Dvd Review: Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn “In Session”

Twenty seven years ago on a cold day in December, one of the most electrifying musical meetings in history took place in Ontario, Canada. Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn sat down and went in session on guitar. On that day, they put on a clinic of how to play the blues. Lucky for us, the cameras were rolling and we can now bear witness to the jam session of the century.

This is a dvd that will not only remain in my collection indefinitely, I will probably play it so many times that my dvd player will turn the plastic disc into dust. It’s raw and it’s the blues at it’s finest. Watching this footage makes you feel like you’re right there in the studio with these two legends. What a privilege it is to watch Albert and Stevie Ray just sit there in the same studio and trade riffs. To me, this is blues guitar at it’s finest! And the appreciation that these two giants of guitar have for each other is contagious. This is a feel good master class for guitar players of all backgrounds. I’d go so far as to say that if you’re a guitar player, and you don’t get something out of this performance, you should probably just break out the lighter fluid right now and torch your axe Jimi Hendrix style.

Gearwise, Stevie Ray is playing his Signature Fender Stratocaster and Albert is playing his signature axe as well, a Gibson Flying V. The tones that these guys get out of these guitars are as historic as the instruments themselves. There’s not enough praise that I can heap on this dvd, especially in this age of faceless, electro-talentless circus acts. Liner notes author Samuel Charters put it best when he wrote, “It was evident from the first choruses that they were playing for each other. And that was the best audience either of them could ever have. The music never lost its intensity, its quality of something very important being handed back and forth and there was time for Stevie and Albert to see where their ideas took them.” Sadly this was the last time that Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn would ever play together again.

If you’ve seen this concert or if you’re a Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert King fan like most of us, let us know by leaving a comment about these two legends below. What are some of your favorite SRV or Albert King recordings or performances?

Tagged as: ADblog, Albert King, Dvd Review, In Session, SRV