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Rating: "Imagine paradise as a place where folk music meets blues music" said Mark Knopfler.
If instead paradise were a place where blues, swing, soul, jazz and r&b meet, this place would probably closely resemble Carnegie Hall on October 4, 1984, the day of Stevie Ray Vaughan's thirtieth birthday, where one of the most important concerts of his career was celebrated. A dream come true for the young guitarist to play in the temple of classical music greats, for that evening, moreover a charity event, he wanted something special, so for the first time he insisted on expanding his classic Double Trouble with the addition of a real additional band: no less than 5 members of the historic horn section of the Roomful Of Blues; along with a second drummer, the legendary Dr John on keyboards, the great Angela Strehli, and big brother Jimmie.
But before all this there's room for the classic version of the band: after the introduction between Ken Dashow and John Hammond, he is announced by the latter, his great mentor, as "One of the great guitar players of all time" our Stevie Ray warms up with 2 instrumentals: "Scuttle Buttin" from the latest dazzling album "Couldn't Stand The Weather" and "Testifyin'" from the previous "Texas Flood". Placed third is the always effective "Love Struck Baby"; "Honey Bee" is a stunning blues/rock 'n' roll also from the aforementioned second album like the historic cover of "Cold Shot", originally signed by Mike Kindred and Wesley C. Clark; one of Stevie Ray's most famous tracks, made famous by the hilarious self-ironic videoclip.
Now you start to lose your senses: with the next "Letter To My Girlfriend" (one of the 3 Texan's tracks present exclusively on this CD) by Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones, where reinforcements come forward, glimpses of light begin to appear; but it is with "Dirty Pool" that the gates of the paradise we spoke of at the beginning open definitively, the horn section and the 3 virtuosos of electric blues fuse perfectly and the senses are lost (apparently) forever. With the inevitable classic "Pride And Joy" the journey of exploration of the beyond continues and with the following "The Things (That) I Used To Do", again by Eddie Jones, and C.O.D. reach the definitive peaks with the meeting of the Great Chief: the first sees the arrival of Stevie's elder brother/idol Jimmie "Bad Boy" Vaughan; the second, whose original authorship is uncertain between L. Gooden and the master Albert King, is a classic by Angela Strehli, who sings the track as a guest.
After the last of the 3 rarities, the instrumental "Collin's Shuffle" or "Iced Over" depending on the sources, a cover of Albert Collins, however, we begin to awaken; the final 2, both instrumental to complete the final triptych, gradually bring us back to our senses, the horn section guests leave us and it is up to the faithful 3 not to make us suffer the awakening, but with "Lenny" and "Rude Mood" the awakening cannot be traumatic. Thus concludes another fundamental step in the career of the great Stevie Ray, not before the last whispered words to the ecstatic audience who also lived the otherworldly journey: "Thank you very much for my best birthday ever...forever, thank you".
As always, thank you for everything Stevie.
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