I have heard live, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Procul Harum, the Bee Gees, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa with the Turtles (very good!) the Doors and the Rolling Stones. The Doors led musically but all were all better than expected. Stevie Winwood however was no better than a local band when I heard him play. I would say that good, good aggregations in Rock were the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Traffic, John Mayall, Cream, the Electric Flag, Blood Sweat and Tears before and after DCT, Al Kooper, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Fleetwood Mac, Moby Grape, Crowbar,(A Dylan back up band once) Powder Blues, Eddie Kirkland, BBATHC with JJ. I guess the list is long. (How about the Ace of Cups?)
Musical quality is superior in Jazz groups however for the most part. I would rather listen to Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Ben Webster, the Hot Five, or Guy Lombardo than the above usually! When it comes to gritty listenable reality that doesn't fade, the original musicians who used to sing the blues like Fred McDowell, John Hurt, Sonny Boy Williamson's 1 and 2 and Robert Johnson beat listening to the imitators. 80% of modern rock and folk is "borrowed" from the 1930's to 1950's 12 bar blues. And we know who wrote those songs. 80% of Dylan and the Stones were written in New Orleans and Chicago from about 70 to years ago to the late 50's.
In final analysis the Hot Five, LA on Horn, is hard to beat. D. Ellington with the Spacemen is good too. Have a listen some time.
EC<:-} |
