I like many different styles of music (as long as the guitar is the featured instrument!)

If you take a look at my iPod you will find an eclectic assortment of Classic Rock, Smooth Jazz, Contemporary Christian, New Age, R&B and an eclectic variety of tunes that fall into several genres — according to my ears.

But without a doubt, there is nothing I love to listen to more than a warm, classic, slow brooding BLUES SOLO that drips with emotion. Slow blues is by far my personal preference as I love to “feel” a song even more than I like to “listen” to a song.

Duke Robillard

To give you an example of what I mean, I have embedded a video of Duke Robillard’s “Blues for T-Bone”. This is one of the most masterful slow blues recordings I know of.

Robillard calls this “Duke’s Mood” and how powerful and moody it is! If you can, turn the lights low and close the door before you click the play button. The less distraction you have, the more you will truly “feel” the music.

Don’t close your eyes because there is a lot to see as Duke shares some masterful, innovative fingering.

Watch and listen as Duke takes you on an emotional journey. It’s 7-1/2 minutes of slow blues ecstasy. If you’re like me, you will watch this video several times. If you’re really like me, you will share this with your guitar loving friends!

One more thing… be sure to catch the train at 2:28… and enjoy the ride.

Albert King was born on April 25, 1923 (“Under a Bad Sign” of course!) and world have turned 88 today. Oh how I wish Albert was still with us!

Albert King Gravesite in Memphis

Albert was known as one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar”, along with B. B. King and Freddie King. He was a large man, 6′ 4″, 250 lbs, with incredibly large hands that were perfect for playing the guitar.

Like so many other blues guitar players, Albert began singing with a family gospel group at a church when he was just a young boy. He was influenced by blues musicians Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson.

King was a left-handed “upside-down/backwards” guitarist meaning that while he was left-handed, he usually played right-handed guitars flipped over upside-down so the low E string was on the bottom. The electric guitar (specifically the Gibson Flying V, which he named “Lucy”) was his signature instrument. In later years he played a custom-made Flying V that was basically left-handed, but had the strings reversed. He also used very unorthodox tunings, often tuning as low as C — to allow him to make massive string bends.

This video is from a LIVE recording in the mid-1980′s titled “Blues Legends: Albert King, Live in Sweden” and the DVD can still found on eBay…usually under $10 bucks. If you love the blues, you should buy one of these while you can. What I LOVE about this clip is the interview and the open and candid answers that Albert gave. For a big man, he had an even bigger heart. He loved his fans and he loved the blues. His music lives on in me — which is the purest way to measure one’s impact on people’s lives.

I miss you Albert – Happy Birthday!

One more thing… You can download a BACKING TRACK to Albert King’s “Born Under A Bad Sign” by CLICKING HERE.

A very wise man told me last week that “copying” is not “artistry” and I have not been able to get that thought out of my mind.

The context of our conversation was about photography and painting (not guitar playing).

He was making a reference to how he felt about someone who had the ability to look at a photograph of a famous painting and reproduce it on canvas with oil colors. It was a friendly and somewhat spirited discussion that left me thinking:

If I can “copy” Eric Clapton’s guitar licks, does that make me a “guitar artist”?

It’s certainly a debatable thought and one that we surely will not all agree on. There are thousands upon thousands of guitar “copiers” in the world. I am referring to those who have the ability to sound like their personal favorite guitar player as a result of studying, practicing and memorizing their licks.

They obviously have the ability…but does that make them an “artist”?

I am going to take the controversial position that artistry happens when someone creates a new sound, a new song, a new feeling, a new emotion, a new musical vibe or perhaps…in the case of the video below..a new way to play the guitar.

I realize that tapping and lap-style playing have been around for a long, long time but I must admit that I have not seen this level of acoustic mastery and artistry — ever.

Watch the Video:

 
Read more…

Vusi Mahlasela is a South African singer-songwriter. His music is generally described as “African folk”.

His work is an inspiration to many with themes that include the struggle for freedom, and forgiveness and reconciliation with enemies.

Vusi can be heard performing on Warren Haynes’ Live at Bonnaroo release during the song “Soulshine” and with the Dave Matthews Band on “Everyday”, from the album of the same name.

Vusi was also one of the performers at the Live 8 concerts.

It has been said that Vusi Mahlasela sings as a bird does: in total response to being alive. Apart from his remarkable songwriting talent, Mahlasela is in fact blessed with one of the most remarkable voices in contemporary popular music.

In June 2007, Mahlasela performed “Thula Mama” at the TED Conference. The video of that performance is presented HERE.

ENJOY!

I returned from NAMM last night with a massive backlog of things to write about on the BUZZ.  I also recorded several videos that I will upload over the next few days.

One of the highlights was a 3rd row seat for The Gary Hoey Band at the Fender booth. Gary has been with Fender for 14 years and showed his appreciation by putting on a free (and killer) 30-minute set which included the title track of his upcoming cd… UTOPIA.

Note: More Gary Hoey Band videos can be viewed on my “YouTube Channel”…

Check this out:

Last week, Guitar Center held the finals of their “King of the Blues” contest at the House of Blues in Hollywood CA. Congratulations to Kirby Kelley of Sherman, Texas who beat out more than 4,000 guitarists to be crowned the winner!

There was a “who’s-who” panel of celebrity judges that included Jimmy Vivino of the Tonight Show Band, Elliot Easton of The Cars, accomplished session musician Blues Saraceno, blues legend Hubert Sumlin of Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, renowned blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Grammy Award winner Pete Anderson, Steve Lukather of Toto, Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World Brad Tolinski, and Dweezil Zappa.

Following the contestants’ performances was an electrifying performance by Joe Bonamassa, who invited many of the judges to join him throughout the evening during his full concert set.

Here are 2 videos (both in HQ) that allow you to stand in the 2nd row and watch Joe play with Steve Lukather… (thanks to libbysvideos)

GuitarBuzz readers know that I am a HUGE fan of Joe Bonamassa. I also admire and have a ton of respect for Steve Lukather. Steve impressed me as a judge in the Guitar Player Magazine “GuitarSuperStar 2009″ competition with his passion and direction as he addressed the final competitors. He continued that same line of mentoring at “King of the Blues”.

What I noticed in these 2 videos was the different styles that Joe and Steve have when playing blues solos. If Joe played 300 notes, Steve played 3,000. Steve blistered the fretboard, Joe left it dripping with pure Mojo.

What a great night that must have been. Wish I could have been there!

By the way, this is my 100th blog post to “TheGuitarBuzz” and I want to thank ALL of the readers, followers, commenters and supporters.  When I started this blog about a year ago, I doubt I could have come up with 100 things to write about. Now that I have the first 100 behind me, it’s on to the next 100… -GuitarDaddy

One last thing… I am trying to track down Kirby for an interview. Until I do, check out his winning performance on this video:

Oh… to be 8 years old and playing the blues like this!

(For the record… Tallan was 8 when this was recorded… he is the mature age of 10 today.)

Tallan credits his musical influences to be none other than: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, BB King, Buddy Guy, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Steve Miller, Eric Johnson, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Derek Trucks, Rush, Keith Urban, Craig Young, Collective Soul, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Did he really say Bach & Beethovan??

Check out his MySpace site by CLICKING HERE.

YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS KID!

Joe Bonamassa treated some of his fans to an evening of music and dialogue at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, California.

A lot of the session was recorded and posted on Guitar Center TV & YouTube.  You can FOLLOW THIS LINK to see the entire video list.  My favorite session was Joe playing slide and talking about his major influences like Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Johnny Winter and Warren Haynes.

Check out this wicked slide playing:

If you want to make a guitar blogger’s day, send them an email saying you really enjoy reading the content on their blog! (hint-hint!)

That’s exactly what Steve Senes did for The GuitarDaddy a few days ago.

Steve came across the TheGuitarBuzz.com while searching on Google for information about Guitar Player Magazine’s “Guitar Superstar” Competition.  I had posted an article about the competition back on July 11th and Google delivered that link to Steve.

Let’s just call it a match made in “Guitar-Cyber-Heaven”!

Now in its fifth year, Guitar Player’s Guitar Superstar competition is the centerpiece of Guitar Player LIVE!, a 3-day celebration of guitars, music, and gear presented by the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center in Livermore, California (east of San Francisco) on Saturday, September 12, 2009.

Steve is one of the Top-10 Finalists in the competition and after exchanging a few emails, he graciously agreed to give The GuitarDaddy an interview for TheGuitarBuzz.com. Check this out:

GD) Steve, tell me a little about yourself…
“I’m a guitarist living in the Myrtle Beach, SC area, though I’m originally from the Washington, SC area. I’ve played in a lot of different styles of bands, from Metal to Pop Rock to Funk to Country & Southern Rock, which has (I guess) given me kind of a schitzo style; God only knows what’s gonna come out next.”

GD) How long have you played guitar?
“I started playing guitar in late 1985, so that’d make it about 24 years now. I’d fiddled around with it before then, but that is when I started taking it seriously…”

GD) What style of music do you enjoy playing?
“I enjoy playing a lot of different stuff on Guitar, but when it comes right down to it, it’s hard driving rock that I dig the most. I like hitting on some funk as well, but in moderation. I say it like this remembering a band I played with for around three years where we’d go weeks (literally gigging 7 nights a week) without playing a song where I could turn distortion on my guitar. It’d drive me nuts cause after a while, I just gotta crank it and get my wail on…..”

GD) Is this your first time to enter a guitar contest?
“I’ve been in a few contests over the years – starting in the DC area, where I grew up. There were three Hot Licks Guitar Shop contests, the third of which I won. In 1996 I won a contest here in the Myrtle Beach area sponsored by a local rock radio station. In 1999 I won a contest sponsored by Guitar Center in conjunction with Steve Vai. In this contest, the grand prize was to get up and jam with Steve Vai and his band on stage at their gig. Thus far, it’s been the pinnacle of my guitar playing career – and the most frightening – Jack Butler anyone?”

GD) Are you nervous about playing in front of those mega-star judges?
“Not so much playing in front of the judges as much as “boy o boy, I hope I don’t get up there and lay an egg”, LOL! I’m just gonna go up there & play the way I love playing. I love to play guitar, I think that’s the way it should always be.”

GD) What are your aspirations with the guitar?
“To never again have to play gigs that I hate in order to pay the bills. Also, in a questionnaire for this contest I was asked pretty much the same question, to which I answered the following: “To travel the world, playing my music for every guitar music fan I can find. The stages, the lights, the crowds. I want it all!”

Steve has a new CD coming out titled:
dE​-​eVolution oF thEorY.

The release date is October 30, 2009.

Click on the CD cover to the left and you will be re-directed to a site where you can sample all of the songs from the upcoming CD.  You can even download individual tracks (or the entire CD).

The funds collected will go toward the cost of mastering the final CD for production.

Come on GuitarBuzz readers… let’s help the guy out! This is great stuff!

Steve will be performing the first track from the CD titled: “The Swami” for the Guitar Superstar competition.  He gave me permission to embed the track below so you can listen to what the judges will hear (while you continue reading The GuitarBuzz…)

[Play audio of Steve Senes: The Swami]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The ten finalists receive an all-expenses paid trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. The winner, First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up will receive custom trophies and complete gear packages. The champion will receive a feature article in Guitar Player magazine and prizes from event sponsors–including Mesa/Boogie, Harmon, Line 6, Peavey, Sennheiser, GHS Strings, DR Strings, and U.S. Music.

The competition takes place Saturday, September 12, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. at the Bankhead Theater, Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, 2400 First Street, Livermore, California. Admission $23.00. Tickets can be ordered online at www.bankheadtheater.org or call 925-373-6800.

You can contact Steve directly through his MySpace page by CLICKING HERE.

GOOD LUCK IN THE COMPETITION STEVE!!

GuitarDaddy will provide an update on the results…

August 13, 2009 we lost the man who created The Electric Guitar!

I have posted links to “The Chop Shop” in the past and it seemed appropriate today to provide a link to “The Chop Shop Hall of Fame” page that honors Les Paul, and includes a high-resolution (free) download image of the man himself.

From the Chop-Shop Hall-of-Fame Page:
Lester William Polfuss (forever known as “Les Paul”)
Born: June 9, 1915, Died: August 13, 2009

Les Paul was born Lester William Polfuss. Les started playing music on harmonica at the age of 8. By the time he was 13 he was playing guitar in a country band. At age 17 Les dropped out of school to join a radio band at KMOX in St. Louis.

In the mid-30s Les decided he need to make his acoustic guitar louder, and extracted the magnetic receiver from a telephone, used it as a pick up in a 4” X 4” log, inserted into his instrument, and helped create the solid body electric guitar.

In 1947 Les invented a system of sound on sound recording using 8 different guitar parts to create “Lover (When You’re Near Me).” He did the recording with shellac disks. Les would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part, in addition to the 1st recording layer by layer until he was satisfied. This is the 1st known example of multi track recording.

In the early 1950s, Les made a number of revolutionary recordings with his wife, Mary Ford, who sang. These records were unique at the time for their heavy use of overdubbing. Their hits included “How High the Moon,” “Bye Bye Blues,” and “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise.”

In the 50s Gibson incorporated this design and created the Gibson Les Paul, one of the best selling guitars of all-time.

In 1954, Les continued to develop this technology by commissioning Ampex to build the first eight track tape recorder, at his expense. From this point, he was known as the father of the modern-day recording studio.

In 1978, Les was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 1983, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award.

In 1988, Les was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1991, The Mix Foundation established an annual award in his name; the Les Paul Award, which honors “individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology.”

In 2005, Les was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Les was inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He is also an honorary member of the Audio Engineering Society.

Rest in peace Les Paul, we will NEVER forget you.