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Jeff Healey’s Last Call Jazz CD

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Stony Plain Records released a Jeff Healey’s ” Last Call” Jazz CD on April 6 in U.S.

The ones I like so far are Guitar Duet Stomp (3:35), The Wildcat (2:34)and Hong Kong Blues (3:10).

jeff healey's last call cd Guitar Duet Stomp is the style of guitar playing that I just can’t get enough of.

My best guitar teacher ever, Chris Peterson, introduced me to this enchanting style of playing. The emotions that overwhelms me with this classification of music, is indescribable. One’s fingers literally fly all over the fretboard. Not in that heavy/speed metal guitar styles that we have all become accustomed to, but in a more purer form.

The chord progressions are just heavenly. Really they are, check out this song for yourself and see what I mean. The tempo changes are a nice breather in the song. There is even a little bit of Leon Redbone in there as well.

The Wildcat also holds a similar musical torch to the above one. This time Jeff Healey brings in some hot fiddle player to play on this one. I’ve never had the privilege to play with one so I have a unique interest for this one. The fiddle player is running neck to neck with Jeff on The Wildcat and is playing in hurry! I enjoy the time and chordal change, some people fine this irritating so this is heads up to you folks. Ahhh, LOVE IT!

Last we have Hong Kong Blues. This is a fun but corny kind of song. It’s about a Memphis man that was arrested in Honk Kong. Do I need to say anymore? On this song it’s just Jeff playing acoustics’s on three or maybe more tracks. In the middle of this piece, he gives us this overly sappy part that makes one’s eye’s roll in a humorous way.

Does anyone out there have this CD? Love to hear back from ya.

Keep on Jammin’




Jon Anderson from Yes at Danforth Music Hall

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Jon Anderson, the legendary singer from the greatest progressive Rock band of all time Yes, will be performing at the Danforth Music Hall on March 21st, 2010.

Jon Anderson will bring his melodic vocal tenure in a solo performance, to the same stage that he graced almost 2 years ago to the day.

The Danforth Music Hall is a great place to take in any show. I remember one time that one of my readers gave me a ticket to see Rick Wakeman play there a couple of years ago. It was after I was very sick and I guess the reader wanted to do a good deed at the time and there I was.

So if your a big Jon Anderson or Yes fan, try to get out and see the man with the golden tones! It will be worth the drive.

Keep on Jammin’

Suzy-Qew and the Steelstring Safari band

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An old friend of mine, Suzy-Qew, is a great Indie songwriter. She and her band are called Steelstring Safari.

She was influenced by early guitar playing that she was exposed to during her youth. Ah the old St. Pius elementary school days. Now a days she creates her own unique style from whatever comes into her head and performs mostly for personal enjoyment. If she likes it, she records it.

Her music is currently being showcased on a site called Reverb Nation.

I hope that you could listen to her music and tell us here what style of music you think she is playing!

Here’s what I think of some of the songs on Steelstring Safari’s current album:

  • For Real is a nice catchy tune. I like the bass runs played on the keyboard. Very functional with a bit of airy feeling to it, nice!
  • Another song, Faster, is a tune that is very dreamlike to me. She provides some light U2 overtones and the keyboards are not overstated at all. I never knew that she was into techno! I think it’s beautiful. The video that she has produced herself is very indie in nature and shows her true colours.
  • In Time – Sounds like a classic song just waiting to happen! It creeps up on you without realizing it. I LOVE the acoustic guitar at the very beginning. It resembles the tone of my very first guitar, thanks for the flashback SusieQ! Very simple and straight forward. In Time has both a raw and full sound. Throughout the song they are married into a perfect union of the heart. I never knew Suzy-Qew was that good!
  • Things Have Got To Change. At the beginning I thought that I was listening to a Scott Merritt album. I can’t exactly put my finger on it though. The way she creates this tune makes you sit back and take the whole song apart and that forces you to think about it, which is really what music is suppose to do. I LOVE the Portishead feel on the electric guitar. The background voice going through a mega phone effect is haunting as well. The guitar solo has that surf/garage band sound like a rough Trevor von Drat mixed in with yet again another Scott Merritt influence thrown in for good measure!
  • I Miss You Friend – really good popish tune for sure! I’d like to see Susan Aglukark singing background on this, it would be very distinctive. Not that the band’s background vocals are anything to sneeze at;)
  • Smile has that country feel to it. I’m not really into country except Waylon Jennings and his ilk. I honestly like it!
  • Alone is one of those songs that you can’t help but get caught up in. It seems to come across as fabulous dinner music that everyone loves to listen to. I really LOVE that style that Suzy-Qew’s providing us here! Go Suzy-Qew go!

So check out her site and tell me what you think.

Keep on Jammin’

Simon and Garfunkle in Toronto

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Simon and Garfunkel are going to be playing May 12th, 2010 in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre and I hope to be there! These guys have produced so many great memorable tunes that it’s not funny! Do you plan to go and see them on their up coming tour?

I remember seeing these guys in the late 80’s at the old CNE bandstand and I’ll never forget it. We had concert seating which was like a free for all at the front of the stage. We brought a small blanket and some beverages, if memory serves me correctly. Our piece of the turf was center-right of the stage about 30 feet away.

The place was full of people sprawling out where ever they could with blankets, pick nick baskets full of food and wine. I was totally surprised to see little kids as young as 2-3 years running around everywhere! It had a nice small town fair feel to it.

The best part of that show for me was when they performed Scarborough Fair. For many year I’ve attempted to play this song and it turned out fine but this was the time to see it done right!

Before the song began, I noticed Paul Simon was practicing the beginning of it, so I asked this guy beside us if I could use his binoculars. I watched every single movement of his fingers and I found out that I was doing it ok except for a few parts. When I got home all I did was play the hell out of that song and I finally have it perfect!

So that was my favorite part of the show. Does anyone out there have a neat Simon and Garfunkel moment that they’d like to share with the rest of us?

Keep on Jammin’

Rush performing 2112 Live in 1976

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Rush’s 1976 album titled 2112 was a huge hit in my circle of friends. After listening to it the first time on the radio I had to go out and purchase it! Once I had it in my sweaty little palms I literally ran off to my brother Tim’s stereo a Apollo 861 by Electrohome and began my long journey in trying to reproduce this album on my guitar!

After attempting to reproduce as much as I could all my buddies were lining up for lessons! The learning curve was not that bad for most of my buddies but at times I must admit it was frustrating! During this period I was playing in this band called Deuce with Brian McGlinchy and Eddie Cudek from Gemini. We attempted 2112 and in the bands eye’s it was perfect, as for me well…

Then I joined a band with the great keyboardist Tony F. and guitarist Mike Vantresca? We didn’t have a name but we sure sounded fantastic! I recall trying to play 2112 and with Tony’s magical keyboard sounded quite better then Deuce, sorry guys.

Then after leaving Pylis, I was playing with Domenic Nardone, Eddie Steel and Jon Penrose. I must admit Domenic was outstanding on this tune! It was like Dom was born to play anything that Neil Peart could do.

So I hope that you all enjoy vintage RUSH performing 2112 and I know I’ll be thinking of Domenic on drums whenever I listen to it!

Keep on Jammin’

The band CounterPoint is in the recording Studio

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I just heard through Facebook that the Toronto Progressive rock gods called Counterpoint are finally in the studio! These guys are so good that it is scary. I’m not privy to what these guys are up to lately, musically that is, but I’m sure that it will be worth the wait.

The first time I experienced Counterpoint was the highly successful Nuance Art/Rock show way back in 2008. That show still gives me goose bumps! Then I saw them at Timothy’s Pub in Etobicoke. That was followed up by another Nuance show on the Danforth.

They are doing them work at 2E Studio in Toronto. I can’t find anything about this studio as of yet but I’m sure that I will find them sometime.

I’ll keep you all in the musical loop as it comes available!

Keep on Jammin’

Cat Stevens is finally back on the road after 30 years

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Cat Stevens is going back out on the road after 30 long years of obscurity! I wonder what kind of groups will be following him? Ah, I know that was a bad one! I just love the man’s songs.

Scottie, Myro is what we called him amongst other names, was the one who taught me some of his songs. They were simple to play but much more fun to listen to. I always thought that both of us would get a chance to see this legendary folk guitarist/song writer perform together. Myro if your reading this post, if I win the lottery we’re there brother!

Singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, known as Cat Stevens in the 1970s, takes the stage in Dublin on Sunday, the first performance of his first full tour since 1976.

Born Steven Demetre Georgiou in London, the folk legend disappeared from the music scene after he converted to Islam in 1977 at the height of his popularity.

He began making sporadic stage appearances in recent years. In 2006, he recorded a new album, An Other Cup, following it with Roadsinger this year.

Now 61, Islam is going back on the road with his Guess I’ll Take My Time tour.

He told the Irish Times that he hopes his old fans will turn out for these concerts.

“A lot of people might have thought — because of the way that my image per se had changed throughout the media — that my actual persona would change as well. But, in fact, you never really stop being yourself, you know,” he said.

Islam opens in Dublin’s O2 Arena on Nov. 15. Then he’s at Birmingham’s NIA the following Monday, Nov. 23, Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Dec. 5 and London’s Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 8.

No dates have been confirmed for appearances in Canada, the U.S. or other countries. CBC News

Keep on Jammin’ Yusuf Islam

Amazing what kids can do these days on guitar

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I found this video of this kid, (a Korean kid named Sungha Jung) playing acoustic guitar.

I know, we see video’s of kidz playing weird and wonderful things all the time but every once in a while there is one that sticks out. This kid is definitely a stand out!

I love how mature and developed his playing skills are here. He just has that touch! The sound quality is fabulous but the video is choppy. At first I thought it didn’t add up? You know … Milli Vanilli. Then after viewing the video a few times I realized this kid was the real McCoy!

Hats off to the little guy and hopefully we can all observe this progression into a fabulous guitar player!

Keep on Jammin’

So Get the Funk Out

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Get the Funk Out from Extreme is a wonderful piece of guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt (Canadian Guitarist). I’ve loved listening to this song from the first time I heard it and have enjoyed experiencing it many times after that at volume 11 on my stereo at home or in the car!

I re-discovered this beauty while researching some other ways in which to play one of their other songs, Hole Hearted.

Nuno Bettencourt, instructs the viewer perfectly on how to play this one the way he does in the video I’ve included below. I’ve tried his method and it works great until he starts doing all those crazy pull offs and tap on’s that most guitarist use. Honestly, I was never really drawn to this form of playing.

Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I don’t love hearing this type of playing! It truly gets my blood boiling in a fantastic and enthusiastic way. I kinda wish that I tried it when I was younger but …

So if you’re one of those who are of this guitar ilk, then you’ll flip over this one! Enjoy.

Keep on Jammin’

The band Peeler is coming to Toronto Aug. 21-22/09

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I first ran into Craig when he was doing a solo gig way back in Oct. 2007 at the Arlington Hotel’s Capron’s Cavern, in Paris Ontario. The occasion was a good friends 50th birthday party. Some how my buddies wife got a hold of him and he played there that night for the event. I brought along my guitar and they wanted me to play a couple of songs, so why not get up and play!

Anyway, playing that night Craig and I did a few tunes together and it was just the perfect little gig! We both connected flawlessly and it was brilliant. I know Craig, I’m still trying to get that night’s video that was taken!
In all honesty Craig, I was drawn to your Vox Tonelab LE system! I did a couple of small set’s throughout the night to give the man a break.

This modern rocker’s bio is neat to read! His style is straight forward and he doesn’t disappoint! To get a good idea of his musical format, his interview at the NOW lounge is a nice example of the guitarist background and where he is going.

So I just want to bring Peeler into your musical experience for those unlucky ones who have not been exposed to playing. So come on out to see this guys show at Casey’s, 123 Front St W, in Toronto Aug. 21-22 to see what I mean! I know I’ll be there! I’ll be the guy with the oversize BIC lighter waving in the air.

Keep on Jammin’ Peeler!

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