 minutes into the song, started out light and spacious but built into a fury of tasteful and fluid guitar runs that I’m sure left even the most proficient of guitarists in attendance with a need to pick their jaws up off of the arena’s sticky cement floor.

The show continued with a bit of an acoustic mini-set, which is both something that Clapton fans have become accustom to since his critically acclaimed Unplugged album in 1992, as well as something that the original New York shows were lacking (aside from Clapton’s one completely solo performance). Clapton and Winwood (who at this point was playing piano) traded vocals beautifully on Jimmy Cox’s Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out. The acoustic version of Layla that followed was a very nice touch and complimented the evening beautifully. Winwood accompanied Clapton on guitar, while the audience participated vocally during the choruses. Surprisingly Clapton took a backseat playing-wise, holding down the rhythm allowing Winwood to strut his stuff during the song’s only guitar solo. Closing the acoustic portion of the show was the Blind Faith classic Can’t Find My Way Home, which in my opinion easily surpassed the electric versions of 2008.

As Clapton strapped his Stratocaster back on, the band found itself in the home stretch of the concert. They closed their performance with Winwood’s Split Decision, which was co-written by Joe Walsh and was originally featured on his 1986 album Back In The High Life, followed by the always breathtaking Hendrix tributes Little Wing & Voodoo Chile, yet another tired version of J.J. Cale’s Cocaine and finally an amazing encore of Traffic’s Dear Mr. Fantasy.

Though the show was very good, it did not quite reach the greatness of their 2008 New York concerts. The Madison Square Garden shows just had a certain energy and unpredictability about them that made them magical. The Philadelphia crowd was undoubtedly much more subdued and even though it was clear the two aging rockers were enjoying there time at the Wachovia Center, at MSG in 2008 they seemed like they were just having plain ol’ fashion fun.

As for the band, Clapton veterans bassist Willie Weeks and keyboardist Chris Stainton returned, McCartney regular Abe Laboriel, Jr. replaced Ian Thomas on drums and backup vocalists Michelle John & Sharon White rounded out this year’s lineup. All being consummate professionals, the band unsurprisingly played extremely well. If I had to file any complaints, as always I feel that Stainton was given a little too much soloing time for my taste and even though I appreciate the beauty of Winwood’s completely solo Ray Charles cover, to add something new to these shows, I personally feel that female backup vocal accompaniment would’ve been a very nice touch.

Overall the show was very good. The band was tight, and aside from Clapton missing a vocal cue on Tell The Truth and accidentally singing over Winwood’s vocals on the second verse of Forever Man, both musicians brought their “A-games”. To be honest even those minor flubs were enjoyable, because they added a bit of spontaneity to the show and as a fan and spectator it was nice to see the two legends look at each other and laugh them off.

If you get the chance to see Clapton and Winwood, I totally recommend it. From what I hear the set list is not locked. Reportedly, the following night in Washington D.C. Robert Johnson’s Crossroads replaced both Tell The Truth and Split Decision. So it seems there will be at least a little suspense for fans going into each show.

Keep Rockin',
J. Blake

Check out some NYC Blues with J. Blake & The Earthquake at: www.myspace.com/jblaketheearthquake or http://www.livebluesworld.com/profile/JBlakeTheEarthquake as well as on Facebook.

Set List for:
June 12, 2009
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Sleeping In The Ground
05. Presence Of The Lord
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. Tell The Truth
11. No Face, No Name, No Number
12. Forever Man
13. Georgia On My Mind (Steve Winwood solo)

Acoustic Set:
14. Driftin'
15. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
16. Layla
17. Can't Find My Way Home

18. Split Decision
19. Little Wing
20. Voodoo Chile
21. Cocaine
Encore:
22. Dear Mr. Fantasy

ALBUM OF THE WEEK:

Blind Faith (Deluxe Edition):

This 2CD edition features 2 versions of Sam Myers' Sleeping In The Ground, an electric version of Can't Find My Way Home and several previously unreleased jams.

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved

NEW YORK: A Touch Of Faith - by J. Blake

I am a life long Clapton fan and I’ve been lucky enough to have seen some landmark live Slowhand performances, including the Cream Reunion in 2005 and the Eric Clapton and Friends Benefit Concert at MSG for the Crossroads Center in 1999. On February 28, 2008 I was once again very fortunate and saw Clapton and Winwood live at Madison Square Garden.
Last Tuesday (May 19th,2009) two great collections were released to commemorate the historic three concert run. The first is a nicely packaged 2CD set that I feel, as a live album, does a great job of capturing the energy of the concerts (even though the order of a few of the tracks has been altered from how they were originally performed at the shows). The second collection is an equally well packaged 2DVD set, which features a documentary titled The Road to Madison Square Garden and four bonus performances. With the next several paragraphs, I will recount my personal experience of attending the final night of these amazing shows, as well as provide a brief review of the DVD set.

I have now seen Mr. Clapton in concert, somewhere in the ballpark of 12 times and I can honestly say that this show may have been the best live “Clapton” performance I have seen to date. Right from the opening guitar riff to Had to Cry Today it was evident that Winwood and Clapton were having fun, which was something that I feel was clearly lacking from the Cream Reunion, MSG shows. They ran through all of the expected Blind Faith songs and even the unexpected Sleeping In The Ground, which was a staple of the band’s live sets, in 1969. A Blind Faith version of the Sam Myers blues standard didn’t make it to an official CD release until Winwood’s 1995 box set titled Finer Things, but then again found a place on 2001’s 2CD Deluxe Edition of the Blind Faith’s only album. The most surprising thing about hearing these Blind Faith classics was the fact that Winwood’s singing voice has not changed at all in 40 years. Due to modern advancements in instrumental technology the music sounded updated, but Winwood’s voice sounded exactly like it did on the 1969 vinyl LP, except maybe with even a little more soul.

Hearing Blind Faith material was amazing, but the real gems of the night were the songs that can not be found on the 1969 album or on the set lists of the landmark 2007 Highclere Castle & Crossroads Guitar Festival performances. Perhaps the most shocking moment for me was when just three songs into the show, the ever so familiar riff to 1985’s Forever Man came screaming out of Clapton’s amp. I have read other reviews for these shows that claim that this song is a Clapton “staple”, but in actuality he has not performed this song regularly live in almost 20 years. It was probably one of the last "hits" I expected to hear that night, and yet there it was! Clapton’s lead work was explosive, yet tasteful, and the song was made even better by Winwood's vocals on the second verse and backups. It was awesome! (It should be noted that on both the CD and DVD collections, the order of Forever Man and the Buddy Miles tribute, Them Changes, have been switched.)

Other highlights of the show included the Traffic classics Glad and No Face, No Name, No Number, Winwood’s Split Decision, as well as Winwood’s moving solo rendition of Georgia on My Mind on Hammond organ. Surprisingly, the version of No Face, No Name, No Number used for both the DVD & CD features a very rough and slightly “off” vocal performance by Winwood; which is something I don’t recall it being when I saw the show. On the Clapton front, he and the band eased their way into what would become a blistering and furious version of Otis Rush’s minor keyed blues standard, Double Trouble, it was clear that he came to play. In my book this performance alone was worth the price of admission. On this song, which was once a staple of his 70’s live sets, Clapton safely secured his status as a "Guitar God" and laid any worries to rest that he may be losing his fire in his old age. So if you’re not interested in seeing Clapton shred at length, I warn you that this DVD may not be for you.

I am an enormous fan of Derek and the Dominos, hearing Tell The Truth and Little Wing was quite a thrill. I read comments that said Tell The Truth sounded "empty without Derek Trucks’ slide fills”, but I find a few things clearly wrong with this statement. If it was missing anything, it would have been the slide work of the man that originated those “fills”, the late Duane Allman! However on the contrary, I found it to be a fine rendition. Let’s not forget that Clapton played this song without a second guitar player for the entire Dominos tour. It was also a treat to hear Winwood filling in on the Whitlock vocal parts for both the Dominos original and the Hendrix classic.

Following what I found to be quite a moving version of Little Wing, Clapton shocked the audience by singing and playing the opening line and riff to Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile (a song in which Steve Winwood played on the original recording). The slow throbbing/muddy rhythm combined with Winwood’s soulful vocal, conjured the spirits of the blues greats like a mythic Voodoo ritual. Clapton seemed to channel his old friend Jimi as he rifled off several "face melting" solos and dirty blues guitar fills. The version grooved on for 16+ minutes and put the audience into a blues induced trance. The air was hot and steam rose from the crowd as they stood in silence, just swaying back and forth in time to the music. It was breathtaking. Unfortunately the DVD just does not manage to capture the pure magic of actually experiencing the live performance. During this live performance the attention of the crowd was kept by Clapton exorcising his own demons through a fury of amazing blues guitar work. I would not be surprised if some DVD viewers find watching the extended (almost exclusively) one chord jam redundant and at times boring.

The two legends finished the show with Blind Faith’s most famous song, Can’t Find My Way Home, a lackluster version of the tired Clapton staple Cocaine and a fitting encore of the Traffic classic Dear Mr. Fantasy (please note that the order of these last 2 songs are switched on both the CD and DVD sets). It is also worth noting that Clapton’s solo acoustic performance was of Robert Johnson’s Kind Hearted Woman. Clapton played the Johnson’s Ramblin’ On My Mind at two previous shows and also on the CD/DVD sets.

The DVD set itself, like the CDs, does a good job overall capturing the energy and “feel” of the actual live performances. I do find it odd that they decided to switch around the order of the songs (as mentioned above). It is unfortunate that in the production of the DVD they decided to cut out the cover of J.J. Cale’s Low Down, but even with those minor changes the set is well put together and very enjoyable. Viewers who watch the brilliant live performances of the concert film on disc 1, will be treated to several interesting interview segments. These segments include Clapton and Winwood discussing their relationship and the song selection process for the shows. The producers do a good job of supplying just enough of these little gems to enhance the viewing experience, without having them seem intrusive and over abundant.

Luckily a version of Low Down did find a place on disc 2, along with live concert performances of Robert Johnson’s Kind Hearted Woman, which was played exclusively on 02/28/08, as well as Crossroads, which only managed to find its way on to the set list on 02/25/08. In what might be my favorite of the Special Features, disc 2 also contains a wonderful solo Clapton performance of Robert Johnson’s Ramblin’ On My Mind, filmed during one of the sound checks. The entire performance is intercut with tasteful B-roll footage of both, an empty Madison Square Garden and the busy NYC streets just outside of the arena. It also features a bit of an extended instrumental opening and a laid back Clapton just struttin’ his stuff, seemingly for his own enjoyment.

Probably the biggest selling point of the Special Features is the 37 minute documentary titled The Road To Madison Square Garden. It is a little rough around the edges editing-wise, but manages to be both interesting and informative. It contains your “standard/run of the mill” Clapton/Winwood B-roll, but also features new interviews with Clapton and Winwood discussing how they met, their relationship through the years and their careers leading up to the MSG concerts. My biggest complaint regarding the documentary is that it recycles most disc 1’s interview footage. It is something that is perfectly understandable from a producing standpoint, but slightly disappointing for the viewer, because while watching the lengthy featurette, you can’t help but feel like you’ve already heard a lot of the information before…because you have.

Overall the set gets a big thumb’s up from me…especially for its blues content. It is beautifully shot on high-quality HD video, with both DTS surround and stereo audio options. My biggest complaint is visually, the footage is edited too much and too quickly for my taste. I find it frustrating that so many producers these days think that viewers’ attention spans are way too short. This film seems to rarely settle on a single shot for more than just a few seconds and when it does, it always appears to settle on an obscure shot where you can’t really see what Clapton or Winwood are doing musically. I wish that producers and editors would not be afraid to just hold on something, especially when it is a performance as brilliant as the ones captured on this DVD.

Note To Producers: Trust me, people won’t get tired of watching Clapton’s hands move up and down the fret board as he solos, or of a medium shot where you can see both his hands and his facial expressions. I’m sorry, but I’m just not that interested in seeing what Winwood’s foot is doing during a Clapton solo.

Don’t get me wrong, this DVD doesn’t take this style to a total extreme and I’m not saying that the editing ruins the viewing experience, but I just personally feel that the experience could have been made better if they didn’t cut away from the action so often. For example, in Scorcese’s The Last Waltz, almost the entire performance of Muddy Waters’ Mannish Boy is covered in one continuous shot. Granted in that case it was out of necessity, but it still worked. It’s still amazing to watch and the fact that you can see Muddy’s face for the entire performance of that song is absolutely captivating.

Even with my minor complaints, I recommend both of the recent CLAPTON & WINWOOD: LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN sets…especially if you’re a fan of both/either of them. I also recommend that you try to see them as they tour together this June. I’m seeing them in Philadelphia on June 12th and will undoubtedly be reporting back to all of you the following week with my thoughts.

Keep Rockin’,
J. Blake

Check out some NYC Blues with J. Blake & The Earthquake at: www.myspace.com/jblaketheearthquake or http://www.livebluesworld.com/profile/JBlakeTheEarthquake as well as on Facebook.

Track List for CD:

01. Had To Cry Today

02. Low Down

03. Them Changes

04. Forever Man

05. Sleeping In The Ground

06. Presence Of The Lord

07. Glad

08. Well All Right

09. Double Trouble

10. Pearly Queen

11. Tell The Truth

12. No Face, No Name, No Number

13. After Midnight

14. Split Decision

15. Rambling On My Mind

16. Georgia On My Mind

17. Little Wing

18. Voodoo Chile

19. Can’t Find My Way Home

20. Dear Mr. Fantasy

21. Cocaine

(Note: The list is the same for the DVD, minus track #2.)

Set List for:

February 28, 2008

Madison Square Garden, NYC

01. Had To Cry Today

02. Low Down

03. Forever Man

04. Them Changes (dedicated to the late Buddy Miles)

05. Sleeping In The Ground

06. Presence Of The Lord

07. Glad

08. Well Alright

09. Double Trouble

10. Pearly Queen

11. Tell The Truth

12. No Face

13. After Midnight

14. Split Decision

15. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (EC solo acoustic)

16. Georgia On My Mind (SW solo hammond)

17. Little Wing

18. Voodoo Chile

19. Can’t Find My Way Home

20. Cocaine
Encore:

21. Dear Mr Fantasy

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved