Johnny Winter - Mojo Boogie (J. B. Lenoir)

This is a live performance by blues guitarist Johnny Winter playing his rendition of the classic blues tune "Mojo Boogie". The song was released in a studio recorded version by Winter in 1986 on his album "Third Degree". This performance is from Barcelona in 1991.
The song was originally written and recorded by Chicago blues legend J. B. Lenoir. Lenoir's version of the song is a bit simpler, on the guitar front that is, but the singing and the blues feeling of it is amazing. The guitar doesn't solo on this version, instead a saxophone solos in stead. (Original version embeded below)

Winter added his slide playing to this song and it fit perfectly. He's just a master with that slide and it really fits with this song, his speed is just amazing. It's a great performance by Winter!

Enjoy ; )

Stevie Ray Vaughan & The Night Music Band - Sailin' Shoes

This is a live performance by Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Sunday Night Music Band lead by saxofonist David Sanborn. Stevie was a guest performer on the show.
The song was originally written by Lowell George for the band "Little Feet". The song appeared on the band's 1972 album also titled "Sailin' Shoes". The song has also been done by Robert Palmer on his 1974 debut album as a solo artist.
It's a great little performance and Vaughan does a really good solo on it. A video definitely worth checking out.

Enjoy ; )

James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing

This is a live performance by James Brown the Godfather of soul performing his classic song "Get Up Offa That Thing". The performance is from The Late Show with David Letterman.
The song was originally released on 7" vinyl in 1976. The original single was a two-part single with a B-side titled "Release the Pressure". "Release the Pressure" is actually just a continuation of the same song, but with different lyrics. The song became a huge hit and one of Brown's biggest hits in his late 70's career. It also later became a very common number to appear in Brown's live sets.
The song was produced by James Brown and written by Deanna Brown, Diendra Brown, and Yamma Brown.
I really love this song and performance. I love how much energy Brown puts in to this performance at his age. And the way he still controls the band; a true band leader. And the saxophone solo, man that was amazing. Also love how the song has a lot of musical breaks and stops that are very fast, and how it usually starts off again with the guitar doing something with a wah wah pedal. This is how funk is supposed to sound. It's grand and I love it.

Enjoy ; )

Isaac Hayes - Soulville

This is a live performance by soul music legend Isaac Hayes playing the song "Soulville" live in concert.
The song is from the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film "Shaft". The most famous song of that soundtrack of course being the Academy Award nominated "Theme from Shaft" famous for it's heavy use of wah-wah pedal and somewhat cheesy lyrics. Click here for a performance of "Theme from Shaft". The soundtrack only contained three songs with vocals, the rest of it were instrumentals. The last song with vocals was "Do Your Thing".
It's a great performance and Hayes really impresses with his musical abilities. As he's playing the saxophone on this song. In the later years of his career he'd usually stick to playing piano. The horns would come from a three piece keyboard section Hayes used on the road.
But a great performance of a really nice song. And this song has some pretty good lyrics.

Enjoy ;-)

The Rolling Stones Feat. Christina Aguilera – Live with Me

This is a live performance by British blues and rock ‘n’ roll band The Rolling Stones performing their classic hit “Live with Me”. Joining them on stage is singer Christina Aguilera. The performance is from the concert film “Shine a Light” released in 2008.
The song “Live with Me” first appeared on the album “Let It Bleed” released in 1969. It is one of the first songs where Keith Richards is credited for playing bass. (On the album version) On the album version of this song Bobby Keys played saxophone with The Stones for the first time and Leon Russel contributed some piano parts to the song.
It’s a great song and it really works as a duet in the live version where Aguilera really sings it well. A great performance of a good rock ‘n’ roll song.

Enjoy ;-)

Thelonius Monk - Blue Monk

This is a live performance by jazz legend and jazz composer Thelonius Monk playing his classic jazz standard "Blue Monk". The performance was shot in Norway in 1966. The musicians joining Monk are: Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.
As mentioned earlier "Blue Monk" is an instrumental jazz standard composed by Thelonius Monk. It is a B♭ blues based on the jazz tune "Pastel Blue".
Thelonius Monk is considered one of the great contributors of American music and he has written several jazz standards, "Blue Monk" included. He was known for his very distinctive and unique approach to the piano, for his clothing style and for standing up in the middle of songs and taking breaks to then return to the piano. He also does this in this performance. In fact all musicians but the drummer do this and then at the end they all join in again.
It's a great performance and you can really tell that the musicians are in sync with each other and leave space and respect to one another. This is a great laid back performance of a great jazz standard.

Enjoy ;-)

The Doors - Touch Me

This is a performance by 70's rock band The Doors performing their classic song "Touch Me". A song more in the category of dance music, or maybe even a ballad at some points in the song, though it is a complicated progression, and it isn't just one genre throughout. It was released on the band's debut album "The Soft Parade", and was written by Robby Krieger.
The song is also notable for it's use of a string section, a horn section and a sax solo from Curtis Amy. It was released as a single in 1968, and did very well in the charts reaching no. 3 on the American Billboard chart.
It's a great performance, only made better by the accompaniment of the horn section and the string section which makes this a really good performance.

Enjoy ; )

Bootsy Collins - Stretchin' Out

This is performance by funk bass player Bootsy Collins from the television show "Night Music", a late night show that showcased performers and featured live performances.
The song Stretchin' Out was released in 1976 by Bootsy's band "Bootsy's Rubber Band", a funk band that was formed after Bootsy stopped touring and recording with James Brown. The song's full title is "Stretchin' Out (In a Rubber Band)".
It's a great performance, and it seems a little unrehearsed in the good way. It's a jam, and every performer gets a slot to strut their stuff, the sax, the guitar and the bass of course. A great performance from a time where live music actually had a decent slot in television.
(I know it's not exactly rock or blues, but funk is somewhat a descendent from the blues genre. I mean all those funky chords on the guitar were first played in blues and jazz songs, funk just sped it up, added a whole lot more wah and made it more funky). And besides, you should be able to enjoy this, or you've got no good music taste what so ever!

Enjoy ; )

The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar

This live performance is from the Martin Scorsese film "Shine a Light", a concert film by the Rolling Stones featuring some interviews and stuff, but for the most part a brilliantly directed concert film.
I have posted clips from this particular film previously. It's a great film and a good introduction to The Stones if you're new to them. It brilliantly captures their energy and performance on stage.
So if you don't already have this, go buy it!
The song "Brown Sugar" was released in 1971 on the album "Sticky Fingers". It's the opening track, and it has that hard rock bluesy riff and a musical breakdown where Bobby Keys can play a fantastic Saxophone part, just great. The song has that middle period Stones sound that is rock oriented, but still bluesy and with the bigger set-up of using a horn section. It's just a great song.
The song "Brown Sugar" was also ranked as no. 490 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. And it definitely is a great song, no doubt about that.

Enjoy ; )

Previous posts from Shine a Light:
Champagne And Reefer - Buddy Guy ft. Rolling Stones 
You Got The Silver - Keith Richards