Fuji Rock Festival in Japan

When 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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.......

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.

The First Of Many Tributes To My Bass Guitar Heroes

Every 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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Crossroads 2010 in Movie Theaters!

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!












For Tix, go to: http://www.fathomevents.com/concertsandmusic/event/ericclaptoncrossroad.aspx

Fur Peace Ranch

Hey guys! Oteil has signed on to teach at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch this September! For more info go to:

http://www.furpeaceranch.com/instructors/oteil_burbridge.html

Crossroads Guitar Festival

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.

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.

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'!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Space Captain: Herbie Hancock, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, Mike Mattison

Check it out!

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/herbie-hancock-space-captain-ft-susan-tedeschi-and-derek-trucks/36028816012285930

New 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!

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!

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.

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!