Robben Ford's New Morning (The Paris Concert) is a magnificent follow up to his In Concert DVD, which was taken from his Ohne Filter - Musik Pur German television performance in 1993. This one finds him performing in front of a packed house at the legendary New Morning jazz club in Paris, France in May 2001, during his tour in support of his Supernatural album. While the later DVD ran for only a paltry 49-minutes, this baby evens the score with a glorious 90-minute set.
Ford is a brilliant guitarist whose style is a unique blend of rock, blues, jazz, soul and pop. His superb vocals smoothly run the gamut between gritty blues-rock and delicate jazz-pop. He has toured with the likes of Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, and George Harrison, to name a few, and has since maintained a respectable solo career and dedicated fan base. He is a "guitarist's-guitarist" if there ever was one.
Having ditched his longtime backing band The Blue Line a few albums ago, Ford was accompanied on this tour by the extraordinary trio of Jimmy Earl (bass), Brannen Temple (drums), and Louis Pardini (keyboards). I was pleased to see Ford utilizing a keyboard player this time around, instead of sticking with the power-trio format he often follows. This elevated these live versions a much richer sound. His Supernatural album went in a more melodic, pop-rock direction than the usual blues-rock guitar jams that have dominated many of his earlier albums. It reminded me more of classic Steely Dan, than classic Robben Ford.
The setlist covers a good cross-section of Ford's career, going as far back as 1988's Talk To Your Daughter with "Help the Poor", but he was really there to showcase the new Supernatural material, which took up four of the twelve songs played. Two previously unreleased blues songs were also performed - the aptly named "Moonchild Blues", which sounded like a tribute to Larry Carlton, and "Indianola Blues" a fiery blues-rocker. Ford opened the show with "Prison Of Love", one of his best original songs from 1992's Robben Ford and The Blue Line, and then moves on to his whah-whah guitar showcase "Just Like It Is" from 1997's Tiger Walk. Next up was the Supernatural song, "Nothing to Nobody", which Ford co-wrote with soul man Michael McDonald. This one features a phenomenal extended guitar solo that is the perfect example of just how distinct his guitar sound is. No matter what song or style he is playing, you always know it is Ford's fingers bending those strings after only a few glorious notes. At least I do.
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