PG Music Home Forums PG Music Wishlists RealBand Wishlist Suggestion for great Blues Grooves

It is not uncommon for musicians to think of blues as being simple and not really worth their attention. But blues music, when set to a variety of grooves, can keep a house full of people dancing all night. And what fun that is!

Here are some particularly excellent grooves for blues music that I would love to see rendered as sets of RealTracks.

1. "What'd I Say" - Ray Charles: (http://youtu.be/65FOQpQpSwc) Listed as #10 of the Rolling Stone magazine Top 500 songs of all time. Listen to the drums and tell me if there is already a RealDrums track like this, I've searched and can't find it. I love that tom tom on 2 + and 4 + !!! I particularly like this live recording. The original studio has a very busy ride cymbal that I'm not really interested in.

2. "Hound Dog" as Recorded by Big Mama Thornton. (http://youtu.be/V_nNNIYTy9g) - I particularly like this original studio recording. She did this throughout her career and you can her backed by rock bands in the 70's. To my ears, those versions lost all of the rhythymic subtlety of this recording.

Among the urban blues artist in London, who I've been hanging out with allot over the past couple of year, both of the above are examples of "Rumba Blues" - That does not mean Rumba like Rumba the way jazz artists and ballroom dance people do a Rumba. I think the jazz and ballroom people are more correct, technically, about exactly what a Rumba really is but... I love the "Rumba Blues" rhythms and I haven't really found them as part of the RealTracks.

To round out my wish list, beyond "Rumba Blues", I would like to bring to your attention a truly wonderfully varied compilation of blues grooves that I would also love to see rendered as RealTracks. It is: http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Jam-Progressions-Grooves-Book/dp/1423446801. You can see the table of contents and hear a few samples here: http://www.halleonard.com/viewcloserlook.do?id=00311449&lid=-1&subsiteid=68&

Finally, from a historical perspective, I find the follow compilations informative about use of latin rhythms in blues music: http://www.rootscd.com/variousCDrumbablues.php. Many of those on these CD's include Latin rhythms already well represented as RealTracks but the additional distinguishing characteristic of many of these songs is the 1-3-5 figure in the bass (and often doubled in a higher register by guitar). I haven't found any RealTracks in this particular style - and I'd be thrilled if I did. While Roots CD (the link above) has the best liner notes online, I suggest you go to amazon.com if you are buy these CDs (or MP3s) if you are are ordering from the US.

That's all from me for now. Thanks for considering these suggestions.

Cheers,
Andrew Wynn

A BIG plus ONE on Big Mama Thornton! I would also add the Etta James version of Baby What You Want Me To Do.

Later,