Gregg Allman's Farewell Album Is Now Available For Stream

A bonus post for your Thursday.  Gregg Allman's final musical statement before his passing, "Southern Blood", will be released a week from tomorrow.  You can listen to the record in it's entirety HERE.

http://liveforlivemusic.com/news/gregg-allman-southern-blood-stream/

The track listing is:

1. My Only True Friend (Gregg Allman/Scott Sharrard)
2. Once I Was (Tim Buckley/Larry Beckett)
3. Going Going Gone (Bob Dylan)
4. Black Muddy River (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter)
5. I Love The Life I Live (Willie Dixon)
6. Willin' (Lowell George)
7. Blind Bats And Swamp Rats (Jack Avery)
8. Out of Left Field (Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham Jr./Dan Penn)
9. Love Like Kerosene (Scott Sharrard)
10. Song For Adam (feat. Jackson Browne) (Jackson Browne)

Rest In Peace, Gregg.  Your music will live on forever.

Thelonius Monk "Lulu's Back In Town"

Check out Thelonius Monk and his quartet, playing in 1966, with the composition "Lulu's Back In Town" The musicians are Thelonius Monk on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums.

In Memoriam: John Abercrombie

Sad news.  We have lost another musical giant.  May you Rest In Peace, jazz guitar great, John Abercrombie.  Another guitar master, Nels Cline, recalls Abercrombie in this obituary in Premier Guitar magazine.

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/26202-john-abercrombie-1944-2017?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PGN+-+082617&utm_term=PG+Weekly

Gregg Allman - Japan - 1977

Check out this performance by Gregg Allman and his solo band, taped in Japan, for a television show in 1977, 40 years ago.  Yours truly just discovered this and has never seen it before.  A very cool find to be sure.  The concert set list is:

1. Trouble No More
2. Don't Keep Me Wondering
3. Queen of Hearts
4. Let This Be A Lesson To Ya'
5. Sweet Feeling
6. One More Try
7. Come & Go Blues
8. Move Me (feat. Cher)
9. Midnight Rider

The band lineup is:

Gregg Allman: vocals, Hammond B3 organ, guitar, piano
Rick Hirsch: guitar
John Hug: guitar
Neil Larsen: keyboards
Charlie Dinwiddie: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, percussion
Kenneth Burk: bass
Bill Stewart: drums
Cher Allman: vocals

Gregg Allman's appearance with his solo band on Private Sessions

An in-studio performance, and an interview, with Gregg Allman, playing with his solo band, back in 2010 or so.  The band lineup is:

Gregg Allman: Hammond B3, acoustic & electric guitars, vocals
Bruce Katz: Hammond B3, piano
Scott Sharrard: lead guitar
Jerry Jemmott: bass
Steve Potts: drums, percussion
Jay Collins: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, percussion 

The set list is:

1. Whipping Post
2. Melissa
3. I'm No Angel
4. Just Another Rider
5. Floating Bridge

Gregg Allman's Final Album, 'Southern Blood', Ties Up Loose Ends

Another great article, on "Southern Blood", this time from the Wall Street Journal.

***

The legendary rocker worked to finish the album until just before he died; 'I hope you're haunted by the music of my soul when I'm gone'.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/gregg-allmans-final-album-southern-blood-ties-up-loose-ends-1503745205

Gregg Allman: His Life and Final Album

Great article on the late, great Gregg Allman's final recording that will be released in a couple of weeks, "Southern Blood", from Flamingo magazine, out of Florida.

http://www.flamingomag.com/2017/08/23/gregg-allman-midnight-rider/?utm_content=buffere3d3d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

To add another tribute, here is Gregg's solo performance on the piano, of his great song "Oncoming Traffic" from his induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 16th, 2006.

Charlie Haden & Chet Baker "Silence"

Two jazz legends performing together, as part of a quartet.  This is Charlie Haden on bass, and Chet Baker on trumpet, performing the composition "Silence".  Not sure who the pianist or the drummer are on this track, unfortunately. 

Derek Trucks & McCoy Tyner "Greensleeves"

Derek Trucks on guitar, and the legend, McCoy Tyner, on piano, playing "Greensleeves".  Check this out.

Stream John Prine's Rare Live Album 'September '78'

Concert record, with "Angel From Montgomery" and other choice cuts, is being released digitally for the very first time.

http://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/stream-john-prines-reissued-live-album-september-78-w498634

John Lee Hooker "Boom Boom"

We remember John Lee Hooker today on what would be his 100th birthday, with a very cool solo version of one of his best, "Boom Boom".  Rest In Peace, John Lee.  This man knew how to groove like only very few in music, can.

Leadbelly "On A Monday"

This is the promised original version of Leadbelly's "On A Monday" that actually comes from The Smithsonian Folkways Collection. 

Peter Bernstein Trio

Check out the Peter Bernstein Trio live at the Village Vanguard jazz club, located in Greenwich Village in New York City.  This concert was recorded on November 13th, 2013.

Peter Bernstein: guitar
Larry Goldings; organ
Bill Stewart: drums

The World's Most Famous Unknown Band

From March 1990, Chet Atkins presents "The World's Most Famous Unknown Band" in a salute to Ralph Emery, and that band is: Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed, Steve Wariner, Roy Clark, Ray Stevens, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Greenwood, Steve Gatlin, Barbara Mandrell, and Irlene Mandrell.

In Memoriam: Chuck Loeb

We fondly remember the late, great jazz/jazz fusion guitarist Chuck Loeb who passed away recently.  He recorded as a solo artist, but also played with the great contemporary jazz quartet, Fourplay for a number of years, coming into the band after two other great jazz guitarists had stints playing with Fourplay (Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton).  The nucleus of Fourplay is Bob James on piano and keys, Nathan East on bass, and Harvey Mason on drums.  To honor his legacy, here is video of a Fourplay concert that was filmed in Bratislava, Slovakia.  Rest In Peace, Chuck Loeb.

*Note: the narration of the concert DVD this comes from, is in Slovakian.  

Gregg Allman "My Only True Friend"

The music video for the first single from Gregg Allman's posthumously released final record, "Southern Blood", that will be out in a couple of weeks.  This is "My Only True Friend".  Fans will definitely have mixed emotions listening to this.  Happiness, and sadness, at the same time.  The lyrics that open the song say so much.

You and I both know, this river will surely flow, to an end
Keep me in your heart, keep your soul on the mend 

Wow.  The album, when it is released, will be a great one, a masterpiece.  Looking forward to hearing the whole thing.  This is heavy.  Believe me.

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Sweet Virginia (with The Wood Brothers)

Tedeschi Trucks Band and the Wood Brothers perform "Sweet Virginia" by the Rolling Stones, live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

GRP Super Live In Concert (Japan 1987 - Laserdisc)

GRP Super Live In Concert - Japan 1987.

Taken from the LaserDisc release.

1. The Sauce 2. Target 3. Deedles' Blues 4. An Actor's Life 5. Overture 6. No Zone 7. Light Years 8. Encore

Lee Ritenour (guitar), Chick Corea (keyboards), Tom Scott (saxophone), Diane Schuur (vocals, acoustic piano), Barnaby Finch (synthesizers), Tim Landers (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Dave Weckl (acoustic & electric drums), John Patitucci (electric & acoustic bass), Frank Gambale (electric guitar), Eric Marienthal (saxophone)

...plus...you get to watch a Pioneer CLD-D505 switch sides and start playing the infamous turtle.

Highlights of the 2017 Peach Music Festival + tributes to Butch Trucks, Col. Bruce Hampton, and Gregg Allman

JamBase highlights of the 2017 Peach Music Festival at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Joe Russo's Almost Dead Keeps It Simple at First Day of Peach Music Festival - Photos & Audio

https://www.jambase.com/article/joe-russos-almost-dead-keeps-it-simple-at-first-day-of-2017-peach-music-festival-photos-audio

Full Show Audio: MMJ Honors Gregg Allman At Peach Music Festival

https://www.jambase.com/article/full-show-audio-mmj-honors-gregg-allman-peach-music-festival

A Peach Of A Friday: 2017 Peach Music Festival Day Two - Photos & Videos

https://www.jambase.com/article/peach-friday-2017-peach-music-festival-day-two-photos-videos

Remembering Butch & Gregg: Saturday at 2017 Peach Music Festival Photos & Videos

https://www.jambase.com/article/remembering-butch-gregg-saturday-2017-peach-music-festival-photos-videos

Another great year at Peach Fest, remembering the music of the greats.  We will always remember, Butch Trucks, Col. Bruce Hampton, and Gregg Allman.  May you all Rest In Peace, and may we as fans keep your music in our hearts forever. 

Glen Campbell: 1936-2017

Memories of, and tributes to Glen Campbell continue.  Here is an obituary, written in Premier Guitar magazine.

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/26120-glen-campbell-19362017?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PGN%20-%20081217&utm_term=PG%20Weekly

concert review Herbie Hancock @ Minnesota Zoo Weesner Family Amphitheater, August 11th, 2017

Herbie Hancock's musical legacy as a jazz legend extends back over five decades, and that legacy continued on Friday night at the Minnesota Zoo Weesner Family Amphitheater in Apple Valley, Minnesota.  Hancock assembled an incredibly talented band to back him on his current tour including guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist James Genus, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and multi instrumentalist/producer (on additional keyboards and alto saxophone for this gig), Terrace Martin.  Martin, is best known, as one of the producers of hip hop star Kendrick Lamar's 2015 record "To Pimp A Butterfly".

Hancock truly had an all-star group backing him up, and the rhythm section of Genus and Colaiuta were in the pocket the entire evening, while Loueke's wah wah accentuated guitar lines and solos were also memorable.  The songs performed varied from throughout Hancock's long career and were vehicles for improvisation from Hancock and the rest of the ensemble.  The set opened with "Overture (Fascinating Rhythm)" off of Hancock's 1998 release "Gershwin's World", a tribute to the great composer George Gershwin.  Proceeding to really amp up the energy the band launched into "Actual Proof", a funky, buoyant composition from his 1974 "Thrust" record.  

Where there was flute on the original record, this is where Hancock's electric keyboards and Terrace Martin's alto sax filled in the spaces.  Then came a composition that yours truly heard for the first time, "Come Running To Me", recorded on the "Sunlight" album that was released in 1978.  "Come Running To Me" evolved into a long form jam and again, Martin's saxophone layered into the spots on the original record where flutes and a brass section would be.  Martin also provided the vocoder filtered vocals that are a signature of this track.  "Come Running to Me" mellowed the pace of the show, after "Actual Proof".

Mid show, Hancock introduced the band to great applause, and in the second half, more was in store.  It kicked off with "Come Running To Me", the composition with lyrics penned by Allee Willis from Hancock's 1978 "Sunlight" record, that to some, is more of a funk record than a straight up jazz album.  For the album version, Hancock used a brass section along with the vocoder, and that brass section is prevalent in "Come Running To Me", featuring Bobby Shew, Maurice Spears, Robert O'Bryant, and Garnett Brown, plus a woodwind section featuring Ernest J. Watts, Fred Jackson Jr., Jack Nimitz, and David Willard Riddles.

There is a third ensemble in the original track as well, (strings), featuring Terry Adams, Roy Malan, Nathan Rubin, Linda Wood, and Emily VanValkenburgh.  Herbie Hancock and Terrace Martin replicated the multilayered sound from the original record, onstage at the Weesner Amphitheater and the results were spectacular.  "Secret Source" was next up, one of his more modern tunes.  But, yours truly cannot find what record it was recorded on, and it doesn't relate to his separate album from 1976 entitled "Secrets".

But, for the finale of the concert, Hancock and the band knocked it out of the park with two of Hancock's most legendary numbers, standards of jazz including "Cantaloupe Island" from 1964's "Empyrean Isles", when he was still concurrently a member of Miles Davis' quintet.  Then came, "Chameleon" from the 1973 "Headhunters" album, which is another masterpiece and one of the most well known jazz fusion records in the musical canon.  These two numbers capped off a phenomenal evening of music that the audience surely will remember for a lifetime.

1. Overture
2. Actual Proof
3. Come Running to Me
4. Secret Source
5. Cantaloupe Island

Encore:

6. Chameleon

Herbie Hancock at the Minnesota Zoo amphitheater (photo), review to follow

more memories of Glen Campbell

We continue to remember the legacy of Glen Campbell.  Here is a feature story about him, his musical career, and what became his battle with Alzheimer's disease, from a few years ago, on CBS Sunday Morning.

Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"

More memories of Glenn Campbell.  Here, he performs one of his best known songs "Wichita Lineman" on Austin City Limits, in 1985. 

In Memoriam: Glen Campbell

Yours truly is sad to report that another of the absolute greats has joined the angel band.  Rest In Peace, Glen Campbell, one of the greatest singers and guitarists of our time, who through collaborations with songwriter extraordinaire Jimmy Webb, gave us some memorable songs that will live on forever.  To honor his memory, here is a compilation of some of Campbell's best guitar solos through his career that spanned half a century.  

Jack Teagarden & His All Star Group "Dark Eyes"

Check out Jack Teagarden and His All Star Group with the song "Dark Eyes".  Some more fine jazz for your listening pleasure.  The band lineup for Jack Teagarden's All Stars is:

Jack Teagarden: trombone
Charlie Teagarden: trumpet
Don Bonnee: clarinet
Pud Brown: tenor saxophone
Marvin Ash: piano
Ray Leatherwood: bass
Ray Bauduc: drums

Tigran Hamasyan Quintet "Vardavar"

From their gig at the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, check out jazz group the Tigran Hamsayan Quintet, and their composition "Vardavar".  The band lineup is:

Tigran Hamasyan: piano, Rhodes piano (w/effects)
Areni Agbabian: keyboards, vocals
Charles Altura: guitar
Sam Minaie: bass
Arthur Hnatek: drums

James Carter Organ Trio - Jazzwoch Berghausen 2004

Check out this 2004 concert at Jazzwoch Berghausen in Germany.  It is an organ jazz trio, featuring James Carter on tenor sax, Gerard Gibbs on Hammond organ, and Leonard King on drums.  The track listing that Carter mentions at the show opening, may be slightly different than what is listed in the video description.  But, the video lists the tunes as:

1. Winter Meeting
2. Lil' Hat's Odyssey
3. Bingo Domingo
4. Killer Joe
5. Don't You Know I Care
6. J.C. On The Set
7. Soul Street

Chris Robinson Brotherhood "Get Out of My Life Woman"

From their November 20th, 2015 performance at the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, New York, here's Chris Robinson Brotherhood with a cover the late, great Allen Toussaint's "Get Out of My Life Woman".  So many bands have done stirring renditions of this tune from Paul Butterfield Blues Band to the Derek Trucks Band, to The Doors to Jerry Garcia as a solo artist, and Iron Butterfly, just to name a few.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk / Sonny Boy Williamson / Untitled Blues / Copenhagen, Denmark 1963

An impromptu meeting of two irascible and supremely talented U.S. musicians, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Rice Miller / Sonny Boy Williamson (II) on a Copenhagen stage many years ago. The results are wonderful.

Johnny Hartman "The Shadow of Your Smile"

A great tune by the legendary jazz singer, Johnny Hartman.  Heard this one on the local Twin Cities jazz station yesterday morning, and thought I'd feature it.  This is "The Shadow of Your Smile", from a tribute album to Hartman's collaborator for a while, John Coltrane, the legendary jazz saxophonist.  The record is simply called "For Trane". 

Allman's final music 'obvious farewell' but full of life

An emotional and introspective look into the recording of the late, great Gregg Allman's final, posthumous record, "Southern Blood", that will be released next month, from the San Francisco Chronicle.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Allman-s-final-music-obvious-farewell-but-full-11628767.php#photo-13464800

Mongo Santamaria "The Whistler"

A favorite tune of yours truly.  This is Mongo Santamaria's "The Whistler" off of his "Mongo '70" album.  Got hip to this song as the rhythm & blues band yours truly plays lead guitar with (I94 Express), has covered it at least once at one of our shows and it is part of our repertoire.  Check it out.