Various Artists Eric Clapton,Keith Richards,Gary Clark Jr.,James Cotton/NY,USA 2012

On February 24, 2012, the entirety of the memorial benefit concert for the late Hubert Sumlin, held at the Apollo Theater in New York, the hall of fame for black music, was recorded on 3CDs in a completely different master with a top-level high-quality audience recording that far surpasses the previous release. The clear sound, which seems to have been recorded in a position close to the stage, is truly wonderful, and the best sound image reproduces the entirety of this historic live performance. This master sound source and the original sound source that appeared through the Internet also boasted a good degree of clarity, but the sound quality was quite biased towards the mid-range, so the sounds of lead instruments such as vocals and guitars were unclear, and the snare sounded like a tom. Therefore, the work of lowering the excessive mid-range and raising the overall sound pressure was carefully repeated to achieve the best balance. It is expected that the sound on the day was a strong hall sound, but the proper mastering made it extremely clear, and the dynamism of raising the entire range was added to this board. The opening video of Sumlin's history fades in, but the sound is grainy, and the lively sound image of the club, closer to the stage than the previous release, stands out. Listening to the introduction of the house band on Disc 2, it seems that Jim Keltner participated in the drums, although his name was not on the advance notice poster. On Disc 1, the exchange of guitar playing full of personality between J. Williams and K.W. Shepherd on Lucky You catches the ear. The following session on Evil, with J. Vivino, D. Johansen, and K. Wilson, is also tight, and it is also fun to compare it with the smart version by Derek & The Dominos. The tight performance of the royal road of blues on Born In Chicago-Sweet Home Chicago is also excellent, and it would be interesting to compare Sitting On Top Of The World with the take of the 1970 "Howlin' Wolf London Sessions". Here, saxophone player Eddie Shaw gives a vocal that sounds just like the late Howlin' Wolf. E. Costello's masculine vocals in Hidden Crimes, W. Haynes' deep vocals and slide playing in You'll Be Mine are also worth listening to, and the contrast between Haynes and B. Gibbons' guitar playing in the next two songs is also worth paying attention to. On Disc 2, young guitarists are struggling. D. Bramhall's deep performance in Commit & Crime (there is a part where the sound image changes for a moment during the song), and S. Tedeschi & D. Trucks' youthful and passionate performance are excellent. Their fans cannot be ignored. After that, the great Buddy Guy appears and calls up the 12-year-old genius guitarist Q. Sullivan to perform a duet. On Going Down, Sullivan plays a graceful solo that puts Clapton to shame. On Disc 3, G. Clark Jr., who Clapton appointed as the opening act for the tour, shows his skills. The next three songs are a collaboration with Clapton, and one song involving Keith Richards, where Clapton and Keith share vocals and guitar solos, is the best. In this song, Keith focuses on vocals, but you can hear Clapton and G. Clark Jr. playing twin leads. The last two are Keith's leader numbers. Clapton also features a solo, but the most interesting part is Keith's loose performance. The last part is a big jam session with all the performers playing two songs by the late Howlin' Wolf. The opening shout of "Let's play in the key of A" shows the improvisation, and the performers' skill in handling it brilliantly is admirable. It is rare to have the opportunity to listen to such a variety of blues, and even if you are not good at blues, you will surely find your favorite blues if you listen to the whole thing. The Apollo Theater, New York City, USA 24th February 2012 TRULY PERFECT SOUND Hubert Sumlin's Memorial Benefit Concert Disc 1(72:14) 1. Video Intro 2. Key To The Highway (Eric Clapton and James Cotton) 3. Jeffrey Wright Introduction 4. Big Head Todd Intro 5. Roll Where You Want Hubert Sumlin (Big Head Todd) 6. Jimmy Vaughan Intro 7. Six Strings Down (Jimmy Vaughan) 8. Jody Williams and Kenny Wayne Shepherd Intros 9. Lucky You (Jody Williams and Kenny Wayne Shepherd) 10. Jimmy Vivino and David Johansen Intros 11. Evil (Jody Williams, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jimmy Vivino, David Johansen and Kim Wilson) 12. Ronnie Baker Brooks and Lonnie Brooks Intros 13. Born In Chicago - Sweet Home Chicago (Ronnie Baker Brooks and Lonnie Brooks) 14. Eddy Shaw and Henry Gray Intros 15. Sittin' On Top Of The World (Eddy Shaw and Henry Gray) 16. Henry Gray Boogie (Henry Gray) 17. Elvis Costello Intro 18. Hidden Charms (Elvis Costello, Eddy Shaw and Henry Gray) 19. Warren Haynes Intro 20. You'll Be Mine (Warren Haynes) 21. Billy Gibbons Intro 22. I Asked For Water (Warren Haynes and Billy Gibbons) 23. Mister Highway Man (Warren Haynes and Billy Gibbons) Disc 2(76:57) 1. Intro To Jazz Foundation of American Director 2. Wendy Oxenhorn Speaks 3. Toni Ann Mamary (Hubert's Manager) Speaks 4. House Band Intros 5. Who's Been Talking (Kim Wilson) 6. Keb Mo Intro 7. Howlin' For My Baby (Keb Mo with Eddy Shaw) 8. Doyle Bramhall Intro 9. Commit A Crime (Doyle Bramhall with Jimmy Vaughan and Keb Mo) 10. Derek Trucks Intro 11. Meet Me At the Bottom (Derek Trucks with Jimmy Vaughan) 12. Susan Tedeschi Intro 13. How Many More Years (Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks) 14. Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy (Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks) 15. Robert Randolph Intro 16. Who Do You Love (Robert Randolph with Jody Williams) 17. Buddy Guy Intro 18. Quinn Sullivan Intro 19. Goin' Down (Buddy Guy, Robert Randolph and Quinn Sullivan) 20. Hocchie Koochie Man (Buddy Guy and Robert Randolph) 21. Shemekia Copeland Intro 22. Beggin' You Please (Buddy Guy and Shemekia Copeland) Disc 3 (67:59) 1. Gary Clark Jr. Intro 2. Catfish Blues (Gary Clark Jr.) 3. Eric Clapton Intro 4. Shake For Me (Eric Clapton with Gary Clark Jr.) 5. Little Baby (Eric Clapton with Gary Clark Jr.) 6. 44 Blues (Eric Clapton with Gary Clark Jr. and Jody Williams) 7. Goin' Down Slow (Eric Clapton with Keith Richards and Gary Clark Jr.) 8. Keith Richards Intro 9. Little Red Rooster (Keith Richards and James Cotton) 10. Spoonful (Keith Richards with Eric Clapton and James Cotton) 11. Wang Dang Doodle (All Musicians on stage) 12. Smokestack Lightning (All Musicians on stage) House Band Billy Flynn - Guitar Barrelhouse Chuck Goering - Piano Steve Jordan - Drums Danny Korchmar - Guitar Ivan Neville - Keyboard Larry Taylor - Bass Willie Weeks - Bass Kim Wilson - Harmonica