tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40231251791079875112024-03-12T22:56:15.092-07:00The WandererOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-62330288266170473512011-12-11T07:33:00.000-08:002011-12-11T07:33:55.957-08:00Rest In Peace Hubert SumlinThe first time I heard Hubert Sumlin and Howlin' Wolf I almost had a heart attack. Honestly, it scared the shit out of me. I have only had music make me physically, mentally and emotionally afraid one other time and that was when my dad played me some classical music one sunny afternoon by a composer named Krzysztof Penderecki. Hubert and Wolf literally set my life on a radically different course. (Again, many thanks to you Col. Bruce Hampton.) All these years later I realize that you can't really separate Wolf's voice from Hubert's in your head. Its the sound of a world we didn't know existed for sure. We suspected it was there cause we could feel it in our dreams and we read about it in children's books like Lord of the Rings, but we couldn't really be sure until we stepped into that world for real. As soon as you hear Hubert on "I'll Be Around" you'll realize that all the stuff of legend and lore has its roots in the truth. That's why it lives on so long. <b>Magic is real</b>.<br />
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Living proof. That's what Hubert was and is to me.<br />
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He was also a true gentle man. Loving kindness personified. If you knew him personally its hard to match his personality with the lightning, fire, swords and destruction that came out of his guitar. Only it wasn't actually destruction that was taking place. It was cleansing. Intense heat to burn away the dross and leave the purest metal.<br />
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I guess that makes him a true Alchemist.<br />
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Thanks to you Mr.'s Richards and Jagger for paying for his funeral. You can say what you want to about those two but I'll always be on their side for that.<br />
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Do yourself a favor......... experience some real live magic.Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-58614960864631177152011-11-21T09:52:00.000-08:002011-11-21T09:52:03.228-08:00Can you guess what illness these "meds" are supposed to cure?I was watching a prerecorded program on my DVR and I heard this commercial for a new pill. Fortunately I was able to rewind and pause so I could copy all this down. I'll give you the "possible" side effects, then see if you can guess what its supposed to treat.<br />
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This is 100% literal as transcribed from the commercial.<br />
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Side effects may include:<br />
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High fever<br />
Stiff muscles<br />
Dizziness<br />
Trouble swallowing<br />
Confusion<br />
Thoughts of suicide<br />
Seizures<br />
Decrease in white blood cells<br />
Permanent uncontrollable muscle movements<br />
Impaired judgement and motor skills<br />
Extremely high blood sugar leading to coma or death.<br />
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You guessed it folks! This medicine is supposed to treat depression!Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-54900528595567019742011-11-19T07:27:00.000-08:002011-11-19T08:10:56.081-08:00A look at the bigger picture of what my wife Jess is doing in Africa.<b>This is really worth 20 minutes of your life</b>.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8n23eVlfLY&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8n23eVlfLY&feature=youtu.be</a><br />
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I knew that Jess was an adventurer and that she follows her heart. Well her heart and courage landed her in what I consider to be an epic spot. The story told in this video I have a feeling will be made into a movie. The story of the man who is telling this story, Emmanuel De Merode is also amazing. I'm quite sure you will want to learn more about him too after you see this.<br />
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The point is that I knew Jess had an amazing opportunity to work with her biggest heroes on this planet, that she was extremely passionate about apes, (she reads those books like I read theology), and that she was going to get HER FILL of adventure in Africa. As much as she tried to explain it to me, what I didn't really get was this bigger picture. What she and all these people are doing over there is not nearly just about the gorillas. Its about the people, the land itself, the politics, war...... They cannot be separated and when you see this video you will understand just how interconnected they are.<br />
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Emmanuel is such a gentle human. But his bravery and the bravery of the African men who gave him the courage and inspiration to do what he did brought me to tears. These people are as heroic as they come. And so is my wife! One of the trackers in the Congo was worried that Jess (being a mzungu or 'white person') couldn't handle this particular route they had to take. They asked Urbain (the Congolese man Jess was traveling with) if she could take it. He told them, "“Ah oui, Elle est tres forte. Elle est une femme bush vraiment.” It means Yes, she's very strong. She is <b>a true bush woman</b>. It is a severe understatement to say that it made Jess' day when he said that.<br />
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If you watch this video two things are gonna happen. 1. Your day/life is gonna be changed for the better. And 2. You're gonna understand what an extremely high compliment was paid to my wife by some of the most courageous, tenacious, and transformational people on the planet.<br />
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As tempted as I am to divulge snippets of information that I know would suck you in, I will refrain because these things can't be comprehended in sound bytes. That was the scope of my understanding before I saw this so I don't want to rob you of the impact of the "whole movie" with exciting "trailers".<br />
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But boy could I.<br />
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This is my wife flying over the Congo with Emmanuel. She doesn't look happy and fulfilled at all does she? If only you knew what she knows.........<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2aYI7yv87uQCIXUdKAx6iK6pl50d3hIilZ8qp7EczTr_zq1UBzpNOp1_cJWmc1ibR78kXMPZDm1iY4pcxe0b_9ZBE_TBliae8_Aq35rWMGeHUTDb2imhrmkA86EAcMFZkNeSwjAg4x-w/s1600/Jess_VirungaPlane2_lowres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2aYI7yv87uQCIXUdKAx6iK6pl50d3hIilZ8qp7EczTr_zq1UBzpNOp1_cJWmc1ibR78kXMPZDm1iY4pcxe0b_9ZBE_TBliae8_Aq35rWMGeHUTDb2imhrmkA86EAcMFZkNeSwjAg4x-w/s320/Jess_VirungaPlane2_lowres.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is really worth 20 minutes of your life folks.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8n23eVlfLY&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8n23eVlfLY&feature=youtu.be</a><br />
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PS. Seconds before I was about to post this, Jess called from Rwanda and I told her I watched De Merode's TED talk... she said that Shamavu, the baby gorilla pictured at the end of his talk, is sitting right behind her in that plane!!!<br />
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You might wanna check out HER blog........<br />
<a href="http://www.jshousephotojournalism.blogspot.com/">http://www.jshousephotojournalism.blogspot.com/</a>Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-1350308728448628952011-11-19T06:46:00.000-08:002011-11-19T06:46:29.081-08:00OWS and Tea PartyAccording to the Washington Post:<br />
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"President Obama has called people who work on Wall St. 'fat-cat bankers,' and his reelection campaign has sought to harness public frustration with Wall St.. Financial executives retort that the President's pursuit of financial regulations is 'holding us back.' But both sides face an inconvenient fact: During Obama's tenure, Wall St. has roared back, even as the broader economy has struggled Wall St. firms - independant and the securities-trading arms of banks - are doing even better. <b>The earned more in the first 2 1/2 years of the Obama administration than they did during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration, industry data show."</b><br />
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I hope that somewhere between the OWS and the Tea Party we can agree that Wall St. can't be to blame without the help of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of our government. Both sides need to occupy Congress, the Federal Reserves and the White House.<br />
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/wall-streets-resurgent-prosperity-frustrates-its-claims-and-obamas/2011/10/25/gIQAKPIosM_story.html<br />
<div><br />
</div>Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-69750783643447087732011-11-01T06:24:00.001-07:002011-11-01T08:13:03.604-07:00My wife's African Adventures.......<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJbBnqdCEwPabeEJbuWvSW47vR1kdN401i0TRGPfpSPLPok6fkFmv0cMyJIXZWOw2sGxbEQGasLzinWpwkva3mdXYOVbsbCc5S4rvxvpp4kgE5bnejbBRBdaHZueB9d_-kP6RVyJOK1Tq/s1600/Shamavu_Plane_lowres.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670018902796956386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJbBnqdCEwPabeEJbuWvSW47vR1kdN401i0TRGPfpSPLPok6fkFmv0cMyJIXZWOw2sGxbEQGasLzinWpwkva3mdXYOVbsbCc5S4rvxvpp4kgE5bnejbBRBdaHZueB9d_-kP6RVyJOK1Tq/s320/Shamavu_Plane_lowres.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 215px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVunvxDcoopl-w_mRH6Bz3OqE6fToQnvpMPsDLJrAT2SAjh3wLHFBG70gvkHMlZU9-VgCjGpCP9f6zAb4mvR9JaHSGSww6zTM9bGGr8Byrxnwdoy-zDPpibg_6Z575wIPCKuzS2KGcFxt/s1600/JSP_Aerial.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670018889712742162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVunvxDcoopl-w_mRH6Bz3OqE6fToQnvpMPsDLJrAT2SAjh3wLHFBG70gvkHMlZU9-VgCjGpCP9f6zAb4mvR9JaHSGSww6zTM9bGGr8Byrxnwdoy-zDPpibg_6Z575wIPCKuzS2KGcFxt/s320/JSP_Aerial.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRlUbdeBtyZS5twXL6Rv3oGJUhLzpFCi-GTl-76lkx9yf6yDEJy1hwVn5upU6zWWxvcEmlxxTMhudKg_XxldWyqns0OadXbBfst1shQHgebroSkRYsudc5ugFWmFu-IOihkeZYQSaq4p-/s1600/Jess_VirungaPlane_lowres.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670018888003644594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRlUbdeBtyZS5twXL6Rv3oGJUhLzpFCi-GTl-76lkx9yf6yDEJy1hwVn5upU6zWWxvcEmlxxTMhudKg_XxldWyqns0OadXbBfst1shQHgebroSkRYsudc5ugFWmFu-IOihkeZYQSaq4p-/s320/Jess_VirungaPlane_lowres.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Check this out! I am one lucky guy.<br />
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My wife Jess is working in Rwanda with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International as a photojournalist. Here's her latest adventure!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/J-Shouse-Photojournalism/12946171497">Jess' page on Facebook</a></div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/J-Shouse-Photojournalism/12946171497"></a>Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-33994323354694953752011-07-20T19:38:00.000-07:002011-07-20T19:39:10.597-07:00News International whistleblower's death 'non-suspicious,' police say....Oooooooookay ................Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-59960816899930613162011-05-17T03:20:00.000-07:002011-05-17T03:28:27.420-07:00Joe Perman Bass Guitars<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToZayCsn1TKCcJLuV48ed5933NWrqnMFej2CFb0O6aYEymu9PB1IFstpipi0IPUPu6MiYMPEUZauUQflG47PVCcIYPlVlfV65t1iuE7tLWoCfvd_sZpCq8z1k0H6ph1i3hKZuZU6yvQ2Q/s1600/securedownload.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToZayCsn1TKCcJLuV48ed5933NWrqnMFej2CFb0O6aYEymu9PB1IFstpipi0IPUPu6MiYMPEUZauUQflG47PVCcIYPlVlfV65t1iuE7tLWoCfvd_sZpCq8z1k0H6ph1i3hKZuZU6yvQ2Q/s400/securedownload.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607629690683916834" /></a><br />Ladies and gentlemen,<div>introducing the first Joe Perman Custom Fretless six String Bass. Joe has been making me basses at Modulus Guitars for almost 20 years. Here's the next stage in his evolution! I really want to help spread the word about his amazing artistry. I'll be using it on my new record too so you'll get to hear it soon too! Believe me, he sounds as good as he looks. He's so pretty in fact that I named him </div><div>"Pretty Boy Floyd"</div><div><br /></div><div>Much love to you Joe!</div><div><br /></div><div>ob</div>Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-89306131043104270752011-04-30T07:35:00.000-07:002011-04-30T07:40:00.382-07:00Australia and New Zealand<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Australia and New Zealand</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Its cool when two brothers can share some firsts together at 46 and 49. As many of you know I went ten years not playing with my brother on a regular basis. Somehow I've also managed in that same time to never play or see Paris, London, AMSTERDAM, Australia, New Zealand.............. Well I can check two of those off the list thanks to God and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. (On a side note, my brother told me that as far as he can tell we are the only two in in our extended family to have made careers together. Its almost like that special feeling twins must have.) Anyway, even though Kofi had been to Adelaide Australia with DTB he had never been to Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Tweed Heads Australia or Auckland New Zealand. So we shared all those firsts together in one whack! </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Australian and New Zealanders are some of the friendliest I've ever met. So far I found the people of Italy to have the friendliest general attitude. But I think Sydney, Byron Bay and Auckland may have surpassed it! The Byron Bay festival might have been my favorite festival I've ever played. The line up was sick, (Our dressing room was next door to Mavis Staples' and I had a meal quite randomly right next to Elvis Costello.) The staff were over the top in kindness. Tweed Heads, where the hotel is, (not joking folks) is apparently the "tweed" capital of the country, and, thankfully, there was a lot of it to be found so far from home.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">People are so appreciative of American music over there. It was truly amazing to see so many of my friends from America at the same hotel breakfast buffet in Sydney. We broke early morning bread with George Porter from The Funky Meters, members of Little Feat, Fishbone, Blind Boys of Alabama, and WARREN HAYNES BAND! All the way round the world and old friends meet up. New Friends were made too, and we saw some new talents that lifted and inspired. Check out Gurrumul! Wow! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8-YMpYbRqY </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And also with his brothers (or friends/cousins harmonizing with him.....</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-i0FQBbO8E&feature=related. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And just one more for the hell of it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgRCBN9nyzI </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There's nothing I can say about this music except do yourself a favor.......... </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Other quick highlights: </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My first time on a surfboard with Ryan Murphy and Falcon in Australia close to where World Champion surf competitions are held. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hugging Mavis Staples in the hotel lobby in Auckland. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Seeing Kofi play a really long flute solo backed up by none other than his biggest hero on earth; Herbie Hancock. All who know me well know that it was real blurry from tears the whole time but I could hear it clear as a bell! Then Herbie came out front with his "key-tar synthesizer" and Kofi backed him on his grand piano. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On Chameleon. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I wish my mom and dad could have seen that. God's not kiddin' about that whole "cup runneth over" thing folks. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shalom,</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ob</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica; min-height: 23.0px"><br /></p>Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-53195594079544211842011-02-21T02:56:00.000-08:002011-02-21T03:06:40.193-08:00Tribute Time Again<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">Kofi.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">Its tribute time again and I think before I go into my Bass guitar heroes any further that I have to take the time to pay homage to my first musical hero, my big brother, Kofi. He was the first musician that I saw play on a regular basis, my biggest influence, and my most important teacher. Fortunately I'm getting to play with him again on a regular basis. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">They discovered my brother Kofi had perfect pitch when he was around seven years old. My parents were naturally elated and I'm quite sure my dad had him learning classical music and transcribing solos by all his favorite jazz musicians in no time. I think my dad's only religion was music. He is a disciple of musics of myriad styles. Growing up we heard Jazz, Classical European, Gospel, Classical Indian, Opera, Folk, Country, R&B, and other styles on a daily basis. I think music was the only thing on earth my dad trusted and felt was totally honest, besides my mother. Deeply hurt by the racism of the culture, politics and religion he grew up with in the 30's, 40's and 50's, he found his spiritual and emotional refuge in the commitment of his musical heroes to their craft. He actually played flute and wanted to be a professional musician himself but thought it too risky to raise a family with that career. He had one the the most interesting record collections I was ever exposed too. It wasn't until I saw some of my friends' parents' record collections that I realized what an expert my dad was and how deep his passion really was for it. I had taken it for granted as with so many other things. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">Imagine my dad being told by Kofi's music teacher that his seven year old already has perfect pitch. I'm surprised it didn't make him reconsider his atheo-agnosticism. It still seems like magic to me and most other mere mortals. I have relative pitch which means I can distinguish the interval between any two pitches, but I can't tell you what the exact notes are, much less if they are in or out of tune! That's what people with perfect pitch can do. They are a rare occurrence in humans. Well by nine years old Kofi was sitting with major jazz musicians like Donald Byrd and Ron Carter. He went off to music school in North Carolina at fourteen years old. That seemed like another country to me. Kofi was in the newspapers and on television in Washington, D.C. and was always amazing teachers and peers alike for as long as I can remember. Naturally he was my hero and I always wanted to be like him but although I exhibited a talent for music my parents felt they were taking a huge risk with Kofi as it was and didn't want to gamble like that twice. Fortunately for me I didn't realize just how much better than most people Kofi was so when I was practicing that was the standard I was holding myself to. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">I can still hear the sound of Kofi practicing his classical flute exercises in the my head. Its one of my earliest memories of childhood. He was equally at home in the classical or jazz world. His talent combined with being exposed to and absorbing such complex music at such a young age revealed a young composer as well. One of the songs we recorded for Jimmy Herring's first solo record was a song that Kofi wrote when he was in the tenth grade! I still want to record all of that old stuff that he wrote in high school and college. Its still really challenging music. I learned harmony and rhythm from learning Kofi's originals that he wrote as a teenager. Each song was like a semester of music school. Kofi had a secret though, he always wanted to be a keyboard player. Not just pianist, a keyboardist. Kofi was and still is a huge tech head. He was in love with synthesizers and computers from the first. Anyone that knows Kofi knows how into sci-fi he is. He was into the Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlen, and Arthur C Clarke books, Naturally he was totally into Star Trek and any kind of sci-fi on television. You can imagine what happened when he got his first laptop. This is a man that reads instruction manuals for fun! </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">Kofi loved jazz and classical but he also loved funk and rock. Keyboardists like George Duke, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, and Jan Hammer were some of Kofi's favorites because they were fearless about exploring the latest technology through electric and electronic keyboards. They withstood criticism from purists and pressed on into new territory inspiring young minds like Kofi and myself. How lucky for me to have a brother that not only had such knowledge of the history of music past but also a passion for all things new and cutting edge. When he got his first synthesizer he was consumed with creating new sounds that were opened up to him. Later when he got a keyboard that could sample sounds and do sequencing he would create entire songs all inside the keyboard. You should hear some of the Straight Ahead Jazz stuff he did all inside his keyboards. I cut one of those songs on my first record. Its called Inside Outside. Maybe one day he'll let me post the version that he did in his keyboard on the web so people can hear it. That's probably the hardest stuff to recreate electronically but his drums tracks are swinging as hard as ever.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica">Kofi was so patient with me, giving me the keys to unlock the harmonic mysteries when I was young. I was a drummer and understood rhythm well but harmony was a whole other ball game. He used the music of Stevie Wonder and Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire to teach me Jazz harmony because we all we're singing those songs with the radio. Learning Kofi's music taught me about odd time signatures, harmony, and composing among other things. Now that we are older and playing together on a regular basis again I'm hoping to record Kofi's music from the various stages of his life. He has a library of compositions ranging from Funk to Jazz, Fusion to outer space music. Hopefully we can also explore his other "secret" passion which is doing music for an animated sci-fi series or video game. He's never followed the path assigned to him. He's been on another road that we couldn't see and he's still following it. Its a beautiful street to walk, bike or drive down if you have the time.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 17.0px Helvetica; min-height: 20.0px"><br /></p>Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-77523627704347464742011-02-02T02:04:00.000-08:002011-02-02T02:05:14.201-08:00Zach Wahls Speaks About Familyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player<br /><br />Shalom,<br /><br />obOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-25985023299594790822010-12-22T00:14:00.000-08:002010-12-22T00:39:27.219-08:00Premeditated Resentments........My wife and I went to this church a few Sundays ago and the lady who gave the sermon talked about expectations and how they tend to make us unhappy. She referred to her own expectations as "premeditated resentments". <br /><br />I thought that was special.<br /><br />It called Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, GA.<br /><br />Shalom,<br /><br />obOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-89387488485610906232010-11-10T18:30:00.000-08:002010-11-10T18:38:25.289-08:00Jim Wallace Sojourners..........Dear Jim,<br /> I'm a huge fan of yours and have always pointed to you as one the the Christians that's a model of a "good Christian". So many people think the idea of a "good Christian" is little more than a bad joke these days. I used to be mad at Bill Maher cause he never had Christian's like you on his show, just super right wing ones. You like Rachel Maddow have really let me down recently though. You can attack the Tea Party all day long but when you then try to say that Libertarian philosophy is anti Christian then I feel you've gone way over the line. I'll go point by point through your recent blog.<br /><br />You said:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Libertarian abandonment of the the most vunerable, whether its unborn lives or the poor."</span> <br />I am a Libertarian and a Christian and as a Christian I am against abortion. I am also against heroin but that doesn't mean I think its the government's right to tell people whether they can have it not. If we got to keep more of our tax money caring citizens like myself could fund places that would take the unwanted babies and raise them with love and care, giving the parents an alternative to abortion. How dare you say that we Libertarians don't care. All of our money is taken for war and Wall Street so I have scant left to give. And by the way Jim, you say Libertarians aren't holding the Government accountable for their fraud and theft of citizens property, money and their very lives for unjust causes. Have you never seen Ron Paul in the last thirty years? That's all he's ever done!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"An anti-government ideology just isn't biblical."</span><br />If that's true then why were all the the Apostles, according to tradition, put to death by the state? Why was Paul and all the other Apostles sentenced to capital punishment if they were so pro government? Government is fallen just like the rest of humanity so why should I have such faith in it when its doing such a crappy job? I am not against the existence of Government, merely its size. Canada's health care bill was 8 pages long. That's a good size for a health care bill, not what we got. Also, Libertarians can't be pro constitution and be anti government. We just want the government to be for the people and not for central bankers and corporate elites.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"The Libertarians' supreme confidence in the market is not consistent with a biblical view of human nature and sin."<br /></span>Libertarians don't think that the Market is the solution to sin. That's what the courts are for. We also are not stupid enough to think that the Government is the answer to sin either. Everything the Government touches goes bad. Medicare will be bankrupt soon. Social security will follow soon after. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did a great job with the real estate sector. The Federal Reserve has been such a force for good in battling sin and injustice. Listen to yourself man! Like Ron Paul said, the states can take care of BP in the courts. Its no different than if you dump a bunch of pollutants in my yard. I then sue you for destruction of my property. True Libertarians don't think there's no need for a meat inspector but the more the regulatory system grows the more of a monster it becomes. Big Corps. pay off or even install their own in the regulators position. Watch "The Warning" on Frontline. They gave Brooksley Born's job as Wall Street watchdog to a guy from the Fed! Obama did that. When will you realize that its the size of, and corruption of, and not the existence of the regulatory machine that we disagree with. We don't say "no" government, we say "small" government. Elizabeth Warren doesn't need a newly created position, they just need to listen to someone like Brooksley Born when she sounds the alarm in the first place.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"The Libertarian preference for the strong over the weak is decidedly un-Christian."<br /></span>When Jesus helped people was that the strong helping the weak or vice versa? Who in the hell else is supposed to help the weak but the strong? Again, the more of my tax money that the Government takes from me, the less I have to give to the needy. Jesus said what Caesar does is dealing with a totally different Kingdom than His. For example, while there was slavery in society at that time, slaves were sometimes over their masters within the church hierarchy because what happened outside the church was Caesar's business. but what happened inside the church was God's. Jesus never tried to make the government take care of the poor. He inspired those inside the church to do it. If these modern churches weren't so full of crap then the three the biggest ones in any city in America could get together and end homelessness and hunger in their towns. Do they do it? NO. And they don't even have to pay taxes. Now you're saying the government should take my money do it because you think they can do a better job of it than me. I say, you're crazy.<br /><br />ob Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-78848015910320958702010-11-10T08:22:00.000-08:002010-11-10T08:32:34.572-08:00Inside JobINSIDE JOB is a 2010 movie narrated by Matt Damon and Produced and Directed by Charles Ferguson. EVERY AMERICAN who cares about this country and their freedom should watch this movie. I just saw this at a theater in New York while we are up here rehearsing for the next ABB run. If you are not infuriated after watching this movie then you should pick out a casket and occupy it. Apathy is the enemy of freedom. Here's how it describes itself.<br /><br /><br />"A comprehensive analysis of the 2008 global financial crisis, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly caused global financial collapse. It traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia."<br /><br />Every administration from Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. and Obama all share the blame in what has happened and what's about to happen. <br /><br />Here's some reviews.<br /><br /><br />Boston Globe, Wesley Morris<br />"The movie succeeds at upsetting you not by losing its cool, the way so many similar films do, but by slow-cooking its argument." A<br /><br />Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert<br />"...an angry, well-argued documentary about how the American financial industry set out deliberately to defraud the ordinary American investor." A<br /><br />Filmcritic.com, Chris Cabin<br />"Like No End in Sight, the key to Inside Job's power is how clearly Ferguson maps out each step towards disaster." B<br /><br />New York Times, A. O. Scott<br />"...meticulous and infuriating," A-Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-68818309526386812122010-11-02T06:15:00.000-07:002010-11-02T06:19:12.889-07:00VoteIts a great day to be American, I hope you go and vote today.<br /><br />Some say that we don't have a choice. That's not what I found on my ballot this morning.<br /><br />This is the form the revolution needs to take! <br /><br />Shalom,<br /><br />obOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-87271650898731061392010-08-04T03:14:00.000-07:002010-08-04T03:39:57.250-07:00Fuji Rock Festival in JapanWhen you find out that you're flying all the way to Japan from Atlanta, GA to do one gig and come right back home its easy to not be quite as excited as one normally would be. Fortunately I was asleep for the majority of the flight there and they arranged for us to have one day off before the day of the show so we could see a little of Tokyo before heading up to the mountains. Derek knew some cool places to eat and shop from being there with Clapton and with his own band, and we took advantage. <br /><br />One place they loved to hang was a bar called the Red Shoes. I had been hearing a lot about this liquor that they have with either a snake or a lizard at the bottom of the bottle. Apparently Derek ate the snake last time he was there, according to custom. I told them that would not be happening in my case. Well after having a few shots of whatever that was I ended up eating a small portion of the lizard that was at the bottom of this bottle. It was nasty but I didn't wimp out and just swallow it, I chewed it up. Yuck! Its one of those really weird things that bonds a band together sometimes.<br /><br />Japan is so different from anywhere else I've been. I've never seen a rude cashier or waitress for instance. Its like its not culturally allowed. The people are so polite and cordial. Fortunately I love sushi so I knew the food wouldn't be a problem for the most part. Although I have to say, their idea of breakfast is a lot different than mine. Hell, I live in Georgia! We truly had some great food, and I developed a new appreciation for how good the Japanese are at making different kinds of dipping sauces. (You gotta try Shabu Shabu sometime if you get the chance.)<br /><br /> The drive up through the mountains to the festival was amazing too because for the most part the Japanese didn't build on the mountains, only in the valleys, so the mountains looked untouched. It was a lush, dense, green panorama. I wanted to be on a motorcycle so bad I could cry. Our interpreters and guides, Wakaba, Aki, and Yoshi were amazing too. They took such good care of us and I really feel like I made three new friends. Beautiful, sweet people. <br /><br />We had such a blast playing the festival too. When you come that far for one show you really want to make it count! I have to say that my brother Kofi was especially on that night. I can't think of a better clavinet player. Susan was ripping guitar on That Did It Baby that night too. Derek, as usual was transcendent. <br /><br />You know he would never say it but I think Derek is the greatest rock guitarist of all time. Mostly he wouldn't say it because he's too humble, and because until recently he never considered himself a "rock" musician any more than he considered himself a "blues" musician. So this is my opinion only. But think about it, if you compare Clapton, Hendrix, and Duane's playing at the age of sixteen to Derek's at that same age I think it would be obvious who was the most advanced. Hendrix was always my personal favorite as far as rock guitar goes but it was the combination of his writing, singing and his personal style on guitar as well as his mastery of the instrument itself that did it for me. I'm talking here purely about the mastery of the instrument. Its only because Derek doesn't sing that he doesn't get the same status as Clapton and Hendrix, but make no mistake about it, he's the best. I'm saying it because he won't. If you need more proof, consider the fact that Derek has been asked to jam AND record with some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time as well. People like Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, Wynton and Branford Marsalis.......<br /><br />Anyway, once again, I digress. The show was inspired, the crowd was the best you could ask for, and the trip was certainly well worth the long flights. I'm pretty sure it will be out on DVD too. I sure hope so. Its such a privilege to work with such great people.Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-36753466428855129002010-07-23T17:30:00.000-07:002010-07-23T17:42:06.986-07:00The First Of Many Tributes To My Bass Guitar HeroesEvery generation has its living superheroes, certain humans that prove that all men are not created with equal abilities. When I was coming up, it was Jaco Pastorius who went completely beyond my previously conceived sense of the boundaries of the bass guitar. He inspired me and many other bassists to aim higher and farther. Well, I have been privileged to know personally a human of my generation such as this. I call him The Great Bruce Lee of the Bass. His name, as you probably already know, is Victor Wooten. There's nothing that I can say that hasn't been already said before so all I can do is tell you about my personal experience with Vic.<br /><br />I was 19 years old when I was turned on to Victor and his brothers by a great New York jazz drummer named Billy Drummond. I had moved to Virginia Beach and Billy and the Wootens lived in neighboring cities and were already friends. He said, "I think its time for the Burbridge brothers to meet the Wooten brothers". He told us that there were five of them and that they all played. He also told us how much our minds were gonna be blown when we saw how far out they were. If you've seen Future Man with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones then you know what I mean. Needless to say I was speechless. It was like a magic trick was being played on me. Vic had already mastered things that had never even been conceived of at that time. I was already committed to going in a different direction than fretless bass because of Jaco and then here comes Vic out of the blue totally revolutionizing the instrument again. At nineteen years old no less. I realized that if there were guys like this walking around then I'd really need to come up with something new. I have to give him the credit for really spurring me out of my comfort zone at that period in my life. <br /><br />Vic is also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I guess "gracious and humble" is the recurring theme of these music blogs, and that's exactly what Vic is. Even though he would have solid grounds to be on a huge ego trip if he liked, lots of musicians and quite a few fans know him as the exact opposite. He gives back much more than we give for the ticket price. His outreach and education with his Bass/Nature Camp at Wooten Woods Retreat is an invaluable resource for many things that exist alongside music including spiritual renewal. An experience at the Retreat is one of the best battery recharges I've ever personally had. I really wish that my schedule allowed me to do more teaching there.<br /><br />Vic has helped me out a lot in my career too. He helped me to get my first string endorsement, he spread my name around at his solo gigs, in the bass community and in the music industry in general. He invited me to play on his records, sit in on live shows and invited me to tour with him for a multi-city run in Japan with just me, him and a drummer! I learned a crucial lesson playing with Vic over the years but especially in Japan. It can be pretty rough on the ego to watch Victor do a bass solo and literally peel the paint off the walls, and then its your turn, you know? No pressure or anything. I was like, "Hey, can I go first???" If you try to compete with Vic, you're gonna lose. All I could do, all I had to do, all he wanted me to do in the first place, was to be myself. He brought me to Japan to make music, to play those chords I had been working on for so many years. It was some of the most fun I ever had, I'll never forget it. <br /><br />Thank you Vic for being so committed to the bass guitar, to music, to your humanity and for being so gracious, Thanks for all you've done for me personally, for lighting a fire under my ass, for the joy and hope you inspire when people see the amazing things you do. Thanks for being The Great Bruce Lee of the Bass Guitar.<br /><br />Footnote: At this writing Vic has faced some recent challenges including the damage of his Wooten Woods Retreat by the Nashville floods and the death of his brother Rudy, the sax player of the Wooten clan. Much love to you Vic, Regi, Roy, Joe and family during this time and always.Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-28257195875846497262010-07-16T13:22:00.000-07:002010-07-16T13:27:50.360-07:00Crossroads 2010 in Movie Theaters!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdm6fc8sNU6p5vHPOnZAmjqRrMMESCo6jYLw_UDTFd3XObFpksR5WDGyiGcfhY6bphnzUNpT_sJCzIdCr67jQgE-dJasZktnnu9_SjfA2FVmw765esDl-HnonuQP4zDJh5qaitXh8HBzy/s1600/10femk1032_ecc_200x295_v2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdm6fc8sNU6p5vHPOnZAmjqRrMMESCo6jYLw_UDTFd3XObFpksR5WDGyiGcfhY6bphnzUNpT_sJCzIdCr67jQgE-dJasZktnnu9_SjfA2FVmw765esDl-HnonuQP4zDJh5qaitXh8HBzy/s320/10femk1032_ecc_200x295_v2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494603173004650370" /></a><br />Check out Oteil with the Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band when Eric Clapton's 2010 Crossroads Festival movie comes to theaters across the nation on Tuesday, July 27th! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />For Tix, go to: http://www.fathomevents.com/concertsandmusic/event/ericclaptoncrossroad.aspxOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-2159064017466577332010-07-01T19:42:00.001-07:002010-07-23T15:25:32.106-07:00Fur Peace Ranch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ2uQ3B_ggAWEWuctJRLDLVCOnM64OUcOiJ3MCLc4YV2dM4r8YaclySHSH1jHkrR27zitvPD_V5Wb6HZV_RvuElUxaDbJKytisNiWiYfKOrSUHLxc5mzYyt_8hp4ici9TuSnkPQEydTi_/s1600/FurPeace.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ2uQ3B_ggAWEWuctJRLDLVCOnM64OUcOiJ3MCLc4YV2dM4r8YaclySHSH1jHkrR27zitvPD_V5Wb6HZV_RvuElUxaDbJKytisNiWiYfKOrSUHLxc5mzYyt_8hp4ici9TuSnkPQEydTi_/s320/FurPeace.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489134660939219298" /></a><br />Hey guys! Oteil has signed on to teach at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch this September! For more info go to:<br /><br /> http://www.furpeaceranch.com/instructors/oteil_burbridge.htmlOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-87551766933603347992010-06-29T03:57:00.000-07:002010-07-23T15:29:28.730-07:00Crossroads Guitar Festival<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VRqoB7l7pZAisaM7g2b9LYvaYoTt0qOw6JXlDVARJE6E8z67xiT3OuPw5RmE8m3PJtJWhEBUHETNbTDnSOKCfOeH0DiBeqgY99b1Y2io7B2waB79DXadzNw_yKXfKamfhED1ytRypsmd/s1600/Me+%26+BB.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VRqoB7l7pZAisaM7g2b9LYvaYoTt0qOw6JXlDVARJE6E8z67xiT3OuPw5RmE8m3PJtJWhEBUHETNbTDnSOKCfOeH0DiBeqgY99b1Y2io7B2waB79DXadzNw_yKXfKamfhED1ytRypsmd/s320/Me+%26+BB.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497232195726102930" /></a><br />When I was younger I spent a lot of time feeling like I missed everything. From Hendrix and Duane, to Charlie Christian and Django, I missed it all. :( Poor pitiful me. Then, every once in a while you get a day like last Saturday. I've met a few famous people and a few of my real heroes over the years but last Saturday had a magical quality about it for me personally. I was already excited about doing Crossroads Guitar Festival but I didn't realize just how much fun it was going to be. <br /><br />From the start the person who I wanted to meet the most was Mr. B.B. King, our Great Grandfather. If you were to ask every single guitar player on that festival who their guitar heroes are, BB would be in the top five. I had already met the legendary Eric Clapton when he joined us for the Allman Brothers Band's 40th anniversary at the Beacon Theatre in NYC last year. Its always such a surprise to me when people who are that iconic are simultaneously that genuinely gracious and humble. The way people react to Clapton is truly scary sometimes. Its a true test for a man to consistently rise above it and retain the best parts of his soul. And, the man still plays his ass off. <br /><br />So.. back to Crossroads. Well, we got off to a rough start. Gregg was on a waiting list for a new liver and he got the call a few days before the Festival. It seemed like I might not being going at all. Then Derek called me and said that they had offered him and Susan the slot to do a couple of our songs and jam with all the folks that were going to play with the ABB, if we could get it together in time. Obviously, we got it together! Are you kidding? Now I was going to get to play Crossroads with my brother Kofi??? Talk about making lemonade! Fortunately Gregg is doing well and I'm sure he's happy about getting a new lease on life itself. Speedy recovery bro'!<br /><br />The night before there was a party for all of the cast and crew at the House of Blues. Los Lobos played that night and I have to say, I felt some real voodoo hanging like a mist in the air. I knew that we were going to get to jam with them during our set the next day so seeing them do their thing full on got us all fired up. I went to get some food and there were two people with their backs to me that I realized was Susan and Chris Layton. I had seen Chris with Stevie Ray many years ago and was psyched to get to talk to him. Susan introduced us and that's how it all started. Chris Layton, aside from being legendary is a really gracious and humble person too. From that point on it seemed like I met one hero after another that was so genuinely glad to be there and glad to take the time to talk with you. <br /><br />The next day I got up early and went straight to the venue. My friend Doug Belote (a drummer from New Orleans) was playing with the first band, Anders Osborne. Doug was also playing with us on our set because one of our two drummers (JJ Johnson) was out with Boz Scaggs. I guess the drummer vibe was in the air because the first person I met that day that blew me away was drummer Steve Gadd. Although many of you may not have ever heard of him, I can guarantee that there is not one of you that hasn't heard him. He's recorded with Eric Clapton, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Michael McDonald, George Benson, The Bee Gees, Carly Simon, Peter Gabriel, Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Rickie Lee Jones, and Peter, Paul & Mary among many others. I bet you all remember the drum beat on Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover! There's an even longer list of jazz guys that I could include, which is how I heard him in the first place. I've played drums since I was five. Bass didn't come along until I was fourteen. This guy was a hero of mine long before I even thought about playing the bass!<br /><br />Then it was one after another. I ran into bass guitar legend Willie Weeks. He's another person that you've heard whether you knew it or not. He has always been a favorite of mine and one of the nicest men you'll ever meet. David Hidalgo and Cesar Rojas from Los Lobos came down to rehearse with us for our set. All I can say is, the word "cool" is particularly well defined and embodied by these two men. I ran into Chris Layton again but had a camera this time! I met another of my bass heroes, Pino Palladino who was with John Mayer. At one point I turned around and Bill Murray was standing right in front of me! I'm old enough to have seen the original SNL cast so this was pretty monumental for me. I pretty much spent the day having my turn at being the annoying fan with a camera. I have a lot more sympathy for those people now. Who knows if you'll ever get the chance again? Right after our set was over I walked offstage and there was Ron Wood standing next to Sheryl Crow. I had met Sheryl before at the ABB 40th anniversary and she was so easy going. I didn't want to just walk up to Ron Wood but he beat me to the punch! I didn't realize that he was originally a bass player. He had been watching from me and Kofi's side the whole time and really got off on it. What a trip. I was really happy when at one point I saw Clapton walking backstage with a group of people and he actually broke away from them to walk over and shake my hand and welcome me to the festival. I thought, "Hey, he remembered me!" He is ever gracious.<br /><br /> After we had cooled down for a while after our set, I finally broke and asked Susan if she could help me out with meeting BB. She had helped me out with meeting Wille Nelson, who I think is the first person I ever met that had so much grace that he is actually a real Saint. We went to BB's bus and when they opened the door, on the front face of each of the steps has the name of one of BB's hit songs written in blue neon lights! That's when you know you're a star. We got on and waited inside for a while for him to get done with his guests in the back lounge. When they finally came out it was Ron Wood and Jimmy Vaughn. Oh well, if you're going to be kept waiting, you can't really get mad if its those guys. Then it was our turn! Finally the day had come. I didn't miss everything after all. In fact, I got to shake hands, sit with and talk to the man who everyone wanted to pay homage to. Like Willie Nelson, he is the embodiment, the personification of grace and humility. Some of these young stars might take a lesson. BB would have sat there and entertained us for hours if his road manager didn't come get him to go to work. It couldn't have been any better. He is truly a living Saint. <br /><br />There was a sweet spirit that flowed through that whole event. Maybe its because Mr. Clapton brought all these people together to make all this great music, make a ton of money, and then give it all away to reach down and help pull people out of the bottom of the pit. That's the meaning of grace right there. Thank you Mr. Clapton for inviting us to be a part of it. Thank you for being such a good example as a human. And thanks for making it possible for me to meet St. BB King!Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-24915844221888818672010-06-15T14:41:00.000-07:002010-06-15T14:48:16.500-07:00Space Captain: Herbie Hancock, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, Mike MattisonCheck it out! <br /><br />http://video.aol.com/video-detail/herbie-hancock-space-captain-ft-susan-tedeschi-and-derek-trucks/36028816012285930Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-44814520516533588192010-05-29T06:50:00.000-07:002010-05-29T07:18:19.301-07:00New Music........This new project with Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi is really out of this world. Getting to play in a band with my brother Kofi after over ten years is better than I can explain with mere words. This week we have TWO sets of brothers in the band. Kofi and his little brother (me), and Derek and his little brother Duane. Too cool. I don't think I've ever done that before!<br /><br />Sometimes the best things in your life come much later than you would think. we've been rehearsing and writing a ton. Its been really cool because we are pooling resources from friends old and new. Our list of composers includes myself, Kofi, Derek, Susan, Mike Mattison, Tyler Greenwell, Eric Krasno, Adam Deitch, Nigel Hall, Oliver Wood, Doyle Bramhall,............ It goes on and on. How can you go wrong with so many cool people pitching in? The live shows are so much fun (if you haven't caught one yet) and the music keeps getting better and better the more we play. I hear it evolving just in rehearsal. Usually more of that happens live because of the energy from the audience but somehow we're getting that energy even without the crowd! <br /><br />I have a great sense of anticipation about heading out to California to spread the word on the Left Coast. I'm also excited to see what the fans of the various bands will think of the new stuff. We haven't really preconceived as much of it as you might think. In fact, it has turned out a lot different than what I pictured. But, now that I look back on it, it makes total sense. When you consider all of our influences it all fits perfectly. If you're looking for a rehash of the Allman Brothers Band you're might be a little let down. Every song does not have two long guitar solos in it. I'm really excited that Susan is getting equal time for her guitar solos too. She rips it. If you're expecting all the songs to be short for the radio then you might be a little let down too. We do some jamming! Hey we're all lovers of jazz so that's gonna come out too. If you come to it with no preconceptions though, you're gonna be blown away because you'll get what you want plus a lot more. <br /><br />What a great group of people to work with and for. Like I said before, sometimes the best things in life come later than you think. How sweet to know that your best days are definitely NOT behind you!Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-75208666922941684302010-05-26T01:07:00.000-07:002010-05-26T01:22:01.400-07:00More Irony Than I Can StomachMy friend Tyler, who plays drums in a band with me, took a cab with me at about 4am one morning to catch a really early flight back home to Atlanta. Our cab driver was a black man from the Bahamas. An earthquake had just devastated Haiti and in our casual conversation we brought it up. He proceeded to tell us that islanders were used to hurricanes but not really earthquakes and he thought it was strange. At one point Tyler mentioned what a bonehead he thought Pat Robertson was for saying that God caused the earthquake to punish Haiti for something that they supposedly did over a hundred years ago. <br /><br />The driver then stated that he agreed with Pat Robertson and that he had always admired him for having the courage to speak his mind. Tyler and I were in shock. A black cab driver from the Islands siding with Pat Robertson? He said that Haitians did worship the devil back then, and that God was in fact punishing them. I was wide awake all of a sudden. The next exchange went something like this.<br /><br />Me: Was New Orleans was punished by God too?<br /><br />Him: Absolutely. <br /><br />Me: Then explain to me why the strip clubs and whore houses in the French Quarter were spared and so many churches in New Orleans were destroyed. <br /><br />Him: Many times God kills non-believers in the Bible. I think we should do the same. We should go to Afghanistan and offer them Christianity and whoever doesn't accept Christ should be immediately executed. I'm tired of the US wasting so much time and energy on it. <br /><br />Me: Where did Jesus say that??? He said "Thou shalt not kill" and "Forgive your enemies"!<br /><br />Him: The bible says you shall not shed "innocent blood". <br /><br />Me: Jesus said no one is innocent. Remember "He who is without sin cast the first stone."?<br /><br />Him: You are a good debater.<br /><br />Me: I'm just trying to figure out what Bible you're reading! I thought you said you followed Jesus for Christ's sake!<br /><br />Isn't it ironic that Jesus' own words are the strongest argument against so many Christian's beliefs? I guess I really need to cut Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens some slack, as much as I am loathe to.Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-30566327139977956192010-05-24T06:57:00.000-07:002010-05-24T07:21:25.025-07:00The Divine ParentAfter 45 years one thing that I have figured out is that I have a very Jewish view of God. I've checked out other religions and they are just fine but what helps me connect, pulls me out of despair, inspires, and lifts my spirit, is this Jewish idea of God as a divine parent. A good parent of course. Most questions that I had about God I answered by putting myself in God's place as a good parent.<br /> <br />Why would God create us knowing that we have this frightening power to do evil? <br />Would I decide not to have children because they might turn out to be murderers? <br /><br />Doesn't that make it His fault that evil continues?<br />Does that make it my fault if I have children and they do evil?<br /><br />Why doesn't he stop us?<br />Why don't we stop our children?<br /><br />Should I be afraid of God?<br />Should my kids be afraid of me?<br /><br />How about if I put myself in the place of the child? Does my parent really forgive me? Can I really trust my parent? Does my parent really love me? Should I feel guilty about asking my parent for what I need or want? Should I really be pissed off if my parent refuses to give it to me? Am I grateful for what my parent has already given me? Do I let my parent know that I am grateful? <br /><br />God seems to talk to us in the Tanakh and the Message (New Testament) exactly the way our parents talked to us; "Why do you do exactly what I told you not to? Didn't I tell you it was going to turn out badly if you did that? You can't understand why yet, you just have to trust me. I know you really want that, but believe me, I'm doing you a favor by not giving it to you. This is really gonna hurt for a while but its the only way. Its ok I forgive you, but for my sake, yours, and everyone else's, please don't do it again. Don't make me have to spank you! You'll be back."<br /><br />One of the few questions that can't be answered this way is, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Personally, I believe the answer is twofold. If it is a result of nature, then its just random and is just one of the things about earth that is a drag. The Bible says this pretty explicitly in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12:" I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned;<span style="font-weight:bold;"> but time and chance happen to them all</span>. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them."<br /><br />If its a result of one human's actions against another then maybe it is allowed so it can teach us about the nature of Love and the cost and consequences of our freedom. Even though we tell our children not to stick their hand in the flame, we've got to let them do it to really learn. And certainly we can admit that Love is not true unless it is freely given. If God made us robots then its not real love is it? He has to give us the freedom to reject him. (And I use the term "him" out of convenience.) <br /><br />I often hear what a bad thing anthropomorphism is in the Bible, and it certainly has had some very bad consequences in history when certain groups of people have taken the imagery so literally. But I think image of the Divine Parent can also be a great idea that can help us understand the nature of Love. And I believe that God is Love.Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-78434095845755464642010-05-23T00:43:00.000-07:002010-05-23T00:49:32.205-07:00CharityThe Hunger Site and its sister sites provide a way for you to give to charity by simply clicking on an icon. It costs you nothing. When you click on the icon a corporation that is partnered with the website has agreed to donate the money. You can only do it once a day but I try to start my day by clicking on each of the sites. Its an easy way to give everyday and it costs you nothing but the time it took to do it. One site gives provides food for the hungry, another medical treatment for children, another is buying up rainforest, another provides books for underprivileged kids, etc.<br /><br />It couldn't be easier.<br /><br />Shalom,<br /><br />obOteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023125179107987511.post-23434116858363567522010-05-22T06:28:00.000-07:002010-05-22T06:39:47.852-07:00Out of the frying pan and into the fire!I have a strong suspicion that Jesus was a disciple of a Rabbi named Hillel. A man approached Hillel and challenged him to sum up the Torah while standing on one foot. He balanced himself on one foot and said,"What is hateful to you, do not do to your brother, all the rest is commentary. Now go and study." Then he returned his foot to the floor. One day while researching Hillel in more depth, I came across a Jewish tradition that says "when a person repents, all his sins are forgiven and he becomes like a newborn child." Sound familiar? Hillel was born about 80 years before Jesus' commonly accepted birthday. This was my first clue that Jesus might have been in his academy at one time.<br /><br />The interesting part is that Hillel was a Pharisee. Not only that, he was the leader of the Pharisees. Him and his opponent. You see the other really interesting part is that Hillel, as with Jewish leaders before him, always had a theological opponent with whom he sparred throughout his tenure. There were always TWO leaders. Hillel's opponent was Shammai. (Before Hillel and Shammai were Avtalyon and Shemaya and after them, Akiva and Ishmael.) Hillel was known as the one to judge mercifully and Shammai was said to be stricter, more harsh and less forgiving. I guess you could say that Hillel was the liberal and Shammai was the conservative. Hillel was said to have prevailed on most counts. Imagine that, respectful disagreement was not only allowed in Judaism, it was and is a cornerstone of the faith tradition. Wow! Can we get some of that over here on the Christian side? The Talmud is actually a record of these debates, disagreements, agreements, and interpretations over hundreds of years. <br /><br />The point is that Jesus' debate with the Pharisees was a debate that they were already having with themselves. This makes me think that there's a chance Jesus could have even been one of the Pharisees, like the Apostle Paul! Now wouldn't that change the way we see things? If you read the Tanakh (I don't like to call it the Old Testament because it is disrespectful to my Jewish brothers) and the Talmud (The Jewish commentary on the Tanakh) you will find the context out of which Jesus' thinking and teaching came. I really think most Christians believe that by 6 years old Jesus already knew everything and developed this "new" teaching all on his own. <br /><br />Amy Jill Levine, a practicing Jew who is a professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN has written an amazing book called, Jesus The Misunderstood Jew. Fortunately I have some basic knowledge of Judaism thanks to Abraham Joshua Heschel and William Barclay. However, her book is written for those who don't. Her thorough knowledge of Judaism helps her understand the New Testament in ways unknown to most of us. There are things in the Bible that seem to mean one thing to us (non-Jews) on the face of it, but actually mean something quite different. That, coupled with her sense of humor and irony make for a fascinating, funny, and very enlightening book. Abraham Joshua Heschel has a great book called, God In Search Of Man for a Jewish perspective of the Tanakh. If you're really nuts like I am then try his other book, Heavenly Torah As Refracted Through The Generations for a walk through the Talmud. Any of William Barclay's commentaries will give you a great background in 1st century Jewish, Greek and Roman history and customs.<br /><br />I think there's more to the story than what we're commonly told.Oteil Burbridgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15456723008665900674noreply@blogger.com2