Has this video been posted here? BBQ Bob is always talking about the importance of groove, so I wasn't surprised, when I went looking for his stuff on YouTube, to find something that swings like a mother. This is some wonderful, joyous music. It's some incredibly energetic stuff--at the top of the contemporary harp game, really. I love the little harp comping stuff towards the end of the guitar solo.
I hear Kim Wilson and William Clarke here, not just in the tone, but in the roaring swing. It feels as though any combo that swings that hard should be on the edge of out-of-control, but these guys are heavy pros. And then there are the riffs that don't sound like either player.
You've always talked a good game, BBQ Bob, but you've got the music to back up your words.
Tell us a little about your rig and the circumstances of this recording. Is it recent?
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Dec 30, 2015 1:33 PM
Thanks, Adam!! This actually goes back a few years. This was originally recorded on an old Teac professional cassette recording (and obviously done with some digital mastering processes some years later). This was recorded at the Waterfront Festival in Providence, RI and it was on a July 4th weekend, if I remember correctly, on an outdoor stage and it was about 95 degrees outside and we were all soaked with sweat like crazy.
Wheras most of the bands in the New England area were heavily T-Birds influenced, we went more into a West Coast direction, complete with a guitar player using a hollow body guitar and stand up bass.
The recording was done directly off the PA board. What I'm using was a key of A Marine Band and since this was recorded a few years before I began playing custom harps, this was one that I did some of my own work with doing regapping, retuning it old school to 7 limit just intonation and a few other things. I'm also using a JT30 that I got from Rod Piazza with 5meg pot and capacitor in it, but put in a hotter crystal that I still had around from one that I bought in the 70's, and that was going into a Boss DD-3 digital delay (which I haven't used in many years), directly into a real '59 Bassman that's totally unmodified, using NOS tubes but all of which are the stock tube numbers (I don't buy into the tube swap nonsense so many players tend to do) and I still have that very amp today, and it still kicks butt (I've owned it since 1983).
This is actually off the CD that I have out and if you want to listen to it in its entirety, it's also on Spotify. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Sick Groove. You should put together a Couple tracks on a Comp. Album. Ide buy it. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth... Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Thanks, everybody, props much appreciated!! BTW, the guitar player on this cut, Troy Gonyea, is also a helluva harp player in his own right and every now and then, since I also play a bit of guitar myself, we would pull out the role switch ala Little Walter and Louis Myers and that was a blast. He's now gigging with Booker T.
Like I said, you can get it on Spotify, and since it's being distributed by CD Baby, they also automatically make it available on I-Tunes, Rhapsody, and on Amazon as well.
You can purchase the entire CD either as a CD or as an MP3 at this link here:
Barbeque Bob Maglinte CD ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
A lot of bands cover the slow version of Goin' Down Slow, and it can be played as a good moderately slow blues with feeling. That is how Junior Wells does it.
Until this was posted I thought that George Smith's version was the jump version to listen to (Now You Can Talk About Me), and I liked his version a lot. I like Bob's version even more, because it really JUMPS!
The original version of Goin' Down slow by St. Louis Jimmy Oden was a slow blues, but Little Walter did an uptempo version of it that was renamed I Had My Fun (tho the songwriting credit is given to St. Louis Jimmy) and this version I did is actually a hybrid of the Little Walter and George Smith versions, but done more uptempo. Can't argue with George's version because he's got some bad ass musicians behind him like Junior Watson, Bill Stuve and Honey Piazza, all of which I have enormous respect for and then some.
Here's the St. Louis Jimmy original version:
Little Walter's version under the name I Had My Fun:
------- --- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Ah! Musical words of wisdom come alive in the real world. This is the kind of ensemble I can enjoy for an entire show or album. Nothing here to annoy as each element supports the others without slapping me in the face and leaving an overall impression of anxious elbowing for the spotlight. (Admittedly, I have my own elbow scars.) This performance is nice and tight from head to toe.
I respect individual technical ability. Rarely am I inspired to listen closely and quantify the qualities that make THE GROUP exceptional after simply kicking back (OR UP) during the first go-around.
Bravo, Bob! I'd be honored to have you sit in and take my spot in most every band I've ever been associated with. This way I could learn and yet enjoy your scolding from a safe place in the audience.
JustFuya, I did just that today. On the strength of "Goin' Down Slow" I bought (yeah...as in old school 'paid for') the whole CD. Listened to it all the way thru on a long walk this afternoon. IMHO, excellent from beginning to end. ---------- Phil Pennington
Thanks, everybody!! BTW, George Smith also recorded this tune as a slow blues as well.
This came from the session that produced his old LP Tribute To Little Walter backed by the Muddy Waters Band. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by barbequebob on Jan 02, 2016 9:23 AM
re. GROOVE --- Lets give some credit to great Blues drummers. Under appreciated by the audience, - and essential to good swinging Blues. Dan Bunge is rocking this one. ----------
@Bonedog569 -- Giving blues drummers their due is VERY IMPORTANT, and to be very brutally honest about, too often white musicians (especially those who can be easily called jam hacks or just plain non blues musicians as a general rule) often place their importance FAR too low on the totem pole and far too often they're not smart enough to realize that many times a better drummer will improve a band 100 times over FAR more often than a better lead player regardless of the instrument they play ever will and also, regardless of the genre, a drummer with horrible time is a horrible drummer and musicians who tend to have drummers with crappy time usually have crappy time themselves. In many white blues bands, and actually even non blues white music bands, the weakest part of their bands better than 80% of the time is the drummer.
Rock drummers often don't make for good blues drumers from my long experience as they may know (BARELY) two, maybe three basic blues grooves and often times tend to suck at it. The minute I hear ANY musician, regardless of the instrument, say blues is easy to play, it automatically raises a gigantic red flag because musicians who talk s**t like that usually are gonna suck at it at least 85% of the time, and this is especially true with drummers. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by barbequebob on Jan 07, 2016 10:31 AM
Tone, vibrato, phrasing. And his singing is terrific.
I agree about BBQ Bob's groove and swing, but honestly, this is not an upbeat, swinging kind of song. Greg's interpretation fits the lyrics and tone of the song better, IMO.
But, these are all GREAT performances.
And thanks to Adam for reminding us what a terrific resource that is our own BBQ Bob Maglinte!
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Jan 07, 2016 10:59 AM
I think this is an appropriate time to sing additional praises for BBQ Bob Maglinte, reasons for which many of you may be unaware.
We all pretty much know that Bob is always spot-on with his comments and is a very kind and giving man. For all the years I've inhabited the various harmonica email lists and forums, Bob has consistently been one of the most positive major contributors.
Now, even though he made no secret about it at the time, I still hesitate to make public once again some additional personal information about Bob that reveals an even more amazing person than the man we've all come to know and appreciate here on Dirty South. Because he won't say it himself I am taking the liberty of saying it for him. I hope you don't mind, too much, Bob.
You have to have been around the harmonica community a decade or more ago to have lived along at Bob's (virtual) side through his life struggle with kidney disease. Honestly, for a long time we didn't know how long Bob would be with us. Many of you may not know that Bob lived with the ball and chain of renal dialysis for an extended period of time and has now been operating for many years with a successfully transplanted kidney.
Through it all BBQ Bob definitely ain't "Goin' Down Slow"!
One day I hope to shake this man's hand and thank him in person for all his generosity, many kindnesses and unwavering display of courage over the years. He has been a true inspiration for me and many other budding blues harpers.
Long Live BBQ Bob Maglinte!!!
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Jan 07, 2016 11:00 AM
Thank you so much!!!! I just believe in something that the late, great black comedian Redd Foxx used to say, "Better to be a dirty old man than a dead old man!!!" lol ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
"many times a better drummer will improve a band 100 times over FAR more often than a better lead player regardless of the instrument they play" BBQbob
Amen!
Love the Red Fox Quote. Ah for the days when young women danced to my playing. These days "All my stalkers have walkers" I love em none the less.
Now we're talkin' How good is this, a killer track, and then the man himself to tell how it was done ---------- Tony Eyers Australia www.HarmonicaAcademy.com everyone plays...
"just plain non blues musicians as a general rule) often place their importance FAR too low on the totem pole and far too often they're not smart enough to realize that many times a better drummer will improve a band 100 times over FAR more often than a better lead player regardless of the instrument they play ever will and also, regardless of the genre, a drummer with horrible time is a horrible drummer and musicians who tend to have drummers with crappy time usually have crappy time themselves. In many white blues bands, and actually even non blues white music bands, the weakest part of their bands better than 80% of the time is the drummer.'
I like that- Even though you forgot bass players...:-) You can put crap on a good rhythm section and it'll be OK but NOTHING can save a band w/ a bad rhythm section
---------- I'm out of the Biz for a while till I get over my burnout. You can try HarveyHarp or arzajac, or just look the page nacoran put together under Forum Search. .
Last Edited by MP on Jan 10, 2016 3:22 PM
@MP -- Trust me, I have NOT forgotten about bass players because they are equally important as a drummer and much like a drummer, for blues, they're the toughest to find and even tougher to keep, and just like a drummer, if they say playing blues for them is easy, red flags go up for me in a hurry because the minute I hear that, I know they're gonna be a loud mouth fraud who's gonna suck at it.
Far too often, white musicians don't pay enough attention the importance of having a good drummer AND a good bass player because too often, they only goddamned thing they're REALLY paying attention to are the damned solos, and that for me, is listening to music like a freaking jam hack, guys like that often have horrible time and can't tell the difference if someone's got good time or not, and if they're a lead player putting together a band, they will often put too much importance on the leads and are gonna be completely clueless as to why drummers and bass players are so important, yet so hard to find and those are the guys who make lead players look really great or like total crap.
When putting together a band, starting with a good rhythm section is FAR more important than starting with a lead section. From personal experience, whenever I did a gig with a lead player with s**tty time, you can COUNT on them hiring crappy bass players and drummers and they usually get too easily enamored by the soloing (and often choose drummers and bass players just n the basis of their soloing ability, which is the single, LEAST important aspect of a drummer's or bass players job), and then they wonder why the club emptied out by the time their second show was done (that is, if the club hired them to do a show with 3 or more sets), and the usual thing I hear from clueless musicians like that are, "but my lead guys played such great solos," but they were often too dumb and hard headed to understand how important it is to have the good drummer and bass player is because the one thing that still holds true is that if the groove sucks, the band sucks no matter what. Crappy rhythm sections ALWAYS make even the greatest of lead players sound more a bunch of heavily over glorified jam hacks nobody wants to listen to. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
