On
Friday 22nd February, inakustik will release a
compilation of three rare and previously unreleased German concerts
recorded and filmed in 1989, 1995 and 2000, from the Canadian blues
rock guitarist,
Jeff Healey.
Entitled "
Jeff Healey - As The Years Go Passing By: Live in Germany 1989 - 1995 - 2000", the concerts will be released as a
3 CD-set, and as a
Deluxe Edition 3CD + 2DVD. The latter includes an extensive booklet featuring contributions from the participating musicians, plus rare photos.
The three concerts include
"Ohne Filer Extra" (May 10, 1989),
"Extraspät in Concert" (April 2, 1995), and
"Ohne Filter Extra" (October 31, 2000).
"With the fifth anniversary of Jeff's passing coming up on 2nd March
2013, we were looking for a special way to commemorate and help
celebrate Jeff’s life and legacy,"says Jeff’s widow,
Cristie Healey.
"In preparing for this release, it was important to include the
participation of as many of the performers involved as possible. Jeff’s
friends and colleagues have enthusiastically shared their memories of
the concerts which help to make this rare live compilation extra
special.”
"The Jeff Healey Estate is very proud to endorse this release. It's
the first collection of archive material to be officially released
with the approval of the Healey Family since Jeff left us all too soon.
We are privileged to continue the legacy of his immense efforts,
incredible talent and sheer love of music, for everyone to enjoy.”
Jeff’s life wasn’t just about music but rather, music was part of
what brought life to Jeff. It was part of who he was. For those who
knew him, this fact was always quite apparent, even up to his last live
performance, only a month before he passed away. The live recordings
were created with the participation of those who knew Jeff best, sharing
his talent with his fans, friends, and fellow musicians for years to
come.
Disc 1 & DVD 1: Ohne Filter Extra (May 10, 1989)
Jeff Healey – Guitar/Vocals
Joe Rockman – Bass/Vocals
Tom Stephen – Drums
1. I'm Torn Down
2.
My Little Girl
3.
Confidence Man
4.
I Need To Be Loved
5. When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky
6. River Of No Return
7. Angel Eyes
8. Roadhouse Blues
9. See The Light
Disc 2 & DVD 2: Extraspät in Concert (April 2, 1995)
Jeff Healey – Guitar/Vocals
Pat Rush – Guitar
Joe Rockman – Bass/Vocals
Tom Stephen – Drums
1. Got A Line On You
2. Stop Breaking Down
3. As The Years Go Passing By
4. Confidence Man
5. Stuck In The Middle
6. Angel
7. Yer Blues
8. Me And My Crazy Self
9. Angel Eyes
10. Roadhouse Blues
11. See The Light
12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Disc 3 & DVD 1: Ohne Filter Extra (October 31, 2000)
Jeff Healey – Guitar/Vocals
Philip Sayce – Guitar
Joe Rockman – Bass/Vocals
Tom Stephen – Drums
1. My Little Girl
2. Which One
3. Love Is The Answer
4. How Blue Can You Get
5. Confidence Man
6. Put The Shoe On The Other Foot
7. Feel Better
8. Angel Eyes
9. Roadhouse Blues
The three concerts give fans an insightful look into the evolution of
Jeff Healey... a document of an outstanding guitarist in three
distinct phases of his career. The concerts are presented as they were
performed, live without the aid of studio intervention. Spanning eleven
and a half years, they cover different periods in the history of the
Jeff Healey Band, and yet, they are all linked by a common thread,
Germany.
Germany always held a special place for the Jeff Healey Band.
Consistently one of their strongest markets, German audiences were
always fantastic and appreciative, giving Jeff and his band extra
fire.
"Germany is a spectacular country,"recalls Jeff’s first bass guitarist,
Joe Rockman.
"In colourful detail, I would describe for Jeff the lush fields,
gently rolling hills, picturesque vistas and majestic mountains. For him
the best part was the warm enthusiastic response we encountered
throughout the country. He loved sampling the old world brew and
shuffling through the abundant second hand record shops.”
"The superb camera crews for each show display Jeff's technique with
unique close-ups, putting the viewer right on stage,"continues
Rockman. "I’d coach Jeff on how the cameras were placed, and he was
aware of how to play to them, but also aware not to let them influence
how he performed to the live studio audience. There's one cool shot
I've never seen before, taken at an angle from Jeff's feet shooting up
towards the guitar. During concerts around this period most people in
the audience couldn't clearly see his revolutionary style of guitar
playing, so all three shows are a rare treat…”
1989: The "Ohne Filter Extra"Concert
Healey is in great spirits, and it is clearly evident and from the opener,
I’m Tore Down.
The energy coming off the stage is intense. The frenzy of the crowd is
given a bigger boost by a wild group of Canadians in the audience
showing their support. The playful exuberance Jeff puts out in the solo
for
My Little Girl is reflective of the feel of the entire show.
Joe Rockman: "The 1989 Ohne Filter Extra show has
the original trio in exhilarating form, hamming it up on stage and
pushing the sound of the three-piece to the extreme. It was our dream
to reach the world, and being in Germany was new and exciting. We were
feeling indestructible, with a surge of creativity including film,
video, CD, and playing to huge festival crowds. We were intent at
pushing and proving ourselves for every show."
"There is fire in Jeff's playing, an urgency sometimes startling,
almost as if the notes were saying "Here! Listen here!" His technique
was amazing. It was as if some kind of demented Daddy Long Legs spider
was dancing over the neck of his guitar."
"We used the keyboard in songs where we needed to fill out the middle when Jeff broke into a solo. In
I Need To Be Loved, Angel Eyes and
When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky you
can hear how Jeff used the 12 string Jackson double-neck fora wider
tone, also playing the twelve and six string necks off each other in
solos for great effect.”
When The Night Comes Falling is one of the highlights of
this show. With Joe’s great harmony vocals and Jeff’s double-neck
Jackson guitar, they pull out all the showman chops. Jeff is
sweat-drenched and leaps around the stage playing the guitar behind his
head. The performance culminates in a fantastic show-stopping version
of
See The Light.
1995: Extraspät in Concert
By 1995, the live band had been through some changes. After their debut,
See The Light, the band experienced success with their sophomore release
Hell To Pay (featuring George Harrison and Mark Knopfler), followed by the 1992 follow up
Feel This.
During the tour for this release, the band had sought to augment its
sound and take things in a different direction, adding back-up singers
and a keyboard player. This version of the touring band would remain
short-lived however and with the start of recording in 1994 a change
was again heralded ...
Peeling back the layers for a ‘return to the basics’ the band recorded their next album,
Cover To Cover mostly as a three-piece.
In a 1995 Guitar Player Magazine interview, Jeff elaborated,
"We
felt like we'd sort of gotten off track," Healey says. "I wanted to do
something different and fun and reminiscent of the days when we made
very little money. In the end we recorded 30 or 40 songs - or at least
we half-attempted to record that many. If a song started breaking down
and it took a lot of thought to figure out what to do with it, we just
moved on, because we wanted these recordings to be as spontaneous as
possible.”
In many ways reborn and revitalized in its newly stripped down form, the addition of guitarist
Pat Rush (
Johnny Winter, et. al)
to the live line-up brought much to the proceedings. Pat’s experience
and skill opened up Jeff to play more freely and not have to worry
about carrying the song. In many ways, Pat was the perfect counterpoint
for Jeff on stage and certainly, exactly what the band needed at this
point in time.
Joe Rockman: "Pat Rush was a huge asset and began touring with us to support the
Cover to Cover
record. Jeff was becoming a bit burned out shouldering all the guitar
duties. Pat had mastery of several types of guitars, pedals and effects
and was able to summon up a landscape of orchestral arrangements to
widen our sound. It amazed me to hear so many variations of a guitar
sound especially with his outstanding slide. He had the sensitivity to
lay back, create space, and at times add flourish, tastefully
complimenting Jeff. The interplay between Jeff and Pat shines on every
track.”
Pat Rush: "Jeff used to introduce me as the guy he
stole all his licks from. He first came to see me at Grossmans Tavern
(in Toronto) when he wasn't even old enough to be in bars. He liked my
slide guitar playing and he liked the fact that I was also a good rhythm
player so that when he took a solo the rhythm guitar helped to keep
the groove. When he soloed I kept the groove going while he went into
outer space on a solo and vice versa! He loved trading off solos back
and forth in some songs.”
There are many highlights in the 1995 show; Pat’s stand out slide playing on
Stop Breaking Down, the wonderful interaction between Pat and Jeff in
Roadhouse Blues… you can feel how much fun they’re having on stage… Jeff’s playing on the Albert King classic,
As The Years Go Passing By, is all passion and fire. His soulful voice creating perfect symmetry with the fat tone of his Les Paul.
Joe Rockman: "The second period (
Cover To Cover) represented in this set is a wonderful example of the JHB captured in a controlled environment. The outstanding
Extraspät In Concert production
team gives it the full ambiance of a concert hall, and the guitar
heavy mix broadens the entire sonic spectrum. This is one of our finest
live recordings. Here we see footage of Jeff maturing as a musician
and singer. He has gained control, range and expression in his vocals.
He's more relaxed and confident, and his guitar playing is more dynamic
and directional. He leads the guitar now, as opposed to earlier work
where sometimes the guitar would lead him. From the start his tone
leaps out of the Les Paul, now perched on a metal stand to allow a live
audience to see more of his amazing technique.”
Pat Rush: "It was my second time touring Europe
with Jeff and we performed a bunch of German dates. I remember how good
the production was, the techs doing the TV shows were very together.
When watching the videos I was impressed with the sound and video mix."
Jeff is often unrecognized for his skillfulness on acoustic guitar. His playing was as proficient and unique as on electric.
Joe Rockman: "Jeff's prowess on the acoustic guitar is featured on
Me and My Crazy Self (a song I discovered on one of his CD "rejects" that he gave me) and
Angel Eyes where we stage ourselves up front."
Me and My Crazy Self is indeed a great showcase for Jeff’s
raw talent. Stripped of all artifice, Jeff’s expressive voice and
brilliant acoustic playing are laid bare on the stage, providing an
aural break from the relentlessness of the band. Pat Rush returning to
add an intricate web of sound to a full band acoustic version of
Angel Eyes provides the perfect segue back to full volume.
When the band returns fully amplified with
Roadhouse Blues,
the incredible back-and-forth between Pat and Jeff takes the song to
new heights, priming the audience for what follows, an extraordinary
fifteen and a half minute version of
See The Light.
2000: Ohne Filter Extra
Performing in support of their first release in five years (2000’s wildly unappreciated
Get Me Some),
the band was dealing with its share of turmoil behind the scenes and
sadly, this tour would mark the beginning of the end for the original
line-up. It would be one the final concerts where the three core
members,
Joe Rockman,
Tom Stephen and
Jeff Healey would tour together.
For this tour, new blood was once again injected into the band, this time in the form of
Philip Sayce,
a brilliant young lead player in his own right, with a great voice to
boot (just watch as he cuts loose on the Albert Collins
tune, Put The Shoe On The Other Foot).
Jeff's invitation for him to join up was extended with the intention
of helping him with his own eventual/inevitable career.
Joe Rockman: "Our third era (the 2000 Ohne Filter
show) features songs of our final studio recording where we
experimented with a varied approach to our songwriting, combining
elements of the core band's individual influences along with superb
collaborators. This was the final show of our 2000 Euro tour and we were
feeling the effects of our relentless schedule. Jeff was struggling
with the last dregs of a cold, but that would not stop him. He had a
strong professional work ethic, and could still outperform while
feeling under the weather. Check out his call and answer guitar stings
on
How Blue Can You Get."
"Philip Sayce is an astounding guitar player, and we were excited
for our opportunity to introduce him to the world. A perfect foil for
Jeff, he could push the expression of blues to a lightning fast level,
taking it to a dimension Jeff wouldn't normally go. I had a sense that
Philip put his entire essence and soul into his playing, at times
propelling off his feet and into the air. When close on stage, it was
magnetic. I could feel presence and power emanate from him. In response
Jeff would play even more dynamically, bringing things down to a
whisper, then erupting into a cascade of sonic fury which Phil would
then match, driving Jeff even further. At times you see a look of
amused awe on Phil's face when Jeff pulled off something that didn't
sound quite human.”
Philip Sayce: "By the time we arrived at
Ohne Filter Extra
(our last show of the tour, and Halloween!), there was an excitement
in the air. Emmylou Harris shared the bill with Healey, which was
apparently the last episode of this TV series to be filmed. The German
audience was incredible that night, as they always are. There was a real
edge to the performance that night, we came out swinging, and I
remember of course, Jeff was ferocious, relentless, in complete
control. Even on the last show of this tour, exhausted and fighting a
nasty cold, Jeff blew away everyone, as he always did... he brought the
thunder, and rendered everyone in that audience speechless.”
Joe Rockman: "As a rhythm section, we would strive
to experiment and push beyond the borders of a traditional team. To
back up Jeff, Philip employs a powerful insistent rhythm, while weaving
colours and textures on the slower numbers. He instilled excitement in
the JHB's performances throughout this tour. A great example of
Philip's uncanny vocal range can be seen in the Albert Collins song,
Put The Shoe On The Other Foot
which was a showcase for him. There was a pivotal time during this
performance. As I heard Jeff and Phil in a searing double lead, it hit
me. As bassist and co-producer of the JHB, I was sharing the stage and
studio with some of the greatest guitarists the world had ever seen."
Philip Sayce: "This was one of the last tours I
did with Jeff, as I was preparing to start my own career full time. A
move Jeff had orchestrated, intended and endorsed from the first time
he asked me to join him and his band. To this day, I’ve never
experienced anything like standing beside Jeff onstage, or even hanging
on a tour bus listening to music together. He was one of my biggest
heroes, and still is. I cherish every moment I had with him, and it
helped to set me on my life's musical path. I feel his presence and
influence every time I play. When he performed, it was like time
stopped."
"Jeff's guitar tones and phrasing were instantly recognizable not
just because of his unique style, but also his vast knowledge of music
and music history. He had a sonic photographic memory and all his
influences, especially his love of early jazz and Louis Armstrong would
creep into his playing to create his own unique sound and voice."
"I don't think like a guitar player. Nor do I think that way when
I'm playing the trumpet as a trumpet player or the piano as a piano
player… I'm always thinking very musically, so when I approach the
guitar, again, it's not as a guitar player. I'm playing the music and
conveying emotion."-
Jeff Healey (Vintage Guitar Magazine in 2002)
Jeff Healey – Official Biography
Canadian guitar music icon, Jeff Healey, was born in Toronto on
March 25, 1966. Blind from early childhood due to a rare form of eye
cancer, Jeff Healey’s guitar playing virtuosity and soulful voice saw
him rise to prominence in the entertainment world in the late 1980’s
and ‘90’s selling millions of albums worldwide.
Getting his first guitar at the age of three, he developed a
unique style of playing, placing the guitar flat on his lap and playing
it like a lap steel, putting his hands over the fret board, giving him
the flexibility of fretting with all five fingers and the power of
pulling notes with the strength of his whole hand.
With the Jeff Healey Band, he would record five studio albums and
contribute to the soundtrack of the cult classic film, Patrick Swayze’s
‘Road House’ (a film in which Jeff and the band were also featured).
In addition to countless recording sessions as a guitarist, trumpet
player, singer and producer, Jeff also recorded three albums of the
traditional jazz that he loved so much. Just prior to his untimely
passing, Jeff put the finishing touches on his first rock/blues album
in nine years, the award winning ‘Mess of Blues’.
Over the years, Jeff’s reputation as a player and a person led him
to perform and record with such incredible luminaries as Stevie Ray
Vaughan, B.B. King, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Lenny
Kravitz, George Harrison, Mark Knopfler, Ian Gillan and many more.
For over two decades, Jeff went on to enjoy both a successful
rock/blues career and a wonderful jazz career as well. In 2001 he
opened the first of two nightclubs that would bear his name in his home
town of Toronto. Grammy nominee and Juno award winner, he was a radio
personality, a jazz historian and world famous record collector (owning
a collection of 1920’s and ‘30’s jazz 78s that would include 30,000
records).
Jeff Healey passed away on March 2nd, 2008 from cancer. He was 41 years old.
Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund is a research foundation dedicated to
helping children with retinoblastoma, the form of eye cancer which took
Jeff’s sight as an infant. This wonderful organization has affected
real change through its research throughout the years and is near and
very dear to the Healey family.
Jeff Healey - Official Website
www.jeffhealey.com
Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund
www.daisyfund.org
inakustik - Official Website
www.in-akustik.com
