Category: Musician Showcase

Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel Live 1950’s Television Performance

Elvis Presley performs Heartbreak Hotel in this classic 1950’s live television performance.

   Elvis Presley really is the King Of Rock-N-Roll and this classic video of Elvis performing “Heartbreak Hotel” live in the 50’s shows what a dynamic performer he was. It’s really fun watching him put on his best stage moves of the era and get the girls all screaming every time he busts a move!    Continue reading “Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel Live 1950’s Television Performance”

Stewart Copeland Live Drum Recording Of “So Lonely” Mid 80’s

Live video recording of Stewart Copeland performing with The Police in the mid 1980’s.

   This is a live recording of The Police performing the song “So Lonely” during the 1980’s. This clip focuses on the drumming of Stewart Copeland. It’s no secret that The Police are a very high energy live band and this clip is a perfect example of them in their prime.

   What I like about this clip is that it shows just how fast and powerful Stewart’s drumming was back in the 80’s. I saw them on their last reunion tour and he is a much more disciplined and accurate drummer now. But, there is a fantastic energy to his drumming in this clip. It may not be the most accurate but it’s incredibly full of raw power and drive. That’s what makes live rock-n-roll so much fun is when that energy is spilling from the stage.

   I hope you enjoy this classic clip of The Police and their fabulous drummer, Stewart Copeland.    Continue reading “Stewart Copeland Live Drum Recording Of “So Lonely” Mid 80’s”

Playing For Change -“Stand By Me” – Song Around The World

Playing For Change united musicians around the world in this beautiful rendition of the song “Stand By Me”.

   Playing for change is the ultimate in Live Band experiences! This video was compiled from performances by musicians around the world. They had never met and yet they created this beautiful version of “Stand By Me”. I have always loved the idea of music as the One World Language and this production goes a long way toward proving that point. I wholeheartedly support and applaud this tremendous effort and I hope this project brings us all a vision of a united world.

   There truly is peace in music and the Playing For Change project is a great example of peaceful creation. Check out the entire project at http://playingforchange.com

Playing For Change Explained

Playing For Change – Stand By Me – Song Around The World

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – Hot House (Live Video)

Live performance video of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie playing the song “Hot House”.

   There are some players who make an instrument speak in ways that are so beautiful and so unique that it just can’t be described with words. Charlie Parker is one of those special players that come along only once in a great while. He was simply an amazing Jazz saxophone player who excelled when playing with any live band.

   I haven’t seen a lot of video of Charlie Parker playing even though I’ve heard a lot of his recordings. I found this video on YouTube and was impressed with not only the quality of the video but with how well the band is playing. Charlie nails it as does the great trumpet player Dizzie Gillespie. I’m not sure who that is on bass and drums but they are also playing extremely well. This is from a 1952 television broadcast.       Continue reading “Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – Hot House (Live Video)”

Chickenfoot – “Oh Yeah” Music Video

The first music video from the Chickenfoot album. The song is called “Oh Yeah”.

   I’ve been enjoying the Chickenfoot album more and more now that I’ve listened to it a few times. I did a Chickenfoot album review when the album came out and I’ve decided that it’s actually quite good. It’s just good to hear a group of great musicians that you know will make all of us that play in a live band proud when they get onstage. There’s nothing canned about good, hard Rock-N-Roll.

   Today I’m posting up the first music video from the Chickenfoot album. This song is titled “Oh Yeah” and has some good Led Zeppelin type vibes to it. That could be because the Chickenfoot album was produced by legendary producer Andy Johns who also produced Led Zeppelin albums.

   This is a pretty basic music video but it shows the band having a good time and the audio quality is excellent!     Continue reading “Chickenfoot – “Oh Yeah” Music Video”

Joe Morello Drum Solo Circa 1961

Video of top Jazz drummer Joe Morello playing a very fascinating drum solo. Could this solo have influenced a young John Bonham?

   This is for all you drummers out there playing and working in a live band. This is a video clip of Jazz drum legend Joe Morello from around 1961. Joe is famous for his control of accents and rebounds. He played for many years with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and he’s featured on over 60 albums recorded by Dave Brubeck.

   Joe Morello’s album count is very impressive as he’s played on over 120 albums. He’s also written many top selling books about drumming inluding his book “Master Studies”. He is also included in Modern Drummer Magazine’s Hall Of Fame.

   What I like about this clip is the way Joe is using his hands to play his drumset at the beginning of the solo. It really makes me wonder if John Bonham had seen Joe Morello play like this at some point. As I’m sure you’re aware, John Bonham has a nice section in his “Moby Dick” solo where he plays with his hands. I guess we all learn from our heroes.     Continue reading “Joe Morello Drum Solo Circa 1961”

Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana (video)

Video of Michael Jackson performing the song “Dirty Diana” featuring the guitar work of Steve Stevens.

For today’s Musician Showcase I’m featuring one of my favorite songs by the great Michael Jackson. As you know, I play lead guitar in my live band so my favorite type of music features a lot of electric guitar. My favorite Michael Jackson songs naturally have the guitar mixed front and center.

The song “Dirty Diana” features the excellent guitar playing of Steve Stevens. Steve was at the height of his fame with Billy Idol at the time and Michael, being the genius marketer that he is, hired Steve to play on this song. I’m sure the decision was based on the great success Michael had using Eddie Van Halen to play on “Beat It”.

What I love about this song is the dark sexiness it evokes. The video shows Michael busting off some of his sexier stage moves and the whole thing just rocks. I hope you enjoy it!     Continue reading “Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana (video)”

Steve Vai Performs – I Know You’re Here (Live Video)

This is a live video clip of Steve Vai performing his song “I Know You’re Here” from the G3-Live In Denver DVD.

   What can I say about the great Steve Vai? The man continually blows my mind every time I hear him play. I’ve been a fan of Steve ever since his incredible 1984 solo release “Flex-Able”. I’ve tried to emulate many aspects of his playing in my own style to use with my live band.

   One of the greatest things about Steve Vai is his ability to play technically and still have great emotion in his playing. We all know he can shred and play a zillion notes per second but what makes him great is he makes every note count. He knows when to play a melody and when to play a scale-fill. Even his fast runs are very melodic and that’s a rare and beautiful ability.    Continue reading “Steve Vai Performs – I Know You’re Here (Live Video)”

Bernard Purdie Drum Solo

Drum master Bernard Purdie plays an extremely musical drum solo in this video clip.

   This is a truly musical and fun drum solo by drum master Bernard Purdie. He has an incredible feel for playing in the groove and keeping right on the beat while playing a melodic drum solo. Anytime a drum solo makes you feel like dancing, it’s a successful drum solo. At the end of his solo he shares some truly sage advice for playing a drum solo. His advice can be applied to any solo instrument.    Continue reading “Bernard Purdie Drum Solo”

Video clip of The Who playing a cover version of The Beatles song “Saw Her Standing There”.

Video clip of The Who playing a cover version of The Beatles song “Saw Her Standing There”.

   I thought this was a very interesting and funny video clip. It’s the cross-mixing of two of my favorite bands of all time, The Who and The Beatles.

   It’s common knowledge that Keith Moon and Ringo Starr were very good friends and drinking buddies. I’m sure there was a sense of rivalry between The Who and The Beatles as well. This clip features The Who playing a cover of The Beatles song “Saw Her Standing There” during a filmed rehearsal in 1977.    Continue reading “Video clip of The Who playing a cover version of The Beatles song “Saw Her Standing There”.”

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