C&L's Late Night Music Club with Robben Ford
By John Amato Tuesday May 05, 2009 9:42pm
I was in the mood for the smoking guitar of Robben Ford. He has an incredible sound that is all his own. Nothin' but the blues tonight.
"Worried Life Blues"
Check out his site too...
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Robben Ford is amazing!
Thanks for the awesome song, John. I likey very much!
Kenny Wayne Shepard live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YvHFAD96zU
I was just about to listen to it when you posted the wonderful Gary Moore extravaganza @ 23:10!
Time to get some zeds ... sweet dreams :)
Gary Moore in Montreaux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWp-Mazmf88
Yummy, Americanista!
Gary's playing Peter Green's '59 Les Paul in that video, which he owned for quite some time. Cool piece of history there.
thanks for that info I knew the guitar was old but didn't know the history behind it.
As it happens, just two days ago I went and bought Robben's recent CD, "Truth" (tip of the hat to Jeff Beck, perhaps?), which is terrific. What surprised me was that at least two of the songs -- "Lateral Climb" and "Peace On My Mind" -- are quite political, and both of them include undisguised anti-war sentiments. It also contains a very sweet tribute to BB King entitled "Riley B. King." PLEASE go buy that disc; it's delicious.
Robben's blues chops are so overwhelming that his fusion background is overlooked, as is the fact that he started on the Saxophone, and his fluency on that instrument colors his improvisational approach on the guitar.
You can hear hints of all this in the richly voiced chords Robben uses to embellish blues progressions, and the way he'll sometimes flesh out a turnaround with a sudden flurry in a diminished or "symmetrical" scale. The only guy I've heard do this kind of thing anywhere near as well is a cat named Dwaye Zingg, who was a sideman to a Donald Fagen side project about 17 years ago and then disappeared.
If you go back to Robben's Yellowjackets days you'll be amazed at the discipline he displays now in playing the blues without over-playing. His fusion lines were inspired and his technical skills inexhaustible; he could reel off long, complicated, perfectly phrased lines with almost conversational ease. The bastard. :-)
Do a search for "Drew Zing" (or Zingg) and you'll find lots of info about the guy.
Last one. I promise.
Anyone that appreciates guitar work knows this song.
Syd Barrett tribute Pink Floyd Live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyqgjCKm9nQ
You got it! Brownie McGhee - Born and Livin' With The Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d1SpEfRBr0
Sonny Terry - Hooray, Hooray, These Women Is Killin' Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SyBrOyOY_E&NR=1
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee: Two Songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK54MGSCWME&fe...
Baby Please Don't Go. Played on a 9-string guitar!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikxLNaAYu5k
The Late, Great Dave Van Ronk: "Down South Blues"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_0uDWhIcjE
Dave Van Ronk - Winin' Boy Blues - Verve FV-9017 1965
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfFDkpVbTy8&fe...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBRNl4VEBaQ&fe...
Thanks John, your exquisite taste in music is one of the main reasons I keep coming back to your site! Here's my modest contribution.
Led Zeppelin - Travelling Riverside Blues
The Derek Trucks Band - Down Don't Bother Me
Robben toured earlier this year with Ruthie Foster and Jorma Kaukonen. I missed it, but my friends say they were all wonderful.
They were. =)
Listen to him smoke that solo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RqZM4Scq1Q&fe...
Reminds me of Steely Dan. Thanks for posting it!
Definitely a Steely Dan sound. But thats how jazz is right? Anyway I looked to see if he had ever done any studio work for Steely Dan and I couldn't find anything.
Because they are most definitely not. Jazz is improvisational by nature- Fagen and Becker can't stand improvisation. That's why they quit touring in '74: it's much harder to achieve perfection when you don't have a stab at a second take.
I appreciate your efforts!
what's up with the bizarro jacket, though. Jeeze, you're in public, dude.
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