Vassar Clements is on of the great musical icons of our age. With a reputation as one of the most versatile living fiddle players today. Clements has played with a long list of musicians in a variety of musical genres including bluegrass, pop, country, blues, jazz and rock). Respected throughout the music community, Clements has recorded or performed with a veritable Who’s Who of music including The Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, The Allman Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirtband and Paul McCartney, among others.
Although he ma be considered one of the bluesiest fiddle players in music, his latest release Livin’ With The Blues represents Clements first attempt at making a “blues” record. Featuring an all star supporting cast of musicians; Bob Brozman, Elvin Bishop, Norton Buffalo, Charlie Musselwhite, Maria Muldaur and Roy Rogers among the more notable, the recording also includes an appearance by young acoustic bluesman David Jacobs-Strain, along with the ever-present Clements’ fiddle.
Livin’ With The Blues opens with a haunting version of Skip James’ “Cypress Grove, and instrumental featuring Clements accompanied guitar virtuoso, Bob Brozman. Clements teams up with bluesman Elvin Bishop who provides vocals and his signature slide guitar to his own country-tinged original “Dirty Drawers.” Bishop shows up again later, accompanying Clements on guitar and vocals on another of his originals, “That’s My Thing.”
On “Honey Babe Blues,” Clements teams up with guitarist Marc Silber and the smokey vocal delivery of Maria Muldaur to provide another haunting version of the Doc Watson classic. Muldaur makes a second appearance later in the recording, providing vocals on Bessie Smith’s “I Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle.” “Mambo Boogie” follows, another instrumental co-written by Clements, Norton Buffalo and piano player Dave Matthews. “Mambo Boogie” covers several genres, combining a blues, jazz and boogie-woogie over a little less than four and one-half minutes.
Guitarist extraordinaire Roy Rogers and Clements team up one time on Robert Johnson’s “Phonograph Blues,” followed by the lone guest appearance by harpmaster Charlie Musselwhite on of all song, the Booker T. & The MGs instrumental, “Green Onions,” which is given a unique flavor by Musselwhite and Clements’ musical talents. One of the more interesting single guest appearances occurs midway through Livin’ With The Blues when young bluesman, David Jacob-Strain provides his mature vocal and guitar style on the traditional blues number, “Rube’s Blues.”
Harmonica talent Norton Buffalo follows his appearances with Clements and Elvin Bishop on “Dirty Drawers” and “That’s My Thing” with multiple appearances on Tampa Red’s “Dead Cats On The Line,” “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” by Blind Willie Johnson and on the final track, “Don’t Stand Behind A Mule,” a Norton Buffalo original.
Clements takes songwriting or arranging credits on four of the fifteen songs, but his mark on every song on Livin’ With The Blues is clearly made with his incredible fiddle. The variety in the music is created by Clements’ versatility and the unique styles of the supporting cast of characters. The recording was a more than pleasant surprise and one worth recommending to blues lovers and/or fans of Vassar Clements. To learn more about this musical great, visit the Vassar Clements website at www.vassarclements.com. The website provides a biography and discography for Clements and the opportunity to purchase his music and check out his tour schedule.
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