As much as I enjoy classic rock and vintage-style blues music, I often feel that there is always a need to stretch those boundaries a little bit further into other musical realms. While I can credit SRV and the Rev. Billy G. for fueling my interest in blues-based music, there’s been one player who has filled the void nicely between contemporary and traditional blues music: Robben Ford.
My friend Darren introduced to Robben Ford a short time after Stevie Ray’s passing, and without question – it was just what the doctor ordered. Combining a jazz-fusion feel with fluid, modern blues improvisation, Ford’s list of admirers is many, to include Larry Carlton and Carlos Santana. And me, of course.
Robben’s latest offering, "Truth" finds him conjuring up yet another collection of memorable tunes, one of which features a duet with modern-day blues maven Susan Tedeschi (aka Mrs. Derek Trucks). As well, former Late Night with David Letterman bassist Will Lee lends his talents to a number of songs. "Riley B. King" is one of the release’s best numbers, where Ford pays tribute to one of his peers (*can you guess who it is?).
You won’t have to listen to this CD very long to realize that Ford is a master at work. Tight, tasty fills and fluid rhythm playing are some of his trademarks, both of which are punctuated with a guitar tone slightly left of divine, though still in the heavenly zip code.
The music featured throughout "Truth" is both intricate, and well thought out – yet still has an improvisational feel to it. This dichotomy is part of my attraction to his music, as it showcases the versatility of his playing, as well as the wealth of exploratory avenues blues music presents to a highly capable guitarist.
My friend Darren introduced to Robben Ford a short time after Stevie Ray’s passing, and without question – it was just what the doctor ordered. Combining a jazz-fusion feel with fluid, modern blues improvisation, Ford’s list of admirers is many, to include Larry Carlton and Carlos Santana. And me, of course.Robben’s latest offering, "Truth" finds him conjuring up yet another collection of memorable tunes, one of which features a duet with modern-day blues maven Susan Tedeschi (aka Mrs. Derek Trucks). As well, former Late Night with David Letterman bassist Will Lee lends his talents to a number of songs. "Riley B. King" is one of the release’s best numbers, where Ford pays tribute to one of his peers (*can you guess who it is?).
You won’t have to listen to this CD very long to realize that Ford is a master at work. Tight, tasty fills and fluid rhythm playing are some of his trademarks, both of which are punctuated with a guitar tone slightly left of divine, though still in the heavenly zip code.
The music featured throughout "Truth" is both intricate, and well thought out – yet still has an improvisational feel to it. This dichotomy is part of my attraction to his music, as it showcases the versatility of his playing, as well as the wealth of exploratory avenues blues music presents to a highly capable guitarist.
2 comments:
So right you are. He is a true master!
It looks like Robben is playing one of the new Carvin California guitars. I just got the new catalog in the mail and they are also making a nice acoustic guitar/ bass / PA amp that would fill a void in the Jon Nelson amp gallery. It reminds me of the Music Man amp we saw that day at Davey Bee's. The only thing is it sells for much less.
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