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“Contemporary instrumental music played with
self-dicipline rather than self-indulgence, with real melodies rather
than vague moods, and with roots that are respected rather than
diluted.”
~ ~ The Washington Post
Most of my life I’ve played music that was born in the
blues. Starting with the Beatles and moving on through Jimi Hendrix,
Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin, my introduction to blues was through
the rock guitar heroes of my time. Later on, I learned more about the
acoustic side of things and even tried my hand at acoustic Jazz, Folk,
Bluegrass, Swing and Ragtime, all close relatives of Blues, although of
vastly different hues and shades. My discovery of open tunings on the
guitar led me to Folk Blues from the American South and Great Britain, as well as the
various Celtic styles and their Appalachian offspring. When this music
is played from the heart, it resonates deep down in our souls with a
power that transcends flawless technique and virtuosic performance.
There are only a few carefully constructed compositions on this
recording. Most of the tunes were improvised from basic ideas and
grooves that defined my idea of the blues on a particular day.
One of the joys of playing the Blues is the ability to improvise and
let the music take you where it will. I wanted to create the sound of a
rhythm section laying down a groove for a lead player all on one solo
fingerpicked guitar. My wife Amy White would normally help create this
musical bed, but on this recording she acted as my musical consultant.
Each morning, I would get up and play for a couple of hours while she
handled the daily business of being an independent musician.
When I
stumbled on an idea that was worthy of recording, I’d hear a shout from
our office upstairs to “go in and record that one.” (Amy knows better
than anyone, that my memory doesn’t always serve me well and that there
was a high probability that I would forget my most inspired ideas if I
were to wait until later that day.)
As a result, many of the tunes on this recording were written and
recorded on the same day. For past projects, I worked on refining my
pieces until I was ready to record them without any mistakes. This
time, I wanted to experience that feeling deep inside of letting my
body take over. So I played the tunes just enough to get them under my
fingers, but not enough to limit my imagination once I started playing.
Other than the addition of some reverb, these performances are pretty
much in their raw form and were done in single takes without overdubs.
Even though I was tempted to use the modern technology at my command to
fix all of the little noises and flubs, I found that they really were
an essential part of the music in their own way. They make the music
more immediate and real for me. Blues with the sheen of Pop or New Age
music would sound watered down and too sweet. I wanted my listeners to
experience all of the many shades of blue from sky blue to indigo in
the same way that I did when I sat down with the guitar. I hope you
enjoy it. – Al Petteway
Al Petteway, "Shades of Blue", Solid Air Records, SACD 2032 CD
Get comfortable, settle down, take a load off and enjoy Al Petteway as he
slides through a slinky collection of blues-based tunes on "Shades of Blue".
Petteway, who confesses to singing only occasional backup vocals through his
career, lets his cedar-Brazilian Rosewood Mission Grand Concert guitar do
all of the singing here. Petteway composed all 13 tracks, and they display
the deft, sure, accomplished playing that fans of Alphonso Brown Petteway
III have come to expect. What comes through, however, and which is a slight
departure, is a certain looseness and joy -- a freedom and comfort not so
apparent on previous works. Petteway1s liner notes offer insight into the
songs, which "were improvised from basic ideas and grooves that defined my
idea of the blues on a particular day". Recorded in his home studio, most
were written and recorded on the same day: "I played the tunes just enough
to get them under my fingers, but not enough to limit my imagination once I
started playing", Petteway says in the liner notes. Tracks range from the
pleasant bounce of "Tony1s Rag" (dedicated to his two-year-old grandson) to
the Chicago blues of "Lightning Rod" and "Slinky Soozie" (with several nice
runs) to the jazz/funk/fusion of "E Funk". Petteway also pleases on the
nicely melodic "After Dark" and the haunting "Darkest Hour". This is a
pleasant, accessible collection with a bit of an edge.
© Fred Kraus/Minor 7th.com
| Artist: |
Al Petteway |
| Product Type: |
AMR CDs |
| Item #: |
SACD2032 |
| Price: |
$15.00 $10.05 |
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