Eric Clapton vs. Buddy Guy, Super Show, 1969

This is a short, 45 second clip, and it's not so much a battle of players as much as it is just two friends firing licks at each other.  Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton performing together in 1969, and their musical friendship has been a lasting one for many decades.

Happy Birthday, Bo Diddley

Here is Bo Diddley, playing the song with his name in it.  His real name was Ellas Otha Bates.  Happy Birthday, Bo Diddley.  Rest In Peace.  Bo Diddley passed away on June 2nd, 2008, just six months shy of his 80th birthday. 

Skip's Spotify Sunday, 12-30-12

Have relied as much on Spotify for music this week as listening to new CD's I got as Christmas gifts, all of which, will be blogged at some point in the not too distant future.  Got to listen to Lee Ritenour's "Rit 2" album, which is just as good as the original "Rit" from 1981.  "Rit 2" was released in 1982.  Also discovered albums by one of my favorite country music artists, Lee Roy Parnell.  Parnell is different than typical country artists.  He's a skilled guitarist who draws on (instead of the traditional Telecaster twang of most country music), heavy doses of Allman Brothers inspired slide guitar, giving his music a bluesier, more boogie rock edge.

Yet, this slight shift in genre toward boogie rock and blues, still earned Parnell success in the 1990s, and he's still got the fire.  Might have reviewed one of his more recent albums on this blog.  Yours truly will check that.  But, as for the discoveries of his music on Spotify, listened to two of his earlier recordings.  1993's "On The Road", and 1995's "We All Get Lucky Sometimes" 

Lee Roy Parnell “On the Road”

1.       On The Road

2.       Country Down To My Soul

3.       The Power of Love

4.       I’m Holding My Own

5.       They Don’t Know You

6.       Straight Shooter

7.       Take These Chains from My Heart (feat. Ronnie Dunn: vocals)

8.       Wasted Time

9.       Straight And Narrow

10.     Fresh Coat of Paint (feat. Ronnie Dunn: vocals)

Lee Roy Parnell “We All Get Lucky Sometimes”

1.       A Little Bit of You

2.       Knock Yourself Out

3.       Heart’s Desire

4.       When a Woman Loves A Man (feat. Trisha Yearwood: vocals)

5.       If The House Is Rockin’

6.       We All Get Lucky Sometimes (feat. Mary Chapin Carpenter: vocals)

7.       Saved By The Grace of Your Love

8.       Givin’ Water To A Drowning Man

9.       I Had To Let It Go

10.   Squeeze Me In (this song became a hit for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood later on)

11.   Cat Walk (instrumental)

Additional track:

John the Revelator (Son House cover/gospel song) from “Hits and Highways Ahead” album

Parnell's brother Rob Roy Parnell is an accomplished blues harmonica player, and played on "We All Get Lucky Sometimes".  Not sure which tune he is featured on, though.

The other album is "Rit 2" by Lee Ritenour.  It is the follow up to his 1981 recording "Rit", which was blogged here before, within the past year or so.  "Rit 2" was released in 1982, and has much the same idea as the original.

Lee Ritenour: “Rit 2”

1.       Cross My Heart

2.       Promises, Promises

3.       Dreamwalkin’

4.       Keep It Alive

5.       A Fantasy

6.       Tied Up

7.       Voices

8.       On The Boardwalk

9.       Road Runner

10.     Malibu

Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders "Georgia On My Mind"

From a show, 40 years ago today, here's Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders playing "Georgia On My Mind" at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo, California.

Duane Trucks & Flannel Church "Manic Depression" (feat. Roosevelt Collier)

Derek Trucks' brother Duane (a drummer), and his band Flannel Church, playing a funkified, supercharged version of Jimi Hendrix' "Manic Depression", featuring Roosevelt Collier on pedal steel guitar.  Collier sounds very similar to another favorite bluesy pedal steel player, Robert Randolph.  This is a sweet jam.  Check it out.

Mavis Staples

Check out this entry on Mavis Staples' newest music from the blog In A Blue Mood that yours truly has been following.  Saw Mavis Staples open for Bonnie Raitt last summer at the Minnesota State Fair and was moved by her set in a spiritual way to be sure.

http://inabluemood.blogspot.com/2012/12/mavis-staples-urges-us-to-have-little.html

Frank Zappa interview circa 1993

An interview with Frank Zappa on the Today Show circa 1993.

Skip's Spotify Sunday, 12-23-12

Derek Trucks Band All I Do           Songlines

Derek Trucks Band Live @ The Georgia Theater

Gonna Move

Leaving Trunk

Angola

Joyful Noise

Freddie’s Dead

Look-Ka Py Py                    Out of The Madness

Derek Trucks Band                          Soul Serenade

Soul Serenade”/”Rasta Man Chant

Bock To Bock

Drown In My Own Tears

Afro Blue

Elvin

Oriental Folk Song

Sierra Leone

Gov’t Mule  « Mulelennium «  Disc 2

When The Blues Come Knockin’ (feat. Little Milton Campbell)

My Dog & Me (feat. Little Milton Campbell)

Lump on Your Stump (feat. Little Milton Campbell)

I Can’t Quit You Baby (feat. Little Milton Campbell)

Al di Meola Casino

The Charlie Daniels Band Live From Iraq

Intro (Notte Pericolosa)

In America

The South’s Gonna Do It Again

The Legend of Wooley Swamp

Saddle Tramp

Simple Man

Iraq Blues

Floreeda Road

Uneasy Rider

How Great Thou Art

Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye

Rocky Top

The Devil Went Down To Georgia

Return To Forever “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy”

Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy

After The Cosmic Rain

Captain Senor Mouse

Theme To The Mothership

Space Circus

The Game Maker

Spain (2011 version from “The Mothership Returns”)

School Days (2011 version from “The Mothership Returns”)

Marcus Miller

Grandfather Child

1.       Can’t Seem To Forget

2.       Gonna Have Ourselves A Vision

3.       Magical Word

4.       New Orleans

5.       I Would Like To Thank The Universe/Planet Earth

6.       Across Our Minds

7.       Waiting For You

8.       Ride That Train

9.       It Shines On

New jam playlist

1. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed     Allman Brothers Band
2. September 13th                         Deodato
3. Elvin                                          The Derek Trucks Band'
4. Hottentot                                   Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood
5. Spillway                                    The Derek Trucks Band
6. After The Cosmic Rain              Return To Forever
7. Light Years                               Chick Corea Elektric Band
8. The Shadow Of Lo/Sorceress   Return To Forever
9. Time Track                               Chick Corea Elektric Band
10. Song To The Pharaoh Kings   Return To Forever
11. One Less Worry                     Niacin
12. Lookout 31                            The Derek Trucks Band
13. On The Fritz                           Jens Johansson, Anders Johansson & Allan Holdsworth
14. Freeway Jam                          Jeff Beck
15. Straphangin'                           The Brecker Brothers
16. Afro Blue                               Gov't Mule
17. Side Walk                              Chick Corea Elektric Band
18. Sivad                                     Miles Davis
19. King Cockroach                    Chick Corea Elektric Band
20. Claudia Lewis                        M83
21. Bitches Brew                         Miles Davis
22. Pigeons - Live                       Widespread Panic
23. Flamingo                               Chick Corea Elektric Band
24. Spanish Key                         Miles Davis
25. Elektric City                         Chick Corea Elektric Band
26. In A Silent Way/It's About
      That Time/In A Silent Way    Miles Davis
27. Aurora Part 1                       Jean Luc Ponty
28. Aurora Part 2                       Jean Luc Ponty
29. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat         Stanley Clarke

John Popper & Eric Clapton "Christmas Blues"

OK.  One more Christmas song for everybody.  John Popper and Eric Clapton jamming out on "Christmas Blues".  The official title of the tune is "Christmas Without You".  Check this out.

Little Feat (Paul Barrere & the North Pole Allstars) "Santa Gotta Get Some"

Check out this song.  Another Christmas tune.  It's an original written by guitarist Paul Barrere of Little Feat called "Santa Gotta Get Some" that he performs with a band called the North Pole All Stars.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

record collection revisited: Mannheim Steamroller "Christmas" & "Deck The Halls"

1. Deck The Halls (Welsh Ayre)
2. We Three Kings (John Hopkins: 1857)
3. Bring A Torch Jeanette, Isabella (17th century French carol)
4. Coventry Carol (16th century English carol)
5. Good King Wenceslas (Traditional English carol)
6. Wassail, Wassail (English Carol)
7. Carol of the Bells (Bas-Quercy)
8. I Saw Three Ships (15th century legend)
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (English carol)
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (English carol)*version 2
11. Stille Nacht (Silent Night) (Franz Gruber, 1816)

Mannheim Steamroller, led by Chip Davis is a unique ensemble best known for Christmas recordings.  This particular one dates back to 1984.  The Mannheim Steamroller has a way of blending traditional and classical music with synthesizers, and typically plays traditional Christmas carols and melodies.  The beauty of these carols is simply what might draw a listener to these recordings.  Mannheim Steamroller records these records and does Christmas shows quite frequently.

Chip Davis is the name behind Mannheim Steamroller and the founder of the group.  Here are the musical credits for the album.

Jackson Berkey: Baldwin SD10, Davis Harpsichord, Clavichord, Toy Piano, Prophet 5, Fender Rhodes, vocals, & camel bells

Eric Hansen: lute & bass

Chip Davis: drums, percussion, recorder (solos & a chorus), Black Oak Hammered Dulcimer, soprano Dulcian, Crumhorn, camel bells, vocals, dry ice, dots and lines

Ron Cooley: classic & 12 string guitars

Steve Shipps: violin solos (Renaissance ensemble Le doo dah)

David "High D" Kappy: French Horn

David Low: cello (Renaissance ensemble, Le doo dah)

Mary Walter: harp (Renaissance ensemble, Le doo dah)

Willis Ann Ross: flute

Bobby Jenkins: Oboe

String section:

Richard Lohmann, Richard Altenbach, Grace Granata, Wayne Anderson, Bill Ritchie, Michelle Brill, Michael Strauss, & Roxanne Adams

Definitely check this record out.  A very cool Christmas record by a very unique band.

 

early blues influences

I wrote an essay in college comparing the influences of early blues to modern masters in a way, specifically underscoring the influence of Robert Johnson on Eric Clapton.  I have highlighted many early blues masters in this blog before.  But to give a broad, general idea of who yours truly has listened to for inspiration in terms of the beginnings of the blues, here are some names.

Robert Johnson
Bukka White
Charley Patton
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Willie McTell
Son House
Mississippi Fred McDowell

Those are just a few of the names.  These names came either from the Delta or the hill country in Mississippi.  Now, forgive me for not recalling more names.  I try to be a researcher of early American roots music.  I am working on it.  Should names come up that come from other blues traditions, they will be mentioned.  Hey, some of them have been clearly illustrated in other posts.  Yours truly has several influences.  It just depends on which styles of music really captivate me at the moment.  So, this is a mere sample.

More will be highlighted.  Stay tuned.