Listening To: Harry Belafonte

Deep Memories

When I was a young kid, my family would take a lot of camping trips. I remember listening to four distinct 8 tracks and/or cassettes: Kenny Rogers “The Gambler,” John Denver, the Star Wars sound track… and Harry Belafonte. I don’t know how my parents got into him, maybe just the popularity of Calypso in the 60s, but it was in frequent rotation on those trips. When I was about seven years old, maybe a bit younger or older, I remember going somewhere with my mother when we got a flat tire. Some family friends lived not too far way, so we decided to walk to their house to get help. I refused to leave the Harry Belafonte tape in the car, because I didn’t want to lose it or didn’t want someone to steal it. That’s how much it meant to me! I haven’t listened to him much at all since then – almost 50 years.

Recently I was driving home with my son from a father-son trip, and I was looking for something mellow. I remembered listening to Harry Belafonte and put him on. Every hit came right back as if I heard it yesterday. I’ts amazing how deep in my memory those songs go.

Perhaps it was in my had as I recently watched The Greatest Night In Pop – a documentary about the making of We Are The World. I didn’t realize Harry Belafonte was the driver of the whole event.

Two Of My Favorites

No surprises here, the songs I love the most are ones I heard over and over in our Jeep Cherokee in the 70s. My favorite song, the one that got me back to listening to Harry Belafonte, is perhaps his biggest hit: Jamaican Farewell. It’s sad, but hopeful at the same time. Such a beautifully simple melody. It’s also one of those songs that can be done so many different ways, and if you watch a few live versions you can see an incredible spectrum of instrumentation and arrangement.

I always like “Matilda” as well, although I had no idea what the lyrics were about when I was 8 years old. Check out the live version below, it’s a great example of how much you can do with a simple song.

This live version has an incredible vocal choir ending

Live

His live performances are often so much more elaborate than what’s recorded, I wanted to share a couple highlights. As noted above, a song like Jamaican Farewell that’s recorded as a guitar piece can be done with a full band, lots of percussion, harmonized vocals… it’s a whole different experience live.

What an incredible performance – and band!
Fun live version of “Jamaican Farewell”

I recently picked up his Live at Carnegie Hall album ($5 from Bossa N’ Roll Records in Orlando). It’s a great concert – 1959. Two album release, with excellent liner notes that give a bit of background about each song.

Harry Belafonte and the Blues

Did you know he did two blues albums? This one I haven’t explored, but learned about it as I looked up more for this post. It’s fantastic! 1947 from RCA: Belafonte Sings the Blues. Listen to his incredible, smooth vibrato on “A Fool For You.”

Another great album with a more contemporary, “60s” style of blues came out in 64: Ballads, Blues and Boasters. Check out this cover of the delta blues classic John the Revelator:

Learn More

Learn more about Harry Belafonte from his wikipedia page, but here’s a brief summary of his career:

Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023), Harry Belafonte was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte’s career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.[1]

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)“, “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)“, “Jamaica Farewell“, and “Mary’s Boy Child“. He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards.[2] He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final feature film appearance in Spike Lee‘s BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Harry Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson to be a mentor. Belafonte was also a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.[3] He was also a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush and first Donald Trump administrations.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Primetime Emmy Award,[4] and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards[5] and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category.[6] He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.

Concert Review: Lari Basilio

The Venue

I bought a ticket to this last minute. It had been on my radar for a while, but I’ve been out to a lot of shows lately and wanted to see if it would work out with the family. I’m not very familiar with her catalog, but I have seen a few Youtube clips and read some interviews. With the okay from the family, and the night clear, I headed out.

She played at a club called The Conduit in Winter Park (Orlando, FL). It was actually a pretty cool metal bar in a strip mall. The back wall was covered in metal tour posters, and there were big banners for bands like Cynic behind the mixing booth. Doors opened at 7pm, and Lari and her band went on at 8pm. She played for about an hour, and then did a 15 minute encore. The sound was decent overall, but a bit loud for the size of the room. I had my medium ear plugs in for most of the night.

I enjoyed this tour poster in particular. Vomiting Rectum is quite the name for a band.

The crowd was pretty good – maybe 50-100 people. Nice mix of age and gender, too. Quite a few couples. A few older guitar-heads like myself. A few young-ish women. Once again I’m encouraged that this type of artist can do successful tour stops in Orlando. The crowd was into it, and she has a pretty vocal fan base here.

The Band and Overall Impressions

For this kind of show, I wasn’t sure if it would be just her playing with tracks, or a full band. Thankfully it was the latter. Her band was great and featured a second guitarist, bassist, and drummer. Everyone got a solo during the set, and made the most of it.

My biggest takeway was that wow, she has one of the most gorgeous guitar tones I’ve ever heard. Clear, sweet, articulate… just incredibly beautiful. She played a couple of her Ibanez signature models through a Laney amp. The second guitarist played a mix of strats and teles, and an Abasi for one song.

Her music reminded me of a mix of Andy Timmons and Steve Vai. Not quite as out there and quirky as Vai, but in that vein. It felt very modern, though. There are certain rhythmic elements common in modern shred that her music consistently featured. In that sense, it reminded me of Plini or Animals as Leaders.

Using the heavy, distorted 7-string Tosin Abasi guitar added some variety. By the end though, as good as it was, the songs did feel very same-y by the end of the night. If you like this kind of melodic shred, you’ll like Lari Basilio. She’s an incredible player, but it’s not the kind of show people who aren’t into this style of music will likely get drawn into. I might have been a bit burned out and tired, to be fair, so that might be a factor in why I wasn’t as into it as some of the other shows I’ve seen recently. Still, she’s an incredible player and it was worth going. I definitely enjoyed it.

Lari and her band tearing it up at The Conduit, Winter Park, FL

Setlist

I’m not super familiar with her music, so I didn’t recognize the songs by name, but Gemini says:

  1. The Way Home
  2. Dear D
  3. Bliss
  4. Not Alone
  5. Alive and Living
  6. Running to the Other Side
  7. Fearless
  8. All to You
  9. Forever
  10. Here for You
  11. New Chapter
  12. Violet
  13. Heartbeat
  14. Far More
  15. Sunny Days
  16. Your Love
  17. Redemption (Encore)
  18. Seasons (Encore)
The Abasi 7-string featured on a heavier song

Check out further

Check out her tour page to see if she’s coming to a town near you.

Here’s a live clip from a few months ago (not the show I saw):

Album Revisited: No Rest for the Wicked

Background

No rest for the wicked was not an album that I listen to it when it was originally released. Of course it was the first Ozzy record with Zach Wylde on guitar and that was a big deal and guitar magazines for the day. I did zee Ozzy and Zack on the No More Tears tour in Chicago. One of the loudest concerts I’ve ever seen, but it was cool. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see Ozzy live at least once.

I picked this record up at a flea market a little while back, gave it a listen or two, and that was it. There were a few songs I dug, but it wasn’t an album that grabbed me. Fast-forward a couple years and on a whim I put this back in the car CD player and gave it a second chance.

Highlights

While it is a little hit-or-miss, upon revisiting No Rest For The Wicked I like it more than I did initially. There are some great riffs, and a few of the songs hold up well. “Breaking All The Rules” is my favorite track, by far. I just love the riff and overall heaviness, and the vocals and guitar playing (especially the rhythm parts) are strong.

“Miracle Man,” “Bloodbath in Paradise” and “Fire In The Sky” are also strong. The last track on the album, “Hero,” is perhaps an underrated gem in Ozzy’s catalog.

Overall it’s a good-sounding record as well. The mix is good, the guitars are heavy, you can hear the drums, and it sounds very balanced. Nothing is buried. It’s got that sweet spot of late 80s technology and mixing clarity, without the brickwalled modern production that came not too many years later.

Lowlights

The thing I don’t particularly like about the album are the weird little vocal bits on some songs. Ozzy squeaking out “craaaazy!” and “babies!” in “Crazy Babies” is just kind of silly. This was one of the singles from the album, and to me it’s a bit unfortunate. Similar for the “I’ll get you” and “let’s party” at the end of the choruses of “Demon Alcohol.” Not bad songs, and I consider this sort of thing a bad production choice.

Conclusion

It’s a pretty solid album from Ozzy, Zack Wylde, Bob Daisley, Randy Castillo and John Sinclair. More good than bad for sure, although some of the production choices don’t hold up well. If you overlooked this record, do give it a shot!

Concert Review: Sue Foley’s “One Guitar Woman” Show

Background

I wrote about my first time seeing Sue Foley quite a few years ago, so when I saw she was coming to Orlando to do a solo acoustic show, I was definitely interested. While I hadn’t listened to it yet, I had read good reviews of her latest album One Guitar Woman. The album was nominated for a Grammy, and won Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2025 Blues Music Awards.

The Venue

She played at Judson’s Live, which is a small, intimate restaurant-style venue attached to Orlando’s beautiful Dr. Phillips Center. It’s a great place to see an acoustic show like this. Four comfortable chairs per table, and every seat is good. For this kind of show, the sound was super clear but not super loud. It let the nuance of the music come though. It reminds me of concerts I’ve seen at the Old Towne School of Folk Music in Chicago.

I was encouraged to see the place packed, presumably sold out. I sat at a table with one gentleman who had seen Sue Foley 7-8 times, going way back to when she was a teenager; and a father and son. It was a good mix of men and woman, but as with most blues these days, skewed oler.

Setlist and the Music

I didn’t realize how much of an actual show this would be, compared to a more traditional “blues set.” The setlist followed her One Guitar Woman album, and each song was prefaced with interesting and compellingly-told stories of the songs, the women who wrote or performed them, and why she chose them. It was a history lesson as well as a performance. I haven’t seen this type of show in a long time, and reminded me of some of the folk artists I saw in Chicago years ago, like Odetta. I really loved it, and it inspired me to go deeper into the catalogs of the artists she’s representing. Note that she goes into depth on this in the insert of the One Guitar Woman album as well.

She mostly played her nylon string guitar, particularly for the blues, classical and flamenco pieces. Her blues is just so … solid. Precise, but not sterile. When performing solo acoustic, groove is essential, and she has it. For a few songs, notably her tribute to Mother Maybelle Carter entitled “Maybell’s Guitar” was on a steel string acoustic. At the very end of the set she pulled out her iconic pink paisley telecaster “Pinky” and did Hurricane Girl from her latest electric album.

Her bassist joined her for the last third or quarter of the set, which added a bit of sonic variety.

I was particularly impressed with her voice. I know she can sing, but in this kind of venue and this kind of show, it really let the nuance and emotion come through. She’s got a great mix of smooth and grit. No, she’s not an 80 year old black man from the delta, but all of the emotion and power of the songs came though. That’s what a great artist should do – convey the emotion and power of the song, with your unique voice.

As for guitar, her fingerpicking throughout was incredible. As you may or may not know, Sue Foley is an accomplished Flamenco guitarist as well. She played a long version of La Malaguena as a tribute to Charo and absolutely nailed it. I loved the variety – both in guitars and styles, covering blues, country, flamenco and one classical piece. Blues is her home base, and that was most of the set, but the other styles fit right into the show and she performed them well.

I don’t recall the exact order of her set, but she played just about all of the songs on the album:

Summary and More Info

I had a long, stressful week and this was just what I needed. The venue was great, and the music was great. It was inspiring to see such a well-put together show, delivered with passion and excellence. If you get a chance to see Sue Foley live, whether acoustic or electric, go do it.

Check out more at www.suefoley.com and https://shop.suefoley.com/

Here’s a bit of behind the scenes:

And a live clip to give you a taste

Concert Review: North Mississippi All-Stars

February 28, 2026 – at the club Celine, downtown Orlando, FL

Background

I went to this one a bit on a whim. I read a review of drummer Cody Dickinson’s solo album in Blues Music Magazine a few months back – it piqued my interest and I dug both his solo album, and revisiting the couple of North Mississippi All Stars albums I already owned. Their one of those bands I liked, but haven’t followed that closely. I never saw the band before and tickets were less than $30.

Ticket said 7pm, but it’s never clear when the headliner actually starts, nor whether there would be an opening band. I hedged my bets and arrived around 7:10 to find they had already started. The crowd at that point was pretty small, maybe 20 people, but after another 15-20 minutes it really filled up. I was happy for the band, I like to see Orland come out and represent this level of touring artists. I want to make this a city where they can make money doing shows!

I had never seen a show at Celine before, and it was a decent club. The sound was quite good, and easy to see the stage. Parking was also a breeze as the Central Avenue library garage is right around the corner. Easy in, easy out.

Overview

Guitarist Luther Dickinson, drummer/keyboardist Cody Dickinson and bassist Rayfield “Ray Ray” Holloman laid down thick grooves all night, and the crowd was definitely into it. Luther did a number of extended solos, and was a lot more diverse a guitar player than I realized. Cody was killer, and Ray Ray was in the pocket.

The Setlist

I’m not super familiar with their catalog, but I did recognize a few tunes from the new album, including Stay All Night, Pray for Peace, and Preachin’ Blues. After picking up Cody’s solo album and listening to it quite a bit in teh week following the show, they played his song Big City.

I suppose you could say I’m … cautious about AI in general, and very down on it for creating art. However, it does have its uses. Gemini couldn’t find the exact setlist from the Orlando show, but it did give a reasonable summary. This doesn’t 100% match my recollection (missing Big City, for example), but it gives you an idea. NMAS is the kind of band that probably doesn’t keep everything exactly the same every night. Here’s what Gemini says:

Based on shows immediately preceding Orlando (such as the February 26 show in Ponte Vedra Beach), their setlist generally includes the following tracks:

  • Po Black Maddie (R.L. Burnside cover)
  • Skinny Woman (R.L. Burnside cover)
  • Up and Rolling (often includes teases of Jessica or 3rd Stone)
  • Stay All Night (Junior Kimbrough cover)
  • Poor Boy (R.L. Burnside cover)
  • Shake (Yo Mama)
  • K.C. Jones (On the Road Again)
  • Mississippi Bollweevil
  • Set Sail
  • Need to Be Free
  • Prayer for Peace
  • Meet Me in the City (Junior Kimbrough cover)
  • Glory, Glory (Lay My Burden Down)
  • Goin’ Down South / All Night Long / Snake Drive (Medley)

Sources

Luther’s guitar was absolutely a high point. Great slide playing, great melodic sensibility, and a boatload of groove. What else can you ask for?

Electric Washboard

I also enjoyed a few songs when they called “switcheroo” and they each took up different instruments. Ray Ray held down the drums, Luther picked up the bass, and Cody played either keyboards or washboard. Cody sang on a couple of the keyboard-driven tunes, and that added a lot of variety to the trio format. One of the other highlights was Cody not just playing washboard, but playing electric washboard – through a gamut of guitar effects including a wah pedal and phaser. It was a cool, unique pyschadelic effect, and as a drummer he kept it grooving. The crowd loved it, myself including.

Here’s a taste of NMAS live, though not from the Orlando show:

Recommendations

I had a great time, and as usual, I’m glad I went. The venue was solid, and I loved the DIY ethos they displayed. They’re the kind of band that keeps doing it because they love the music, and that shows. I was telling a friend about it, and he recommended their 2019 album Up & Rolling. It’s fantastic. I did pick up their latest, Still Shakin’ as well as Cody Dickinson’s newest solo record Homemade – both of which I dig. Still Shakin’ is pure NMAS, more of what you love about the band, done really well. If you’re a fan of off beat, bluesy rock & roll check out Cody’s album, too. It’s a bit more aggressive and a bit more rock at times, but also very diverse. Very cool album.

NMAS’ latest: Still Shakin’
Cody Dickinson’s Homemade
Highly recommended: Up And Rolling

Concerts of 2024

It’s been a long time, but I’m going to start writing again. Might as well start with some recaps of 2024, including live shows. It’s been a great year for live music. In no particular order, here are some of the highlights of my year:

George Lynch

I’ve been a fan of George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob, KXM, Sweet N Lynch, and many others) since the mid-80s. Dokken was one of my favorite bands as a teenager, and they were a big influence when I first started playing guitar. When I saw he was coming to central Florida, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see a long time hero. He was great! He did a good mix of Dokken and Lynch Mob material, with Lynch Mob being the primary set. The band sounded really good, his singer was outstanding, and the openers AON and a Stones tribute were fun as well. The singer from AON did a few of the Dokken songs with George Lynch. The Mount Dora community center was a great place to see a show, too. Very comfortable, every seat is good and the sound was excellent.

Uriah Heep with Saxon

I’ve been a fan of Uriah Heep for a while, and I had a chance to see them in early 2020. I passed up that show and then covid hit… so when I saw they were coming back to the Plaza I had to go see a legendary band. I like Saxon as well, although Power and Glory is the only record of theirs I own so I’m not super familiar with the catalog. Both bands were good. Saxon brought the old school, classic metal vibe in spades. They did exactly what you expect and want them to do. They sounded fantastic. Heep has such a deep catalog it’s not surprising they played a whole show of hits. Is it just me or does Mick Box remind you a little bit of Jerry Garcia? Nice to see the whole band smiling. It lost a little something live compared to the records, but I still enjoyed it. I had no idea previously, but Rick Wakeman’s son plays keyboards for Uriah Heep. How cool is that?

Joe Satriani / Steve Vai

Continuing the theme of guitar heroes, I had to go see Satch and Vai together. I’ve seen Steve Vai a few times and he’s always incredible. Probably my single favorite guitar player ever. Satch was a big influence when I was a teenager, and I still like his music a lot. His latest album Elephants From Mars is really good. They were fantastic. So much energy, joy and fun. Both bands rocked and grooved, and it was one of my highlights of the year. I hear they’re touring together as a band in 2025 so I can’t wait for that.

Brothers Osbourne

I’m a big fan of the Brothers Osbourne’s “Port Saint Joe” record, and in particular the slow country epic “Weed, Whiskey and Willie.” It’s such a great song. I wasn’t sure what to expect seeing them live, but they blew me away. Great show, excellent performances, and a crowd that was super into it. Highly recommended if they come your way in a venue like House of Blues. I don’t think it would have come across the same in an arena.

The Aristocrats

They put the FUN in FUsioN. Such an incredible group, and I was so heartened to know that an oddball group like this can regularly tour and draw a good crowd in a city like Orlando.

Toronzo Cannon

As the end of the year neared, I actually went to a few shows with family. First, we went to the local blues mecca The Alley in Sanford, FL to see Toronzo Cannon. I used to play with Toronzo at the BLUES, Etc. open mic in Chicago. Every Wednesday for a year and a half, I was there. It was great to see Toronzo with a successful touring career in blues, and I was really happy to be able to see him again. Raw, gut-bucket, real Chicago blues.

Kacey Musgraves

To wrap up the year, we all went to see Kacey Musgraves at the Kia Center (arena). I’ve been a fan of her since her first album. I think she’s a great writer. I’ve been really into her latest album Deeper Well. While I’d probably have preferred to see her in a smaller venue, she did make the most of the arena and put on a great show. Half was on the main stage, and half was on a small acoustic circle in the middle of the floor.

Wrapping Up and Looking Towards 2025

I did see a few other shows this year, but these are the highlights. It was a great year for live music, and in 2025 I’ve already got tickets to see:

  • Kansas at the House of Blues
  • Rick Wakeman at the Plaza (I recently read his biography Grumpy Old Rock Star and it’s fantastic)

The Aristocrats are coming back to Orlando, so while I don’t have tickets, I need to see if the date will work for me, that would be high on my list. They’re incredible.

Atlantis Album Free Download

It’s been a while. I quit Instagram and Twitter this Spring as part of a general “social media” purge. It’s been great for my life, although I haven’t had much reason to write here and share. Of course, that also stopped my “cool verse of the day” Instagram series.

I also took my music off of Spotify, Apple Music and other online services so I’m making my instrumental album available as a free download, in any of the following formats:

Feel free to download and enjoy, and as always thank you for your support!

Random Verse Today

I started a little series on Instagram called “Random Verse Today.” I’ve been learning lots of songs lately, and there are so many great individual verses (or choruses) in songs you might never have paid attention to. There are enough full song covers out there (I particularly enjoy Larkin Poe’s acoustic covers), bu given everyone’s short attention spans and the short time limit of Instagram videos I thought this would be a fun take on it. I also try to sing things in a clear, understandable way so listeners can really hear the lyrics.

From rock to metal to blues to country… there’s something for everyone, in 30 second clips. Head over to https://www.instagram.com/guitarvince73/.

Here are a few I’ve done so far. Interesting to see the list (in backwards chronological order). You can tell what phases of music genres or bands I’m listening to!

Concert Review: Samantha Fish & Jimmie Vaughan

I haven’t been to a show at a club like the Hard Rock since last summer, and I haven’t done a live show review in a long time! When I saw Samantha Fish was opening for Jimmie Vaughan I figured it was a good bill at a good price, and I was ready for a night out.

I got an email the day of the show with Hard Rock policies for masks, etc and it mentioned the show was sold out. When I got there it was anything but. In fact, I was the only person in row N, and there were only a handful behind me or in the balconies. Maybe a quarter full. Not good for the artists, but it was nice to have more personal space and not be so crowded. To be fair, it was a Thursday night but while the crowd was good and I enjoyed the evening, it was about the least crowded I’ve ever seen the Hard Rock.

The Package

The bartender asked me “Who are you here to see?” and my honest response was “both.” I had never seen Samantha Fish before, but I liked what I’ve heard on Spotify and Youtube. She’s certainly established herself as one of the female young guns of blues. Jimmie Vaughan is a legend, and the last time I saw him and the Tilt-A-Whirl band was probably 20 years ago. It was one of my favorite concerts ever – Junior Brown opened and just blew me away. My wife and I were either engaged or newly married, so we had that vibe going on. It was just a great party all night, which plastered a huge grin on my face the entire show. A few year ago I had a chance to see him at C-Boys in Austin but I didn’t end up going. I was just too exhausted at the end of the week. Anyways, for me Samantha Fish & Jimmie Vaughan was a really compelling package – one established newer artist, and one legend. Both blues, but very different. The pairing of two very different artists within the same loose genre works really well for me. A few years ago I saw Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Beth Hart together and that was a similar experience.

Samantha Fish

She came out in head-to-to red leather with her cigar box and was just ripping from note one. I think she’s established somewhat of a niche for herself with more focus on slide than some of her contemporaries. She can also belt on vocals, and that also separates her from others that might just be good on guitar. Her band added fantastic harmony vocals that filled out the sound and added depth. She played some older tunes, and some from her new album Faster. It was a great set full of barn-burners and slow R&B. She mixed it up well, and had a lot of variety in the 50-ish minute set.

She’s built a strong catalog of albums over the last decade, and it led to a set of all killer no filler. Her version of Kill or Be Kind was a lot different from the album, and I like when artists stretch out live a bit. There were long improvisational jams, as well as sing-along choruses. I left impressed and very happy I got to see her and her band live.

Samantha Fish On Fire With Her SG

Special note to her drummer (Sarah), who had a killer, driving groove and provided consistently excellent harmony vocals. She added a LOT to the set, and I really enjoyed listening to her.

Samantha and Sarah Grooving Hard

Jimmie Vaughan

On the plus side, the Tilt-a-Whirl band was Tight with a capital T. Every break, every accent, every transition was simply perfect. They were amazing. As expected, Jimmie Vaughan’s guitar was a highlight. His style is so unique, mostly using his fingers and effortlessly gliding across the fretboard. He leveraged a capo on many songs, allowing him to apply signature licks in a manner not unlike fellow Texas legend Albert Collins. Jimmie Vaughan has that loose, traditional blues sound that few modern players achieve. Often understated but always perfect for the song, it was a joy to watch him plan. Mike Flanigan’s organ was powerful and soulful, and he can sing. I really enjoy their organ trio album (Live From C-Boys), and the songs that showcased Mike’s organ, and the interplay between Mike & Jimmie, were highlights.

The Tilt-A-Whirl Band Tight With a Capital “T”

On the downside, Jimmie really struggled with his vocals. Whether due to just not having it anymore, or not being able to hear himself, he was out of key and noticeably stretching most of the time. I hate to say it, but it was bad. Mike should have handled the vocals on everything. Another performance note that bothered me a bit was that he asked the audience “how are you doing out there” three times… Okay, i understand asking once as a standard live show trope. But three times? I don’t know why but it rubbed me the wrong way. I was thinking that if or when I start doing my own live shows again, I’m not going to ask the crowd how they’re doing. Instead I’m going to say “I’m feeling good tonight, how about you?” Anyways…

Jimmie Vaughan digging into a note

I did enjoy the music and the band. I get the sense it would have come across better in a small club or a bar like C-Boys, but not so much in a 3/4ths empty Hard Rock. It was almost too intimate for that venue.

Jimmie Laying Down Slinky Leads

Summary

It was a solid package of new and old, up-and-comer and legend. I’m glad I went and had a good time. Samantha Fish puts on a good show and has carved out a great niche for herself as a unique artist in contemporary blues. Jimmie Vaughan’s set was good overall, bolstered by his guitar and the tightness of the band, but his vocals and the somewhat slower, laid back nature of this band might not have been the best fit for the venue. Interestingly, the crowd seemed to be much more into Samantha Fish. Lots more specific cheering and more people wearing her t-shirts. After her set, she was signing merch at the table, and the line went all the way across the venue. It was probably the longest merch line I’ve ever seen. In fact, the line didn’t disperse until halfway through Jimmie Vaughan’s first song.

Enjoying Vinyl – Redux

As a follow up from an older post about why I love finding and buying vinyl, I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of my record player recently. I was able to go to Marley’s Music in Biloxi, MS a month ago and picked up a great score from their dollar bin. I got a whole bunch of records, including:

  • Chico Hamilton – Catwalk. I picked up his album Perigrinations at Marley’s the last time I was there!) – both great fusion records
  • Mother’s Finest – Another Mother Further. How could I resist the super man logo with a guitar in it for a cover. No idea what this band is about, but the cover drew me in for a buck. I haven’t listened to this one yet, but I intend to soon…
  • A Sound Spectacular! Music From The Galaxies. A sci-fi movie soundtrack compilation, and while I have a couple of those already, it has a few things I didn’t have like the Star Trek theme and the theme from Moonraker. It’s a cool compilation.
  • The Outlaws – Eye of the Storm. I don’t know anything about the Outlaws, other than the name. I’d heard of them. Again, for a buck it’s worth a listen. Greasy southern rock & roll.
  • And last but not least…

I’m sure I’ve heard this before at some point, either via a friend loaning the CD to me, the library or maybe streaming online, but how can you beat it for a buck? I love finding good stuff like this cheap. And by the way, it’s an awesome album. Super Session!

About Super Session

From the wikipedia entry:

Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield had previously worked together on the sessions for the ground-breaking classic Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan, as well as playing in support of his controversial appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965. Kooper had recently left Blood, Sweat & Tears after recording their debut album with them, and was now working as an A&R man for Columbia. Bloomfield was about to leave Electric Flag, and at relative loose ends. Kooper telephoned Bloomfield to see if he was free to come down to the studio and jam; Bloomfield agreed, leaving Kooper to handle the arrangements.[3]

Kooper booked two days of studio time at CBS Columbia Square in May 1968, and recruited keyboardist Barry Goldberg and bassist Harvey Brooks, both members of the Electric Flag, along with well-known session drummer “Fast” Eddie Hoh. On the first day, the quintet recorded a group of mostly blues-based instrumental tracks, including the modal excursion “His Holy Modal Majesty”, a tribute to the late John Coltrane that was also reminiscent of “East-West” from the second Butterfield Blues Band album. On the second day, with the tapes ready to roll, Bloomfield returned to his home in Mill Valley, California, alleging that he had been unable to sleep.[4]

Needing to have something to show for the second day of sessions, to sit in for Bloomfield, Kooper hastily called upon Stephen Stills, also in the process of leaving his band Buffalo Springfield. Regrouping behind Stills, Kooper’s session men cut mostly vocal tracks, including “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” from Highway 61 and a lengthy and atmospheric take of “Season of the Witch” by Donovan.[5] Although Harvey Brooks’s closing “Harvey’s Tune” includes overdubbed horns added in New York City while the album was being mixed, the album only cost $13,000 to complete.

The success of the album opened the door for the “supergroup” concept of the late 1960s and 1970s, as exemplified by the likes of Blind Faith and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Kooper forgave Bloomfield, and the two of them made several concert appearances after the album was released. The results of one of those became the album The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper.[6]