[Slowhand] SW&EC MSG 2008 DVD News

[John Mills]

This is on the second page:
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JL. Will there be a DVD or CD from the Garden shows?
SW. There certainly will be, yes. We're finishing that off at the moment.
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http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-2/121333180850790.xml&coll=1

Heavy Traffic
Winwood to play New York, Newark and Atlantic City on consecutive nights
Friday, June 13, 2008
BY JAY LUSTIG
Star-Ledger Staff

As a teenager, Steve Winwood seemed older than his years, belting out hits
for British Invasion act the Spencer Davis Group ("Gimme Some Lovin'" "I'm a
Man") with gritty R&B authority. He has made lots of classic music since
then, with progressive-rock group Traffic and the short-lived Blind Faith
(also featuring Eric Clapton), and as a solo artist.
Now, at the age of 60, he seems younger than his years. His voice has lost
none of its power, and his new album, "Nine Lives," has an exploratory feel,
with many of the tracks built around African or Latin beats. Winwood was in
great form in February, when he teamed up with Clapton for three shows at
Madison Square Garden. Now he's returning to the area, opening for Tom Petty
at the Garden, Tuesday, and at Newark's Prudential Center, Wednesday. He
will also headline at Borgata in Atlantic City, Thursday. We spoke to him by
phone last week, from a Philadelphia tour stop.
Q. How did this tour come about?
A. I had worked with Tom briefly at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, when we
did a George Harrison tribute, and I've been friends for a while with
(frequent Petty collaborator) Jeff Lynne. And Tom had actually asked me a
couple of years ago to go on tour with him, which I wasn't able to do for
some reason.
Q. Have you done any songs together at the shows, or do you anticipate doing
that?
A. We do anticipate doing it. We've just got three (shows) under our belt,
and it's a three-month tour. We're getting a few wrinkles ironed out, at the
moment, but yes, we plan to be doing that quite soon. Certainly by the time
we get to New York.
Q. I imagine that your work -- particularly your early stuff -- must have
had some influence on Petty. Has he said anything about that?
A. Not really. Our paths don't really cross that much: I usually just see
him as he's going onstage, or I'm coming off. But I've heard about his (XM
satellite) radio show where he plays Traffic music, so yes, perhaps he was
influenced. I should have to ask him. Or maybe I won't: "Hey, man, were you
influenced by me?"
Q. There's a tremendous amount of rhythmic variety on the "Nine Lives"
album. Did you write the songs with specific rhythms in mind, or did you
write them and then build rhythms around them?
A. We record jams and rehearsals, and it's more like the music the band
plays was the kind of thing I based the songs on. There's a track called
"Hungry Man" that has an African township sound to it, which came from
(guitarist) José Neto. I've got a recording where he was just making
something up, and he played this thing. He wasn't there when we recorded
("Hungry Man"), so there's another guitarist, Tim Cansfield, playing it -- I
taught it to him. So, it was a bit incestuous like that.
Q. Was the "Nine Lives" title a way of saying you feel you've had nine
lives, as an artist or just as a person?
A. Not really. When you put it like that, there's an aura of finality about
it that I hope is not there. That wasn't the intention. It was really that
it was nine songs, and it's my ninth (solo) album.
Q. Do you think there will be any more shows with Clapton?
A. I sincerely hope so. Obviously I'm quite busy this summer, and he is
also. But later on, there could well be some.
Q. Will there be a DVD or CD from the Garden shows?
A. There certainly will be, yes. We're finishing that off at the moment.
Q. When I mention -- or someone mentions -- those shows, what's the first
thing that comes to your mind about them?
A. Eric is a very generous person, and he's a very generous musician as
well. He wants me to play guitar solos on his songs. He wants me to sing
parts of his songs, and this kind of thing. It was a great experience for
me.
The other thing is, since Eric and I played together way back in 1969, or
whatever it was, Eric has become not only a great singer, but a great
bandleader. Neither of which he wanted to do when I worked with him in the
'60s -- those were roles that I kind of took. Now he actually works on those
roles.
Q. I know you lived in Nashville for a while. Do you still have a place
there, or do you just live in England?
A. We have a place there. I don't go there quite so much. My main place is
in England. But certainly I do spend some time in Nashville.
Q. Has that had a big effect on your music?
A. Well, not as such. I've never done much recording in Nashville.
One thing also about Nashville is bluegrass music, which I am a fan of. I'm
not sure whether that has yet integrated its way into my sound, but maybe it
will somehow. Latin-bluegrass or something.
Jay Lustig may be reached at jlustig at starledger.com or (973) 392-5850.