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Not sure if this is where this post belongs. Mods feel free to move it wherever it needs to be.
West Coast blues is a very heavily jazz influenced form of blues. Some names associated with the genre include Junior Watson, Kid Andersen, David "Kid" Ramos, Rusty Zinn, "Little Charlie" Baty (deceased), Tommy Harkenrider, James Harman, Duke Robillard, Alex Schultz, Jimmy Vaughan, among several others. Anson Funderburgh (Texas blues), Rick Holmstrom, Kirk Fletcher, Jimmy Vaughan, "Kid" Bangham, and Ronnie Earl are pretty much straight ahead traditional blues players that will occasionally use jazz phrasing. Little Charlie Baty (RIP) quite often played straight ahead swing jazz, as does Kid Andersen. Duke also plays a lot of straight ahead swing.
Just curious if anyone here plays or listens to contemporary West Coast blues/swing? It's a good stepping stone to learn some basic swing jazz. There is a type of West Coast jazz/blues from the late '40s, '50s, and '60s, but I'm referring to a more contemporary version of West Coast swing/blues that came about in the mid to late '70s to the present. Anyway, as I stated above, I'm curious if anyone here is into contemporary West Coast blues/swing?
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03-09-2023 11:58 AM
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How about adding some samples that highlight what this is about?
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aka Jump Blues. One of my absolute favorites!!! I love it even more than big band swing and definitely more than jazz. It's not just the left coast, jump blues has been around forever, Louis Jordan being the prime example, from when big bands became too expensive to tour with, so many greatly reduced their bands to the bare minimum of players, and the music changed to suit. Still totally danceable.
More recent examples:
The Insomniacs
Kid Ramos
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
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I also dig Western Swing, I like Asleep At The Wheel, but I have a really hard time listening to Bob Wills, due to his incessant, cornpone "eeeeee" "aaaah". "oooooooh yeaahhhhhhh" while people are soloing... he was so silly it was like Hee Haw before Hee Haw. Damn shame too, because he always had an awesome band! I like the "related" guitar instrumentalists of the time: Jimmy Bryant, Jimmy Rivers, Roy Lanham
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To me that sounds like music that sits on the transition from blues to rock 'n roll...
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As a form it does, as it's usually not the obligatory 2-5-1. But when you listen to the chord/note choices of the guitarists, there is alot of jazz influence in there.
Originally Posted by RJVB
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Duke Robillard made two albums with Herb Ellis. Cant get much more swing jazz then Herb.
Some early 40s and 50s influences on West Coast Blues include Tiny Grimes, Louis Jordan, T Bone Walker, etc.
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Let's not forget Hollywood Fats!
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2-5-1 as in the usual ending cadence, or is that your way to referring to the (almost) obligatory 1-1-1-1-4-4-1-1-5-4-1-5? Originally Posted by ruger9
Brian Setzer ... I hesitated adding a Stray Cats video to my post but I usually have no problem getting that style down as rockabilly
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Obligatory in that this is a JAZZ forum that talks way more about Methany, Pass, Green than they ever talk about T-Bone Walker, Tiny Grimes, and Eldon Shamblin. Originally Posted by RJVB
2-5-1 as in the usual ending cadence, or is that your way to referring to the (almost) obligatory 1-1-1-1-4-4-1-1-5-4-1-5?
I love rockabilly, but that is definitely rock+jazz, at least the original 'billy. Alot of the later rockabilly is pretty much just hyped-up blues. But the OGs definitely has some jazz sensibilities in their playing (as does Setzer.)
The "west coast" thing to me was born out of the big band swing movement, where they simplified it in order to keep people dancing with a much smaller and more affordable touring group.
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Duke Robillard in laid-back, dance-friendly swing mode:
And uptempo with more guitar:
I never tire of this album.
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Originally Posted by RLetson
It's a good one.Got me tapping a hole through the hardwood floor.
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Robillard's "Shivers" really makes me think of Kenny Burrell...
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I have transcribed this solo by Alex Schultz, and still get a lot of use out of those licks!
I also really dig the tone of that Gretsch Country Club.
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I forgot about Schultz! Nice pick!
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tiny grimes frankie - Google Search
1953 Frankie & Johnny Boogie
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I have both of those records. Love those guys. Herb's my favorite and Duke is way up there. Originally Posted by DougB
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Duke's version of that tune is really his version of Tiny's version. Originally Posted by StringNavigator
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Another classic side from Bill Jennings (-a huge influence on Duke Robillard)
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Paul Pigat, Kid Ramos, and our own Tommy Harkenrider "Boogie Real Low."
(That's Tommy in the middle. He's deep into jump blues and has several great education videos you should check out if you're into this style of playing.)
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I listen to a fair amount of Jimmy Vaughan, Duke Robillard, and Ronnie Earl, and have checked out most of the others you mention. The term "west coast blues" is a new one on me, but if we're talking about blues players from the west coast or southwest, I'd add Robert Cray, Chris Cain, Robben Ford, and Joe Louis Walker. Cain is the swingiest of that bunch. Arguably later Mike Bloomfield could be in the mix -- he lived in the Bay Area and was kind of the king of the scene that several of the people we're talking about arose from. I play a lot of blues, a lot of jazz, and a lot of blends of the two, but on the east coast Originally Posted by jumpnblues
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"West coast" blues isn't really about location; maybe it was at one time, for some reason, but it's not now. It's really just another name for swinging jump blues. Many examples in this thread. I wouldn't even call it [just] "blues".. [just] Blues to me is most of BB Kings stuff, Robert Cray, even more swinging/dancing stuff like Albert Collins and Freddie King. Even tho they kinda swing, they aren't really west coast blues. But there is overlap in all this stuff. I treat these genre names as a general idea/grey area. Just because something isn't labeled "west coast blues" doesn't mean it doesn't swing. Originally Posted by John A.
Tab Benoit: blues. "Cajun" Blues. Yet he also swings sometimes. Don't worry too much about the label. Altho on the other hand: Kid Ramos and Hollywood Fats are rarely called [just] blues... it's always jump blues or west coast blues... so that's also a way to discover some players you didn't know about (by chasing monikers).
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All right then, now that I know the east coast is legal for this thread ...
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The overlap is all the current west coast guys, they all want to be T-Bone, so did B.B actually, and T-Bone is from Texas along with Collins, Freddie King and a slew of other players past and current. All good blues swings whether it is west coast jump style or not. Originally Posted by ruger9
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