The chocolate tape was sliding off the reels and across the silver recording heads, while the needles on the two meters jumped to the beat on the face of the big Ampex. This was 1959 and I finally had German mics and a Cadillac of a recorder and was doing stereo - the first stereo field recordings made in the South. You should hear the recordings - for me a life's dream realized - Alan Lomax, The Land Where the Blues Began
I just picked up a Johnny Shines CD released by Document: "Live" In Europe 1975 (recorded at Jazzland in Vienna on Feb 19th, 20, and 21st of 1975) One of the tunes is "Rollin' and Tumblin'," which this time around Johnny plays without a slide... Interesting, since many of the other pieces feature great slide work ("Did you ever love a woman" for instance, which has a Robert Nighthawk-esque touch to it, and even a cover of "Got My Mojo Workin'" which sounds like he played it in Spanish tuning). I know on the release from Testament where Johnny's playing with an electric Chicago-style band he does "Rollin'" with a slide.
I can't really think of another artist who played this tune without a slide. I wonder if that particular night Johnny just happened to forget his slide...
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Puttin' on my Carrhartts, I gotta work out in the field.
aker's version (dough rollin blues) is played without a slide. i think he's playing out of a standard (i might have a better idea once ma exams are over an a can listen to johnm's latest lesson).
which makes it a bit more interestin that his playing partner calicott does his version in spanish.
In all the RL Burnside versions of the song I've heard he's used a slide. There was a video on YouTube of him playing it a while ago; I'm not sure if it's still up. What album is the version without a slide on?
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Puttin' on my Carrhartts, I gotta work out in the field.
Joe Callicott recorded a very nice version of Roll & Tumble without slide. Happens to be one of my favorite versions.
On the "Ain't Gonna Lie To You" -CD Callicot plays the basic lick emphasizing the major scale (!), rather than the minor (pentatonic or blues) which is usually associated with this lick.
Root - Major 3rd (hammered on from the minor 3rd) - Root - Major 7th - Root - Major 3rd (hammered on from the minor 3rd) - Root.
I haven't heard anyone else do it this way.
Without the authority of Callicott I wouldn't dare to try this on a jam session, but I think it sounds beautiful!
The song's on the Juke
Cheers
Pan
Edited to add: A rhythmic variation (with the same intervals) can be heard on the Callicott album "Mississippi Delta Blues In The 1960s (Vol. 2)", also on the Juke