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Post new topic John Ely: You Go to My Head & Flamingo
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Author Topic:  John Ely: You Go to My Head & Flamingo
Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 3:52 am    
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This was a bit buried in the thread on vibrato plus an older thread about Flamingo. So, to make them easier to find, here are both together. John is a fabulous steel player.

YOU GO TO MY HEAD (C6th performance):

https://soundcloud.com/aev/you-go-to-my-head-2

FLAMINGO (C6th performance & arrangement):

http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/media/newsletter/
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Last edited by Andy Volk on 27 Apr 2016 4:42 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 4:09 am    
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Hey man, John sounds really nice here. I'm not super familiar with his playing, but he is excellent. Really strong Hawaiian approach in his playing, at least here, more of a 1960s sound (please correct me if I'm wrong).

I remember a clip or two of him playing some fusion stuff, so hearing this and the fusion makes me feel like he's a kindred spirit. Thanks for posting!
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 4:41 am    
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John is indeed very influenced by the 60s Hawaiian sound on his Stringmaster. He gigged in Hawaii for a few years playing the luau circuit plus country swing bands here in the mainland. He's also very influenced by jazzers like Wes Montgomery and Bill Evans and knows his music theory inside and out - though that's probably less obvious when listening to his playing.
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 4:43 am    
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Here's John in a Spyro Gyro-ish context:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ_CBtA-r0A
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Charlie McDonald


From:
out of the blue
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 5:05 am    
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Beautiful. Flamingo does recall the Evans' era and the spyrogyro-ish is something completely different. Ely is knocked out on that.
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Dennis Smith

 

From:
Covington, Georgia, USA
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 6:36 am    
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That was great. Thanks Andy. I think I'll start working on Flamingo on my lunch break. Love that sound.
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Frank Agliata


From:
Jersey Shore, USA
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 7:05 am    
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Fabulous!

Some great musicians on that stage . . Shocked
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Todd Clinesmith


From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
Post  Posted 27 Apr 2016 7:23 am    
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John is great player. I thought his version of "Wear a Lei" on Tom Morrell's "No Peddlers Allowed" was Jerry Byrd for a long time.

Definitely a player with the touch and tone we all desire. I wish more of his music outside of Asleep at the Wheel was available.
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 28 Apr 2016 10:17 am    
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I asked John what setup he'd used on the fusion band cuts and he said:

Quote:
"Thanks for asking, Andy… This was a funk band around Austin that invited me to join them for a single TV show gig — sometime around 1990 give or take. It was a blast to play something off the beaten path (for me, at least). For this tune, I was playing the standard 8-string C6th (ACEGACEG) and this was a Stringmaster Jimmy Vaughn graciously loaned to me until I could find a Stringmaster of my own. The only unusual thing about the setup was the use of an analog delay unit, which helped me blend in stylistically with the band’s sound."

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Frank Agliata


From:
Jersey Shore, USA
Post  Posted 28 Apr 2016 4:39 pm    
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Yes and he pulled it off really well. That was back in the hey day of the "smooth jazz" genre which was popular for awhile. I still love it myself.
He was very brave to grab a borrowed steel guitar and get on that stage. I like the way he played the signature riff with the horn section. You can hear him in the mix and it's sweet. Cool
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Steve Marinak


From:
Man O War Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
Post  Posted 29 Apr 2016 5:44 am    
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John is a great player and teacher (he's my teacher LOL). I just re-read Andy Volk's book, I had a long plane ride this week. I would highly recommend it to anyone who does not have it already. Great interviews of so many great players, John Ely included.
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J Fletcher

 

From:
London,Ont,Canada
Post  Posted 2 May 2016 12:47 pm    
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That sure is some great playing. Beautiful tone on Flamingo.
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Anthony Locke

 

From:
Texas, USA
Post  Posted 5 May 2016 11:54 am    
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So smooth, thanks for posting!
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