Winwood was superb on Hammond organ and guitar and was backed by what must be the best band he’s played with. And, as always, his voice lifts your heart.
Traffic classics such as Light Up Or Leave Me Alone, Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys and Empty Pages were stunningly revamped. There were also thumping versions of I’m A Man and Gimme Some Lovin’.
October 17th, 2008
BluesMagazine.nl has posted some great photos from Steve's recent show at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.
We wanted to pass along some info on a very special release later this month: the album Vulcan from the late Chris Wood, one of the founding members of Traffic.
The following text comes from the website of Esoteric Recordings:
Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of the album "Vulcan" by the late Chris Wood, founder member of the legendary TRAFFIC and flautist and saxophonist extraordinaire.
Recorded just after the demise of Traffic in 1974, "Vulcan" was begun for Island records but shelved in 1978. The sessions featured contributions from Steve Winwood and members of The Wailers, along with a live recording of Traffic performing the title track in 1974, but due to a change in musical fashion with the advent of Punk, the album failed to see the light of day. Island boss Chris Blackwell returned the tapes to Chris Wood in the late 1970's.
"It's a bit like monks chanting melodies. I'm finding that quite interesting," he says.
With a grandfather who sang and played the church organ and fiddle; a grandmother who played Victorian parlor songs; a father who played saxophone, clarinet, bass, and drums; and three musician uncles, Steve Winwood couldn't exactly help but take a liking to music.
There is something magical and spine-chilling about the blend of his high voice - raw but never ragged - with the swelling richness of his Hammond organ chords. The simple, thrilling techniques that worked in early hits such as Keep On Runnin' still sound sweet in the new songs. And the closing Gimme Some Lovin' brings the house down.
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