From time to time, we have special guests who go above and beyond the call of duty. Those people get to step into the exclusive velvet-clad luxury of our VIP suite, where their every whim is satisfied by our discreet attendants. And you know what? We like the look of you, so we're prepared to let you in too!
Our latest special guest is British blues wizard Aynsley Lister.
Aynsley recently released his sixth album 'Upside Down' on Ruf Records and is regularly on tour throughout the UK, Europe and USA. If you get the chance, go along and experience his fantastic blues style in the flesh! You can buy all of Aynsley's CDs and learn more about him from his official website.
So, without further ado, here's Aynsley playing over four of our jam tracks. As ever, these are first-take improvisations!
Aynsley Lister playing over a backing track in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Aynsley Lister playing over a backing track in the style of Peter Green.
Aynsley Lister playing over a backing track in the style of Buddy Guy.
Aynsley Lister playing to a backing track in the style of BB King.
Our first special guest was the truly amazing Guthrie Govan.
Guthrie is one of the finest players around, and he recently released his debut album 'Erotic Cakes' on Cornford Records (you can buy a copy from their site). These exclusive clips feature Guthrie playing over our jam tracks, but as a special bonus, we decided to make videos instead of the usual audio clips.
For more about Guthrie, check out the fans' forum, but in the meantime, enjoy these examples of his playing here and on the Contemporary Blues page.
Guthrie gets in the groove with a funky solo over the Albert King jam track from Total Blues 2. Check out the crazy multiple bends starting at 1:02, and remember... all of these solos are first-take improvisations!
Here, Guthrie uses the B.B. King "Smoky" jam track from Total Blues 2 as a basis for some cool, melodic soloing. There's a bit of everything in this solo... even some Wes Montgomery octaves at 1:21.
A few of our backing tracks have quite a jazzy fusion sound, with complex chords that allow you to be more daring with your note choices. Guthrie's a great jazz player, so we thought the Larry Carlton jam track from Rock Blues would be perfect for him.
Yeah, we know this is the Hendrix jam track from Total Blues 2, but who says you have to play Jimi-style over it? Forget your musical preconceptions and watch Man and Suhr in perfect harmony. Oh, and there's a free bag of pork scratchings to anyone who can duplicate the gravity-defying lick at 0:08...