NEW YORK: Didn't Keyboards Used To Sound Cool At One Point? - by J. Blake

Recently I had a chance to finally see Leon Russell perform live; an artist that I personally consider a living legend.

Born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Oklahoma, the (now 67 year-old) music icon began his career playing piano in the Tulsa nightclub scene at the age of 14. He and his fellow Oklahoma musicians of the time (most notably J.J. Cale and Elvin Bishop) pioneered what is now called “The Tulsa Sound”. By the early 1960’s Russell took his “sound” and talent to California, where he found great success as a session musician. As part of Phil Spector’s studio group as well as on his own, Russell played on some of the decade’s most popular records, including The Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece PET SOUNDS.

By 1970 he had branched out on his own as a solo artist, songwriter and producer, recording two collaborative records as well as his own self-titled solo album. He founded the Shelter Record label and managed to keep up his status as one of the industry’s premier sidemen, backing the likes of Joe Cocker on the MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN Tour, Eric Clapton on his self-titled first solo album (even co-authoring the Slowhand standard Blues Power), B.B. King on 1970’s INDIANOLA MISSISSIPPI SEEDS and The Rolling Stones on their iconic album LET IT BLEED.

In 1971 his performance of the Jumping Jack Flash/Young Blood medley was one of the highlights of George Harrison’s charity show, THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH and that same year he helped revive Freddie King’s career by playing on and producing the first of King’s three albums for Shelter Records, GETTING READY (I highly recommend all three).

Throughout his 50+ year career Leon Russell has produced, written and played for most of the music industry’s elite, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Elton John, Willie Nelson, The Band, Johnny Winter and even Frank Sinatra…as well as all the artists mentioned above. He is a true living legend and an artist I have a great deal of respect for. That is why it pains me to say that I found his recent NYC performance, very disappointing.

Russell took the stage at B.B. King’s Bar & Grill in New York City around 8:15pm on Monday July 27th. He was oddly accompanied by the house P.A. blaring U2’s With Or Without You. He and his band opened their set with a medley of Jumping Jack Flash and Papa Was a Rolling Stone, followed by a brief interlude into The Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black and an energetic version of Kansas City. The night was filled with interesting covers (such as Sweet Little Angel, Georgia on My Mind, Wild Horses and The Beatles’ I've Just Seen a Face) as well as Russell classics that included Delta Lady, A Song for You and Back to the Island. The band, accompanied by the entire audience on back-up vocals, finished the show with a rock ‘n’ roll medley of Great Balls of Fire and Roll Over Beethoven.

On paper the show sounds great and to be honest the performance did have some redeeming qualities, but as a whole I’d have to say it was a disappointing evening of music. The band was tight, but their “sound” was very cheesy. Russell’s singing voice was never great, but in his old age it has become extremely nasally and difficult to understand. He sat propped up behind an enormous rig that looked like a device that Doc. Brown (from Back To The Future) might have whipped up in his shop. Hundreds of cables hung from the back of the worn metallic case and it was equipped with an Apple laptop and what appeared to be a second CRT monitor. The sound that emanated from this presumably analog piece of keyboard equipment could best be described as a combination of fake piano tones backed by the synth pads used by Van Halen on their 1984 hit single Jump. It truly was cheesy keyboard incarnate. I could’ve sworn that a lot of those vintage analog synthesizers sounded awesome. What happened? Why did his sound so bad?

Unfortunately the band’s equipment didn’t sound much better. They are all clearly very talented musicians, but keyboardist Brian Lee’s keyboard sounded equally as artificial and guitarist Chris Simmons (whose playing I actually found quite impressive) also somehow managed to find a way to give his guitar a cheesy 80’s synth tone. It was mind boggling.

The song selection was quite good, but the way the songs were performed made them all sound pretty much the same and they all sounded like they belonged on the soundtrack for the original Muppet Movie. Another annoying aspect of the performance was the way the band managed to crowbar in the same exact standard descending blues ending on to literally 85-90% of their set list. It occurred so often that it got comical. Even when a song totally didn’t warrant that type of ending, the band somehow managed to tag it on there. I still can’t figure out if it was a brilliant display of musicianship or totally ridiculous. I’m leaning toward the latter.

As I mentioned earlier the band was tight and talented, but in this setting, with that “sound” one can’t help but make comparisons to your average (but good) wedding band…not a band that once featured one of rock’s greatest rhythm sections (bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordan) and backed some of music’s finest artists. It was almost sad.

A clear highlight of the show that I think is worth noting was the band’s tall and gangly guitarist’s completely solo rendition of Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues. Here the Alabama native, Chris Simmons, traded in the cheesy 80’s tone for a meaty distortion and serenaded the crowd with a soulful vocal and tasteful slide-guitar work.

I don’t regret going to the show and though I found it disappointing there were definitely times where I was enjoying myself. I think diehard Leon Russell fans, will be able to overlook many of the problems that I had with the performance, but I wouldn’t recommend this show for the casual Russell or music fan…but then again the majority of the packed house seemed to be enjoying themselves. So if you’re curious definitely go check it out, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Copyright © 2009 - J. Blake. All Rights Reserved.

Photos courtesy of our very own Nelson G. Onofre

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.

And for our NYC readers, don't miss THE EARTHQUAKE'S final performance together...TOMORROW NIGHT!

J. Blake & The Earthquake @

The Sugar Bar
254 West 72nd Street (between Broadway & West End Ave.)
Wed 8/3 at 9:30pm
Cover: $10

MEMPHIS: Review of Level 5 Leslie Amplifier

Today's article is aimed at organ players, an oft-neglected group of musicians.

Leslie Basics:

In 1940, Don Leslie invented the Leslie speaker cabinet which was sold with Hammond organs. The Leslie is a rotating speaker cabinet which contains a horn driver for reproducing tones over 800 MHz and a 15 inch bass speaker mounted downward which blows into a rotating drum. The overall effect is a spectacular room-filling sound that utilizes the Doppler effect to slightly shift the pitch of the tone, just as a siren or horn moving toward you and then away will drop it's pitch naturally.

There are 2 types of Leslie amps primarily in use today, the 122 and the 147. They are identical with one exception. The 147 uses AC switching to change the Leslie's motor speeds and thus change the speed of the rotating components to provide a steady slow spin or a fast tremolo. The 122 is DC switched and uses two 12AU7 tubes rather than the one found in the 147.



The old style Leslies made of all wood components(such as ones made in the 1960's) are generally more prized for their superior sound quality and because their replacement, the 122A features a Styrofoam bass rotor which after time, tends to cause an obstreperous rattle.

Old style, wooden replacement bass rotor(available from BT Productions)

I own 3 Leslie amplifiers and they are all becoming so aged that they have lost headroom, volume and clarity despite regular tube replacement and maintenance. Rather than having them rebuilt by a reputable firm such as Goff Organ, I decided to take another approach at playing my instrument, the Level 5 amplifier.

Leslie with the front panel removed

Level 5: Overview

The Level 5 is a hybrid custom designed amplifier made with the finest electronic components available. It uses a 6SN7 preamplifier tube on it's front end and a solid state 350 watt main amplifier. Unlike the old 122, the new Level 5 features tremendous variability of tone controls, allowing the player to adjust to his style( from squeaky clean to downright dirty tones) and to adjust bass, mid, and treble as well as the horn driver output.

The Level 5 Leslie amplifier


The Level 5 uses a standard quarter inch phono cable(guitar cord) and thus eliminates the costly and hard to find fat Leslie cables that cost about $100 each and are plagued with problems for the traveling road musician. These cables carry many conducting wires and have between 5 and 9 connection pins, and they also carry AC current to the amplifier. The Level 5 uses a standard AC cable as is used on you computer, again easy to replace.

The Level 5 eliminates the crossover network found in the old Leslie arrangement, having it's crossover built into the unit itself. Thus, the amp sends its power directly to the speakers.

The Level 5 has a two-position equalization switch which allows you to go from a higher to a lower voicing for the entire amp output, another nice touch.

The amp can be connected via quarter inch cable to a clone wheel organ such as a Nord Electro or Hammond XK-3c(my favorite!) or it can be connected using old style cables to a B-3 or other Hammond directly from the organ output(this may require special cable ends depending on the organ).


Hammond-Suzuki XK-3c breaks into two portable components and when
assembled(bottom photo) has the same form factor as the venerable B-3

The optional speed control pedal is a solid 5 pound block of billeted aluminum fitted with Switchcraft switches and fitted with a clear Lexan panel on the bottom to allow for easy inspection or troubleshooting. It's cord is connected using fine cable and a compression fitting- it's downright industrial in durability and the workmanship is outstanding.

From the BT Productions site:

Features:

• Passive tone control set (bass, mid-range, treble)
• Active tone control set (boost/cut for separate sub-bass and brilliance)
• Separate Gain and Volume controls
• Horn level control
• Voicing switch to select preamp voice
• 6 pin cable input connector, plus 1/4" line in with level control
• Effects send/return loop with level control
• 1/4" input for speed control footswitch
• Custom wound power transformer
• Ultra warm preamp tone with large scale 6SN7 tube
• Volume to burn with 350 Watt custom power amp
• Made in U.S.A.

Amplifier designer and sole distributor for the Level 5 is Tony LaBrasca from Chicago. Tony does a great job of insuring that the customer is versed on the set-up and operation of the unit and is a very knowledgeable guy, very experienced in working with Hammond organs and musical instruments in general. After he patiently helped me install the amp over the telephone he called me a couple of days later, asking "Are you getting everything out of it that you wanted?" because Tony wants his customers to be satisfied.

The original Leslie amp puts out about 40 watts of power at best. The Level 5 puts out a stunning 350 watts so the old Leslie speaker and horn driver components must be replaced to handle the additional wattage. I replaced my Jensen P15LL with a beautiful 600 watt Gauss speaker which was built for me by my good friend Dave at Glen Camack's Speaker Services in Memphis. I highly recommend Speaker Services to any musician for any speaker needs. They have been in business 25 years and do superb work.

Glen Camack's Speaker Services
549 S Cooper St
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 725-9620

The original Leslie uses a 16 ohm driver and speaker. The Level 5 requires 8 ohm components. I would get the best speaker for this application as it is a bit unusual in that it's down-firing woofer requires a very thick paper gasket to avoid problems with over-excursion. This is important to avoid rubbing a hole around the edge of your speaker.



Gauss with huge Alnico magnet


Review and Conclusions:

I formerly owned a 960 series Leslie which was powered by a solid state amplifier. Although more powerful than some of the tube models, the tone is quite accurate, but much more sterile, lacking in the saturation and overtone harmonics inherent in the 122 and 147 tube amps. Also, when a transistor amp clips, it produces odd numbered harmonics which are repugnant to the listening ear. The tube amps, when saturated to the point of clipping produce a much more pleasing even numbered harmonic distortion that is the hallmark of many a nasty guitar solo.

After my experiences for 35 years with both types of amps I was totally biased toward the tube ones because of their more musical sound. Transistor amps were great for bass and full range piano reproduction, but tubes were always my choice for harmonica, guitar and organ. After playing the Level 5 with the appropriate upgrades in horn driver and speaker, I must admit that this damn thing is the best sound I have ever heard come from a Leslie...period. That includes the time I performed on Booker T. Jones' custom Goff rig when we shared a stage at the Memphis in May Musicfest a few years ago.

Seriously, this thing kicks major butt. I was almost incredulous at the amount of bass coming from the organ and the sheer volume of sound that the Level 5 delivers. Furthermore, the ability to shape the tone between a pure clean jazz sound all the way to the grunge of "Born to be Wild" is available to the player with just a few adjustments. Engineer Robbie Rose at the Rumboogie Club on Beale was equally impressed. The ability to "tune" the output signal to a particular room via the tone controls is extraordinary. The old Leslie tube amps simply have a volume knob.

Level 5 amp: Note the huge transformer, heat sinks, fan and big preamp tube.

The 6SN7 tube which is also used in the preamp of L100 Hammond organs, is a perfect match for the big transistor amp. It will get funky. It will growl, it will grunt and scream like a panther at a high volume and it also maintains a great tone at low volume levels thanks to the drive and level controls and my ability to dial in the tube sound from the console of my XK-3c.

At $1799 (plus $100 for the speed pedal) the amp is not inexpensive but it is made for the long haul and inherently more durable and trouble-free than the old style tube amps that I love. To me it is worth every penny and having Tony LaBrasca available just a phone call away is an added bonus, although I doubt I will ever need to do anything to this unit other than occasionally replace the one preamp tube. I have been replacing costly sets of 6550 power tubes about twice a year and that will be a thing of the past along with Leslie cables and cumbersome combo preamp pedals on the floor.

For professionals and serious enthusiasts of any genre, I heartily recommend the Level 5 Leslie amplifier without reservation, particularly to the road musician who wants the very best tone or the band musician who plays with a loud band and wants to easily cut through the mix.

available exclusively from:

Tony LaBrasca
BT Productions
(630) 205-4807
clavd6@comcast.net

Here's a link to their site:


http://www.btproductions.com/Gear/Level%205/Level%205%20Amp.htm

article by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms, American Blues Blog

©2009, Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

Chicago: Robert Nighthawk Tooms Man On The Scene

I received another great email this one is from Robert Nighthawk Tooms Keyboard player. He is the keyboard player with the Reba Russell band. He is on the road quite heavily and I have asked him to contribute to this blog. He may become American Blues Blog man on the scene. I'd also like to add he is an outstanding keyboardist.

Helena/West Helena, Arkansas spawned so many great artists. As you may know, Sunshine Sonny Payne was the original host of KFFA's famous King Biscuit Time radio show and he is still alive and doing well in Helena. The Sterling Billingsly Band and the Reba Russell Blues Band appeared at a fundraiser held in June in West Helena to help fund this year's Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival, formerly known as the King Biscuit. Sadly some shiftless en(trap)raneurs copyrighted and sold the King Biscuit name and will not let these nice folks use it for their wonderful festival. The festival has always been free to the public and this year will be the first year that economic forces have caused them to charge a nominal sum for admission. I think it costs only $10 a day to hear 12 hours of good music at the main stage and a discount ticket is available for a 3-day pass. Live music at the other stages is still absolutely free. There are a great number of music fan who travel from all over the world to this event each year and many folks come to the event and camp out at the local campgrounds. Much fun and frivolity is had by all and it is a genuinely friendly crowd. Some very tasty bar-b-que is to be had from local purveyors and some cool records are always in stock at Bubba Sullivan's store on the corner of Cherry Street across from the main stage. The fans bring lawn chairs or sit on the levee of the Mississippi River to hear the music. Helena is located just south of Memphis, about an hour's drive on the blues highway, Highway 61(as the old Mississippi Fred McDowell blues lyric notes, "longest road I know, goes from Chicago clean down to the Gulf of Mexico").

Here's this year's lineup taken from the Sonny Boy Blues Society's website:

Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival

2009 Lineup

The ABHF lineup has been finalized!!! Listed below are the acts for the Main Stage for this year’s event.

Thursday, 8 October 2009

• 12:00 pm- Emerging Artists
• 1:00 pm- Kings of the Delta- 2008 Emerging Artists Winner
• 2:00 pm- 2009 SBBS Battle of the Bands Winner
• 3:00 pm- Johnny Billington
• 4:00 pm- J.P Soars & The Red Hots- 2009 International Blues Challenge winners
• 5:00 pm- Lucious Spiller
• 6:00 pm- Sterling Billingsley
• 7:15 pm- Lil Dave Thompson
• 8:50 pm- John Primer
• 10:30 pm- The Cate Brothers

Friday, 9 October 2009

• 12:00 pm- Harmonica Shah
• 1:15 pm- Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys
• 2:35 pm- Sam Carr with Dave Riley
• 4:00 pm- Red Holloway
• 5:30 pm- Pinetop Perkins & Bob Margolin
• 7:00 pm- Billy Boy Arnold
• 8:45 pm- Michael Burks
• 10:30 pm- Bobby Rush

Saturday, 10 October 2009

• 12:00 pm- Willie P & The NTO Band
• 1:15 pm- Hamilton Loomis
• 2:35 pm- Reba Russell
• 4:05 pm- John Hammond
• 5:40 pm- Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets
• 7:10 pm- Hubert Sumlin & Willie “Big Eyes” Smith Band
• 8:45 pm- Mitch Kasmar
• 10:30 pm- Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonton

For more information, please contact the festival office at 870.816.1106 or 314.580.3764. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks!!

My dear friend, drummer Doug McMinn, and I will be playing with John Primer on Thursday night on the main stage. The Reba Russell Blues band will appear on Saturday afternoon. I thought we went on at 6pm but the schedule says 2:35 pm. Either way it will be one hell of a great day's entertainment.

Doug McMinn organized another fundraiser for the festival which will be held on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Neil's which is located at Madison and McLean in Memphis, Tennessee. The show will start at 1 pm and feature Papa Don McMinn, Robert Nighthawk Tooms and his Wampus Cats, and the Reba Russell Blues Band. All proceeds go to the festival, every last dime.

Thanks Robert and say hi to everyone.

BLUES ME OR LOSE ME,

Terrance "Gatorman" Lape

Blues Week at Augusta/Elkins WV By Monica L. Yasher Pittsburgh, PA

For those of you that want to get better at playing the blues, I have just the place for you. For one solid week there is a small campus in Elkins, West Virginia where the blues goes on 24 x 7 for one solid week. This year blues week takes place from July 12 to July 17. I sorta hesitate to tell you all about camp at Augusta at Davis and Elkins College because I haven’t decided if I’m going this year. If you read it, all the slots could get filled and then I am out. Ouch!

This camp is primarily an acoustic blues camp. Potential blues artists can hone on their skills of harmonica, vocals, fiddle/mandolin, piano, and song writing. Guitarists can hone in on numerous styles such as Chicago Blues, Piedmont Blues Guitar, Bottleneck Slide, Fingerstyle Blues, and Texas Acoustic Blues. And while there, the history of blues has various forums to attend.

I went to Blues camp two years ago. I was sad to miss it last year, but went to Nashville instead for some country music initiatives. You have no idea what a die hard blues intensive work week this is. Let’s talk about it.

You check in and get your room assignment. Unload your car-beer included if you have packed some. If you forgot something, there is the infamous Walmart up the road. It seems the first night is pretty tame.

Your day typically starts early. You stay in a college dorm-co ed. I now have the experience of walking down a dorm hallway and looking like I do when I wake up in the morning. The whole time I'm praying absolutely no one will walk down the hallway the same time as me! Pretty scary-for them. You have to get dressed and ready for breakfast and head off for the college main dining hall. I think they finish serving breakfast pretty early. I can remember I had to be there by 9. If you arrive late, you are SOL. Very SOL. Breakfast is a requirement after the night. You don’t want coffee. You NEED coffee. You then attend classes of your choosing in the morning. I attended a blues vocal class taught by Gaye Adegbalola. Gaye is an honored teacher turned blues singer. She tells you the history of the blues and how to go about singing them. How you really don’t have to be a great vox but sing with feeling. I learned a lot from Gaye. I recommend it.


Before you know it. It’s time for a dining room lunch. It really was pretty good to eat. Of course, you can opt out and go somewhere to eat off campus. But, then you miss connecting with fellow blues artists, as well as the staff. I still write to some of my friends in the Buffalo Harmonica Club two years later. They were a very intriguing bunch of guys I met and I looked forward to my dinners and lunches with them. (I always find people intriguing who water slide naked at high noon down college campus hills. Gooooo Larrrryyyyy ). Alright. Usually the hour after lunch is when the instructors do their solo mini performances, which is cool. The room is small so you are up close and personal with the performer. All the instructors are approachable. One night I hung out with Daryl Davis and talked songwriting with him. He gave me a lot of tips on determining if you song could be worthwhile. I hope I get to talk to Daryl again

Afternoon yields more classes. For me it was a critiquing vocal performance class. This is a great opportunity for all blues artists to get real feedback on their performance, vocals, sale of the song, etc.. It’s sorta of a mini American Idol for blues. How did I do, you ask? OK. I fell on my face. I decided to do an Eva Cassidy version of Ain’t No Sunshine. Decided to work it for the first time as I performed it. So, everyone pretty much thought (knew) I -do I really say it?-sucked. But, for those of you that have had a day like that, you just tell yourself I had a bad PERFORMANCE. Yeah. That’s the ticket. I have since conquered the song. Don't underestimate that I know I know part!

Then there is dining room dinner. After dinner, here is where you can take a mini class. I took a class with Annie Raines on harmonica. She is truly a great personality. But don’t take a class. Here is where you sleep. This is the only time you sleep. You get a couple of hours. That’s it. People told me this on about Wednesday. I guess I was looking like I needed some beauty sleep?

Evening comes on and there are things to do. When I went, Swing week was combined with blues week. That doesn’t seem to be the case this year. At that time all the blues artists did a show for the community one night and then the swing artists did another show on a different night. What was cool about swing week is there was swing dancing instruction. This meant a swing dance every night in the pavilion with the bands being the swing/blues instructors merging. The nights were way cool!

Then after the “formal” evenings don’t plan on going to sleep. On every porch within the campus there are pickup sessions. What I noticed about the pickup sessions, is there is a hierarchy to them. The more years you have in blues camp, the more to the inner circle you sit. If you are new that year, plan on sitting on the outskirts. Still playing, just the outskirts.



There is the icehouse of the college which literally held the ice for the campus in it’s day. There’s a piano there and it is a really cool (I’m so witty ) place to be. I remember I was at the ice house early in the evening with Terry Bean. Terry’s famous saying is “You know I can go all night long”. And, he would! I don't think the man slept. One night Terry and I did one of those versions of bantering with verses and answering each other. I had a lot of fun with Terry at the ice house with those people listening. Terry where are you this year? I have your card, I’ll have to find out. Usually the icehouse belongs to Gaye with various other instructors popping in and out to play with the crowd. It’s truly a great night-every night! I typically hung out at the ice house. It offered more vocals there. Porches are players.


Now for those of you that like the electric blues, the boiler house is hot and the place to be. I spent time at the furnace too. It is an electric blues open mic. It’s neat to play with all the players across the country. Come to think of it, I had fun there too. Probably as much fun as the ice house.

On Friday it is open mic where all the campers get to perform among their peers. You will never have a more loving audience than this group. So if you go and want to perform, this is the time to give yourself the shot. If you are truly scared, go later in the performance. The crowd seems to dwindle down as the day goes on. If you are a performer, go early so people see your stuff. For my performance, it required some stalking on my part. I don’t play so I had to hunt up a guitarist. I was walking down the lane at the college and happened to see Pud (didn’t know his name then) carrying a guitar case. I said, hey you want to back me on the show on Friday? Pud and I worked on a song I wrote. He was able to hone in on the slide guitar tricks he was learning and I sang. We did pretty well for the, what pud? 3 rehearsals we put in? I received positive feedback on the song. It’s these little moments you conquer that let you know you should be doing your music. Thanks Augusta! Thanks Pud!

The first night I was there, I went to bed normal time. Monday 1:00 am, Tuesday 2:00 am Wednesday 3:00 am and Thursday 4:00 am. Friday I couldn’t take it and went to bed at midnight knowing I was leaving the next morning and probably had laundry to do after I drove my 3 hours to get home. It was truly an experience. This is why you want a dorm room and do not want to stay off campus. It’s late (or should I say early?) and all you have to do is walk to your bed and collapse until breakfast and then you do it again, except later than the night before. I love Blues Camp!

You might enjoy reading about a blues cruise here.


Copyright © 2009 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. 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