Customer Reviews

Jazz Casual - B.B. King

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I've been lucky enough to have B.B. King bring me his music "LIVE" twice in my life. He was in his 70's at the time and still doing 265+ concert dates a year including a world tour every other year. If you ever wonder what would make him keep going after all these years, this DVD will show you that it isn't the money.

When I watched him in person, you could tell that B.B. still loved playing music for people. His road band was as tight, smooth and skilled as I've ever seen and they played with a passion almost equal to that of their leader. The age range of the members was from the 20's to the 70's - remarkable in this day and age.

On the DVD, the band is considerably smaller - maybe because B.B. was just getting going at the time and couldn't afford more players - but some members then are still members today. That's very unusual.

What I like about this particular DVD is that it provides excellent insight into one of the greatest Blues artists ever when he was just finding his wings. He's confident and passionate and he's skilled, and we are the beneficiaries.

I believe you'll find the interview portion provides some insight into the man and his music as well.

As is the case with artists early in their careers, B.B. plays songs here that he loves. When you catch an artist still in their almost pure state at the early curve of their career, you sense the feeling underneath the performance. Think of Rod Stewart with the Small Faces on Every Picture Tells A Story and singing Maggie Mae vs. Rod doing Hot Legs. No comparison really.

If you'd like to see B.B. King in a relaxed setting and doing some material he considers important enough to play in an early TV appearance, this is a dandy addition to your collection. Excellent sound quality here, too, and that doesn't hurt either.