Chris Duarte has been kicking around the blues and jazz music scene for quite a while now, fronting his own band for over ten years. He is one of the most intense live guitar players that you will run across and his fans are rabid in their appreciation of his music. Many fans tape and/or collect copies of his live shows and this CD is a compilation of some of the better examples from an archive collected by the fan club. This CD
falls into a similar category as the Dagger Records label that releases live shows from Jimi Hendrix. I would put this CD into the category of an "official" bootleg, which is better quality than the average bootleg recording. That said, and having listened to the CD numerous times, I certainly am glad to have it in my collection. Overall the quality of
recording is good to excellent, similar to soundboard recordings released by other artists. None of the songs are found on any of his "official" releases and offer samples of his live show from 1992 to 2001, which were recorded in various parts of the country. This is
available via mail order from the official fan web site for $10 and helps support the band and the web site.
There are nine cuts on the CD, ranging all over the place stylistically. 'Takin A Walk' (1993) is pure Texas blues instrumental, with almost two minutes of hot rod smoking guitar. Otis Rush's 'All The Love I Miss Lovin' (1994) also rocks with great growling vocals and great guitar work. 'Are You The One', a John McLaughlin tune gets "out there" somewhat and is a perfect example of something experimental you might hear at one of Duarte's live shows. 'Beat Around the Bush' is the most unusual song on the CD. It's an old AC/DC tune which sounds like it was done while the band was really enjoying the evening and letting loose. 'Catfish' blues is an almost 20 minute tour of various styles of blues.
Bottom Line: For a compilation of live history of the Chris Duarte Group, this offers a lot of rare music for the dedicated fan. If you aren't familiar with Chris Duarte, you might want to start with one of his official releases. I might suggest "Texas Sugar/Strat Magic" or "Love Is > Me". If you are a fan of Chris Duarte, then this is a must have CD. Lots of great guitar playing, and a wide range of styles. I give it four out of five stars.
Chris Duarte - guitar and vocals
John Jordan - Bass
Robert Kerns - Bass
Paul Mills - Drums
Jeff Hodges - Drums
Jason Patterson - Drums
J.J. Johnson - Drums
Chris Duarte Group Fan Club
P.O. Box 31516
Aurora, Colorado 80041
Web site: www.chrisduartegroupfans.org
Simply click on the CD covers to order these CDs NOW!
This review is copyright © 2002 by Robert T. Murphy, and Blues On Stage at: www.mnblues.com, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission.
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