Ry Cooder is a national treasure when it comes to the American song....absolute legend with a style that’s all his own. What an inspiration he is. Even his last album was beautiful! These sessions are awesome and that’s actually his son playing the drums!
I was a exchange student in CA early 90s. Ry Cooder was a family friend of my host parents and lived in the same block. I saw him many times. I remember first time I saw him. It was on his sons birthday. I had my hair big and best rock shirt on he comes over and was super nice and says: "Ive heard you play guitar too, Atte?" I felt so small right there and then. Very nice man
As a musician and music lover my jaw was on the floor. As a bass player I just got schooled. That rhythm section was the perfect foil to one of the greatest guitarists of all time. True ensemble masterpiece with a virtuoso turn.
This group backing Ry Cooder is the best example I've seen of "less is more." They all say a lot with just a little. The listener has to fill in the blanks in a way. The music really draws the listener in.
Tragically hip lyrics in one.of they're songs says it all... "If I die of vanity, promise me, promise me If they bury me some place I don't want to be You'll dig me up and transport me, unceremoniously Away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees Whispers of disease and the acts of enormity And lower me slowly and sadly and properly Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy"
I've been waiting for a Ry Cooder video! "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live" live version has some beautiful slide. Speaking of beautiful slide, Death Letter Blues under Blackpool lights, by The White stripes.
@@KevinHallSurfing My exposure to jazz and bluse began when I was an infant. My father had a massive collection of 78's by the early greats, including a large number of "race" records. They say I would kick my crib to the beat of the music. Cooder has always kept a low profile, even though he is really the modern master of slide guitar as well as a blues player in more conventional styles. He was a highly desired and respected studio player. and is on thousands of others' recordings. My introduction to R & R in the 50"s (I am old), with again, my father getting the "modern" vinyl 78's and more "race" records. As I explained in my rants, for 56 years I have played guitar, but not well. My younger brother made a great living as a "bluesman" in a very successful band out of Cleveland. My nephew has a degree in guitar, with high honors, from Berklee. I build acoustics and a few electrics. I guess that is how the Lord handed out gifts to us. Music and guitars are probably what keeps me wanting to stay alive. However, I do not tolerate being disrespected well and address it firmly. I always have, even to "fisticuffs" ( fist fights, at the extreme).
He's one of my absolute favorite guitarists. So, kind of in the way that Hendrix/SRV could be described as "doing it all", e.g. rhythm, lead, bass, etc, Ry just does friggen EVERYTHING. His bag of tricks in terms of his attack on the guitar is...endless, man! He dug SOOOO many tones out of that guitar during this performance. It is unbelievable. He IS the coolest man on the planet. Thank you for Reacting to this. I love it. And yeah, that Sax player deserves 2 gold stars. That was wild. That would have been incredibly tasteful keyboard playing if he actually were a keyboard player! Let alone doing whatever he did to manipulate his sax sound in that way.
Led Zeppelin , 4th row, center stage May 1977. I would trade that lifetime moment just to sit in the corner and watch a Ry Cooder session. I consider Ry Cooder and Mark Knopfler two of the best guitarist in the world. And thank you for pointing out the bassist. The dude stands on his own merits, and the way he walks the notes with perfection is just amazing. "Why was he smiling?" Dude, session with Ry Cooder? says it all
I just saw prodigal Son on RU-vid and said I should suggest this to Michael Palmisano and sure enough he reviewed this a year ago and had pretty much the same reaction I did…Ry Cooder may very well be the coolest guy on the planet!
Love & much respect for Ry, been a follower of his since Paradise & Lunch and Chicken Skin Music. Such a aficionado of music history, just a joy to listen to.
I saw Ry Cooder at Paris live.The concert, that impressd me the most.The Sax got a big solo spot.I suppose, he had some eletctronics at his instrument. If you sudy the ry cooder paris 2018. I compare it, if I have to leave the house, so I put my warm shoes on, chattering with a friend, zippers at the jacket up, all at the same time. A daily routine. Ry Cooder does this with the music, playing, changing, searching, developingn new ways.
Ralph Mooney! Originator of The Bakersfield sound and one of the greatest Pedal Steel Guitar players of all time. He's all over the early Buck Owens records and was Waylon Jennings right hand man for 20 years. Would love to hear your thoughts on Moon!
Michael I could watch you for hours your true love of TheGroove is matchless! To watch your appreciation for awesome musicians is priceless your enthusiasm speaks volumes. Yeah you get it right 100 % the key to this one was how much room they leave for each other!
I had the pleasure of meeting the legend himself...talk about a no nonsense type of dude! Anyone not familiar with his diversity of styles, you gotta check out Buena Vista Social Club.
Ry done a soundtrack for a movie that is amazing. I think the name was SOUTHERN COMFORT. About a group of National Guard who steal some pirougues ( canoes ) in Louisiana and the locals don't take kindly to it.
I seen lindley by himself in the early 80’s awesome show, then finally RY came around a few years ago so I’m a happy person that I got to see these masters live
Awesome choice!! Ry is the best. I think sax man is using a pair of harmonizer pedals to form triads. One set to play the 7 and one for the 5? That's what i hear.
I had this version transcribed in Open D, capo on 4th fret as it is in the video. Took me 3-4 months on my custom Strat but I got it down pat. What therapy it is to play it!
Looks like a couple of Eventide H9s, probably set on harmony notes/glides and some Leslie modulation , dialed in with expression pedals; baller organesque tones
In the 70s Ry played a LOT with Flaco Jimenez master concertina player...to me the sax is taking that spot here..and in a similar fashion..pressing air into notes...adding that sonic bed underneath and nuanced stabs...
The sax player has a sock over the horn, a big Shure SM7B mic'ing it into a pedal board. What is strange is that there is no room bleed of the raw sax, so I would guess this video is somewhat sync'd to a track and not the live performance of the tune. He did a making of Prodigal Son video that is very cool. Talks about the inspirations and adding lyrics to make this tune longer. You also get a gander of his guitar rig, which has a variac in the signal chain, which I need to dig deeper into figuring out what he's doing there as well. Anyway, excellent choice and always fun to watch your reactions MP!
im pretty sure the variac is a tube preamp that splits his guitar signal to 2 amps, and wouldn't the raw sax not be bleeding because of the sock over it?
@@613brownie Not sure why you'd use a variac for splitting signal between 2 or more amps, unless it's some custom preamp as you state built into a variac shell. I would have to research Ry's setup to figure out what he's doing with it. As far as sax room bleed, he'd have to be playing very lightly for it not to bleed. The sock over the horn helps a little, but not a ton.
When the sax normally plays, it generates sound from all open holes, from top to bottom. Putting a sock over the horn won’t make any difference for any note that does not have a hole on the horn itself. Raw sax sound MUST leak in the room, but here it doesn’t. The only explanation is that some contraption is stuck inside the saxophone neck, or just below the neck joint, that acts something like the silencer on the gun.
@@MysticMonkeyMiracle lmao the emojis come with the monthly YT membership for $5! You get discord access too! I'll throw some of the emojis so you can see them - ... Fishing is kind enough to make them for us when he's not causing internet blackouts
Re: the viewer question referenced near the beginning of the video, the sax player is Sam Mendel, a genius multi-instrumentalist (primarily sax, though) who produces an outrageous amount of music. He uses a lot of effects, including the pitch harmonizer that you hear on this cut. His little syncopated rhythmic cuts are unreal. When he pulls out his firehose (baritone sax) things get really out of hand, in a good way. He treats his sax similarly to guitarists with vast pedalboards. He's a true visionary.
How about a profile of Randy California of Spirit? Famously named by Jimi Hendrix, he was a leading fixture in this jazz/psychedelic/rock group, opening for both Cream and Led Zeppelin.
Michael. Mate. A question if I may. Referring to the time when Cooder was working with "The Stones", would that be the guitar work that he taught KEEF which would eventually become the sound of that outfit for a very long time? However I notice that Cooder has the 6th string. KEEF removed it and played the same feel. After all they had both, at different times, learned on a 5 string banjo, which would be tuned to G open.
Hey Michael! i wanted to say thank you for all the amazing content. Also i wanted to suggest something for an upcoming video, it would be amazing to see your reaction of the band Leprous, any live video would do :)
Hey I think he has two harmonized pedals both set to depression only for a full chord sound. So like one pedal set to a 3rd and another to a 5th or 6ths or something.
