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PETER
GREEN with Nigel Watson
The
Robert Johnson Songbook
Snapper
Records
Live
at Tramps, New York City
The summer doesn’t get much hotter in New York than in the
final two weeks of August. This summer seemed especially
venerable to the searing heat with the Yankees setting the
Bronx on fire. Conditions were therefore perfect for a sweaty
night in a smoky ‘ol blues bar. And tonight, Tramps, on
Manhattan’s lower West side was bustling with anticipated
excitement for the name on the marquee read, “The Splinter
Group featuring Peter Green.”
New York hadn’t seen Mr.
Green in over twenty years and the buzz had blues guitarists
(and Rolling Stone) coming out of the woodwork. Green, whose
legend stems back to the late Sixties, first made waves as
par-excellence with Eric Clapton. He replaced the Surrey
native as a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and later
built his own blues band naming it after his thunderous rhythm
section, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. Mac had a profound
impact on the British Blues Boom plowing the field for much of
Seventies Rock.
Green himself became a
tragic casualty of his own fame. His talent was unmatched and
so his mental wellbeing was trapped between Guitar God and
Orthodox Jew. Green left Mac after three high profile year s
acquainting himself with certain extreme religious occults
that left him empty and misunderstood. For years he struggled
as an artist to express the music swirling in his head with
varying degrees of success. None were able to match the
rocket-ship celebrity his bandmates would have in the mid to
late Seventies.
Relinquishing his hold on
the music that had brought him stardom, Green lost himself in
the meanderings of life. He occasionally surfaced with a
handful of self-directed albums but was little recognized for
the effort he put forth. After the death of Stevie Ray
Vaughan, the Nineties turned the tables upside down looking
for guitar legends. Eventually rock celebrities and historians
turned to Peter Green. In 1997, Green was invited to
participate in Fleetwood Mac’s induction into the Rock and
Roll hall of fame. That same night Santana, who had struck
gold with Green’s Black Magic Woman, was also inducted and
requested Green perform with them. It was the first time Green
had ever played live on American T.V.
With his new found
celebrity, Green formed Peter Green’s Splinter Group and
featured Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Malmsteen), Neil
Murray (Whitesnake, Bow Wow, Gary Moore), blues aficionado
Nigel Watson and Spike Edney. The revitalization encouraged
Green’s next step to return to his roots and compile an
album of Robert Johnson selections. The CD, aptly titled The
Robert Johnson Songbook, was what brought Green to New York.
Dusting off the stage for
Green was Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown. The trio smoldered
under the ashes and by the end of their 45-minute set had set
the house a-fire. Green’s band quickly mounted the stage as
all eyes fixed on the grand frame approaching the microphone.
In a muted voice, Green eased into his first number, which
began a trail of vintage Fleetwood Mac. At times his voice
seemed distant, yet his impending wail on the guitar brought
it all back around again. Rattlesnake Shake, Green Manalishi
and Black Magic Woman crept into the set with feverish
resound.
Nigel Watson, largely
responsible for Green’s comeback, was an active participant
in Green’s touring band. Though the line up of the Splinter
Group had changed from its first inception, the mood within
was the same. The highly skilled backing band gave Green an
adequate springboard to launch his rustic talent. Almost
uncannily, the spirit of Robert Johnson sat beside Watson as
he barreled through Me And The Devil and Dust My Broom with
Green mouthing the hand harp. Sweet Home Chicago eclipsed the
evening with its astonishing deep and soulful blues
reverberating across the decades. Green had returned to link
history; from Delta progenitor to modern interpreter.
http://www.petergreen-splintergroup.co.uk
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