PBS X-roads Guitar Festival

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 1 Dec 2004 5:02 pm

One of the local PBS stations is airing the Great Performances broadcast tonite at 9PM EST. Don't know when it is showing around the country, but it ought to be a dandy. Features Clapton, BB, Cray, Santana, Gill, Buddy Guy et al.

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 1 Dec 2004 5:43 pm

[This message was edited by Fred Shannon on 06 December 2004 at 01:49 AM.]

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 1 Dec 2004 5:58 pm

And Robert Randolph is listed too!

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 1 Dec 2004 8:30 pm

I watched most of the show. Great bunch of pickers. Jody.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 1 Dec 2004 10:53 pm

I enjoyed seeing BB King and the other legendary blues men like Rob't Lockwood jr., Hubert Sumlin, "Honeyboy" Edwards. Also J.J.Cale. RR did a rousing rendition of "The March" and shared part of Jimmy Vaughan's set. Vince Gill didn't take a back seat either. His "Oklahoma Borderline" with Jerry Douglas was smokin'! I guess this 2 hrs. was just a sample of what must have been an enormous 3 day event.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 2 Dec 2004 2:57 am

Ninety percent of this show sounded to me like the same handful of licks played on a bunch of different-colored Stratocasters! Don't jump on me for this - I just got so tired of hearing the same stuff over and over.

Far from 'taking a back seat to no-one', Vince Gill, although still bound by the three-chord format (seemingly dictated at this event!) played the most musically-ambitious solo of the night; his technique and control stood out from the 'crowd', in my view.

Even my personal favorite, James Taylor, disappointed me by regurgitating yet another 'blues' tune - I'd been hoping for something more musical from him, at least. Frustrating, too, to see Jerry Douglas 'sidelined' on JT's 'song'.

I thought it was to be a celebration of the guitar and all genres - I was sadly mistaken; I don't think I heard a 'major third' all night!

Am I just missing something?

RR

PS: Robert Randolph has a great right-hand, doesn't he? He still played the same licks as all the others, but he's got some chops for sure....[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 02 December 2004 at 03:02 AM.]

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 2 Dec 2004 1:27 pm

Regardless of the music, I hope you liked the sound. I work for Advanced Micro Devices and the concert was recorded on workstations using the AMD Opteron processor with 64-bit technology. Engineer Elliot Scheiner chose this equipment over analog or Apple Mcintosh, which has long been the dominant platform in digital audio recording. I think you'll be seeing more and more of these systems in studios and concerts.

Check out more about it at http://www.amd.com

Keep swingin'
Howard K

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 2 Dec 2004 4:30 pm

Yes, Howard - it was worthy of note! Coming hard on the heels of the George Jones 50th celebration event, I was beginning to take first-class audio for granted!

I should also have factored in the probability that James Taylor actually did a whole set, and that editing-for-TV was responsible for us just getting 'Steamroller Blues'.

I heard a two-bar lick from Jay Dee Maness, but I expect he, too, got a chance to play-out a bit on other tunes with Vince.

Don't misunderstand me; I wasn't expecting a country-music concert, but I was hoping for a more musically-eclectic event than the edited version we actually saw.

Some of the angst-ridden facial expressions made me smile a bit, too - I guess that goes with 'playing the blues', even if you do get picked up in a limo.....

RR

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 2 Dec 2004 8:28 pm

Howard, I thought the sound was just great. Matter of fact, I was impressed with the entire production. No audio drop-outs or wandering camera shots to speak of. It was a quick 2 hrs. for me.
Roger, given that Eric Clapton was apparently the originator of the event and the title was Crossroads Guitar Festival, implying the Robert Johnson story, it was not surprising that blues was apparantly the main focus.
Marty Stuart introduced Vinnie so I have to conclude that other styles of music were included. This was only 2 hours of a 3 day event, so it'd be hard to draw a concrete conclusion from that preview.
I enjoyed the show immensley. I thought the TV listing pretty much implied the content and posted the notice to inform or remind other interested souls.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 3 Dec 2004 6:32 am

Jerry

I hadn't grasped the 'Crossroads'/Robert Johnson connection; now you point that out, it makes sense. (

)

While I don't find Clapton a particularly riveting player, I do feel that he transcends various styles, and that his music has 'balance'. 'Layla' is a case in point - a strong, well-constructed song with a fine instrumental 'hook'.

BB King, though, sounds pretty sterile to me, and I wonder what all the fuss is about; he, and others like him, seems to be reeling off a series of cliches.

I find I can't really articulate what I feel about this music, but it does strike me as being somewhat predictable at best...

Your point about this particular TV programme is well-taken, though.

RR

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 3 Dec 2004 7:15 am

Roger, don't forget that BB (and a few other Mississippi guys gone to Chicago and Detroit) started the whole electric blues guitar thing. He's the original, all the others are the ones playing the cliches. The blues crew does embody the idea that once you've found something good, stick with it. While it is a standard framework that can be loaded down with cliched licks, as with any other genre, when you are immersed in it you have an appreciation for depth and subtleties that people with less familiarity don't hear. Steelers lament on the Forum every day that "real" country music is no longer played. The blues community deserves some credit for fostering this genre long after it slipped from the pop charts. That being said, a steady diet of anything can get stale and boring. I play in an electric blues band, but I'm sure glad I play other genres also. Haven't seen this Crossroads show - I'll be watching for it.

I'll be going to see BB next month. The last time I saw him was on the old chitlin' circuit in Flora, MS in about '67 - a bud and me were the only honkie cats in the house. This might be my last chance, so I decided to go see him again. I shoulda gone to see George Jones for the same reason the last time he was in Philly - but I missed him and could kick myself.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 3 Dec 2004 9:49 am

Roger,

B.B. King is now an "elder-statesman" in the field of blues musicians. As such (and to use a cliche) he's "paid his dues". To hear B.B. in his prime listen to the album "Live at the Regal" (available on CD). He's simply majestic with his approach to the urban-post-war blues style he's well known for.

I agree with your oppinion of B.B. now. I think, B.B. like Bob Dylan has become a parody of his own past greatness.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn[This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 03 December 2004 at 09:51 AM.][This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 03 December 2004 at 09:53 AM.]

Jim Hankins · Post by **Jim Hankins** » 3 Dec 2004 10:02 am

I have to agree with Roger, even with a background and love for blues rock, I saw quite a bit of this the other night, and while I applaude Clapton for this ambitous concert , I was a little disappointed. ZZ top rocked the place at the end. I would have rather seen more of that than the tired blues playing. Slight disappointment in the RR performance I saw, though it wasnt bad, Jim

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 3 Dec 2004 12:17 pm

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I guess that, at over-60 years of age, I've become a bit dogmatic, even though I TRY to maintain an open mind.

I've been thinking it through, and I've come to wonder why Ray Charles never sounded stale or tired. He was another musician who crossed boundaries very successfully, yet there's no denying that he's fundamentally rooted in rhythm and blues. There was always another slant to the way he'd play a tune, even when we'd heard it a million times - he kept us on the edge of our seats, musically speaking, but that sort of excitement was generally lacking amongst the 'luminaries' we heard the other night.

I suppose I was a little bored, to tell the truth.

I will, however, be sure to check out BB's ealier work - that's a promise.

RR

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 3 Dec 2004 12:23 pm

A quick 'PS'.....

This is a long shot, I know, and perhaps a touch off-topic, but to illustrate what I was saying about Ray Charles, try and listen to the soundtrack album from the great film, 'Ray'; it has the original recording of 'Georgia On My Mind', which is wonderful, as we all know, but it also has a later 'live' version of the same song (it's the last track on the CD), and it is positively magnificent.

There was, seemingly, no end to his invention or his passion for his craft.

RR

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 3 Dec 2004 12:35 pm

Ray Charles never stood in the same musical water twice.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 3 Dec 2004 1:03 pm

Ray Charles...genius....means the same thing!

Not many people are in the same league as Ray was. I've been reluctant to go see the film "Ray" because I've been a huge Ray Charles fan for many years and I have a tendancy to pick apart movies for their lack of accuracy. I feel I might be setting myself up for a disappointment . Will I regret seeing the film?

BTW: About a week or so ago, the Sundance channel broadcast a documentary about Tommy Dowd, the master engineer for Atlantic records. At one point Tommy and Ray were together reflecting on the early days at Atlantic. Good TV programming for a change.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 3 Dec 2004 1:19 pm

Glenn, FWIW, I thought "Ray" was the best film I've seen in recent memory.
Pete B.

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 3 Dec 2004 1:19 pm

I saw the movie and loved it. It was crafted with major respect for Ray Charles. Ray saw the movie before he died and loved it.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 3 Dec 2004 1:25 pm

Well, the drift of this topic was simply a heads up for those interested in watching the program.
We could debate the merits of the music 'til the cows come home and prove nothing. Many musicologists insist that blues is the basis for all modern music including country and rockabilly, hence the emphasis on the style. b0b or Janice, the reason for the post has long since been accomplished therefore it can be closed out as far as I'm concerned. With all due respect to all parties and Ray Charles, I don't believe he was a guitar player or a part of the show.

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 3 Dec 2004 4:59 pm

Ray hired Buddy Emmons to play steel. One of the tunes was "Feel so Bad", a blues tune. Ray had good taste in steel players!

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 3 Dec 2004 7:27 pm

You sound a bit displeased, Jerry, and I fail to see how you could take exception to the direction this thread has taken. Isn't debate one of the purposes - and benefits - of the Forum?

RR

Chris Lasher · Post by **Chris Lasher** » 4 Dec 2004 9:23 pm

That tune should have been called "Feel so Bud"!

Here's an obligatory proof:
God is love. Love is blind. Ray Charles is blind. Therefore, Ray Charles is God.

But I think Andy said it best.

Howard, AMD rocks![This message was edited by Chris Lasher on 04 December 2004 at 09:25 PM.]