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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Brothers by Junior Wells and featuring many contemporary blues players. Opening with low slung, Blues Hit Big Town, Colin James weighs in on lead guitar with Wells on Harp. Good Morning Little School Girl lines up Pat Travers on guitar and James Montgomery on harp. I really like Montgomery's work and his interweaving with Travers on this track is tight. One of Well's most loved classics, Messin' With the Kid gets a rework with Tyler Bryant on guitar and his open tone with just the right amount of reverb works really nicely. Baby, Scratch My Back features Albert Castiglia and I always like his style. He doesn't overplay but his notes all count. Very nice. Eric Gales is featured on Lovey Dovey, Lovey One and his confident attack on this shuffle really works nicely. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Snatch It Back And Hold It, featuring Joe Louis Walker. His guitar work is fluid and fleet with just the right bend. Wrapping the release is Hoodoo Man Blues again with Walker on guitar. Walker really is a great fit for this track with his soulful trem bends and tasty fills. This is a strong closer for a very cool release.
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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Blues, from William Shatner, yes that William Shatner. What's it like...you'll have to see for yourself. Opening with blues classic, Sweet Home Chicago, Shatner teams up with Brad Paisley who throws down some cool blues and country riffs along with Jurgen Engler on guitar, bass and banjo, Chris Lentz on keys and Adam Hamilton on drums, bass, guitar and harmonica. Shatners vocals are freeform and emotional. Otis Rush's I Can't Quit You Baby, features Kirk Fletcher who runs some real nice glues riffs of his own and manages Shatner's freeform vocals nicely. Cream's Sunshine of Your Love is up next, mostly in spoken word and I gotta say that Hamilton's work on drums is exceptional and Landreth wails on slide. Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore takes BB King's, The Thrill Is Gone to the next level and Shatner's vocals are as relaxed as I've ever heard on this track. Pat Travers screams on guitar on Screamin Jay's, I Put A Spell On You and Shatner keeps his cool with almost shouted lyrics. I think that Smokestack Lightning with Steely Dan and Doobies' Jeff Skunk Baxter is my favorite track on the release with Shatner "sing" crying where he almost sounds high. Baxter doesn't let up a bit with slashing guitar riffs. With a serious nature, As The Years Go Passing By, Shatner seems to be performing a play (Like Jack Palance singing country) and featuring Arthur Adams with sweet soloing. The track that I find best suited to Shatner on the release is In Hell I'll Be In Good Company with Albert Lee. His spoken work is animated and Lee's guitar work is spry. Actually very cool. Wrapping the release is Secrets Or Sins, with a whisper like vocal and a shuffle rhythm. I really am not sure what Shatner was trying to do with this release, but it got my attention.
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”
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I just received the newest release, Snake Box, from Harvey Mandel and it's very adventurous. For those of you unfamiliar with Mandel's work, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, John Mayall, Rolling Stones, Love and the Ventures. This 6 disc set, 5 studio releases packaged in original covers and one live jam set make up a good cross section of Mandel's early work. Also in the box are 4 pages of liner notes, poster photos and track info.
Disc One, Cristo Redentor was released in 1968 and shows a strong slice of the musical experimentation that was happening at the time. Before Six with it's Latin rhythm and horns is not unlike things that Butterfield was experimenting with. Musselwhite adds his distinctive harp tones on the Lark. The Snake has a lot of the sounds that you would expect from a San Francisco band of the late 60's. Long Wait shows true signs of blues roots with interesting interweaving of guitar, keys and percussion. A long experimental guitar solo on Wade In The Water backed by strings shows definite direction. You Can't tell Me has a poppy rhythm but again aggressively mixed musical styles. This is a disc that definitely warrants a listen if you don't know or already love the roots of jam music.
Disc Two, Righteous, released in 1969 shows a blues progression opening with the title track and Mandel doing guitar swells over a 12 bar melody. Jive Samba has a much smoother jazz ballad feel with strong horn backing. Funk steps up on Love Of Life with horns and drums laying down a 60's splashed horn track and Mandel taking a bluesy solo over the top. Quite cool! Poontang again shows the early fusion of blues, soul, rock and R&B with keys and guitar. Cool! Just A Hair More is a straight up slow blues with Mandel wailing away. Excellent!
Disc Three, Games Guitars Play, released in 1970 shows a more mature and adventurous jazz blues fusion opening with a cool funky Leavin' Trunk. Very nice! Classic Honky Tonk has the blues country feel with a Roy Buchanan like flair. Excellent! Capurange is one of my favorites on this disc with a cool rhythm and twin guitar leads. A cool exploration with just enough solidity.
Disc Four, Baby Batter, released in 1971 has an even closer to the funky side of the blues with similarity in features to the Oblivion Express. Title track has a great groove and more succinct guitar soloing. Midnight Sun, remaining in the funky groove shows Mandel's continued maturation and control of his own expression on the guitar. Morton Grove Mama is a cool boogie with Mandel trading off with Howard Wales on organ and a strong driving bass line of Larry Taylor. Freedom Ball is a real funky track but with wailing guitar work from Mandel and groovin drums by Colin Bailey and congo by Big Black. El Stinger has some really intense guitar work over a loose funky rhythm. Hank The Ripper, the disc closer goes back to primary 12 bar form but with again loose experimentation. A definite change in each disc.
Disc Five, The Snake, released in 1972 shows a further polishing and change to a more structured but still intense style. Opening with The Divining Rod has a great tight drum intensity and Mandel takes a structured approach to his experimentation. Very cool! Title track, The Snake has a real swampy funk and a eerie guitar lead. Levitation is a cool 12 bar number with steel and 6 string work. Certainly not your typical blues but definitely a solid blues beat and cool guitars. Wrapping disc 5 is Bite The Electric Eel with a solid drive consistent with the style I associate with Jeff Beck. Straight ahead beat and reckless guitar work. Excellent!
Disc Six, Live At The Matrix was recorded live in San Francisco in 1968 with Jerry Garcia, Elvin Bishop, Stephen Miller, Mickey Hart and John Chambers. Opening with Jam, a 36 plus minute jam featuring a dead like extended guitar jam. Elvin Bishop's You've Got to Feel It is up next and holds the soul groove to Bishop's band. Nice guitar work and Miller's key work fill the track. An extended 3 O'clock In The Morning has a definite blues groove. Picking up speed as the track progresses over 9 minutes, the guitars interweave. She's A Mojo Worker has a definite R&B feel and extending over 20 minutes, finds the guitar players searching each expression.
This is a very cool exhibition of Mandel's early work and one that will find interesting to the extent that you like guitar, improvisation and history of rock and blues music.
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”
Legendary Blues Guitarist
Harvey “The Snake” MandelReleases Early Solo Albums In 6CD Box
Set!
Los
Angeles, CA - Innovative blues guitarist Harvey Mandel, has had the kind of
career that musicians dream about. Most known for his pivotal work with blues
rock institution Canned Heat in 1969 & 70 including their legendary
performance at Woodstock, Mandel has over the course of his 6 decade career
collaborated with music luminaries such as John Mayall, The Rolling Stones,
Love, The Ventures and many more! But Mandel’s genius playing truly shines on
his solo efforts, which he began releasing in 1968, and continues to release to
this day. Now, some of these early solo albums are being made available in a
deluxe 6CD box set from Purple Pyramid Records on January 20. The limited
edition Snake Box includes 5 classic solo albums each packaged in its own
sleeve with original artwork plus a bonus 1968 concert recording and a
full-color booklet with in-depth liner notes! Taking its title from Mandel’s
nickname “The Snake” given to him by Canned Heat’s keyboardist for his cracked
leather jacket and his snake-like guitar licks, this box set is an essential
piece for fans of this lethally talented musician.
Harvey Mandel began his career as the
original guitarist for Chicago blues legend Charlie Musselwhite, appearing on
his 1966 debut album Stand Back!. He then relocated to the Bay Area,
performing often at a club called The Matrix, where local favorites like Jerry
Garcia and Elvin Bishop would sit in and jam (a recording of which makes up the
bonus disc of Snake Box). He then met up with renowned producer Abe
“Voco”' Kesh, releasing his first solo album titled, Cristo Redentor in
1968, which included his extra-terrestrial version of “Wade in the Water,” still
a classic to this day. Then the news arrived that Harvey Mandel had replaced
Henry Vestine as lead guitarist of Canned Heat, and it was clear that his
talents had been noticed by more than just a few musicians. After several tours
and 3 albums with the Heat, he was recruited by British blues man John Mayall to
be a member of the Bluesbreakers. In 1971 Mandel resumed his solo career,
releasing several more albums including Baby Batter & The
Snake.
One of Mandel’s most significant session
credits was his participation on The Rolling Stones’ 1976 LP Black and
Blue. His unique style is evident on the song “Hot Stuff.” When Mick Taylor
left the Stones at the end of 1974, Jagger & Co. auditioned various
guitarists, among them Mandel and the man who eventually got the job, Ronnie
Wood. Following his success with the Stones, he became a busy session player
with groups such as Love and The Ventures, and opened for Jeff Beck on his
Canadian tour as part of a power trio with Jimmy Haslip, of the Yellowjackets.
He relocated to Chicago in the late ‘70s and continued to tour extensively as
well as supporting groups such as Roxy Music. Throughout the next 3 decades,
Mandel has earned copious praises for both his solo work and his collaborative
efforts becoming one of the most influential and best known guitar players of
his era. Now’s your chance to own a box set featuring the albums that started it
all!
1. Cristo Redentor • 2. Before Six • 3. The
Lark • 4. Snake • 5. Long Wait • 6. Wade In The Water • 7. Lights Out • 8.
Bradley’s Barn • 9. You Can’t Tell Me • 10. Nashville 1 A.M.
DISC 2: Righteous
(1969)
1. Righteous • 2. Jive Samba • 3. Love Of
Life • 4. Poontang • 5. Just A Hair More • 6. Summer Sequence • 7. Short’s Stuff
• 8. Boo-Bee-Doo • 9. Campus Blues
DISC 3: Games Guitars Play
(1970)
1. Leavin’ Trunk • 2. Honky Tonk • 3. I
Don’t Need No Doctor • 4. Dry Your Eyes • 5. Ridin’ High • 6. Capurange • 7.
Señor Blues • 8. Games People Play
DISC 4: Baby Batter
(1971)
1. Baby Batter • 2. Midnight Sun • 3. One
Way Street • 4. Morton Grove Mama • 5. Freedom Ball • 6. El Stinger • 7. Hank
The Ripper
DISC 5: The Snake
(1972)
1. The Divining Rod • 2. Pegasus • 3. Lynda
Love • 4. Peruvian Flake • 5. The Snake • 6. Uno Ino • 7. Ode To The Owl • 8.
Levitation • 9. Bite The Electric Eel
DISC 6: Live At The Matrix
1968
1. Jam • 2. You’ve Got To Feel It • 3. 3
O’Clock In The Morning • 4. She’s A Mojo Worker
I just received the newest release (April 29, 2014), Primitive Son, from Eli Cook and it's a rockin, snarling blues guitar release. Opening with War Horse, Cook and gang (Wade Warfield on drums and Rob Richmond on bass) crank up a Led Zep feel with a southern twist. It has a mesmerizing groove and cool guitar riffs. Revelator has a bit more pop to it adding Vinny Appice (drums), Jorgen Carlsson (bass and B3) and Steffen Presley and Greg Hampton on backing vocals. Sweet Thang has a slinky sound and features Tinsley Ellis on additional guitar. High In The Morning, a southern influenced track features Sonny Landreth on some slick slide work. Reese Wynans adds some Vocals remind me quite a bit of Black Label Society. Won't Be Long is a real nice little acoustic ballad featuring Cook on acoustic slide and vocal. Motor Queen steps out with real attitude... a club swingin blues rocker with Leslie West joining on guitar. This track has a lot of attitude and is one of my favorites on the release. Be Your Fool, still with more of a rock blues swagger, features Rod Piazza on harp but certainly has more of the flavor of Led Zep, Skynyrd or G&R than the old masters but still quite entertaining. Swing A Little Harder is a stripped down track with only Cook on vocal, bass and guitar and Wade Warfield on drums. A blend of spoken lyrics and heavier rock gives it a different style sound. Again the closest thing that I can compare it to is BLS. With interesting guitar riffs and a solid beat... cool track. Shake The Devil Down is consistant with the bulk of the release with solid vocals and well executed guitar riffs over a solid bottom. Tall & Twisted is again accompanied by acoustic guitar and understated drums by Warfield and bass from Rob Richmond. Modern country blues. The Great Southern Love Kill has a hotter flame featuring Artimus Pyle on drums and Pat Travers on additional guitars. A more straight up blues rocker and an easier melody actually brings this track across a bit more crisply. Smokin hot guitar riffs on this track break the uneven but consistent drum rhythms. Amphetamine Saint has a real blues rock swagger. I like Cook's vocal style more on this track and guitar heavy Eric Gales adds nicely to the mix. Title track, Primitive Son, is more vocal heavy with instruments more in the back. A straight forward blues rocker, this track definitely demonstrates the relationship between blues and progressing metal. Wrapping the track is Burying Ground, a heavy blues rocker with interesting guitar work and a heavy drum beat. Cook is carving out a niche for himself in this heavy blues rock/metal sound and I'm certain he will find a strong audience.
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”
Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, USA)[1] is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career. Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping.
Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and his first record was the album Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band in 1966 with Charlie Musselwhite. Described in 1997's Legends of Rock Guitar as a "legendary" album, it was influential in bridging the gap between blues and rock and roll, with Mandel's "relentless fuzztone, feedback-edged solos, and unusual syncopated phrasing."[3] He relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, performing often at a club called The Matrix, where local favorites like Jerry Garcia or Elvin Bishop would sit in and jam. He then met up with pioneering San Francisco disc jockey and producer Abe 'Voco' Kesh (Abe Keshishian), who signed Mandel to Philips Records and produced his first solo album, Cristo Redentor in 1968. In retrospect , Cristo Redentor bears some resemblance to cuts and songs that were on Wes Montgomery's albums. Mandel recorded with Barry Goldberg on a bootleg from Cherry Records and recorded with Graham Bond. He cut two more solo LPs for Philips, Righteous (1969) and Games Guitars Play (1970), followed by three more solo albums for independent label Janus in the early '70s which include Baby Batter.
Chicago Blues Reunion - Buried Alive In The Blues (10/15/04)
- GM Boogie (Goldberg/Mandel)
* Corky Siegel : harp
* Harvey Mandel : guitar
* Barry Goldberg : keyboards
* R.Zach Wagner : rhythm gutar
* Rick Reed : bass
* Gary Mallaber : drums Like my Facebook Page, Post your video on my Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! Share your favorite posting and get more exposure for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
