Talon Latz & Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Rieslsling Kabinett Wehlener Sonnenuhr

Tonight’s guitarist is the kind that will frustrate you, make you want to smash your guitar into the ground, then burn it. Why? Because he’s only 12, plays Stevie Ray and Hendrix like Stevie Ray and Hendrix, and hasn’t even hit puberty yet. Talon Latz was born in Elkhorn, WI on September 22, 2000. He got his first guitar at the age of four and at the ripe old age of five saw a video of Joe Satriani and decided that was what he wanted to be. So between three lessons a week and three hours of daily practice, he got good. Real good. By eight he’d played with Jackson Browne and Les Paul.

He’s been featured on bunches of TV Shows, such as: NBC's America's Got Talent, CBS' Rachael Ray TV Show, WGN’s Morning Show, Fox’s Morning Show, NBC's Today Show with Kathy Lee and Hoda, CBS’ Early Show, FOX News: Studio B with Shepard Smith, The Bonnie Hunt TV Show, CNN, Milwaukee’s Morning Blend, NBC's Today Show with Meredith Vieira, Chicago's WLS TV Morning Show, Madison’s Urban Theater and Almost Live with Johnny B TV Show are just a few on his impressive list.

And if that doesn’t make your brain hurt, he’s recording a series of instructional videos for Dangerous Guitars.

At least his singing isn’t up to par—yet. But, of course, it’s hard to sing the blues correctly when you haven’t reached puberty. Nor can he drink the wine that I am purposely going recommend just to spite the kid. Enjoy!

Voodoo Child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJXkKJSOjEs

The sky is crying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsmW7z71G9o

With Walter Trout:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkp_BpEgd68

Bluest Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_u9i4RuPKs

Hoochie Coochie “Boy”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=067ryDx6ZHU

Testify: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyYoJ7_7wMw

Still Rainin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1LHgtEFWSk

Goin Down: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wlomMYleIM

Blues Child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfAmK_qudic

Hey Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjWENNsinT8

Here’s something that’s great during the heat wave that’s sweeping the country right now. The 2011 Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Rieslsling Kabinett Wehlener Sonnenuhr ($22.00) has a bouquet of sweet apples, limoncello, and something I had a hard time identifying until my wife was standing next to me eating an apricot. Eureka!—fresh apricots. The wine blends the sweetness of a Spätlese with the sparkling acidity of a kabinett and it’s loaded with citrus and peaches drenched in honeyed apples with vibrant minerality. The finish is wonderfully long and combines a sweet tart taste that lingers on your taste buds. All in all an excellent wine for summer…and the kid can’t drink it, but he sure can play the guitar.

Cheers!

Adam Rafferty & Chateau St. Michelle Dry Riesling

Adam Rafferty is one of the funkiest acoustic guitarist out there and, of course, one of my favs. He had quite the childhood starting with his birth and upbringing in Harlem that led to getting hooked playing blues guitar at age 6. When he turned 10, he had the dubious honor of getting mugged in front of his apartment building.  By the age of 12 he was playing in a hard rock band then got ripped off by a club owner on his first gig at 15.

He started playing professionally at 19 and at 20 he was playing an after hours joint in Harlem on 137 street and Adam Clayton Boulevard where he says the band leader regularly 
drank himself into to oblivion and threatened customers with a 10 inch kitchen knife.

Adam’s played everywhere from the New York City subway to the upscale music rooms and concert halls of New York and Europe. He’s one of the most prolific producers of YouTube (millions of viewers) and instructional videos as well as two books explaining how to play his arrangements. He’s particularly well known for his arrangements Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson songs, but if you’ve never seen him combine playing two simultaneous melodies while accompanying himself as a human beatbox on Herbie Hancock’s Chameleon, you’ve led a deprived life. It is not to be missed. Oh, and you might want to check out his version of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” Best I’ve ever heard…Oh hell, while your at it, his version of one of my all time favorite Michael Jackson songs, “The Way You Make Me Feel” is incredible. And I used to do George Gershwin’s “Summertime” in coffee houses when I was playing professionally…but not like him.

Sigh, oh to be so talented.

Human Nature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNxiE1edUNg

Storm wind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMEMfJM4QsA

The Hippie Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAmtVpZKd64

Yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeCLOgFqNsU

Can’t buy me love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6nvBRc0DfM

Get back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPqU5Qp5_9k

Higher ground: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZakmPbXhBUM

The way you make me feel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T10El7IG1VE

Black or white: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkju__lOlk8

Thriller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZQuU8rE1LE

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLF7-Ui94AI

Lovely day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjY-KQz5p5s

Summertime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DwZHV5cbYI

Rock with you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWz9y9k7DIo

Superstition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1CZqlEb8H4

Chameleon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnvd6etRlHk

I’ve said several times that my favorite wines for summer are Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings, Rosés, and Pinot Noirs. They’re light, crisp and fruity which certainly goes well with Nebraska’s summer heat. Tonight I’m suggesting a very nice Riesling to sip while you listen to the amazing Adam Rafferty. The 2011 Chateau St. Michelle Dry Riesling ($7.50) is just what its name implies. Drier than the usual Riesling, crisp, refreshing, and loaded with aromas and flavors of peaches, apples, and lemon-lime with a honeyed finish. It’s also a bit higher in alcohol content (12%) than a standard Riesling, which to me adds to its refreshment. All in all it’s a bright, juicy wine. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Stanley Jordan & Donnhoff Krotenphul Riesling Kabinett

Tonight I’m featuring a fellow ex-Chicagoan, the incredible Stanley Jordan. Jordan burst onto the music scene in 1985 as one of the pioneers of a relatively new guitar style—tapping. He began his music studies at the age of six, studying the piano, which he still plays like a virtuoso. At the age of eleven, he shifted his focus to the guitar and in 1981 earned a BA in music from Princeton University, studying theory and computer music.

As you’ll see, he has a unique style of playing, tapping the melody with his left hand while chording with his right. It allows him to do something I’ve never seen others try, that is, play two guitars at once or the guitar and piano simultaneously. His unique approach starts with a Arpege model guitar made by Vigier Guitars. It has a flat fingerboard allowing it to have a very low action (0.5/0.7mm) that facilitates his tapping technique. The second part is his tuning. He plays the guitar in an all-fourths tuning, EADGCF from bass to treble, which he says simplifies the fretboard and makes it logical.

In addition to playing, he has developed music software and published papers on the topic in APL Quote-Quad and the IBM Systems Journal. And if that doesn’t make him unique beyond being a performing/recording musician, he also has a Master’s degree in music therapy from Arizona State University.

If you’ve never heard him, I think you’ll like him.

Stairway to heaven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeooHiX4oH0

Lady in my life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EfYLovsLFY

What’s goin on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_EZgP53tuo

Letterman performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3gHtPLXQOI

Return expedition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4aJ8J23nJ8

Eleanor Rigby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKOatya2wqc

Live at the Iridium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_hzWGp009U

The blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgZ_z_8GvIE

Jumpin Jack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltjua4yKsc0

Autumn leaves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfH-0EBlfYg

Lady still got the blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmYBXsV5uto

All blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a-aq1UMcQw

Cousin Mary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuxng5Z8r8c

One of my favorite summer wines is a Riesling and the 2011 Donnhoff Krotenphul Riesling Kabinett ($20.00) is a great example.  Light straw colored, its aroma has notes of peaches and honeysuckle. The taste is full of juicy white peaches, lemons, and honey. It’s a light, crisp wine and perfect for summer. Try it with Stanley Jordan’s music. You’ll like it.

Cheers! 

Guitar Power Songs v2 & Bota Box Riesling

Power Riffs #2

Tonight I’m continuing the Guitar Power Songs. To recap, the songs were selected by several criteria. First, was there a great hook or guitar part that sticks in your mind like a worm devouring your gray matter? Songs like “Frankenstein,” “Smoke on the Water,” or “Jump,” are representative of this category. Second, did the song have such an impact that it’s been re-recorded or covered numerous times? I can’t even count the acoustic guitar versions of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that I see on YouTube (the one by Eric Roche is the best). Third, were they just real guitar anthems like “Thunderstruck” or “Cat Scratch Fever?” Fourth is a miscellaneous category. The song defined an era (think “Hotel California,” and ‘Teen Spirit”). And last but not least, fifth, I just plain liked it.

Tonight I’ve got some of my all time favs like Frankenstein, Jump, Smuggler’s Blues (heard on Miami Vice), an all acoustic Hotel California, and one of my favorite guitar riffs, Enter Sandman. Have a rocking Saturday night…after the football game.

Edgar Winter & Rick Derringer

Frankenstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1mV_5-bRPo

Rock and roll hoochi koo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdHnGyU1yJQ

Aerosmith:

Walk this way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9YrvIZUPg

Nirvana

Smells like Teen Spirit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

Survivor:

Eye of the tiger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4

AC/DC

Thunderstruck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM

Highway to hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJQp7Id2ywE

Van Halen

Jump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlq0lYB3iSM

Panama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NshzYK9y0

Eagles

Smuggler’s Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUFFakjZqFA

Hotel California: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYf4kqnAWos

Bon Jovi

Livin on a prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk

It’s my life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE

Deep Purple

Smoke on the Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mCK05dgwgU

Ted Nugent

Cat scratch fever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me4pO9cqcmU

Derek & the Dominos

Layla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTETsS5Lk7M

Metallica

Enter Sandman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-E-LDc384

One of my favorite wines for anytime drinking is Riesling. With so many songs, you’re going to need a lot of it. So keeping with last night’s theme, I suggest the Riesling from Bota Box (3L/$17.00). It’s an off dry style with flavors of sweet apricots, lemon, and honeyed apples. It’s clean with good acidity and it’s a good sipper or quaffer. Enjoy it with some great guitar classics.

Cheers!

Jimi Hendrix & Eroica Riesling

A couple of days ago, I was listening to Jimi Hendrix playing “Who Knows” and realized I’ve never done a full review of him and his music, so tonight, I’m rectifying that omission. He was born Johnny Allen Hendrix (later changed to James Marshall) on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington. He learned to play guitar as a teenager and grew up to become a rock guitar legend.

Hendrix had a difficult childhood, sometimes living in the care of relatives and family friends. 

His mother, Lucille, was only 17 years old when Jimi was born. She had a stormy relationship with his father, Al, and eventually left the family after the couple had two more children together, sons Leon and Joseph. Hendrix would only see his mother sporadically before her death in 1958.

Music was a sanctuary for him. He was a fan of the blues and taught himself to play guitar. He got his first electric guitar at the age of 15 and eventually played with two bands - the Rocking Kings and the Tomcats. Struggling in school, but excelling in music, Hendrix dropped out of high school in 1959. He worked odd jobs while continuing to follow his musical aspirations.

 In1961 he enlisted in the army and trained at Fort Ord in California to become a paratrooper. Even as a soldier, he found time for music, creating a band named The King Casuals. Hendrix served in the army until 1962 when he was discharged due to an injury. 

After leaving the military, Hendrix pursued his music, working as a session musician and playing backup for such performers as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, and the Isley Brothers. He also formed a group of his own called Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, which played gigs around New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood.

In mid-1966, Hendrix was discovered by Chas Chandler, a former member of the Animals, who became his manager. Chandler convinced Hendrix to go to London where he joined forces with musicians Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band continued to tour until it split up in 1969.
 That same year, Hendrix performed at the Woodstock Festival where his rock rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was one of the high points of the festival.

After disbanding the Experience, Hendrix tried his luck with another group, forming Band of Gypsys in late 1969 with his army buddy Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles. The band never really took off, and Hendrix began working on a new album tentatively named First Rays of the New Rising Sun, with Cox and Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Unfortunately Hendrix didn’t live to complete the project. He died on September 18th, 1970, from drug-related complications. He was only 27 years old at the time of his passing, but left his mark on the music world as his songs are considered required material for any guitarist worth his salt.

Watchtower: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AuxJH2Mj30

Purple Haze: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OJqYCgl1z0&feature=related

Hear my train a comin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX0V9UlwuLM&feature=related

Who knows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1714By_5xk&feature=relmfu

Machine gun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9AaQQbvT4M&feature=related

Red House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weBioUKEnGc&feature=related

Izabella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcyPmOF4BMA&feature=related

Voodoo Child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC-bm5MHYUM&feature=related

Wild Thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB31q-Ap-RE&feature=related

Hey Joe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6z4qSdtkWc&feature=related

Hear my train a comin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaJefMdAyAc

1969 Concert, Stockholm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeZ9OOAe1Ho&feature=related

Actually had some decent weather this weekend with temps in the 80’s during the day and 60s at night. Great weather for a summer wine like an Eroica Riesling ($18.00 at Costco) that originates from a partnership between Dr. Loosen of Mosel, Germany and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State. It’s one of my favorites. Light straw-colored, with a beautiful floral and honeysuckle bouquet, followed by crisp flavors of melon, peach, and pineapple. It has excellent balance, and a long, pure, refreshing finish. Not too sweet, but rather semi-dry and it’s a wonderful accompaniment to the music of Jimi Hendrix. Enjoy!

Cheers!