I don't know how I missed it, but I had never heard Paul Butterfield's East West in its' entirety before last week when my drummer lent me a copy of it. I also had somehow never hear Work Song before. Beautiful in its' simplicity. I'll probably incorporate it soon into one of my bands. My only issue with it is the guitar solo. Bloomfield(I assume) sounds like he's struggling over the progression-but this also adds a raw character I like. Any of you play this song?
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Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
its a great song I started learnin git a while ago. There's a good video of Paul Jones (found it, its below) doing a cover of it. Its certainly different to Butterfield but I love both of them.
---------- "imagination is more important then knowledge" - Albert Einstien
This is my humble offering of this great track. I'm not really happy with it, the start's ok but the improv is tame. Still I've drowned Bloomfield out if that's what you want!!!" :) Trouble is I've played over Butterfield as well out-bloody-rageous! I have previously posted a slowed down version of the intro plus tab on another thread.
Thanks Dave-As I usually look at this forum at work, where all the youtube and other fun stuff is blocked, plus I don't have the liberty to take out a harp, I had no idea what 'work song' was. I picked it right up by ear, and probably should re-tab it as I played it. I do know that I almost instantly felt the need to bend to some flats in there somewhere, as it sounded odd played unbent as PB played it. Cool tune that isn't new, but it's new to me!
Same goes for Caldonia-I heard it for the first time this week. The PB/Muddy version, with someone on accordian. it made me research on youtube and discover the Gatemouth version-really dark lyrics! I dig it. ----------
Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
The original version of this tune was done by jazzman Cannonball Adderly. Caldonia I know in my sleep, including the Louis Jordan original. BTW, if you listen to a lot of Louis Jordan, you can hear a huge source of inspiration for Little Walter, and in the 40's to mid 50's, he was the single biggest black music star in the business (sort of a Michael Jackson of his time). ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I want to hear the Cannonball Adderly version now. Fun and simple tune, and the stops are intuitive enough that it'll be an easy quick addition for our reportoire.
BBQ-check out one of the Gatemouth Brown versions of Caldonia(I think i was looking at one from 04?)-follow his story near the end where her arms fall off, legs fall off, etc. That little love song got violent quick. ----------
Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
I prefer "East-West", but Paul messes the vibe up for me (Bloomfield was king on that tune). I always preferred the debut. I think East-West has too many weak tracks, but "Work Song" is great.
William Clarke also did a pretty cool version of it on key of F chromatic played in G on his Alligator album "Groove Time."
I've seen Gatemouth live cut that with a couple of different bands he's had behind him, including one that he had 2 freaking off the charts heavy pedal steel players with him and another time together without those guys and together on the banstand with the late, great Lowell Fulson. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
The keyboard player on two different cuts of Caldonia with Gate is Joe Krown, who plays all the time down here, probably every single day, with more bands than I can count, plus he does his own combo. Killer player when he cuts loose.
Gatemouth and I both endorsed KJL amps when he was still alive. I never got to meet him personally, but hear he was quite the character. He ran a blues and bbq place nearby in Slidell. It and Gate's house got wiped out in Katrina. He never recovered from all that trauma and his already failing health, and passed away shortly afterwards. ----------
Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Last Edited by on Oct 12, 2010 1:19 PM
I've known Joe Krown for years!!!! Please say hi for me the next time you see him. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
MaxT.... Very nice...very nice...all by your lonesome! Nice! It's a jewel of song. I sing it, and harp it, too,..but have yet to attempt it solo, like your clip. WOW! you nailed, bro! My band really enjoys doing it, and the crowd loves it everytime. (keyboard, occassional sax, when in town, (2) guitars, and me on harp). Toward the end part, trading 2's is fun..... It's a refreshing break, from the "box", often encountered with blues gigs. The purists will balk at such a proposition. That's understandable. I probeably would have never found it had Paul Butterfield not done it, too. But honoring the greats is a good thing. And the audience seems to like it, too. Unless, they're just pity clapping, while standing up, whistling and cheering!...hmmm. It's hard to tell sometimes, eh?
Last Edited by on Oct 12, 2010 7:00 PM
that's a good version, but my all time favorite so far is William Clarke's instrumental. That piece was one of the early chromatic songs I began trying to learn my way around a C chromatic on. Note- I'm STILL trying!
Did william Clark record the song twice? I thought it was on "Serious intentions" and the key of "D". I think the stand out sondg on groove time was the "fishing song", but I haven't listened to any of it in quit awhile! In the early ninties I stated playing the work song. His version in "D". I to like bob was wrong thought it was by Cannon Ball until a kid at work that is into jazz played me the original version. I like the original version best. That you tube vid is great. I like the vibe. I think William Clark came the closest to that. William Clark is also my favorite Chrom player. So I might be biased!
William Clarke recorded his version of "The Work Song" in 1992 on the Alligator release "Serious Intentions". C Chromatic in third position-the band played in the key of D.
TMF714, you're right because I was thinking about a bootleg Cd I have where he's using an F chromatic in G. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Thought I would share this vid of the Work Song by Mark and Robben Ford. I love every thing about this version and I think the begining is great and love the tone and feel of the whole song. I think this has more feeling than the Butterfield Version. Question for those in the know. Did Andy Just learn from Mark Ford or did they develop together because they sound remakably similar in their tone and phrasing from their early cd's. Hope you like it anyway.
Who the heck is Robben and Mark Ford?!!! Can't believe I've never heard of them before. I've always loved this song, and man, those guys were doin' it justice! Gonna dig up more stuff on these guys right now.
Last Edited by on Oct 13, 2010 9:28 PM
@Mojokane : Lol I'm flattered but that isn't me in the video. As I said in my post, that is Paul Jones who is a great player. maybe I'll post a clip of myself attempting it who knows. ---------- "imagination is more important then knowledge" - Albert Einstien
Last Edited by on Oct 12, 2010 2:09 PM
