 Tri Continental Tri Continental Live Buy this CD Canada & US International |
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Notes:
Produced by Lester Quitzau
Released 1994
On December 11th, 2000 the stage was set in Bremen for TRI-CONTINENTAL: Bill Bourne, Lester Quitzau and Madagascar Slim. With the popular Moments club as location, things apparently could not go wrong. A little more than one year later, TRADITION & MODERNE takes you back to this night in Bremen with TRI-CONTINENTAL LIVE, a 2 CD-release that documents this particular concert. It turned out to be an evening that unanimously was considered an intense and thrilling experience by both the audience and the local media.
Those who have fallen in love with the debut release of TRI-CONTINENTAL will find wonderful new versions of dear songs on this double-disc release, next to material the three had previously used for their solo work only. For instance, one can groove along to Madagascar Slim's malegassy rhythms ("MBO", "Fiderana") and in the process get further proof how this delightful player manages to fuse the malegassy guitar of D'Gary with the electric blues fire of Jimi Hendrix. Lester Quitzau's "Precious Love" and "Waiting" are examples of his own special touch when it comes to delivering a contemporary vision of blues and roots music. Quitzau also shines as a fine interpreter of Muddy Waters with his medley of "Honey Bee/Rollin' & Tumblin'". Singer, songwriter, and guitar-player Bill Bourne is a charismastic presence, too. Relying on his top-hat-and-tailcoat "scarecrow" outfit for visual presence, the Bourne songbook provides a fair number of songs and he delivers them with great authority. But, just like the other two, the man from the Canadian prairies is a fine team-player in this context with a succinctly democratic orientation.
Bourne also follows the tradition of the late John Lee Hooker by using his (shoeless) feet in order to create a nice rhythm on a wooden tap-board. The groove always has to be right with TRI-CONTINENTAL. And Lester Quitzau is another "groovemeister" (Bill Bourne) who never fails to come up with a tasty lick and whose finely balanced electric slide playing shows a great sense for the aesthetics of sound and space. There really are no real weak points in the musical concept of TRI-CONTINENTAL. They are very different people, but as soon as they start playing in this special context, a new and unified identity is being created with just one collective breath going through these songs, ballads and blues. Everything is fuelled by a great love of playing.
Audiences were easily won over wherever the group performed and a knack for improvisation added to the success of this group from the still underrated Canadian scene.In the end, it didn’t really matter whose songs were being played or who took the best solo. The musical vibe of TRI-CONTINENTAL is a very democratic one and based on a truly collective spirit. This quality takes you in and doesn't let go. And it's this positive and so very human aura of the music that makes listenting to TRI-CONTINENTAL LIVE a rewarding experience. You become a witness to the creative process. The music is real and authentic with a lot of heart and no sense of articifial emotion.
TRI-CONTINENTAL LIVE is one of those rare live documents you don't want to miss as soon as you have discovered it. An invitation to a great night out with three fine singers and guitar-players from Canada who have created a truly magical sound. Out now on TRADITION & MODERNE.
Disc One tracks 1, 2, 6 & 7 written by Bill Bourne
Disc Two tracks 1, 4, 5 & 7 written by Bill Bourne
Disc One tracks 3 & 9 written by Ben Randriamananjara
Disc One tracks 4 & 5 written by Muddy Waters
Disc One track 8 written by Lester Quitzau
Disc Two tracks 2, 3 & 6 written by Lester Quitzau