Robben Ford

Robben Ford - Blue Moon - 2002 - Concord

Guitarist and vocalist Robben Ford is back with a compelling, rock- and soul-infused album of his signature blues. One of the most awe-inspiring guitarists of our day, Robben crosses musical genres: from blues to jazz to rock with as much ease as a fit marathon runner crosses the street. And still the power, soul, groove and essence of the blues is always at the unshakable core of his distinctive music. The definitive result is Blue Moon - a colorful, expansive, and uniquely Robben Ford album, in which the master guitarist/vocalist/songwriter draws from his broad palette of musical hues to create the richest, deepest shades of blue.Featuring: Robben Ford, Guitar, wurlitzer electric piano, piano, vocals; Russell Ferrante, piano; Neil Larsen, organ, piano; Tom Brechtlein, drums; Vinnie Colaiuta, drums; Roscoe Beck, Zeta bass, 5-string bass; Jimmy Earl, electric bass; Lee R. Thornburg, trumpet, trombone; Dave "Woody" Woodford, tenor sax, baritone sax; Julie Christensen, vocal on "Make Me Your Only One"; Louis Pardini, background vocal on "Don't Deny Your Love". © 2011 Robben Ford, All Rights Reserved http://www.robbenford.com/blueMoonPage.html

Over the years many people have asked, "Will the real Robben Ford please stand up?" Those are the people who wonder if the singer/guitarist is really a blues-rock vocalist or a jazz fusion instrumentalist at heart. But truth be told, Ford is many different things. He is genuinely eclectic, which is why one never really knows from one album to the next what direction he will take. Blue Moon, Ford's first album for Concord Jazz, is primarily a vocal date. Ford gets in his share of inspired guitar solos, and he provides one instrumental: the gutsy "Indianola." But most of the time he sings. And as a vocalist, he favors an exciting blend of blues, rock, and soul on tracks like "Something for the Pain," "Don't Deny Your Love," and "The Way You Treated Me (You're Gonna Be Sorry)." Meanwhile, "It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" and the moody "Make Me Your Only One" are among the CD's more jazz-tinged vocal offerings. Ford does not embrace a standard 12-bar blues format on all of the material, but then, he never claimed to be a blues purist. Ford isn't a blues purist any more than he is a rock purist, a jazz purist, or an R&B purist -- he is much too restless and broad-minded to be any type of purist. That isn't good news if you only like one type of music, but it is very good news if you share Ford's eclectic outlook and have admired his diversity over the years. Ford was in his late forties when he recorded Blue Moon in the early 2000s, and this pleasing CD is the work of a musician who is still very much on top of his game. © Alex Henderson © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/blue-moon-mw0000219508

Robben Ford is one of the most versatile, technically accomplished, and talented guitarists in the world today. Over a career of 40 years, Robben has established himself as a "musician's musician" and is highly respected as a blues, jazz, R&B, and rock artist. Although he has never achieved the widespread recognition he deserves, and his music seldom receives radio airplay, Robben has a large and loyal following who revere his blues and jazz credentials and his incredible musical virtuosity. Robben’s website states that he is “one of the most awe-inspiring guitarists of our day, Robben crosses musical genres: from blues to jazz to rock with as much ease as a fit marathon runner crosses the street. And still the power, soul, groove and essence of the blues is always at the unshakable core of his distinctive music”. That is a great description of Robben Ford’s music and the statement is not exaggerated. “Blue Moon” is just one of Robben’s more eclectic albums. He uses his vocals to a large extent on the album which includes a mixture of rock, blues, soul, R&B, and jazz. Nine of the tracks were written or co-written by Robben. He also covers two tracks by Little Walter Jacobs, Big Maceo’s “The Way You Treated Me (You’re Gonna Be Sorry)”, and Willie Dixon’s “ It Don’t Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace)”. Robben’s guitar work is wonderful and the album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. For a taste of some terrific blues guitar, listen to Robben’s “Truth” album. If you are more into great fusion guitar, listen to the “Jing Chi Live at Yoshi's” album featuring Robben with Jimmy Haslip on bass and the incomparable drummer Vinnie Colaiuta who also appears on this album. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 149 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Up The Line - Little Walter Jacobs 3:48
2 Hard To Please - Robben Ford 4:12
3 Don’t Deny Your Love - Robben Ford, Kevin Bowe 5:02
4 Make Me Your Only One - Robben Ford, Mike Osborn
5 Indianola - Robben Ford 5:19
6 My Everything - Robben Ford 4:41
7 The Way You Treated Me (You’re Gonna Be Sorry) - Big Maceo 6:44
8 Sometime Love - Robben Ford 3:58
9 Good To Love - Robben Ford 3:42
10 Something For The Pain - Robben Ford, Kevin Bowe 4:58
11 It Don’t Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace) - Willie Dixon 6:13
12 Don’t Deny Your Love (Remix) - Robben Ford, Kevin Bowe 4:56
13 The Toddle (Bonus Track) - Little Walter Jacobs 4:21

MUSICIANS

Robben Ford - Guitar, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Piano, Vocals
Roscoe Beck, Jimmy Earl - Bass
Neil Larsen - Organ, Piano
Russell Ferrante - Piano
Vinnie Colaiuta, Tom Brechtlein - Drums
Dave “Woody” Woodford - Tenor & Baritone Saxophone
Lee R. Thornburg - Trumpet, Trombone
Charlie Musselwhite - Harmonica on “The Toddle”
Julie Christensen - Vocal on “Make Me Your Only One”
Louis Pardini - Background Vocal on “Don’t Deny Your Love”

SHORT BIO

Robben Ford has had a diverse career. He taught himself guitar when he was 13 and considered his first influence to be Mike Bloomfield. At 18 he moved to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Band (named after his father, who was also a guitarist) and was soon hired to play with Charlie Musselwhite for nine months. In 1971, the Charles Ford Blues Band was re-formed and recorded for Arhoolie in early 1972. Ford played with Jimmy Witherspoon (1972-1973), the L.A. Express with Tom Scott (1974), George Harrison, and Joni Mitchell. In 1977 he was a founding member of the Yellowjackets, which he stayed with until 1983, simultaneously having a solo career and working as a session guitarist. In 1986, Ford toured with Miles Davis and had two separate periods (1985 and 1987) with Sadao Watanabe, but he really seemed to find himself in 1992 when he returned to his roots: the blues. Ford formed a new group, the Blue Line, and subsequently recorded a couple of blues-rock dates for Stretch that are among the finest of his career. In 1999, he released Sunrise on Rhino and Supernatural on Blue Thumb. Ford signed to the Concord Jazz label in 2002 and released Blue Moon that same year, followed by Keep on Running in 2003 and Truth in 2007. That same year, he was a billed special guest on Larry Carlton's Live in Tokyo. He followed this with the predominantly live Soul on Ten in 2009. In 2013, Ford began his label association with Provogue, and issued the studio album Bringing It Back Home, comprised mostly of blues and R&B covers played by an all-star band. © Scott Yanow © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/robben-ford-mn0000830063