Top Ten Thursdays: The Top Ten Guitarists Right Now
Categories: Top Ten Thursdays
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| Buddy Guy plays the Arsht Center. |
Blues badass Buddy Guy -- along with Big Easy piano man Dr. John -- performs Friday at the Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center. A huge influence on Eric Clapton and countless others, Guy continues to elate audience members with his guitar heroics at the grand age of 72. On stage, he looks and performs like a man at least two decades younger. But where does Guy rank with the other guitar stars making the rounds these days? These are the 10 greatest guitarists right now -- or, y'know, my highly objective list of the players currently exciting me.
1. Sonny Landreth
This Louisiana slide guitar master has a singular, fingering-on-the-fret-board style that allows him to coerce myriad sweet, complex sounds from his instrument -- without having to rely on a enough pedals to cover the average-sized stage (yes, that's a dig at The Edge). Here's a live performance of the deep-space blues instrumental "The Milky Way Home," which can be found on Landreth's excellent 2008 album From the Reach.
2. Derek Trucks
His uncle Butch Trucks is the drummer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. Derek grew up mastering the slide sounds of original ABB leader Duane Allman before joining the pioneering, precision jam band about a decade ago. But Derek does so much more than ape a hero, bringing a rich, round tone of his own to everything he does, whether playing with ABB, in Eric Clapton's band, in his own namesake act, or with his wife, Susan Tedeschi.
Here's the Derek Trucks Band joined by Tedeschi for a cover of the Derek and the Dominos classic "Anyday." Trucks nails two amazing, perfectly phrased solos. First comes at 2:47, second at 4:40.
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