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Steve Morse has posted a new "Notes from the road" update on his website. He talks about the current Deep Purple tour, and how his son joined them onstage for Smoke On the Water. I saw Purple when they came through Chicago last week - awesome show.
There is also a new equipment pictorial on Morse's site showing the gear he's using on the Purple tour. Very cool!
I attended the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival this past Saturday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL. What an incredible day. There were so many great players and jams. My favorite set of the day was Derek Trucks. Great band. Jeff Beck and John McLaughlin were also awesome. And Albert Lee was on fire with Vince Gill's band. The Guitar Village was really cool too. Fender, Gibson, and Ernie Ball all had booths setup where you could play their various guitars.
I took a ton of pics and uploaded them to a Picasa web album. I wasn't close enough to the stage to get any great pics, but they're not bad. I took a lot of shots of the video screens too. Some of the pics may seem redundant, but I basically uploaded everything I had. Click the pic below to see the album.
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| Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 |
My review of the new Robben Ford album Truth has been posted at Modern Guitars Magazine.
UPDATE 8/13/07: I've republished my review below.
Jazz/blues guitar legend Robben Ford's latest album Truth (Concord Records) features a set of sophisticated blues songs that really shows his strength as a songwriter. Though much of his early work was in the jazz and fusion genre's, Ford only takes occasional trips into that realm nowadays (e.g., with Jing Chi). The main focus of his solo albums has almost always been the blues; that's certainly the case with Truth. Whether it's the trials and tribulations of the 9-to-5 grind ("Lateral Climb"), a tribute to a musical icon ("Riley B King", co-written with Keb' Mo' as an homage to B.B. King), or even an anti-war message ("Peace On My Mind"), Ford's common denominator on this album is the blues.
As a guitarist, the part of Ford's playing that has always struck me is his touch. His phrases have a very mature, dynamic feel to them that is instantly recognizable. The guy sounds like he's been playing for a hundred years. And his tone has that enviable strong-yet-clean quality that most players in this genre strive for. There's a dry, natural punchiness to his sound that really allows the nuances of his touch come through.
Even though Truth's focus is the songwriting, and the stories Ford wants to tell, there are many guitar highlights on this album. Ford's soloing here is obviously blues-based, but his jazz chops pop up now and then as well. The "jazziest" guitar lines on the album are on "How Deep In The Blues (Do You Want To Go)". This is a sophisticated blues song with some nice changes that give Ford a chance to stretch out a bit harmonically. Ford's cover of the Otis Redding song "Nobody's Fault But Mine" features some great playing also. This track has a fun, live feel to it, especially near the end (the only other cover on the album is a shuffling, funky version of Paul Simon's "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor" with guest vocalist Susan Tedeschi ). "You're Gonna Need A Friend" really stands out as well. Co-written with Ford's wife, Anne Kerry Ford, this track features great backing vocals courtesy of Siedah Garrett, and some cool changes for the solo section.
The most "guitar-heavy" song on Truth is probably "Too Much" (written by Ford's nephew Gabriel Ford). This is a deliberate, grinding tune that ends with some nice interplay between Ford and Larry Goldings on the Hammond B3 organ. The excellent Live In Tokyo album that Larry Carlton recorded with Ford last fall includes a great live version of this song. The strong minor blues cut "Moonchild Blues" is another highlight. The kind of lines Ford plays here are what sets him apart as a guitarist and improviser. Within the blues genre, there aren't many players who can whip out the cool jazz lines Ford uses in this song. He turns what could have been a standard minor blues into something hipper and more mature.
In all, Truth is a fine collection of contemporary blues songs. Aided by a stellar cast of guest musicians and co-writers, Ford has succeeded in crafting a fresh-sounding album, within the framework of an age-old musical style. This is also the case from a blues guitar standpoint. Ford's jazz vocabulary adds a sophistication to his blues playing that few players can match. His solos here are always tasty, inventive, and highly enjoyable. The same could be said for the album as a whole.
Robben Ford - Truth (Concord Records)
Tracklisting
1. Lateral Climb
2. How Deep In The Blues (Do You Want To Go)
3. Nobody's Fault But Mine
4. Riley B. King
5. You're Gonna Need A Friend
6. One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor (featuring Susan Tedeschi)
7. Too Much
8. Peace On My Mind
9. There'll Never Be Another You
10. River Of Soul
11. Moonchild Blues
I know, I know. I've embedded a lot of videos lately. This one was just uploaded last night and was too cool to pass up. This is Allan Holdsworth playing "Red Alert" in Pittsburgh on 3/23/07 (same show I posted a clip from the other day). Chad Wackerman is on drums, Jimmy Johnson is on bass.
Found this great video of Scott Henderson from 7/21/07 at the Atri Blues Festival in Italy.
The highly anticipated Improvision album featuring Alex Machacek (guitar), Jeff Sipe (drums), and Matthew Garrison (bass) will be released by Abstract Logix Records on September 18th. Abstract Logix will begin preselling on August 12th. There's already a lot of buzz surrounding this release, and this incredible trio. Can't wait to hear this one.
All About Jazz has posted a review of the new Jeff Beck guitar tribute Freeway Jam: To Beck And Back.
Link
See also:
Read my review of this disc here
My review of the upcoming Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien: Legacy Edition CD/DVD has been posted at Modern Guitars Magazine.
Review: Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien (Legacy Edition)
UPDATE 8/1/07: I've republished my review below
When Joe Satriani's Surfing With The Alien album was originally released in 1987, it became the first instrumental rock guitar album to crack the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart. Now Epic/Legacy Recordings is re-releasing this groundbreaking album in a special 20th anniversary edition CD/DVD set. Included in this reissue are a newly remastered version of the original album, plus a DVD of Satriani's 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival performance. Also included are new liner notes from Satriani himself, in which he describes how Surfing With The Alien was made, and his inspiration and writing process for each song. This is a nice touch that should inspire many Satriani fans to pick up the new version even if they already own the original.
Surfing With The Alien wasn't the first instrumental rock guitar album by any means - but it was the first to bring the genre to a wider audience. After Surfing, there was a bumper-crop of similar albums released throughout the late '80s. "A rising tide lifts all boats" as they say, and that was certainly the case in those days for instrumental rock guitar artists. Ultimately, no one quite matched Satriani's wide-ranging appeal, but he opened the door for many players that may not have had the exposure they received otherwise. Though it seems to be coming around again today (albeit to a lesser extent), the genre lost much of its popularity once the grunge scene took hold in the early '90s.
What's impressive about Surfing With The Alien is that Satriani was able to craft such a popular, genre-defining album with the limited resources he had. The drum machine usage is sometimes obvious, and the lead tones are a bit harsh at times, but the slick writing and shear guitar bravado on this album catapulted Satriani's career.
Though "Satch Boogie", "Always With Me, Always With You", and the title track were the most popular songs from Surfing With The Alien when it was first released (as evidenced by their rather consistent airplay on rock radio stations at the time), there are other, arguably better songs on this album that deserve attention. "Ice Nine", for example, has turned into a Satriani classic. The deep groove, cool clean tones, and strong solos (especially on the bluesy outro) really make this one of Satriani's best compositions. Another standout track is "Circles". This song starts out with a cool double-stop/chordal melody before abruptly shifting into high-energy rock territory. For his solo here, Satriani leaves nothing in the bag - blues licks, tapping, wild legato runs, crazy whammy bar dives, you name it. Then, just as quickly as it began, the drive-by of vintage late-'80s shred ends, and the mellow main melody returns.
There are other great songs as well. "Crushing Day", and "Lords Of Karma" show off Satriani's knack for writing catchy songs that use a wide variety of guitar tones. His writing takes a more sophisticated turn on songs like "Echo", and the two-handed tapping piece "Midnight". Overall, the strong compositions and solid playing on Surfing With The Alien have stood the test of time.
The DVD of Satriani's 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival show is a very cool addition to this package, and gives you a good idea of how he played (and looked) in those days. In the liner notes, Satriani tells the tale of a long, crazy travel day before this show. They arrived too late for a soundcheck, and it was 4 a.m. before Satriani and band mates Stu Hamm (bass) and Jonathan Mover (drums) finally hit the stage. The guys do look a little tired during this gig, but the performance doesn't seem to suffer much. After a few wrinkles in the opening song "Ice Nine", the band settles in and puts on a good show.
If Surfing With The Alien were released today for the first time, would it be the chart-making platinum album it was back in the day? Probably not. A lot has changed in the music scene over the past 20 years; It's hard to imagine hearing "Satch Boogie" or "Always With Me, Always With You" on top 40 radio today, given the current musical climate. That said, Surfing With The Alien is one of the most important albums in its genre. Even if you already own this album, I would still recommend picking up the new re-released version. The remastered tracks sound great, and the live DVD and Satriani's new liner notes really sweeten the pot. Fans of the current instrumental/progressive/fusion guitar scene who have never heard this album should check it out as well. Not only for the historical perspective either; you'll want it for the same, simple reason it was so popular 20 years ago - great writing and great guitar playing.
Surfing With the Alien (20th Anniversary Epic/Legacy Edition)
Originally released October 1987
CD -- Disc 1 (remastered)
01. Surfing with the Alien
02. Ice 9
03. Crushing Day
04. Always With Me, Always With You
05. Satch Boogie
06. Hill of the Skull
07. Circles
08. Lords of Karma
09. Midnight
10. Echo
Original album credits
Joe Satriani -- guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, drum programming
Bongo Bob Smith -- drum programming, sound design, percussion
Jeff Campitelli -- drums, percussion
John Cuniberti -- percussion
Jeff Kreeger -- pre-production programming and sound design
All songs written and arranged by Joe Satriani
All songs published by Strange Beautiful Music/ASCAP
DVD -- Disc 2 -- Live at Montreux (previously unreleased)
01. Ice 9
02. Memories
03. Midnight
04. Rubina
05. Circles
06. Lords of Karma
07. S.T.U.
08. Echo
09. Hordes of Locusts
10. Always With Me, Always With You
11. Satch Boogie
Joe Satriani -- guitar
Stu Hamm -- bass
Jonathan Mover -- drums
Recorded July 14, 1988 at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
All songs are previously unreleased.
All songs written and arranged by Joe Satriani except for S.T.U.
There's some new Greg Howe videos out on the interwebs. The video I've embedded here is a Parkwood Hybrid guitar ad where Greg shows off the guitar. He plays some really hip stuff; check it out.
Also, Greg has two masterclass video lessons on Guitar Player TV where he covers his "Hammer-Ons From Nowhere" technique. They are essentially companions to his master class article in the August issue of Guitar Player magazine, but he mostly shows stuff that was not included there. Those videos are not embeddable, so you'll need go to the Guitar Player TV site to see them. Great stuff.
From the Radio And Interbet Newsletter:
In an exclusive interview, SoundExchange director John Simson told RAIN -- for publication -- that royalty-compliant webcasters can continue operating even after the July 15th royalty bill deadline without fear of legal action, a dramatic change from the position webcasters and audiences were expecting the organization to endorse.
Speaking
to RAIN, Simson said, "For the people who want to comply with the law
and are in bona fide negotiations with us, we don't want those people
to be intimidated. And we don't want them to stop streaming."
----------
Personally, from all I've read on this turn of events, it seems to a temporary reprieve that is only delaying the inevitable. But it is good news - many stations, including mine, that would have gone silent after this weekend will now continue to stream for the time being.
Rich
FYI - The August issue of Guitar Player magazine is chock-full of great stuff; one of the best issues I've seen in a while. There's a big feature on Joe Satriani regarding the upcoming 20th anniversary re-release of Surfing With The Alien (look for my review soon), a Greg Howe masterclass article, a Chris Poland interview, a review of the Bruford Rock Goes To College CD (featuring Allan Holdsworth of course), cool articles on Gary Moore and Django Reinhardt, and other great stuff. It's on news stands now. If you like this site, you'll want to pick up this issue.
Just got back from my family vacation last night. Looks like there was not a lot of news on the progressive/fusion guitar front while I was gone. One item that caught my eye is Steve Morse will be giving a free guitar clinic in Manchester CT on August 1st. Here is the exact location:
DuBaldo & Beller’s Music
50 Purnell Place
Manchester CT 06040
Call (860) 649-2036 for more info
Hey all,
I'm going to be out of town until next Tuesday. During that time the radio stream will be down, and I probably won't be posting any updates.
Rich
All About Jazz has posted a review of Allan Holdsworth's 7/2/07 performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
Paul Giibert - Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar
Allan Holdsworth - Live at The Baked Potato 1/18/08
The Jazz Ministry - Live at The Baked Potato 1/17/08
Gustavo Assis-Brasil - Hybrid Picking for Guitar (Book)
John McLaughlin and S. Ganesh Vinayakram - The Gateway to Rhythm DVD
Paul Gilbert: Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar
Gilbert's second all-instrumental album. Great writing, slick production, scary shredding.
Toto: Falling in Between Live DVD
Lots of excellent Steve Lukather footage. Includes interview with all the band members.
Steve Stevens: Memory Crash
Great prog-like instrumentals from the long-time Billy Idol guitarist. Also features "Day Of The Eagle" with dUg Pinnick on vocals.
Dig Trio
Great jazz fusion album featuring hybrid-picker Gustavo Assis-Brasil. Available as an MP3 download.
Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe, Matthew Garrison: Improvision
Incredible writing and playing. A remarkable album.
Uncle Moe's Space Ranch: Moe's Town
Incredible "new" fusion from guitarists Brett Garsed & T.J. Helmerich. Very fresh and highly original.
