[Slowhand] HYELAW

[Dave Dell]

The blues scale is limiting in itself because if you go too far out of it
the solo won't sound right.  Also, blues is so much a feel that even a
master like Eric may not be "into it" on every night or every blues song.
Those of us that play I think can probably agree that being "off" musically
on a particular night or song is a fairly common occurrence.  However,
despite those limitations, Eric's tremedous gift for improvisation almost
always keeps things interesting.   I felt his solos on HYELAW at the Bowl on
the 2nd were amazing, the intro alone had nuances and the unpredictable
phrasing that takes a "routine" blues number to new heights.  By comparsion
the HYELAW solos at Belfast are OK but severely lacking compared to the 2
live shows I saw this time out.  Part of that is the more dynamic range at a
concert, but mostly Eric was just never "in the zone" on the Belfast
version, at least to my ears.  "Kind Hearted Woman" at Belfast was great
though, so go figure : )

Dave