Notice how tasteful his playing is… he’s almost soloing right along with the melody, but he doesn’t steal the spotlight. It’s as if he and Sonny are having a casual conversation the whole time. And of course that’s not to discount the excellent rhythm section, Bob Cranshaw and Ben Riley (killer brush work!).

If you want the best of Jim’s work though, I’d say it’s his 1975 album Concierto with an absolute monster line-up: Sir Roland Hanna, Chet Baker, Paul Desmond, Ron Carter, and Steve Gadd. Here’s a sample track starting off with a bit of Jim’s virtuosity and creativity:

Though my favorite track on the album is the title cut, a beautiful arrangement of Rodrigo’s Conecierto de Aranjuez. Nearly twenty minutes of some of the most thoughtful and melodic improvisation that’s ever been captured. Go get it! Or better yet, go catch him playing somewhere!

I once had the privilege of standing about 5 feet from a B3 being played through a Leslie cabinet. Though borderline deafening, the tone came at me from all directions and was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance.

I especially love when they dig into the third verse. Makes me want to cover some ol’ Cale tunes.

What’s been happenin’

The last couple months have been crazy, with shows almost every weekend and little time even to rehearse. One recent addition to our live set, which seems pretty natural in retrospect, is that Josh has been playing percussion during jams. Not only that, but our improvisations have taken somewhat of an unexpected ambient/experimental turn, and we’ve been having a great time with it — we’re hoping this leads us into some new sonic territory for arranging new tunes. Of course, we will always enjoy a good ol’ country groove too! We just want to make our music even harder to classify.

Fall Show Schedule

Aside from the copious amounts of outdoor activity we’ll be undertaking, here’s what we’ve got going on in the coming months (as usual, click the headings for times, directions, and other info):

• Sep 24 – Slippery Rock, PA @ Slippery Rock Dunes – Folk Jubilee Festival
  Join us in the back hills of Slippery Rock for a folky music fest along with Willy Mac, Muddy Creek, Eugene & The Nightcrawlers, and Renegades!
• Sep 30 – Thomas, WV @ The Purple Fiddle
  We can’t wait to play at this hip cafe in the hills of West Virginia! The journey through the mountains will be half the fun…
• Oct 1 – Slippery Rock, PA @ Rock Falls Folk & Jam Fest
  w/ Rising Regina, Chris Vipond & the Stanley Street Band, Eric Brewer & Friends, Caboose, City Dwelling Nature Seekers, the Good Seeds, camping included, etc., etc.
  This one’s not to miss folks… We’re pumped we could bring together an absolutely killer lineup for this brand new fall festival!
• Oct 7 – Grove City, PA @ Beans On Broad
  w/ Poor Ol’ Jim – Come out and soak in the java with us and this great folk duo from Grand Rapids!
• Oct 18 – Slippery Rock, PA @ North Country Brewing Co.
  Always one of our favorite venues! Just admit it: you’d be here even if we weren’t playing!
• Oct 22, 2011 – Greenville, PA @ Fresh Grounds Coffee House
  If the cozy atmosphere and truly suberb coffee bar weren’t enough, we’ll bring some tunes for you to enjoy too!

Be sure to check our website often as well, as there will likely be additions and updates to this list. And our Twitter account is feeling lonely… follow us there for up-to-the-minute news!

Also, don’t forget to grab our albums for your music player — or if you prefer, look for the Slipper on Amazon, iTunes, or your favorite music service.

See you all soon…
-YLS