Midnight at the Oasis

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 12 Jan 2011 1:24 pm

Removed.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 12 Jan 2011 5:05 pm

The next time you see David, ask him about David Nichtern and the Nocturnes. That will get a smile.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 14 Jan 2011 9:10 am

Amos plays a great solo on John Sebastian`s Friends Again on the Tarzana Kid album.
Great album, BTW. Features Emmons and Lowell George, too

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 16 Jan 2011 7:01 am

And to cap off this thread, here's MATO with Amos & Michelle Rounds 2007 ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXe-ZnhpNOQ

Jim Peters · Post by **Jim Peters** » 16 Jan 2011 8:51 am

He sure has a quirky, interesting style. JP

Bob Knetzger · Post by **Bob Knetzger** » 16 Jan 2011 10:11 am

Cool group pic of the JK Jug Band...and there's Bill Keith on the right (there's your pedal steel content. Tho best known for his banjo playing, he played steel with Ian and Sylvia, Jonathan Edwards, Blue Velvet band and co-wrote that great pedal steel book with Winnie Winston).

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 16 Jan 2011 10:52 am

Amos's playing on that song is probably my favorite solo of all time,I copped a lot of his stuff when I was younger,One of my prime influences.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 17 Jan 2011 8:16 am

And to cap off this thread, here's MATO with Amos & Michelle Rounds 2007 ...

Wow. Another great rendition and solo. Thanks once again, Andy.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 17 Jan 2011 5:54 pm

A magical song and a great solo - one of the best ever on a pop-tune?

Who remembers Amos' minimalist solo on Emmylou Harris' version of 'Here, There and Everywhere'? I can't be sure now, but aren't there maybe four or five measures of space before he makes his understated entrance? Talk about less-is-more!

J Fletcher · Post by **J Fletcher** » 19 Jan 2011 3:12 pm

I heard that solo, Midnight at the oasis, was Stevie Wonder's second favourite solo on a pop record. His favourite...the trumpet solo on Barbara George's "I Know" played by Dave Bartholomew. Seems I heard Amos relate during a radio interview...Jerry

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 19 Jan 2011 5:06 pm

J Fletcher wrote:I heard that solo, Midnight at the oasis, was Stevie Wonder's second favourite solo on a pop record. His favourite...the trumpet solo on Barbara George's "I Know" played by Dave Bartholomew. Seems I heard Amos relate during a radio interview...Jerry

My favorite is Stevie's solo on "Isn't She Lovely."

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Jan 2011 12:08 am

A little bit of Amos in this solo by Al Anderson, I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRprCVz58Jw

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 23 Jan 2011 8:09 am

I've had my Tele strung with heavy Thomastic flatwounds for more than ten years. Bend a 1/2 step on those babies and you'll practically cripple yourself. After all this Amos discussion I bought his DVD and just put on a lighter set only to realize you really do need a 9,11,16 on the first three strings to achieve these bends. The DVD is pretty good. Even after playing for more than 35 years the old dog has a few tricks I didn't know.

Orville Johnson · Post by **Orville Johnson** » 31 Jan 2011 6:51 pm

I'm one of those who think Amos' solo on that tune is in the Top 5 pop song solos ever. I played a Canadian festival a few years ago and the headline act was a collection of Canada's blues all-stars that included Amos on guitar. They did a two hour set. It was the most I'd ever seen him play live and I gotta say he was awesome. It was thrilling to hear him go all the way out to the end of the limb on practically every solo and somehow come back every single time in some brilliant way. Viva Amos!

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 1 Feb 2011 6:58 am

Roger Rettig wrote:A magical song and a great solo - one of the best ever on a pop-tune?

Who remembers Amos' minimalist solo on Emmylou Harris' version of 'Here, There and Everywhere'? I can't be sure now, but aren't there maybe four or five measures of space before he makes his understated entrance? Talk about less-is-more!

Roger, that solo scared me, the first time I heard it. I got doped up and listened to it, over and over, all night. I could not believethe pull-offs in that solo. Sounded like he picked maybe two notes, at most. Yeah, I'm a fan.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Feb 2011 8:13 am

His instructional DVD is based around Sleepwalk (groan) but the ideas he communicates are really cool. He knows all the music theory behind what he does. Amos uses multiple string bends in some very canny ways against the harmony. One of the things I would never have figured out without seeing it is that some bends are accomplished by fretting the first string, then grabbing the 2nd string while adjusting your hand position in mid-grab to include the 3rd string. Oh yeah, then there's keeping all of that move in-tune and musical; much harder than it looks!

Jeff Spencer · Post by **Jeff Spencer** » 24 Feb 2011 2:42 am

Thanks for the post. The most understated solo that I can recall and guitar as it should be. Breezy, cool, and relevant to the song. Take that guitar playing out and you have a pop song, with it you have a memory with feeling. Played with the heart and fingers not the head and hands.

What a great post!

Jeff

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 1 Mar 2011 1:47 am

timeless....

I recall when I first heard this way back then it was like

"far out dude"...

it's still

"far out dude" !

So Amos plays a style that others cannot duplicate on the traditional guitar, so guitar builders invent another guitar with benders so us players can play in the style of Amos..

problem is

we still can't !

t

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 2 Mar 2011 8:22 am

Mr. Allen, I always enjoyed your pictures, you should keep them here.
J. Kettner

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 28 Sep 2015 7:46 am

Here's a good chords lesson of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG1Pu2WVn84

Chuck Lemasters · Post by **Chuck Lemasters** » 1 Oct 2015 5:50 am

Great tune, absolutely terrific solo, one of my all time favorites.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 7 Oct 2015 11:27 am

Some of my favorite 'Amos solos' were done on the recordings for Paul Butterfield's two Better Days albums (cir. 1973).

Here is their version of Percy Mayfield's song, "Please Send Me Someone to Love". Amos' solo is at about 2:30. Also, Ronnie Barron's vocal is excellent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZaPhNSmu1Q

and Robert Johnson's "New Walkin' Blues" with Geoff Muldaur on slide guitar. Amos' solo is at about 1:36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km6JPmQAglI

Speakin' of the late great Ronnie Barron, and digressing from Amos' pickin', here's a 'tube of him performing his signature tune:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKY1wydalLs

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 7 Oct 2015 12:20 pm

I think someone mentioned it earlier in the thread, though it was written as "Mrs. Garrett" (?) so I'm not clear on the context, but it struck me as odd in the interview with Maria that Andy linked I don't believe she ever actually mentioned the name "Amos Garrett" in reference to the guitar player.

I remember that solo on Midnight left an indelible impression on me and I immediately started seeking out any record with Amos Garrett on it. He joined Paul Butterfield's Better Days as mentioned above by Glenn (wasn't the Blues Band anymore Maria), I still have both those albums on vinyl, really great stuff.

She being fairly local to me, I run into Maria at either shows or some other gatherings involving musical friends a few times per year. Most recently when the Campbell Brothers appeared at SF Jazz when the main theme of the evening was Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." Maria joined them toward the end of the evening for a few numbers, she had done some touring with them awhile back.

Nice lady, always fun to talk to with loads of personality and she still has a healthy dose of what some would refer to in a woman with the expression: "she's a pistol."

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 7 Oct 2015 12:53 pm

Please allow me to deviate from the subject of this thread, somewhat.

Since Maria Muldaur is tied to this thread I've decided to include a 'tube from one of Maria's solo albums, Fanning the Flames, which is IMO a decent blues album. Here is one of my favorite tracks with Maria accompanied by Cranston Clements on guitar; "Talk Real Slow":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1-n5e7HF6I

and another with Johnny Adams on vocals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skcM7LgmI_Y

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 8 Oct 2015 8:23 am

There's a great steel instrumental version of this song on Bobby Black's album "California Freedom" which was Tom Bradshaw's Steel Guitar Record Club album #14... Bobby does a super job on this cut and his brother Larry does a fine guitar break on it as well.... Check it out, bOb might have some copies for sale on this Forum......JH in Va.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Midnight at the Oasis

Chords lesson

Amos Garrett

Maria Muldaur