Concert: The Derek Trucks Band
The Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
February 13, 2003
Reviewed by Eric Steiner; Photo by Tim Owen


Derek Trucks played for nearly two hours to a packed Tractor Tavern in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood the night before Valentine's Day. Thinking back on this show, I can't think of a better Valentine's Day present.

Derek Trucks' set featured his considerable guitar chops, playing jazz, salsa, rock and roll, and traditional blues with the same intensity and style. The show featured long jams in the finest jam band traditions, including material from the band's debut CD on Columbia Records. "Kam-Ma-Lay" transported the audience south of the border with some fine salsa grooves.

A slow and soulful take on "Goin Down Slow" was a high point of the evening for me as I've recently discovered Don Nix, the Memphis singer songwriter who first put pen to paper on that blues standard. The evening was filled with extended jams, with sounds that reminded me of early Weather Report jazz to Sunday morning Gospel, and all sounds in between. I've seen many guitar players live over the past 30 years, and Trucks' command of the fretboard is a sight to behold and hear. He nurses and nudges sounds out of his fire engine red guitar like few guitarists today.

Near the end of the evening, I thought I noticed Derek's wife, Susan Tedeschi, in the corner near the stage in a gray sweatshirt and glasses. A few minutes later, she bounded onto the stage in a bright orange shirt, and the band began a slow and bluesy intro to "Joyful Noise." Susan's vocals lifted this song for 12 minutes, and it clearly shows why the Joyful Noise CD landed on many Top Ten CD lists of 2002.

The show closed with "Gonna Move," one of my favorite songs from Susan Tedeschi's latest Artemis/Tone-Cool CD, Wait for Me. Wait for Me landed on my Top Five Blues of 2002 CD list here at Cosmik Debris, and this song is one of the many reasons I enjoy Susan's music. It's got a Memphis-styled groove that's second to none.

What Are Records artist Tony Furtado opened the evening with an inspired set of music that ranged from traditional blues to down-home bluegrass and banjo. Tony is a two-time Grand National Bluegrass Banjo Champion winner, and he also plays a mean guitar. While his 75-minute set at the Tractor had many musical highlights, I am still singing "Rove Riley Rove" with its rich Americana harmonies from last year's American Gypsy CD, and two cuts from the re-released Tony Furtado Band CD: "Cypress Grove" and "False Hearted Lover." His earlier releases on Rounder, like Roll My Blues Away or Full Circle, have established Tony as a musician's musician in the roots-Americana arena.

© 2003 - Eric Steiner