The Thursday Night Jam

So last night I attended the new open jam session at the Copa Cavana in Des Moines. Housed in the old Ingersoll Dinner Theatre, this building is definitely an interesting entertainment venue to say the least.

Now this jam is hosted by Rob Ankum, the long time host of the jam at Blues on Grand, which closed its doors in November of last year due to reasons that many people are not quite sure of. For a blues/rock/funk fan such as myself this was a huge blow to the Des Moines music scene and arguably the music scene in the Midwest.

Blues on Grand was a great place to hear and or play live music. It attracted some of the finest musicians around on a weekly basis and it always had this vibe of a down home, true blues bar. I will always miss Blues on Grand and it can't be replaced in my opinion.

However when Blues on Grand closed down I also lost my jam spot on Thursday nights. I was not sure where I would go to get my jam fix on in Des Moines anymore until I heard that Rob was starting up a jam at the Copa Cavana.

Well to all those who miss the jam at Blues on Grand I must say this. Come on out to the Copa Cavana and enjoy the new jam. Yes it may not have the vibe and the feel of Blues on Grand but in my opinion it has its own vibe and feel that is kind of curious. Its a big place with a big stage and dance floor for people to dance on if they hear some music that they like.

And that should be no problem as Rob and the boys are playing the same great blues/rock/funk tunes that they did at Blues on Grand. It is definitely going to take some getting used to but I think in the end it is good for the music scene in Des Moines. It provides aspiring musicians like myself a chance to get out there and strut their stuff on stage for a few songs once a week. I will most definitely be going back and I hope that it can become a new tradition for music in Des Moines.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS

Who Is the Greatest Guitarist To Date

Rolling Stone's article on the 100 Greatest Guitarists is widely looked at as one of the best, comprehensive lists of the world's greatest guitar players to date. However as much as many people tend to agree with this list, I have some minor discrepancies with it. So for my first blog post I would like to look at Rolling Stone's top 10 guitarists on their list and explain how I think the top 5 should look.

For starters here is the top ten from Rolling Stone:

10) Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones

9) Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin

8) Ry Cooder

7) Stevie Ray Vaughan

6) Chuck Berry
5) Robert Johnson

4) Eric Clapton

3) BB King

2) Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band

1) Jimi Hendrix

Now this list is very good. All of these men have provided something significant to the guitar world throughout their careers. However I believe that the greatest guitarists list should have some basis for technicality of playing, contributions to the instrument, body of works, and overall influence. In that case my top 5 would look something like this.

5) Eric Clapton- Clapton is a very great guitar player. From his early days with Cream to his solo stuff today he continues to unleash that wonderful tone and sound that keeps people coming back for more. The one thing that I think keeps Clapton lower is because although he has influenced many, some of his music is not what people like to hear out of him. I think Clapton would be higher if he would let that blues flag fly and show off that vocabulary much more than he does with his solo recordings.

4) Duane Allman- Two words, slide guitar! Duane Allman was a slide master and he helped bring the Allman Brothers Band to fame. Had his career not been cut short like many other great guitarists I can only imagine what he would have accomplished.

3) Stevie Ray Vaughan- Now I am a huge Stevie Ray fan and nut. The first blues/rock guitar experience I had was listening to his debut album Texas Flood. Some say that he was a Hendrix clone but to that I say not entirely. People copy other people's licks all the time in the guitar world. SRV was an amazingly technical guitarist and he provide tons of great music in such a short time period. Had he been around longer I think he could have easily been the best guitarist in the world. This was just another career cut short by an untimely death.

2) Eddie Van Halen- Rolling Stone shocked me with this. Eddie Van Halen is nowhere near the top 10, in fact he is at number 70 on their list. Are you kidding me! Eddie Van Halen, love him or hate him, is one of the world's supreme guitar players. There are some that question whether or not he came up with the tapping concept on guitar but either way his mastery and use of it influenced so many young guitarists in the 1980's and it helped Van Halen sell millions of records. The man is a guitar genius and he deserves to be recognized as one. That definitely means he is not the 70th best guitarist out of 100 all time!

1) Jimi Hendrix- You cannot argue with this one very much. Jimi Hendrix is arguably the most innovative, most influential guitarist to this date. The body of works that he compiled in a short time span are some of the most influential works on the guitar. Countless guitarists young and old study his works to better understand his techniques and ideas. Had Hendrix lived longer than he did there is no telling what he would have accomplished. The man was one of a kind and I do not think there will ever be another like him.

So that is my top 5 guitarists of all time. Granted I will probably never be able to play like any of these guys or any of the guys off Rolling Stone's top 10 I still am influenced by many of them and their work on the guitar has helped make it what it is today. If you would like to share your thoughts on my top 5 feel free to comment as I will always accept feedback and discussion.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,

JAS

Photo courtesy of Flickr, tuppus (tup wanders)

Welcome

Welcome everybody to my first blog for Music Reviews by a Musician. This blog is a pet project of mine that will showcase my opinions on what is happening in the music scene today. Anytime I come across a band, artist, record, piece of gear, or any other music related item that strikes my fancy I will post my thoughts about it on here.

Being based out of central Iowa and the current music director of 88.9 KSTM FM (Simpson College Radio) I will also try to feature reviews of bands, artists, and musical happenings in my area. Hopefully everyone enjoys my posts and checks back soon to read what I have to say about music today.

Until next time, keep on rocking away music lovers.

JAS