X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Tue, 5 Jan 1993 12:45:59 EST
From:         Sonia Kovitz <skovitz@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Catching Up From the Holidays
              Hammer" at Jan 4, 93 3:25 pm

> Leonard Watkins opined:
>
> >Saffire is another all-girl band that is very talented, they may not be your
> >cup-o-tea, but they are very talented muscially.
>
Then Scott "Re-opined" Hammer said:

> I assume you are talking about Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women, who hail from
> these parts (Fredericksburg, VA).  If so, I beg to differ.  The piano player
> is an ok accompanist, the guitar player is a passable finger-picker, and the
> bass player tries real hard, but none of these women is an instrumental
> virtuoso, and they aren't spectacular singers, either.  The big appeal of
> Saffire, as far as I can tell, is in the "Uppity:"  they have a distinct
> attitude, and they aren't what one normally expects from an all-female group.
>
> Myself, I find them offensive.

 I second that emotion.  When I listened to the Alligator Anthology, I was
HORRIFIED when in the midst of all those git-down blues these disgusting,
self-consciously-something-or-other-lousy-singing females came on... I was
pissed because I thought Alligator put them on the anthology to "represent
women" and that made me MAD.

On a more positive note, let me rave about a giftie we just received that BLEW
OUR pea-size minds...Roy Buchanan 2-CD set... I had NO idea just how great Roy
Buchanan is.  From reading the notes I learned about his interesting
beginnings, born in Arkansas, moved to California where "his father preached to
exiled southerners at the Pentecostal Church of God, and Roy always said his
mother sang better than Billy Holliday.  'Once a month they'd get together with
the black church for a revival meeting, and that's how I got into black
music.'"

This man's roots are for real... deeply feeling, blistering, both violent and
restrained (musical blasts coming out in shards and splinters from his
telecaster), genuinely spiritual stuff.  "I'm Evil" (live---the live recordings
are the best I think, but I haven't heard even all of the first CD yet... it
was so powerful I couldn't take too much at once)... anyway, I intend to submit
"I'm Evil" as one of my cuts for the new Allmusic Compilation.  Does some
incredible stuff on a version of "Green Onions" (with Steve Cropper).

My former guitar teacher (not the one going back to school, the one before
that) saw Roy live not very long before Roy died (suicide in jail for those of
you who don't know... long-time drinking problem) told this story: he and some
other guitarists were right there under Roy's nose by the stage and it was
obvious they were guitarists.  After a particularly scorching bit, Jerry
(who's a pretty amazing player himself) was in awe with his tongue hanging out;
Jerry's admiration must have been quite evident because Roy looked down and
said with surprise, "you liked that?"  Jerry kept emphasizing how amazed he was
that such an incredible player seemed to GENUINELY have so little sense of his
own worth.  It really bothered him, in fact... and then a few months letter Roy
is gone.

Hey, starting next week I'll have a NEW guitar teacher (just can't resist...
it's fun to play with someone... ).  I'll report on him.  Apparently he does
some good blues but he's mainly "progressive rock."  Uh oh. We'll see.

Sonia
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