Now here's something new. UK player Giles Robson steps up and plays Sugar Blue's stuff--same style and speed--right at Sugar Blue himself. (GR is sitting in with the Sugar Blue band at a UK gig.)
Check out GR's first solo at 1:21. It's uncanny. I know nothing else about him, but I'm surprised at how close he comes to the Sugar-sound:
Who is Giles Robson? UK players, please weigh in. It's this sort of information-gathering from around the globe that makes the internet such a cool place.
Last Edited by on Apr 19, 2009 10:11 AM
I have not heard of him till now Adam. He is based in the island of Jersey which is an island some way off the South West coast of Britain near France. www.myspace.com/thedirtyaces
This guy is amazing but in my opinion sugar blue still sounds more clean and has better phrasing. ---------- "Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
Well, I don't want to sound unduly judgmental, and I don't feel all that comfortable disagreeing with Adam, but I'm not particularly impressed.
Yes, this guy is a good harp player and he can sort of get up to SB's speed. But, unlike SB, he's sloppy, is playing patterns and for that reason does not have particularly good phrasing or control on the high end. Getting up to to SB's speed is one thing. Playing at that speed with precision, control and PHRASING is what sets SB apart.
Nice to hear a player playing in this style, though.
I first met Giles over 10yrs ago, when he was studying in mainland SE UK and sharing harp duties with Roberto Piazzarelli (one of the finest West Coast style chromatic players I have heard...after Rod P, of course) in Frank Nazareth's Sensational Midnight Willie band. Frank Jr (Frank's son, confusing I know but bear with me) was later snapped up to play drums in Paul Lamb's Kingsnakes, as was guitarist Raoul de Pedro de Marinero. The Midnight Willie band was a HOT outfit, let me tell you.
Giles is an excellent harp player, I don't think that the clip above really does him justice, apart from anything, after Sugar's intro, the media compresses when the band kicks in and the harp mushes out.
I'm not surprised that Giles' band the Dirty Aces got some of the work backing Mud Morganfield (he has also been backed by Big Joe Louis's Blues Kings, feat. West Weston, in the UK) as Muddy's style of Chicago blues seemed where Giles was most at home...OK, perhaps that was his basis, but he always puts his twist & embellishments on it. I suspect he plays the way he does in the above clip in deference to Sugar, as a tribute as much as anything. In my experience, though he may respect Sugar Blue, being a Sugar Blue clone is not his stock in trade.
Giles is also a good singer & charismatic front man, I always used to look forward to his rendition of Muddy's, "My baby ran away with the garbage man". I always found Giles to be very friendly & personable, complimentary if he felt it was deserved, often singing the praises of his peers (& the aforementioned Roberto) at jams - perhaps Trenton caught him on an "off" night?
I'm surprised he isn't better known, plenty of lesser talented players are.
This is Giles here. We're giving away a free MP3 download of our track "The Mighty Incinerator" at the new Dirty Aces website: www.gilesrobson-thedirtyaces.com
This is in advance of our album launch on Monday 27th June of our new album "Crooked Heart of Mine".
I had chat with Giles Robson on Myspace earlier this year. Only this morning I was thrashing out a YouTube recording of Mighty Incinerator to my 13month old son and my upstairs neighbours.
I have met and had a lesson from Giles King. Giles Robson is next on my list for harmonical insight.
