In the past year, Buzz Feiten has been the subject of several posts here, along with ones on his collaborations with keyboardist Neil Larsen. We have to some extent documented his work in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the original Full Moon, The Larsen-Feiten Band, a reunion of sorts with Butterfield and his more recent projects, including … Continue reading The elusive Buzz Feiten
Back in the late 1980s, I remember seeing an ad in the back of a jazz magazine, either a Downbeat or Jazziz, for an album with four guitarists with Workshop in the title. It was a small, innocous one-column, black-and-white display on the rail of one of the pages. What I recall that stuck in … Continue reading From The Vaults: Hidden Treasures 6 & 7
In 1978, keyboardist/composer Neil Larsen released his first solo album, a touchstone in the fusion genre. Jungle Fever, entirely instrumental, displayed a perfect blend of jazz, rock, funk and Latin influences used in combination with innovative and interesting compositions and some brilliant musicianship, which included his longtime partner Buzz Feiten on guitar. Larsen and Feiten had … Continue reading Under The Radar, No. 2: Neil Larsen
I was more than a little surprised but quite pleased to learn a Paul Butterfield performance from the late 1970s was being released this year as part of the Rockpalast DVD Collection. For the uninitiated, Rockpalast is a long-running German TV show that started in the early 1970s and broadcasts live concerts. Many performances from … Continue reading Butterfield rocks Rockpalast
After writing about Martha Velez’s 1968 release Fiends & Angels, I realized there are a number of albums that qualify as either era-defining or being highly influencial despite not having gained widespread recognition. These records weren’t huge sellers on first release but still made an impact, mostly with musicians, and all stand up today. The self-titled album Full Moon … Continue reading From the Vaults: Hidden Treasure, No. 2
Peter Neri is a storyteller. He tells his tales with his acoustic guitar. He’s an impressionist. His music evokes emotions and thoughts that are indicated by the mood of each of his solo guitar pieces. The mood is tied to the titles of each of the nine tracks on Neri’s latest album release Rough Edges, … Continue reading Rough Edges for a Smooth Acoustic Guitarist
Finally a list of favorite albums from 2011. I’ve included the best albums of early 2012 as well. Here are the top albums from 2011: 1. El Camino, The Black Keys: No they haven’t lost their way. No, this isn’t a step back or a step to the side. This is infectious, rocking and raw, though … Continue reading Best of 2011 and early 2012
Experience Hendrix, the group headed by Janie Hendrix, the adopted daughter of Jimi Hendrix’s father Al, oversees Hendrix’s body of work and recently struck a new agreement with Sony after years of working with MCA. The first joint venture from the two entities is Valleys Of Neptune, 12 previously unreleased tracks by Hendrix, most recorded … Continue reading Jimi’s legacy lives on
Acclaimed guitarist Robben Ford has an affinity with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band of the mid-1960s that featured the duo guitar lineup of Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield. I can relate to that. That was one of Ford’s earliest influences and he has kept that foundation of blues and blues-rock alive in his music, combining it with … Continue reading Ford updates the blues tradition