Ok, I'm not really a fan of JR (I only have his first CD) but, that's PB getting inducted in 2015 and he is being paid tribute by a modern 2015 harp player, that seems right to me and as I said JR is not my taste in blues/blues harp but man, I got a wee buzz there for him playing his heart out! He should be proud of himself and if it inspires anyone out there then it's all good! ----------
"those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do
Last Edited by marine1896 on May 31, 2015 12:02 PM
I don't do HBO, so thanks for posting this. ---------- Ricky B http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans available at Amazon/B&N, iTunes, iBook THE DEVIL'S BLUES--ditto HOWLING MOUNTAIN BLUES--Ditto too, now available
Make another two for those guitarists. Hopefully it'll work and they'll never play again. Did they have any idea what an incredible blues harp player was on stage with them? ... No, they were too busy jerking off on their guitars. You're the boss, Jason! We all respect and appreciate you dude. Never forget that.
This was not so much a showcase for Jason as it was the corporate version of how to put on a show about music...Paul Shaffer is the bridge between big money and the music community. As much as I appreciate what Paul does, he "kinda" sold out in a way and is making big $ for his efforts, I'm sure.
This was more about getting "big name" rocker types in front of an audience that is impressed with seeing these guys and not so much about the music - this was a jam rather than performance.
Jason is lucky to have been chosen, but does not have the status and recognition of the guitar heroes. Maybe this will lead to something more for Jason. Time will tell.
Best way to describe this music evolution is a scene from "Almost Famous"
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was inducted, not just PB. The guitars were a significant part of the band's music, not just Butterfield's harp. It was not just a backing band for a harp player.
Whether we think that the guitarists paid appropriate tribute or not, you had to expect guitar solos as part of the recognition of this band.
Listen to East-West, if you doubt this. ----------
Yes! dougharps makes a crucial point. That it is the band that has been inducted into the hall of fame. Unfortunately they don't sound like a band which is an inherent problem with these modern awards performances. I am so happy to see the Paul Butterfield Blues Band recognized on this national stage, and while I love these musicians, especially Jason who's playing is just unreal. It seems the guitars especially are overplaying so much. Am I wrong? Aren't they trying too hard? Isn't this supposed to be about the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and not about chops? Though I would add that Jason's solo at the end is just about perfect.
Don't know if he was invited to do so, but a logical choice for one of those guitar slots would have been Elvin Bishop. ---------- Ricky B http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans available at Amazon/B&N, iTunes, iBook THE DEVIL'S BLUES--ditto HOWLING MOUNTAIN BLUES--Ditto too, now available
2015 RRHF Yeah there was TWO tributes! Billy Boy Arnold (vocals/harmonica), Elvin Bishop (guitar), Sam Lay (drums/vocals), Mark Naftalin (keys), Paul Shaffer Band (5) = Paul Shaffer (MD/keys), Felicia Collins (guitar), Anton Fig (drums), Sid McGinnis (guitar), Willie Weeks (bass)
This is why I said screw "those" guitars in particular--not all guitars.
There's a real difference between paying homage to the original while re-interpreting it--and ignoring it completely (along with the band) while you do a shredfest.
If anything, the PBBB was about selflessly blending world-dominating individual skills within the context of the greater good. It wasn't just how great or fast Butters and Bloomfield played--it was how they played together, and yielded to each other, and played, y'know, blues music in a modern way with a great band.
Jason got that, and did that, and it was great to see and hear. He's not Butters (who is?), but he's his own thing while staying true to the original--and you could plug him in with the PBBB, and they'd sound great together.
But if you plugged in the guitar bros. here instead of Bloomfield and Bishop, could you say the same?
The guitars on the first tribute to the PBBB was fine, and I think can pay homage and reinterpret an artists at the same time. It's not a matter of either/or; what matters is the quality of the homage/reinterpretation. Butter and band certainly paid homage and reinterpreted Waters, Wolf, LW and other geniuses who came before them. They also loved the music enough to be moved by it and to recast in ways that fit their sense of being in the world. The blues is not a a static thing to be archived and inspected for historical accuracy . ---------- Ted Burke __________________ http://www.yourURL.com tburke4@san.rr.com
