New Orleans Suspects – Live at The Hamilton - New release Review - Stilladog Guest Writer

The New Orleans Suspects began playing together in 2009 at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans as a pick-up jam band. They originally called themselves The Unusual Suspects. Since they are all such accomplished musicians they quickly established a special chemistry. Well known in New Orleans, I first heard of them when I visited the Maple Leaf in fall of 2013. But they had actually been touring for 2 full years by then under the name New Orleans Suspects.. They began releasing albums and attracting crowds from coast to coast. Live at The Hamilton is their 5th release.

The band consists of Willie Green who was the drummer for the Neville Brothers for many years, Jake Eckert, the longtime lead guitarist of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. CR Gruver, a classically trained pianist who has completely embraced New Orleans style piano –pretty damn good on the Hammond B3 too!. Reggie Scanlan who has layed down the bass lines for The Radiators for as long as I can remember. And Jeff Watkins, an absolutely fantastic sax player who once led the James Brown Band!

The Hamilton had booked Bonerama and the New Orleans Suspects for their New Years Eve shows. And with the Suspects planning on recording a live album they invited the “trombone army” that is Bonerama to join them. Both bands hailing from NOLA it was a natural.

The album is a blend of original tunes and covers. It starts off with a stirring 7+ minute jam version of Buddy Miles’ Them Changes. I’ve heard this tune covered by everybody from Cornell Dupree and Eric Clapton to Javier Vargas and Carlos Santana/Buddy Miles, yet I dare say this is the best version of this tune I ever heard! Next up is an original tune of New Orleans funk. Yo Flambeaux! from their 2014 album Ouroboros. Jeff Watkins on sax takes center stage on this one while the rhythm section puts down a funky groove and Jake Eckert blends in a very tasty guitar interlude. Finders Keepers, an extended 9 minute jam follows. The funk oozes out of the fourth track, Get It Started, an original from their album Kaleidoscoped. It sure would be a good way to get a party started ‘cause the saxophone, pinched harmonics and all, is off the charts! Workin’ My Way Back Home sounds like if you mashed up Little Feat and Wet Wilie. Saxophone, guitar, and all sorts of organ. Pocketful of Grits starts off with a drum solo that sounds like that woodpecker who hammers out bugs on top of the telephone pole in my yard. But it quickly merges into a groove that’s easy to follow then breaks into solo jams by everybody. The album closes out with an excellent Little Feat medley of Spanish Moon / Skin It Back wherein Bonerama augments the horns to much the same arrangements Tower of Power horn section did on the Feat album Waiting For Columbus.

If this ain’t the kind of music they play in heaven I’m gonna be sorry I lived a clean life!

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Alligator Records artist: Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager – Rough Cut - New release review - Stilladog - Guest Writer

Driving home from work the other day I heard a song called “I Want My Dog To Live Longer” on the Bluesville channel on Sirius XM. It was done by Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager. I know Curtis and have seen him play a number of times but I did not know Alan who is a guitarist from Portland, OR where Curtis lives also. These two have played together off and on for quite a number of years. So now that Alan is the guitarist for Curtis’ road band I guess they figured the time was right. So it’s here and it’s called Rough Cut. Based on that one track I had to check it out. Once I heard it I had to tell Bman how much I liked it and he asked me to review it.

The album starts off with a very John Lee Hooker sounding track entitled “I Will Not Surrender.” This is a very personal blues written by Salgado. You can almost feel him fighting death as he sings. He’s survived liver cancer, lung cancer (twice), addiction, and quadruple bypass surgery. So he knows about not surrendering. A great opener for the album which turns out to be far from the blue-eyed soul Cutis is known for. This is definitely traditional blues, originals and covers both.

On the second track, “So Near To Nowhere,” Salgado breaks out his harp for the first time and the best lyrics on the album. “I’m asking God why I ain’t dead yet. He said, I warned ya boy but you never listen. The devil don’t want the competition.”

It’s mostly just a duo with Hager on guitar, Salgado on harp and vocals, although Curtis plays piano on one track. A few others have minimal accompaniment but otherwise it’s just two friends playing blues.

The duo cover a number of Blues classics such as Muddy Water’s I Can’t Be Satisfied which gets the country blues slide treatment from Hager which is strong in its own right and complements Salgado’s vocals perfectly. This theme repeats itself with many of the other covers such as Depot Blues by Son House and Long Train Blues by Robert Wilkins which is strong on harp as well.

The cover songs are absolutely great and also include Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Too Young To Die,” Big Bill Broonzy’s “I Want You By My Side,” and Elmore James’ version (not the Mississippi Fred McDowell one) of “You Got To Move” which contains some awesome Elmo slide by Hager. The tune entitled “Morning Train” is also commonly known as “Get Right Church,” and may be the strongest cover on the album.

Which brings us back around to “I Want My Dog To Live Longer.” This song touches the heart of anybody who ever had, or has, a faithful canine companion. I can’t say it’s my favorite song on the record but it is obvious that Curtis Salgado and I see eye to eye on what enrichment dogs bring into our lives.

That all said, I really think this is going to be one of the overall strongest blues albums of 2018. The blend of originals and covers is a perfect balance. No flash guitar, no hot horns, just solid blues music which is not so easy to come by these days. It may be a Rough Cut but it is smoothly done.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Artistexclusive Records artist: Ana Popovic - Trilogy - New Release Review - Stilladog guest writer

Must be the Mississippi water. Belgrade born in the former Yugoslavia, now Serbia, and current resident of Memphis Tennessee, Ana Popovic has put together a blockbuster of a triple CD entitled Trilogy that boggles the mind! I don't know how to start this review. My good friend Bman asked me to review this album while he took a little vacation. And while the album is absolutely phenomenal, it is so unique and diverse I am having trouble finding words to describe it's diversity! The release comes in 3 parts, hence the title Trilogy. It is all of the description that Ana herself gives. 'In an era where most are skeptic about the current state and future of the music industry, I wanted TRILOGY to tell a different story. The record biz might be broken and Spotify might rip us off, but that can't keep an artist down. Creativity is very much alive, and music is the celebration of life.' Trilogy highlights in musicianship. And tell a different story it does! Instead of highlighting track by track like Bman usually does, well that is impossible with 23 total tracks, I'll just go disc by disc The first volume comes out with mostly blues rock with some very tasteful guitar by Ana until you hit track 4, Fencewalk. It's a high energy funk that'll drive you wild. That's when you realize this is not gonna be your normal release. The next track, Train, features Joe Bonamassa. This is where you realize that Joe is a much better contributor to other artists albums than he is with the incessant soloing that he does (and his fans demand) in his own shows and albums. Anyway, I love this volume and it's the weakest one in the set! Volume 2 hits the streets running with 'You Got The Love' another rocker that should attract fans of Bonamassa and other blues rockers. The second volume continues in this vein until you hit the semi-rap track Let's Do It Again. Then there's 'Who's Yo Mama' which is a total shred rocker instrumental where Ana absolutely annihilates rock riffs! The girl has got my attention! And it doesn't stop there. Wasted on My Way is an excellent blues ballad that follow it up This volume ends with a real blues, 'Cryin'For Me.' Volume 3 is a jazz infused celebration of a time when jazz and blues were more closely aligned. This is the kind of music I live to hear. There are too many good tracks to list individually. All I can say is two things. Go out and get all three volumes.

 

Alligator Records artist: Toronzo Cannon - The Chicago Way - New Release Review by Stilladog -Guest contributer

First thing you need to know about Toronzo Cannon is, playing blues is his second job.  And when you first hear this album you are going to say, “Huh?”  But it’s true. Toronzo still drives a bus for the Chicago Transit Authority.  Maybe not for too much longer…

Coming off what I am hearing was a series of smoking performances on the January 2016 Legendary Blues Cruise where he tore it up jamming with Elvin Bishop, Alligator Records released this album of all Toronzo originals.

Chicago Ways is without a doubt Cannon’s strongest album to date.  In part due to excellent production by Alligator El Presidente, Bruce Iglaur, but mostly to the maturity of Toronzo’s own guitar playing and song writing. This album is the result of a lifetime of building chops working with the best bluesmen Chicago has. 

The album starts off strong right out of the gate with The Pain Around Me and keeps the groove going with the somewhat humorous lyrics of Bad Contract, burning guitar throughout. What amounts to the title track, Walk It Off, the dilemma you find yourself in when you’ve got a girlfriend and a wife, follows.  Some hired horns add tremendously to Fine Seasoned Woman. Various flavors of Chicago blues are delivered in the next several tracks culminating in the slow blues, When Will You Tell Him About Me? which hits hard. The clever shuffle Mrs. From Mississippi and the powerful I Am close out the album

You will hear bits of Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and Son Seals in these songs along with another lesser known Chicago legend, Chico Banks.  But believe, it’s all Toronzo paying his respects.  It’s the Chicago Way!     

 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

13th Almost Annual Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival - Concert Review - Stilladog - Guest writer

This year’s festival started off under partly cloudy skies with Patty Reese rendering an acapella version of the Star Spangled Banner.  As she sang you could gaze out over the Chesapeake Bay and imagine, as I did, the British warships heading back out to sea after failing to capture Fort McHenry.  Then a moment of silence was observed for the passing of BB King.

The festival kicked off with the Marcus King Band followed by a female band of local DC musicians put together specifically for this performance called the Sisterhood of Soul.  Then a last minute substitute band, The Record Company, replacing the previously booked Davy Knowles.  The highlight of these opening acts, in fact one of the true high points of the whole festival, was the performance turned in by Little Margie Clark of Sisterhood of Soul. The little old lady (formerly of the 60s group The Jewels) packed a powerful voice. And when she ad libbed some serious scat she blew the lid off that place!  Man, I can’t even tell you what language she was signing in!!  The most outstanding version of an improvised scat vocal I’ve ever heard on a record or in person… and that’s counting Ella Fitzgerald!  The horn section for Sisterhood of Soul was outstanding.  I really wish they’d have turned those horns loose on their set finale Turn On Your Lovelight.

The meat of the lineup started when Tommy Castro and The Painkillers took the stage at mid-afternoon.  The set they played was clearly the best I’ve ever heard Tommy play.  I’ve seen him at least 7 or 8 times and have not come away impressed.  This time I came away singing his praises.  He dropped his horn section a couple years back and his new lineup has taken some time to come together.  But they are a tight outfit now!  The highlight of his set was his cover of the Wet Willie standard, Keep On Smilin’.

The Painkillers were followed by Bobby Rush making his second appearance at the festival.  His was the usual standard entertaining Bobby Rush set full of good music and a few laughs. 

Next up was Beth Hart who has the most amazing voice.  Extremely powerful.  She was holding the mic at her waist and it was picking up her voice like other singers who are damn near swallowing it!  I did not know what to expect from her as my only exposure was on some duet performances she recorded with Joe Bonamassa.  But she wowed me and pretty much everyone within earshot, which probably included some fishermen way out under the Bay Bridge!

Immediately after Beth Hart concluded her set the thunder and lightning rolled in bringing some heavy rain with it.  This delayed the start of the Gregg Allman set by more than an hour and 15 minutes.  Finally, with lightning still off in the distance and the crew squeegeeing water off the stage,I left for the evening.  By all accounts those who stayed were thoroughly impressed with Gregg’s band and his set.  Everyone mentioned his tribute to Dickie Betts and the quality of musicianship the whole band displayed.

Day two started off the way day one ended with cloudy skies and spitting rain.  But by the time the Chesapeake Bay Blues Band took the stage it had cleared.  They are another “festival specific” band featuring Mark Wenner on harp and vocals and Tommy Lepson on keys. It essentially consisted of what amounted to the “Old Nighthawks,” guys who once played in the Nighthawks of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.  They ripped through a very hot set of blues standards in which everyone got a vocal or two and they set the bar higher for the remainder of the day.

Next up was Jarekus Singleton.  I was looking forward to hearing him as I had heard mixed reviews on his first album and wanted to make my own decision. Some folks said he was great and the new savior of the blues.  Others said he was a highly overrated product of the music industry hype machine.  I found neither to be true.  A lot of folks really enjoyed his set.  I found it to be excessive and self-indulgent.  He has talent and a big upside.  But he is far from being the future of the blues.

Mingo Fishtrap wrapped up the afternoon with a mixed bag set that was well received.  Their set included everything from a New Orleans second line to country blues to straight ahead gut-bucket. And then the rain came.

As Shemekia Copeland took the stage she announced “Here I Come!  And Here Come The rain!”  Shemekia is the absolute Queen of the Chesapeake Blues Fest and has appeared more times than any other artist.  The fans love her and she loves playing this festival.  It was the usual high energy, superb performance we’ve come to expect from Shemekia.  As always she paid tribute to her father Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, but this weekend she also paid tribute to the late B.B. King who had passed just two days day before.

The artist I most wanted to see was Charlie Musselwhite.  I had never seen him perform and I was not disappointed.  In fact, I liked seeing him live more than I liked him from listening to his albums.  He had an outstanding playlist of his older stuff, newer stuff, blues classics.  A thoroughly enjoyable set.

Jonny Lang came on.  Pleased many people with his guitar antics.  He was largely popular.  I have however grown weary of his faux ”pain with every note” stage act.  He is another hugely talented guitarist who can’t decide whether he wants to play rock, blues, prog, or Christian music.  All I can say is constant thrashing may entertain some, but it becomes tiresome to me.

And finally the incomparable Buddy Guy closed out the show.  His was a rip snortin’, hell raisin’, string stetchin’ masterful performance.  It was his usual act complete with a walk through the audience during an extended version of “Slippin’ Out,”  The entire set was done with precision, and on this night, extreme passion.  I think Buddy felt the need to set the record straight about who the premiere guitarist at that festival was and was also feeling a pain in his heart about the loss of his friend, BB King.  Those elements combined to yield the best performance I’ve ever seen of Buddy Guy.  Ironically the first time I saw him perform was as part of BB King’s Blues Revue (with Koko Taylor) back in the early 90s and thought his performance that night could never be matched (he absolutely cut Eric Johnson’s head off that night!).  When Buddy brought out his young protégé Quinn Sullivan to help close out the festival I believe we came closer to seeing the future of the blues then than ever.

As I’ve probably said in previous reviews, this festival has probably one of the most beautiful settings as any in the country.  It’s right on the Chesapeake Bay with the Bay Bridge as a backdrop.  The festival is non-profit and all proceeds go to charities that actually get the money!  It’s a good time, it’s a good place and it’s a good cause.  If you ever get the chance to come on down to my place, the largest estuary in the United States, please check out this festival.

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

 

Jeff Beck Live In Tokyo – 2014 - DVD (audio review only) - New release Review - Stilladog - Guest reviewer

My old pal Stilladog had a chance to listen to the new Jeff Beck DVD audio and his review follows. We have both been Beck fans for a long time so I was thrilled to see his review:

The recordings take place at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Japan on April 9th of this year.  These Japanese recordings were the first to feature Beck’s new backing band of Jonathan Joseph (drums), Nicolas Meier (guitars) and Rhonda Smith (bass). The setlist includes some material from his new, as yet unreleased, studio album as well as material from nearly all of his previous releases. In contrast to Beck s previous videos done in small clubs, Live In Tokyo was filmed in a major concert arena and has a very different, more spacious feel.  Beck has released a number of live albums from Japan over the years and he obviously feels comfortable there.

The set begins with a tune from his most recent EP, Yosogai, entitled Loaded.  It is a perfect warm up for the alternately beautiful and soaring instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix’s , Little Wing, which follows.

A new song, You Know You Know, is next and I am interested in hearing this version contrast with the studio released version assuming it is included on the next release.  This is followed by three of Jeff’s live standards, Hammerhead from Emotion And Commotion, Angel (Footsteps) from Who Else!, and Stratus which I believe he has never done in studio.

Yemin is another new song which borders jazz with a middle eastern touch as you might imagine from the title.  Then the band reaches back to the Guitar Shop days for the beautiful ballad, Where Were You. Reaching yet further back into the extensive Beck catalog they find The Pump and You Never Know from There And Back sandwiched around an exquisite medley consisting of a 1:10 intro of Charles Mingus’ Goodbye Porkpie Hat and Brush With The Blues.  Probably my favorite cut on the album.

Beck’s incredible fretboard control is on full display on the classic ballad, Danny Boy, also originally released on Yosogai.  Then it’s a return to dig yet deeper back to the mid 1970s of Blow By Blow and Wired for the screamers and crowd favorites, Blue Wind and Led Boots. 

Throughout, the incredible tone and of Jeff Beck is mesmerizing.  The set continues with a blend of rock, jazz, with flashes of blues and funk including The Beatles’ Day In The Life (now a Beck Live standard as well), Big Block, Rollin’ and Tumblin, and Corpus Christi Carol.

The set ends with an absolutely perfect Rendering of Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers. For an encore the band performs Why Give It Away from Yogosai, the only tune on this release with vocals.

This is pure Jeff Beck.  Better than the Ronnie Scott’s release.  No special guests. Just Jeff and his hand picked band.  While Jimmy Page has dropped off the face of the earth and Eric Clapton has become a product of the music marketing machine (and about as interesting as his last album, an ‘Old Sock’) this is an awesome display from the lone virtuoso rock guitarist that remains creative and relevant SIXTY years hence!  Very highly recommended.  That is all.         

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Roy Buchanan- Shredding The Blues - Live at My Father's Place 1978 & 1984 - Guest writer Stilladog - New release review

Let me preface this review by stating I am an unabashed fan of Roy Buchanan and have been since I was 18 years old. I have heard a lot of his recorded material both production and bootleg varieties. I've seen him play live numerous times, particularly during the time period of these recordings. So there's a degree of bias here. The recordings took place for tracks 1 through 7 during a gig at My Father's Place, a famous house of blues on Long Island, NY, back in 1978. The final 3 tracks were recorded in 1984 with a completely new band when Roy returned to that venue. I believe these recordings which come from the sound board were once available as bootlegs. There once was a Yahoo! fan group called Roy's Live Recordings which traded in non-production bootlegs of Roy's concerts. And that's where I think I may have first heard this stuff. But even that's been more than 10 years ago so I cannot be sure. Anyway, this is a production release by Rockbeat Records that you can buy at Amazon or wherever. The sound quality has been re-engineered well for being from old source (analog) tapes. Albums of this nature inherently suffer from weak source recordings to begin with and Shredding the Blues is no exception. The best part about this release which sets it apart from a truly weak offering marketed under Roy Buchanan's name, Shake, Rattle, and Roy, is that it actually accentuates Roy's guitar. On Shake, Rattle and Roy (which I believe is mostly Danny Denver and His Soundmasters featuring Roy Buchanan) you can barely hear what Roy is playing. Live at My Father's Place is none of that. The set starts out with a version of the Howlin' Wolf tune, I'm Evil. A few minutes in Roy warms up and unleashes a barrage of his classic licks and runs which sets the audience on edge. On this tune, and actually most tracks that Roy himself sings the vocal track is weak. Now if you've ever seen Roy sing you know it's was not his strong suit and he practically whispers the words anyway. But the guitar is fantastic! More guitar is featured on the second track, Soul Dressing. However the feature of this tune is a nice extended piano solo, something which is rarely heard on Buchanan's recordings. A very nice keyboard break is in Baby Won't You Tell Me Where You're At also. I'd like to tell who is playing it but personnel was not provided. I'm pretty sure Malcolm Lukens was in the depths of heroin addiction by 1978, or recovering, so it wasn't him. Most all the numbers feature Roy just lighting it up on the fretboard. He makes the Telecaster scream, he makes it cry, he makes it wah-wah without a pedal. Fast as your ears can follow to slow and easy in a heartbeat. Tone like nothing you will ever hear elsewhere. And of course there's a ton of "pinched harmonics" for which he is famous. On Hey Joe he thanks Jimi Hendrix, then ends the tune with an extended Foxy Lady riff. And the unparalleled Messiah Will Come Again is in there as well. The final three tracks from 1984 were songs in development for his albums When A Guitar Plays The Blues and Dancing On The Edge, Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn and the title track for When A Guitar Plays The Blues. This is a fair representation of what Roy sounded like when he played live back in the 70s and early 80s. Vocals are rather weak and crowd noise at times becomes a distraction. But if you want to hear some electrifying guitar work, you should check this one out. If you've never heard Roy play, this probably isn't the place to start (Livestock is a much better live album). But if jaw dropping axe work is your thing you're gonna love Shredding The Blues.  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Dickey Betts - Winterland San Francisco, CA 12/14/1974 - Stilladog - Guest Reviewer

Dickey Betts - guitar, dobro, vocals
Jeff Hanna - guitar
Spooner Oldham - organ
Vassar Clements - violin
John Hughey - pedal steel guitar
Oscar Underwood Adams - mandolin
Stray Straton - bass, vocals
Bonnie Bramlett - vocals, percussion
Jerry Jumonville - alto sax
David Walshaw - drums, percussion
Jerry Thompson - drums
Leon Poindexter - acoustic guitar
Walter Poindexter - banjo
Frank Poindexter - dobro

 By 1974, in large part due to Dickey Betts, Capricorn Records and the Allman Brothers Band were experiencing a success more lucrative than anyone could have dreamed. Betts, as a result, found himself free to pursue almost anything he desired musically, without having to worry about finances in the least. The situation allowed him to record his first solo album, Highway Call, and to perform with countless great musicians for the pure joy of playing, without any expectations of making money in the process. Over the course of the previous year, Betts had found a true, authentic voice, and had begun to distinguish himself within the ABB as a unique stylist, blending his love for country, bluegrass, western swing, jazz and rock into a style utterly his own - and one that would soon prove highly influential on all the Southern Rock bands that followed in the Allman Brothers' wake.

Betts’ Great American Music Show featured many of the players from his solo album, including the greatest fiddle player of his generation, Vassar Clements. Both the Poindexters and the legendary Spooner Oldham were also on board, and all these musicians combined to create a show that authentically traced the history of American music. 

Betts begins this Winterland show by showcasing his more acoustic side, with plenty of tight harmonies, sweet picking and relaxed communication between the musicians. Several of the best new songs from Betts’ solo effort are included, including "Rain," "Long Time Gone" and the superb "Hand Picked." The classic instrumental "Hideaway," as well as Allman Brothers' favorites "Blue Sky" and "Southbound," are given this new treatment with great success. Betts, Clements and the Poindexters then venture into historic American music and straight bluegrass for half a dozen songs, beginning with vintage material like "Old Joe Clark" and "Salty Dog," and closing with Vassar Clements raising the roof on "Orange Blossom Special." 

The set's closer, for which the ensemble goes electric, is perhaps its most interesting and exciting moment. This 40 minute version of "Elizabeth Reed" has to be one of the most expansive versions ever played, and is almost beyond description. Everyone in the ensemble gets several chances to shine on this unbelievable jam. All the elements that influence Betts’ music are represented, from jazz to rock to bluegrass and back. This version literally has it all, and stays amazingly cohesive and inspired throughout. The audience demands more, and the band returns for an encore consisting of the obligatory "Ramblin Man" followed by another of Betts’ most requested numbers, "Jessica." This lovely instrumental showcases the inventive playing of this large ensemble, and ventures into new areas only hinted at in versions with the Allman Brothers.
This is one of the finest examples recorded of musicians playing for the sheer joy of music, with no egos or financial concerns getting in the way. Touring this type of show was destined to be a monstrous undertaking - and ultimately a financial disaster - but thankfully, for a brief time in 1974, none of that seemed to matter.

Introduction / Rain 4:58
Blue Sky 11:05
Hide Away 9:11
Hand Picked 13:54
Long Time Gone 5:32
Southbound 9:06
Old Joe Clark 1:47
Salty Dog Blues 3:13
Carolina 2:24
Rollin' In My Sweet Baby’s Arms 3:29
Hard Time Blues 4:05
Orange Blossom Special 3:08
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed 41:19
Ramblin' Man 7:59
Jessica 12:16 

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”