Ramblin’ Man: Oteil Burbridge Backs Over 50 Guests For The Allman Brothers Band's 40th Anniversary N.Y.C. Run

Oteil—who the day before had sat in, together with Steve Bailey and Tal Wilkenfeld, at Victor Wooten and drummer J.D. Blair’s duo show at B.B. King’s— was more than ready for the historic evening. The ABB took the stage to play the songs from their first two albums in order, with an intermission in between. Burbridge strapped on his ’63 P-Bass and began his nightly journey to the most rapturous level known to jamdom. A few hours later, his stellar solo on “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” moved from Sukop semi-hollow 6-string-’n’-vocals to a tasty turn on Butch Trucks’ drum kit! Back in the 6th-floor dressing rooms after the thrilling show, exhilaration gave way to relief as the septet hugged, laughed off a few mistakes, and teased playfully. Guitarist Warren Haynes joked, “You know, ‘Oteil’ spelled backwards is ‘lie to’.” That may be, but as we sat down in his room, Burbridge was happy to tell it like it is when it comes to the ABB and the impact his thirteen years with the band have had on his career.

Incredible. It started at rehearsals for the 40th tour in January, when we pulled out all these old tunes Duane was associated with. The original guys were reminiscing about different memories triggered by hearing all the old songs. I felt like I was part of a collective flashback. I downloaded all of the albums onto my computer and played them constantly. Then I watched Please Call Home: The Big House Years, a documentary about the band’s early days, and it hit me like a ton of bricks! I realized exactly what it is I’ve been a part of; my place in this family and in this epic story. These guys were in the deep south with an interracial band in 1969! They were shattering boundaries in rock and roll by just having the balls to be themselves and take chances. Who else in rock was mixing Miles and Trane with Elmore James and Jimmie Rodgers, and had the chops to play at such a blistering level? They were unrivaled. All of that reflection built up in intensity and carried us clear through the Beacon Run.

I never thought I would end up here. I grew up on Weather Report, wanting to be a fusion phenomenon; I always assumed I’d be playing with those guys. Somehow, God wanted me to be with Col. Bruce Hampton and the ABB instead! I have absolutely no regrets about the path my career has taken. I’ve had the pleasure of learning about rock, blues, gospel, soul, and country music from many of the people who helped create those styles. It has taken me back to the heart of the American story, of black slaves and white coal miners, and our rich musical heritage.

As a result, what I aspire to has changed. I used to want to be an extension of Alphonso, Jaco, and Stanley, but now my focus is more on playing my ’63 P-Bass with flatwounds and trying to cop Family Man, Jerry Jemmott, Chuck Rainey, and Willie Weeks. I still love playing my 6-string, but I’ve been having a whirlwind romance with my vintage 4-strings for the last five years. I’d rather just play some fried pork chop P-Bass, you know? Lately, I always ask the client if they mind me trying my ’63, and most of the time they like fried pork chops, too!

My primary background was in jazz and I think I bring more of that to the gig than the others did. It has certainly helped in adapting Berry Oakley’s guitaristic approach to extended jams, in which I listen to the soloist and basically play variations on a theme to both support and push them. The book has been written, though; Berry, Lamar Williams, and Allen Woody are the Matthew, Mark, and Luke of the bass chair. That said, the spirit is dynamic, it’s always moving, so it’s not about copying the letter but that spirit. I want to be true to the songs, but the improvs have to come from the spirit of the moment, and this moment is totally different from 1969. Gregg, Butch, and Jaimoe don’t play it the same way they used to. Why would I?

The ABB will continue what’s being calling the “40 Years of Highs and Lows” tour, with some west coast shows, all part of a 60- date U.S. tour. While in N.Y., I got to do a gig with Go There, who I recorded with in 2006. [Guitarist] Scott Sawyer and [drummer] Kenny Soule are two of my favorite musicians to play with. I just did two shows with the Lee Boys, an amazing sacred steel guitar group you have to check out. I’m also going on tour with Jimmy Herring to promote his debut, Lifeboat. Greg Osby and Scott Kinsey are in the band and I can’t wait to meet and play with them. Matt Garrison will do the second part of the tour for me. And I’m slowly but surely making my next CD, which is going to have a gospel focus.

GEAR

Basses: ’64 Fender Jazz, ’63 Fender P-Bass, ’69 Gibson EB-2, ’58-Reissue “Road Worn” Fender P-Bass, custom Fodera Monarch 6-string, custom Sukop 6-string, Fodera N.Y.C. 5-string, Modulus OB-1 signature 6-string
Strings: Dunlop Nickel-Plated Steels and flatwounds (.35, .45, .65, .85, .105, .130)
Picks: Clayton Acetal .80MM, and various other medium-gauge picks
Rig: Epifani Quest II preamp fitted with a 902C power amp; Epifani NYC 210 and NYC 115 cabinets
Floor monitors: “I mostly have Gregg’s vocals and organ because he’s the furthest away; and I wear foam earplugs.”

OTEIL’S 5 FAVORITE ALLMAN BROTHERS SONGS TO PLAY

1. “Stand Back” [Eat a Peach, Polydor 1972]
2. “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’” [Idlewild South, Polydor 1970]
3. “Every Hungry Woman” [The Allman Brothers Band, Polydor, 1969]
4. “Come and Go Blues” [Brothers and Sisters, Polydor, 1973]
5. “Black Hearted Woman” [The Allman Brothers Band, Polydor 1969]

OTEIL’S 5 FAVORITE ALLMAN BROS. TRACKS BY OTHER BASSISTS

1. “Come and Go Blues” - Lamar Williams [Brothers and Sisters, Polydor, 1973]
2. “Melissa” - Berry Oakley [Eat a Peach, Polydor 1972]
3. “Stand Back” Berry Oakley [Eat a Peach, Polydor 1972]
4. “Leave My Blues at Home” - Berry Oakley [Idlewild South, Polydor 1970]
5. “Every Hungry Woman” - Berry Oakley [The Allman Brothers Band, Polydor, 1969]

OTEIL’S TOP TEN GUEST MOMENTS ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY BEACON THEATER RUN

1. “Taj Mahal and Levon Helm on opening night. Taj literally levitated the whole Beacon Theater six inches off the ground. Levon’s spirit brought me to tears; he’s got one of the best grooves on drums I ever felt.”
2. “Bonnie and Bekka Bramlett bringing the Gospel vibe to town. Bonnie and Gregg did a duet on ‘Oncoming Traffic’ that really had the spirit. Seeing Bonnie, Bekka, and Susan Tedeschi all at the same time was religious.”
3. “Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton of Cowboy. Go get an album called A Different Time: The Best Of Cowboy [Polydor, 1993]. When the family lost Duane and Berry they listened to ‘All My Friends’ and ‘Please Be With Me’ non-stop. It’s as powerful as Joni Mitchell’s Blue, to me. The songwriting and vocal harmonies of these guys are unbelievable. They could melt a heart of stone. I didn’t realize what a great slide player Tommy. So many people overdo the vibrato. He might be my favorite besides Derek [Trucks] in our band!”
4. “Eric Clapton, because he was so incredibly gracious, played his ass off (got ugly in the face, you know?), and it was his first time jamming with the ABB. That’s historic right there. His second- night solo on ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’ was one of the highlights of the whole run.”
5. “Lenny White and Randy Brecker on ‘Dreams’ and ‘In a Silent Way.’ That was one I’ll never forget. I’ve always approached ‘Dreams’ like ‘All Blues,’ so to have those guys providing real N.Y. jazz during Randy’s solo brought it into full actualization. Wow! They were both so gracious, too.”
6. “Billy Gibbons. He was so cool. I’d love to hang and jam with him some more. The way he played rhythm guitar floored me; the man has such electricity flowing through him, and such a gentle grace-filled spirit.”
7. “Chuck Leavell. He’s a magical creature. His solo on ‘Stormy Monday’ did it for me; ‘Jessica,’ too. He’s my favorite. No other keyboard player can play with the ABB like that, and we’ve had a lot of them. What a sweet person, too.”
8. “Jerry Jemmott, Bernard Purdie, and Jimmy Smith on ‘Soul Serenade,’ ‘Memphis Soul Stew,’ and ‘Them Changes.’ Do I need to say anymore? My God. You rarely see Gregg and Butch look like kids, in awe, eyes wide open.”
9. “Buddy Guy, Trey Anastasio, and Page McConnell. Buddy brought his ‘A’ game. It was great to see big rock stars like Trey and Page as wide-eyed kids again. Page was practically sharing a bench with Gregg and Trey was looking over at Derek, Warren, and Buddy with this grin! They played so great and were so nice and humble.”
10. “Jimmy Herring and John Bell. Those are my boys! Jimmy’s solo on ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ literally made me cry.
There were so many other great moments and guests: Looking up and seeing Stanley Clarke plugging in next to me; watching Phil Lesh and Bob Weir on the last night; getting to play with Sheryl Crow, Bruce Hornsby, Boz Scaggs, Johnny Winter, Kid Rock, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Juke Horns, and so many others. It really was an unforgettable three-week journey.” [For a list of all the guests and songs, visit: http://www.moogis.com/latest/guest-appearances-at-the-beacon.html ]