This surprised me

[VonBonfire]

list of who I could remember hearing; and covers of some of their songs. I'm not a blues historian, just not that interested in it. like I said, pre-1960 blues was innovating, the people I listed were the real blues guitarists who were innovating...unless you include UK blues guitarists as real blues not derivatives. Hendrix played on the chitlin circuit, unlike British blues guitarists. So, the Rolling Stones covered a lot of blues in the early days...are they the blues masters, or Rory Gallagher?

Who are the blues masters you keep referencing but not naming? What are the "world class level blues" you mention? At least I provided a list of names who I know about, and listened to, and who I consider the creators, originators and innovators of blues in the early days, before British guitarists commandeered it. Blues goes back even further, but much of that was never recorded, pre 1930s/1920s and earlier, but their influences were mentioned by many blues guitarists in the 19450s and later.

you're the blues expert...I'm not. I'm also not a historian of the blues; like I said, I heard some of it when I was young because guitarists I liked would mention their influences, and many were early bluesmen. I listened, and moved on to music I found more interesting, while others never escaped beyond the blues - like Clpaton, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, etc.

I'd consider modern blues anyone who started playing the blues in the mid to late 70s and beyond, after the originators and innovators were dead or old. I asked you who the blues masters you keep mentioning are? You keep saying blues masters, and I don't understand the blues yet never mention who they are, or what "world class level blues" are?

I mentioned George Benson because I liked his early work with Brother Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith, George Benson Quartet (The George Benson Cookbook, mid-60s music)...but it's more jazz than blues IMO...again, I was asking you who these blues masters you mention are? what is "world class level blues"?

I'm not an expert or historian I just dig around until I find stuff I like. I don't wanna get into this discussion further or I'll get myself into trouble and create offense or get offended. If innovation and transcendence is what you are after, which seems to be the case, I can tell you it's not going to be worth your time. If you want high quality contemporary electric blues there is a world out there waiting for you to discover but gauging your posts you are after something else that is foreign to me and I don't have the ability to help you with that.

 

[Monkey Man]

I mentioned Greg Koch for his innovative, imaginative approaches to blues.

As for sheer class and musicality, IMHO it's hard to go past Larry Carlton playing the blues.

Just sayin'. His note choices, chord progressions and incredibly-dynamic touch are kinda in classes of their own.

Again, IMHO.

 

[VonBonfire]

Just sayin'. His note choices, chord progressions and incredibly-dynamic touch are kinda in classes of their own.

Respectfully, while they are both amazing players neither of them even fall in the genre.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

Yeah I couldn't say we're aged like fine wine 'cause, well, rock 'n' roll bro'.

Whisky it had to be.

 

[Monkey Man]

Respectfully, while they are both amazing players neither of them even fall in the genre.

Ridiculous.

If you have either or their entire catalogues you'll find heaps of stuff there.

I never claimed Larry is a blues artist. He just plays the blues occasionally... and arguably better than everyone else.

 

[VonBonfire]

Ridiculous.

Your view is that of a rock guitar appreciator looking in, not of a blues musician looking out. You are welcome to your thoughts but they are wrong. The end.

 

[Monkey Man]

OK I then get where you're coming from bro'.

 

[Findthetone1]

Dude, she wasn't even hot. And Neil Geraldo is a hack.

That's it, fucker. Meet me by the monkey bars after school

 

[rsm]

I'm not an expert or historian I just dig around until I find stuff I like. I don't wanna get into this discussion further or I'll get myself into trouble and create offense or get offended. If innovation and transcendence is what you are after, which seems to be the case, I can tell you it's not going to be worth your time. If you want high quality contemporary electric blues there is a world out there waiting for you to discover but gauging your posts you are after something else that is foreign to me and I don't have the ability to help you with that.

name names; examples; performances, etc. who are "blues masters" and what are "world class level blues" in your opinion as a professional blues guitarist?

I listed names of who I consider "blues masters" which you dismissed as a random cursory list, and didn't provide even one blues guitarist you consider a "blues master"; just more abstract dismissal of, "if you understand you'd know" type response.

Same thing with your "world class level blues" statement without providing an example, while saying if you don't know you don't understand the blues, and if you can't hear it or appreciate it, it's because you lack the skills. You also mention local "blues nights" which I doubt are "world class level blues" where the host doesn't even play blues seems irrelevant to the discussion...

it's a circular conversation going nowhere.

not trying to be a dick, trying to understand who you, as someone who enjoys the blues and a professional, good, blues guitarist, consider "blues masters", and using your own term, what you consider "world class level blues" because it isn't anyone / anything I listed or apparently know or have heard.

At this point, unless something tangible is provided, there's nothing to change my mind that modern blues is boring, and recycling, regurgitating old blues tropes and not innovating or doing anything new/better than the old blues innovators and creators that came before 1970.

Without any evidence or proof to the contrary, I'll stick to my opinion that modern blues is a stagnant, deteriorating music genre going in circles, constrained by its past, not moving forward.

Whether you provide examples or not, at this point, doesn't really matter. I listened to old blues and moved on to music genres I find more interesting, enjoyable and innovative. I don't like modern blues, I find it boring, repetitive and not innovative as a form of music, or playing skills.

 

[rsm]

OK I then get where you're coming from bro'.

real blues is magical, and secret. if you don't already know, you're not worthy of knowing.

 

[GuitarVacation]

Blues sits in a weird place for me. Definitely part of my DNA, first learned to improvise at 14 playing along with Cream records and similar.

Learning jazz, one of my early jazz teachers had me practicing jazz blues changes for like a year straight LOL. This was a good old school way of practicing playing changes, and getting some introduction to jazz phrasing/timing. But good god did it make me tired of blues lol.

So after years of playing over 1-4-5 rock/blues, and the crucible year of jazz blues, I have some residual blues fatigue.

Still love creative use of different pentatonics, and there are some diamonds in the rough as far as blues now. Eric Gales comes to mind, or the occasional banger like Gary Clark Jr.'s numb.

I am biased, as the old white dude blues meta is kinda cringe to me. And I don't feel much better about "I'm Mr. Jazzy blues guy that can throw in some chromatics, arpeggios, and swing 8ths through my D-clone."

The latter takes more skill, and no offense to anyone that plays a similar style. It's just not what I care for.

I do value being able to show up with any group of musicians and being able to jam over 12 bar, or 1-4-5 riff sequence. That's just part of how I grew up playing.

Same as I don't play metal much anymore, but still love breaking out my favorites from time to time and being able to execute that style still to an acceptable degree.

I guess I bit hard on the side quest of this thread haha. As for the original subject, the age breakout is interesting, but I find us old dudes who have been playing 30ish years are more likely to be SUPER into guitar. That's why we post here, eh?

 

[ChurchHill]

IDK... I can see both sides of this discussion. I really like the blues, well, at least good blues. Like others, I got into that through reading about the influences of players I liked when I was starting out. OTOH, I tried thinking about who I would consider a blues master, and everyone I came up with started playing well before the 70s. Gary Clark, Jr. is pretty impressive, but I'm not sure I'd consider him a master, at least not yet.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a household that appreciated all kinds of music. As a kid, I'd go see a symphony, or jazz in the park, or a bluegrass festival, or old country, and every flavor of rock. I'd like to think that I can still appreciate any kind of music, as long as it's made from integrity and not just some money-making formula.

I don't think the blues is dead, or at least not any more than most of the music I like. All of those styles are still there and there's still great new music being made. It's just gotten more difficult to find among all the noise that the freedom of modern distribution brings along with the opportunity for everyone with a computer to be heard. No more paying our dues by spending years in smoky clubs and sleeping in cars, but is that a good thing? The people who really have it and stick with it are still there, they're just drowned out by the hacks who just want their moment in the imaginary spotlight.

I think it's great that more people are picking up an instrument, any instrument, because the next master of any style is out there. So is the next generation of bowling shirt wearing, D-clone playing, blow-hard D-bags that we'll have to suffer through to find them.

 

[SgtThump]

most chicks I ever seen at a show was hands down Motley Crue with Whitesnake opening in 87 ............ fucking spandex everywhere !!!

Most of them were probably men!

 

[SgtThump]

That is more my lane. My wife wanted to see Crue really bad this year and didn't ask me first but we're going

Of course, she doesn't know anything about the drama and Vince's voice etc - she just loves Motley Crue. I'm sure there will be a lot of GILFS there.

Fixed that for ya!