Diana Krall - But Not For Me

This is a live performance by contemporary jazz artist Diana Krall playing her take on the classic jazz song "But Not For Me". She starts of by playing a bit in the original tempo and feel and then moves on to playing the whole song in a much more melancholic and slow tone and feel. The performance is from the TV-show "Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...".
The song was originally composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was originally made for the musical "Girl Crazy" (1930) and Judy Garland sang it in the 1943 film version of the aforementioned stage musical.
It has been recorded by a huge amount of artist, including: Carol Burnett, Miles Davis, Doris Day, John Coltrane, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker.
I am personally very found of the version Chet Baker does of this song. (embeded below).

There's no video footage, but pictures and pretty good audio quality. I love how he doesn't have the biggest voice ever, but makes so good use of what he has and just sings it with so much feeling. Then on top of that we get his trumpet playing which is just phenomenal. I recommend both versions of this song, cause they're both great in their own right.

Enjoy ; )

Rory Gallagher - Bought And Sold

This is a live performance by Gallagher and his band performing the song "Bought And Sold". The song is from Gallagher's "Against the Grain" album from 1975. It's a studio album and its production value is higher than on some of Gallagher's earlier albums.
It's one of those great Gallagher original blues songs. They have a certain sound to them that is Irish and folk influenced, but also very much influenced by both British blues music from the 60's and also American blues music.
I really love how Gallagher sings with his guitar on the "Hear my now, hear me right" part of the lyrics. Gallagher's voice always seemed to fit the guitar and when he sings along with what he's playing it's just magical. The tonality and phrasing of both his voice and the guitar sounds so wonderful
A great performance and a great song.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton - Ain't Nobody's Business

This is a live performance by Eric Clapton playing his version of the classic 1920's song "Ain't Nobody's Business". At the end of the clip he also plays a little bit of "Drifting Blues" on a Spanish acoustic and stops to ask if there's percussion on it.
I really love the simple nature of this performance and the fact that it's split into two. It starts of with a piano and Clapton singing with only a little light percussion with a drum hit on the edge. The at the end to finish it the horn section kicks in and Clapton starts playing a solo. What you see is Clapton's vocal ability and how good a singer he is. He is one of the few people who can sort of recreate or keep the spirit of 20's and 30's music alive today which is very impressive. And then of course the guitar solo at the end which is just stunning.
The song was originally known under the title "Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do". It was written somewhere in the 1920's by by pianist Porter Grainger who had been Bessie Smith's accompanist and Everett Robbins. It was first recorded by Ann Meyer in 1922 and later by Bessie Smith in 1923. The song is an 8-bar vaudeville blues song. The lyrics were copyrighted in 1922 and now they are in the public domain. Embeded below is the Bessie Smith version, it's not that similar to Clapton's version, but you can clearly hear that this was the source material.

The song has been recorded by a large number of artists over the years. Artist such as: Billie Holiday, Diana Ross, Hank Williams Jr., Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Otis Spann, and Willie Nelson among others.
It's a great song and a great set of lyrics. I really love Clapton's version of this. His singing and his guitar playing it just all adds up to something unbelievable.

Enjoy ; )

Robert Cray - I'll Go On

This is a live performance from blues artist Robert Cray. Robert and his band plays the song "I'll Go On" from their 1995 album "Some Rainy Morning" (the performance is from 1996).
The song is an original Cray song as he composed both the song and the lyrics. I think it's a very good performance and a very good song. Cray portrays the role of both rhythm and lead player very well, and sings to perfection as well. The band is also very good.
It's a great performance of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton - Blue Eyes Blue

BLUE EYES BLUE from kristine sun on Vimeo.
This is the music video to the song "Blue Eyes Blue" by Eric Clapton. It is a very good looking video, the sets and the camera work is really good, a well made music video with a simple concept.
The song is an acoustic pop song in that classic Clapton style. A set of chords, Clapton's vocals, a choir and an acoustic solo by Clapton.
I think it was made, or was featured in some Julia Roberts film, there's footage in the video that appears to be from a film, but I'm not sure of that.
It's a good little pop song by Clapton with that classic Clapton pop sound.

Enjoy ; )

Bonnie Raitt - Love Me Like a Man

This is a 1995 performance from Bonnie Raitt, she plays the song "Love Me Like a Man", an acoustic traditional slow blues song with a traditional non slide blues solo from Raitt. This is just pure blues, and it absolutely proves that Bonnie deserves a rank among the best. This is just pure blues, it's acoustic and old school, gotta love that. She is only accompanied by a bass, and supplies both the singing and sweet guitar playing herself. Truly an amazing performance from a female blues singer with a delightfully raspy beautiful voice and guitar playing skills that match the skill of all the male blues players out there. Let's face it, there aren't a lot of female guitarists doing the blues thing which just furthermore makes Bonnie unique, there aren't no one who is doing what she's doing. She's amazing, gotta love Bonnie Raitt!

Enjoy ; )

Eric Clapton - River Of Tears

This is a performance from Buenos Aires in 2001 by Clapton performing the song "River Of Tears". It's a pretty slow song with a lot of classic Clapton solos, played with a lot of emotion, in that Clapton style that seems to be his trademark. These are the kind of solos you'd expect from Clapton slow and kinda mellow while still played with the utmost perfection.
The song is very long, and also features a very beautiful part with the Hammond Organ. It's a very pretty song, and it perfectly displays all trades and sides of Clapton as an artist. His singing on this song is also that special brand of heartfelt and soulful singing where you can just feel the emotion in his voice, it's wonderful, just wonderful.
This is a great song, and probably not one of Clapton's most famous songs. It's a great performance by both Clapton and his wonderful band.

Enjoy ; )

Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years

This is a great performance by blues legend Howlin' Wolf, he was a guitarist, a harp player and last but not least a fantastic singer. He had a growly voice that fit the blues very well. He was also known for his performances and his physical appearance during these performances. Like in this one where he flashes a dollar bill as he sings that the money is gone with a unique facial expression.
He's fantastic, on this track he plays the harmonica, it's pretty basic, but soulful and fantastic.
The performance is from 1951 which was still in the beginning stages of his career. He was however though one of the few blues artists to be successful from the early stages of his career, and he didn't struggle as much as some of his peers. Don't get me wrong, he still came from a poor background, but was able to leave it pretty early in his career.
He was also ranked no. 51 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Almost in the top half that's pretty damn good.

Enjoy ; )

Robert Cray - Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

This is the music video for the Robert Cray song "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark". It's a great little blues number, with an upbeat rhythm. The good thing about Cray is that he's original while still sticking to and knowing all of the old blues stuff. He composes and does his own original songs and makes his own lyrics, a relate-able blues.
Cray has played with many artists and a lot of his idols, I love the version him and Stevie Ray Vaughan did live of Cray's song "New Blood"(click link to listen). It's a great performance, and Cray's got a great voice and good guitar skills, a true double threat.

Enjoy ; )