2 days ago
Another showstopper by Patlansky
When you know your blues and have seen a Dan Patlansky show or two, you may have certain expectations of a full band show.
There is acoustic blues and electric blues, and on both of these counts, this man is a master.
His previous show was a smooth dance between haunting and rollicking songs.
But this one: the full band tour finale at Menlyn Barnyard this past weekend, took the tunes (and riffs, and lyrics, and solos) to new heights.
And by his own admission, he is a Stevie Ray Vaughn follower, but he seems to have made some of SRV's DNA his own – with his original tribute Red Velvet Suit, which, fittingly, kicked the show off in top gear.
Patlansky refers to Philip Sayce's style as 'a relentless barrage of soul and power'.
This actually describes his own musical style, from my perspective.
Even the ballads that sweep more than they tug are simultaneously soulful and powerful.
As Rekord's Elize Parker remarked at the time of the launch of his latest album Movin' On last year, his versatility lies in how smoothly he can move from one mood to the next.
And that he did in his inimitable style during this full band show. Band members bass player Greg van Kerkhof and drummer Andy Maritz are in their own right of international standard, like Patlansky.
And their seamless interaction made the evening a rip (or should I say riff) roaring rollercoaster of top-notch music.
Their riveting playing at times almost lifted the roof, only to be taken down again by the likes of 'Movin' On'… a soulful song that tells how Patlansky's father always pointed to the truth of just moving on, even though times can be tough.
Watch a video where Patlansky performs 'Movin' On':
'Who I am' is a touching song described by a friend as 'I can feel my car wheels under me when I hear it'.
Watch:
During the show, some songs from his Influencer set also charmed the audience, who were hanging on the music every note of the way.
Although Patlansky did not do a full-on behind-the-head guitar trick a-la-Jimmy Hendricks, those who were paying attention saw him playing a full song with only one hand.
That's the thing with blues guitarists.
They will never stop pushing the boundaries and experimenting with drawing sound from their guitars, making their audience gasp in awe.
Patlansky remains Pretoria's top international blues artist.
His album Movin' On, launched last year, was voted into the number three spot in the annual Blues Rock Review top 20 albums.
In this, he pipped blues greats like Philip Sayce in 14th spot and Marc Broussard in 17th place to the post.
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