Ed S Posted January 26, 2006 Report Posted January 26, 2006 Just got back from The Derek Trucks Band concert. Well, half of it anyway. Seems my 11 year old has become quite the blues afficionado and digs Trucks. So even though it's a school night I took him to the show and because its a school night, I left after the first set. I bring that up because I really would love to have heard the second set. The first set started slowly and was somewhat uninspiring. I did not recognize any of the tunes, but both the vocal and instrumental numbers seemed to be just vehicles to let Trucks strut his stuff. Like I said, they started slowly and perhaps a little disjointed. But by the fourth song, he and the band had hit their stride. They played a sort of amalgam of rock, world, r&B with a bluesy jazzy sort of feel thrown in for good measure. During the second a couple of long instrumentals with some great rhythms and flute work were outstanding. A totally excellent reading of Greensleeves done with a very blues/jazz feel and some vocal numbers that finally worked. That half of the first set seemed to intensify and reach a crescendo during Greensleeves - the next to last song of the set. It left me really wanting to hear more. I thought Trucks was outstanding, by the way and his band complemented him well. Worth checking out, IMO. Quote
Tom in RI Posted January 26, 2006 Report Posted January 26, 2006 I dig Derek Trucks. I have a coupe of his commercial releases, I think they are a little uneven but they have their moments. He is also very taper friendly, you can find his show from Ithaca, NY (1/24/06) at bt.etree.org. Likely the show you saw will be posted in the next week or so. I think there are also quite a few of his shows at the Live Music Archive. Quote
Sundog Posted January 26, 2006 Report Posted January 26, 2006 Lot's of Derek Here! Derek is a pretty interesting player. I would also encourage anyone at all interested, to check him out in the context of the Allman Brothers Band. Quote
7/4 Posted January 26, 2006 Report Posted January 26, 2006 I like him better with the Allman Brothers Band. Quote
GregK Posted January 26, 2006 Report Posted January 26, 2006 I like him better with the Allman Brothers Band. yep. me too Quote
.:.impossible Posted January 27, 2006 Report Posted January 27, 2006 I don't know... tough call. They serve as two very different bands for him, judging from the couple of shows that I've seen. He is still pushing himself, which is a good thing. Seeing him in his late teenage years, he was constantly frustrated that his hands wouldn't move the way he wanted, or so it seemed. Every once in a while, watching him, I still get that feeling. Great slide player, for sure. Quote
Sundog Posted March 6, 2006 Report Posted March 6, 2006 Statesboro Blues/Sleepwalk/Statesboro Blues Medley A 16 yr. Old Derek Tears It Up Quote
Soul Stream Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 I'm not a huge fan of slide guitar to be honest. If a great player picks up the slide for a few songs, I'm in. But even slide legend Earl Hooker was also a great standard guitar player. I don't know, to each he own. But the slide lends a sort of sameness to everything it touches imho. And tell me if I'm wrong but Trucks doesn't seem to have much of a frontman persona. Kind of a blending into the background, sideman vibe I get from him. However, like Kenny Wayne Sheppard, if you can play blues guitar you're the automatic frontman even if you don't/can't sing. When bands and songs just become an excuse for guitar solos, the whole thing treads on very thin ice. Quote
Joe G Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 I think we're pretty clear about your views on the subject of Derek Trucks now, Mike. Quote
WD45 Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 I'm not a huge fan of slide guitar to be honest. If a great player picks up the slide for a few songs, I'm in. But even slide legend Earl Hooker was also a great standard guitar player. I don't know, to each he own. But the slide lends a sort of sameness to everything it touches imho. And tell me if I'm wrong but Trucks doesn't seem to have much of a frontman persona. Kind of a blending into the background, sideman vibe I get from him. However, like Kenny Wayne Sheppard, if you can play blues guitar you're the automatic frontman even if you don't/can't sing. When bands and songs just become an excuse for guitar solos, the whole thing treads on very thin ice. FWIW, if you have a chance to rent the Allman Brothers most recent Beacon DVD you will find out that he is a striking conventional player as well. Desdemona, in particular is a fine showcase of his reg'lar chops. When I saw him last year with ABB, the best solo of the night was his, going from reg'lar to slide playing right about at the apex. Brought the house DOWN! Quote
Sundog Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 Derek is far from a conventional slide player. His scale choices and phrasing have way more in common with a jazz horn player than your conventional blues guitarist. The guy regularly plays "coltrane changes" as a substitute over more static parts of conventional blues/rock songs! Regarding frontman persona or lack thereof...So What (pun intended). I'm more interested in the music. I've been listening to this guy for the last 10 years and I'm more than happy to follow his musical journey and watch him develop as a player. The guy is serious about his craft and could potentially be one of the greats in any number of musical genres. My 2 cents. Quote
GregK Posted March 7, 2006 Report Posted March 7, 2006 Derek is far from a conventional slide player. His scale choices and phrasing have way more in common with a jazz horn player than your conventional blues guitarist. The guy regularly plays "coltrane changes" as a substitute over more static parts of conventional blues/rock songs! Regarding frontman persona or lack thereof...So What (pun intended). I'm more interested in the music. I've been listening to this guy for the last 10 years and I'm more than happy to follow his musical journey and watch him develop as a player. The guy is serious about his craft and could potentially be one of the greats in any number of musical genres. My 2 cents. Well put! Quote
GregN Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 Derek is far from a conventional slide player. His scale choices and phrasing have way more in common with a jazz horn player than your conventional blues guitarist. The guy regularly plays "coltrane changes" as a substitute over more static parts of conventional blues/rock songs! Regarding frontman persona or lack thereof...So What (pun intended). I'm more interested in the music. I've been listening to this guy for the last 10 years and I'm more than happy to follow his musical journey and watch him develop as a player. The guy is serious about his craft and could potentially be one of the greats in any number of musical genres. My 2 cents. Right On!! Quote
Soul Stream Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 I think we're pretty clear about your views on the subject of Derek Trucks now, Mike. yes, but we never heard yours Joe. All the guitar players on the board seem to like this guy. Quote
GregN Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 I think we're pretty clear about your views on the subject of Derek Trucks now, Mike. yes, but we never heard yours Joe. All the guitar players on the board seem to like this guy. I am not saying whether I like or dislike the guy. I just thought your description didn't really fit what this particular slide player had been doing. I usually find the endless noddlins of jam band guitarists to be quite annoying. Yet, there does seem to be something a bit more than simple blues slide work with the young man's recent musings. Joe is more into heavy metal slide-playing so his opinion ought not count here. kiddin' Love ya Joe!! Quote
Joe G Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 I think we're pretty clear about your views on the subject of Derek Trucks now, Mike. yes, but we never heard yours Joe. All the guitar players on the board seem to like this guy. 'course I like him.... I taught him everything he knows! :rsmile: Quote
GregK Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 I think we're pretty clear about your views on the subject of Derek Trucks now, Mike. yes, but we never heard yours Joe. All the guitar players on the board seem to like this guy. 'course I like him.... I taught him everything he knows! :rsmile: Joe, did you ever give those discs (of the ABB) a listen that I sent you? What do you think of Derek Trucks on those? Quote
Joe G Posted March 8, 2006 Report Posted March 8, 2006 Greg, I've listened to them several times. I think he plays great on those recordings. I like what Warren Hayes is doing there, too. Quote
Soul Stream Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 We've got so many world class guitar players here in Austin....Jimmie Vaughan, Derek O'Brien, Denny Freeman, Jon Moeller, Gary Clark Jr., Doyle Bramhall Jr., Charlie Sexton, Bill Kirchen, Redd Volkoert, ect.... Many you can see for free or playing for a tip jar. Guitar players like Derek Trucks are a tough sell to me in that we're pretty spoiled down here. Quote
GregK Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 Greg, I've listened to them several times. I think he plays great on those recordings. I like what Warren Hayes is doing there, too. Yeah, Warren is great, but I find myself listening much more closely to what Trucks is doing, even his vamping. There is a very interesting show from the 2005 batch of Instant Lives (Philly) that has Trucks as the only guitarist, because Warren had to attend to "family problems". So you get to hear Derek Trucks play all of the guitar parts, which is very cool, and there is a version of Dreams with both Trucks and Ron Holloway (on tenor) soloing. This show is a must hear! Quote
Joe G Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 I'm going to give them another listen soon... no matter what SoulStream thinks! Quote
Sundog Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 We've got so many world class guitar players here in Austin....Jimmie Vaughan, Derek O'Brien, Denny Freeman, Jon Moeller, Gary Clark Jr., Doyle Bramhall Jr., Charlie Sexton, Bill Kirchen, Redd Volkoert, ect.... Maybe so, but we got Buddy Guy. Accept no substitutes. Quote
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