Customer Reviews

In Concert 9/9/94

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was lucky enough to have seen Danny Gatton play live and this cd really reflects what his show was like...great! I also like that it was mixed and produced by his band,it just makes it more real somehow.The liner notes are by the people who knew him and worked with him and they're really interesting. It's so sad that he's gone but this cd is what it was like when he was alive.

Recorded a month before his tragic suicide, this new trio of Danny's plays mostly jazz at this date (with some rockabillty thrown in; Danny was never far away from bluegrass). He opens with a fast blues, as usual, and plays numbers that he has played many times before. One difference is that he is playing on a new guitar: with two necks, one a regular Tele, and the other a six string bass. To judge by the applause, he is playing to a small house at the Birchmere. Not to draw a bigger crowd, to a genius of his caliber, must have been disheartening to say the least. But Danny seemed to prefer his small band of hard core devotees to road travel, so he sort of chose it.
The music is superb. "Secret Love" beyond beautiful. "Blues Newburg" done very slow, is the best interpretation I have heard. The "Surf Medley" is fun (my son tries to play "Apache" like Danny"). "Caraven" is given a rousing treatment. And "Orange Blossom Special Medley", Danny's usual ending number is a wonderful romp through bluegrass, funk, and jazz.
This is one of my favorite Gatton albums. I think it will be yours, too.

I was a late listener to Danny's music. I thought I'd heard "the best" and owned a lot of great player's music. Then someone loaned me Hot Rod Guitar, and I've never been the same since. Gatton is the most unorthodox and inventive player I've ever heard. In Concert is SUPURB (inadequate word, actually)! It seems there's never a moment that he doesn't surprise me and his playing makes me laugh consistently (I think, "it's impossible to do that on a guitar!"). Buy this CD, and appreciate greatness! I'll bet Danny and Lenny Breau are having a time!!!

I had heard Danny on the radio and purchased this album, based on the Amazon ratings.
Not disapointing and perhaps more than I expected.
Some very fine jazz and blues.
A truly wonderful "live" album, which is hard to do.
I would buy it again.
Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite Danny Gatton recordings. It captures him live, playing his butt off. DG was a studio hound, and a perfectionist, which comes through on an album like "88 Elmira St." It's brilliant, but just a little too polished for my tastes. "In Concert" captures Danny flying by the seat of his pants, a quality I find exciting in music, especially live music. The set list is great - what do you make of a guy who plays "Orange Blossom Special", "Caravan", "Apache", "My Secret Love", and "Linus & Lucy"? It all comes out sounding like Danny. One of the things I really appreciated about this recording was the drumming of Timm Biery, who does a fantastic job of not only hanging in there with DG, but pushing him. A great CD, well worth the purchase. Hope there's more where this came from!

Great song selection and good recording. You can really feel the atmosphere of the place and the energy of the crowd. Live was the best way to hear him so it's a shame there aren't much more of his club performances released.