Ever wondered where it`s at ?
It`s right here…check out the crossover between B.B.King here and Clapton`s live performance from the 1980 album Just One Night in Budokan. If you were going to buy ONLY ONE Clapton you need to buy about six…and don`t forget in a similar way to Hendrix, Clapton`s guitar prowess has overshadowed his songwriting genius…
Author Archives: Jamorama
Inspirational blues
Hi, I`m seeking inspiration whilst recording through exploring abandoned buildings in the presence of a psychic investigator. There`s obviously a supernatural tradition innate to the blues lyric and the historical context from which the early blues pioneers emerged.
It`s a subject of great interest both for its pseudo religious supranatural leanings and the degree to which this tradition has been perpetuated through different media to this day. The lone artist, soaked in liquour or absinthe, an artist struggling with, for or against the elements or humanity in defiance of tradition, change, oppression -a freedom fighter channelling the forces of good or evil through a talismanic or demoniacal engagement to the guitar. A vocal tradition hoodoo-esque, incantational, evangelical, proselytising, confessional, mean, base or sexual. What do you want your blues to be?
You can view the photos here.
An incantatory, elemental, almost Amerindian element to the blues, a rhythmic, hypnotism and hoodoo-esque quality exists in all of John Lee`s blues and he`s a severely underrated icon perhaps to my mind. Spot the Robert Johnson stylistics and hear the cold, dirty earth under his feet. It`s wake up time so ruminate upon your past, present and future…it`s all here…
Swamp Blues
Slim Harpo delivers the languid swamp blues Louisiana sound with as little effort as it apparently takes here on King Bee which was later covered by almost everybody including Englishmen The Pink Floyd
If you`d like to take the swamp outta the blues and head into jazz experimentalism start with Captain Beefheart`s Diddy Wah Diddy and head into the space of Trout Mask Replica and Bat Chain Puller.
Unusual guitar III
Bukka White
Unusual guitar II
I previously wrote about unusual guitar practices and sometimes you`ve gotta have an unusual name just to back yourself up….Furry Lewis, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Blind Lemon, Pink Anderson & Little Pink, Keb` Mo, Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters, Black Spider Dumpling, Hound Dog Taylor, Pine Top Smith, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Smellfoot Johnson, Jake “The Snake” Edwards,
The Art of guitar
At today I`m going to stretch the art of guitar metaphor a little further and give everyone out there an insight into some visually shredded guitar art that combines fast colour kinetics, motion and explosive emotional intent.
Visit www.babyakart.com for more – all paintings are copyright Michael Babyak.
The Art of Guitar
IMHO, there are ways to shred and burn on the guitar that far surpass the egocentric simplicity and slavery to technique of that whole guitar school, speed focussed, sweep picking, notes for notes sake playing that occurs in a vacuum devoid of taste, subtlety and emotion.
Real guitar shredding is emotive, not mechanical, slick or polished unless it needs to be as part of the expression – e.g. a Freddie King Lick an Albert King bend, a Clapton phrase, the Leslie West tone, Hendrix` sustain etcetera…..
Music Party
We had a bit of a Rock Star party last night to celebrate the incredible man that Ben Edwards is and beautiful Sade too!
It was great fun. Here are the incriminating pictures.
Choosing Acoustic guitars
Yes, I`m talking about acoustic guitars and Im going to try and outline what you should be looking for in your acoustic and it applies to any guitar, whatever your price range. Dan receives alot of questions in customer support regarding these matters so I`m going to outline a strategy to help make the right selection. Apparently “a bad workman blames his tools” and to some extent this is true, but a good workman will select his tools wisely.
Jeff Beck
I`ve been lucky enough to spend an entire gig standing next to Jeff Beck, drink a few beers, chat awhile and ask him some questions about tremelo and the performances I`d seen at Hammersmith Odeon. I also saw him at The South Bank in London and he played with John McLaughlin and The White Stripes.