The 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival is in the history books.  Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, ZZ Top, Sonny Landreth… and that was only the beginning. What a day of music it was.

Check out this excerpt from Chicago Tribune concert review:

Blues uncut, high on musicianship and low on theater, was the order of the day. Though Clapton’s hand-picked lineup included nods to jazz (Earl Klugh), country (Vince Gill) and folk (Bert Jansch, Stefan Grossman), it skewed heavily toward the blues tradition that gave his young life purpose. The performers tailored their sets accordingly. ZZ Top ignored its biggest MTV-era hits in favor of grunge-encrusted boogie, with Billy Gibbons adding a couple shovels full of gravel to his insinuating baritone mumble. John Mayer abandoned his pop-idol persona to jam with drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino; indeed, a drummer as mighty as Jordan probably wouldn’t have tolerated “Your Body is a Wonderland,” so Mayer dug into Jimi Hendrix’s “Wait Until Tomorrow” and did a respectable job.
-Chicago Tribune Concert Review

Rich Murray from The Guitar Channel blog has posted a fantastic PHOTO GALLERY of shots taken from the event. CLICK HERE to view these photos and experience the event.

Videos are also starting to pop up on YouTube.  Here is one of the first jams to include Joe Bonamassa and Robert Randolph:

Crossroads Guitar Festival

How I wish I was on my way to Chicago…..

Eric Clapton’s 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival takes place tomorrow, Saturday, June 26th at the Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007.

The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of guitarists, all of whom are hand-picked by Eric Clapton himself.

The complete performance schedule for the all day event was posted today on Eric’s Fan Club site:

(www.WheresEric.com)

Check out this lineup:

11:50A – 12:15P Sonny Landreth

12:20P – 12:55P Robert Randolply joined by Joe Bonamassa, & Pino Daneile

1P – 1:40P Robert Cray with Jimmie Vaughan, & Hubert Sumlin

1:45P – 2P Bert Jansch

2:05P – 2:20P Stefan Grossman

2:25P – 2:50P ZZ Top

3P – 3:40P Doyle Bramhall joined by Gary Clark, Sheryl Crow

3:50P – 4:35P Vince Gill joined by Albert Lee, James Burton, Keb Mo

4:45P – 5P Citizen Cope

5:05P – 5:20P Earl Klugh

5:25P – 5:50P John Mayer

6P – 6:35P Buddy Guy with Jonny Lang

6:45P – 7:35P Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band joined by Warren Haynes, Sheryl Crow, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, & Johnny Winter

7:45P – 8:20P Jeff Beck

8:35P – 10:05P Eric Clapton with Steve Winwood

10:10P – 10:30P BB King with Robert Cray Band

10:30P – 10:50P FINALE

That’s a whole lotta guitar playing mojo for a single event!

I would love to hear from anyone who attends! Otherwise I will have to wait for the DVD…

Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto "TAKE YOUR PICK"

Gibson.com is offering a free download from the new album by Larry Carlton and Takahiro “Tak” Matsumoto!

Three-time Grammy winner Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto, the most renowned guitarist in all of Asia, teamed up to compose, record and release “Take Your Pick”, an extraordinary collection of 12 original instrumentals already being hailed as “one of the most significant collaborations of contemporary guitar of all time.”

Larry and Tak invite you to download their new single, “Tokyo Nights.” Click the image above to request your free download.

Note: This offer will not last forever… so get your free download NOW!

[Click the Arrow to play "Tokyo Night" from the CD titled "Take Your Pick"]

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My good friend Jon from GuitarNoize.com has been promoting a contest for the past 3 weeks.

He posted a 2-minute “ballad-style” backing track on YouTube.com and challenged guitar players worldwide to record their individual, improvised solo over the top of it and then post it back to YouTube for John to grade.

It’s kind of like the “American Idol” for guitar players (albeit with only one judge).

He specifically asked for entries that were nicely phrased, melodic, and not “shred-style” playing… with the winner receiving an MXR Micro Flanger Pedal as the grand prize.

The competition has ended… and the pedal-winner will be announced soon.

There were 194 total video entries and I have selected what I believe to be the clear and decisive winner that soars high above all the others.

If this solo does not “take home the pedal”… then just chalk it up the Judges personal taste.

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For a link to the contest rules and backing track… CLICK HERE.

To watch the videos of all 194 entries, CLICK HERE.

Renegade Creation CD Cover

Renegade Creation is the new record by veteran musical giants, Michael Landau, Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip and Gary Novak.

Blending together to create a blues-driven sound that not only will satisfy their individual fans but is fresh enough to attract a legion of new fans as well.

Delivering bothrootsy, blues/rock vocal tunes and fiery instrumentals, the band draws on the unique guitar interplay between guitar giants Robben Ford and Michael Landau who inspire each other to new personal bests.

From the American Blues News review:

Ford and Landau each sing four of the album’s tracks. And though there is no shortage of guitar from either of these gifted players, the album never feels like a vehicle for showboating.

The chemistry between Ford and Landau is impeccable. As they gently push one another to new levels of guitar greatness, they do so with poise and grace; never getting in each other’s way and never hogging the spotlight.

Vocally the two artists’ styles differ greatly. Ford delivers his four vocal tracks with passionate clarity, as Landau does so with a gritty Knopfler-esque swagger. This contrast from track to track keeps things fresh and interesting, in a way that a sole front-man can never achieve. Because Ford and Landau also split the bulk of the writing duties, the tracks that feature them on vocals are catered to their strengths and styles, providing the album with a diverse combination of flavors that manages to highlight each of their individual sensibilities, while never seeming out of place on the album as a whole.

When an album is released featuring such extraordinary talent like this, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that “jazz-rock fusion” will be on the menu… but when the guitar virtuoso Michael Landau is added to the mix, music fans are treated to a heaping helping of expertly executed guitar-driven blues-rock…with a complimentary serving of “fusion” on the side. - J. Blake – American Blues News

With RENEGADE CREATION the members of this super-group have returned to their bluesy roots, while staying true to their artistry. They’re taking blues-rock to new levels of sophistication.

One on my favorite tracks is called “The Darkness”. It’s a song credited to the entire band and features Ford and Landau working in the style I love to hear most… slow minor blues.

[Click the Arrow to play a sample of "The Darkness" from Renegrade Creation]

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