Guest Book

David Sanborn: Light on the Outskirts of Town | 2008-08-22 |Jambands.com | Features | http://www.jambands.com/Features/content_2008_08_22.08.phtml RR: I like that the album was sequenced with Derek Trucks playing a beautiful slide guitar on “Brother Ray” followed by Clapton’s track. You had a bridge between two eras, but at the same time, they were coming from the same family. DS: Exactly. Derek is such an extraordinary player. He is so focused. You’ve seen him play, right? RR: Oh, yeah. DS: You see how intense he is? There’s no distractions, no histrionics; it’s really something. I sat in with the Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theatre last year. [Author’s Note: Sanborn played on “Soulshine” in Set I, and “Desdemona” in Set II on April 8, 2007 in New York City.] It was so great. I love those guys. It’s fun, and it’s serious, and it’s great music. It’s everything you want a band to be. The fact that they’ve been going along as long as they have, and maintained a level of excellence over the years is a real testament to the dedication to their music. And their fans, too—people who just really love them and are devoted to them. I’m a huge fan of theirs, all of them. Gregg [Allman], Warren Haynes, Butch [Trucks], and Johnnie [Jaimoe]—everybody in that band is so ***** great. Derek is part of that legacy as well as being his own man. To me, he’s one of the most extraordinary talents that I’ve heard in my life. He’s got this wide range of interests. He’s very knowledgeable about jazz, and areas that I was quite surprised that he was aware of—people like Sun Ra, and a lot of the electric Miles [Davis] stuff like Live Evil, and all of those albums. He knows this music. RR: Yeah, I love his take on Curtis Mayfield, too. DS: Curtis Mayfield—the whole gamut. He’s in the process of internalizing that music. Every time I hear him play, he’s grown by leaps and bounds. He’s a real special person.