Philippe Mouratoglou - Steady Rollin' Man: Echoes of Robert Johnson (2012) [Hi-Res]

As I listened to the recordings of blues guitarist Robert Johnson, I was struck by the utter originality of Johnson's language: creative and almost strange. I was touched by this music, that was recorded in extremis, and I wondered what it might have become if Robert Johnson had had the opportunity to develop it further. To start from this blues that's so singular and then to discover a new angle and different perspectives. Playing the guitar confronts one with a certain kind of loneliness. Nonetheless, for this project, I decided to look for traveling companions: musicians without aesthetic prejudices, ready for this adventure, and eager to see where it would lead us. Jean-Marc Foltz's and Bruno Chevillon's names came as natural choice because of our affinity, friendship, and the fact that we think and feel on the same line. Also because we had the same desire for creative complicity. The aesthetic area of these two versatile musicians is far from the blues of the origins, and this was supposed to help me take some distance from this subject matter. I thought of the double bass as a complement for the guitar, that would form with it some kind of an extended string instrument and would at the same time be able to produce specific sound textures. I heard a clarinet that would answer my voice, somehow like an ambiguous reflection of it, like some sort of an alter ego that would conjure up the "diabolical" mythology that's associated with Robert Johnson. As for the guitar, I was looking for something I had never done before. I decided to work on the same type of open tunings that Robert Johnson used. This made me discover new possibilities and specific sound colors. I wrote music for this project and I also wanted us to improvise, so as to maintain a space that would reflect the inspired freedom that is so striking in Johnson's music. "This is not really blues, this is something else. Echoes of Robert Johnson". » Philippe Mouratoglou

Tracklist:
01. Philippe Mouratoglou - Come on in My Kitchen (07:39)
02. Philippe Mouratoglou - Terraplane Blues / Stones in My Passway (03:53)
03. Philippe Mouratoglou - Love in Vain (05:46)
04. Philippe Mouratoglou - Preaching Blues (08:22)
05. Philippe Mouratoglou - Crossroad Blues (02:51)
06. Philippe Mouratoglou - Ramblin' on My Mind (01:33)
07. Philippe Mouratoglou - When You Got a Good Friend (04:05)
08. Philippe Mouratoglou - Me and the Devil Blues (04:27)
09. Philippe Mouratoglou - I’m a Steady Rollin' Man (04:32)
10. Philippe Mouratoglou - Malted Milk (03:30)
11. Philippe Mouratoglou - Hellhound on My Trail (08:59)