Charles Atkins
The Practice Sessions
Tom's Studio, Tallahassee, FL
June 22, 1993

ca1993-06-22.flac16

Taped by: SCopeland
Transfered by: SCopeland

Recorded via Yamaha 16 track SBD > 2 track cassette mono 
Digitized using Griffin iMic and Final Vinyl at 32 bit (transferred to wav/flac at 16 bit) using my G4 iBook.  

August 07 - Been looking forward to hearing this tape.  Enjoy! SCopeland 
	
01 Fever
02 FlipFlopFly
03 Got Me Running
04 Green Grass -pieces
05 Green Grass
06 I Got a Woman
07 Kansas City
08 Knock On Wood
09 Lil' Bit of Your Love
10 Little Bit
11 Lovelight
12 Movin On
13 Night Time is the Right Time
14 Wonderful One
15 Nothing Takes the Place of You
16 Rollin Time
17 St James -partial
18 St James Infirmary
19 Shake Rattle Roll
20 Stop Doggin Me Around
21 Your Love is Lifting Me Higher

@ 1.4 minutes; 885 meg aiff or wav

Players:
Charles Atkins - keyboards and vocals
The Blues Boys
Larry Laseur - harmonica
Harty Wiedemann - guitar
Tom Henning - guitar
with Matt Thiebault - bass & RC - drums
Sitting in - Scott Schieve - guitar

Highlights: 
Tracks 8, 11, 15, 16 but they all have their moments

Notes:
Tonight in place of Harty we have Scott Schieve on guitar. I am so glad I was able to record this session with him. A few songs are a bit rough as Scott is new to some of these standards of Charles, but overall this is a treat. I first met Scott when we opened for town rival Mighty Big Blues Band; he was the lead guitarist and such a sweet powerful touch. That band eventually reformed as Big Daddy and Red Hot Java (Randy Webster being Big Daddy) and Scott was free to play with Charles for awhile. Tom's replacement in a way but Scott was quite the guitar slinger, traveling light with guitar and a small but awesome amp. You can tell right off on his solos such as in track 5 that he and Charles had a thing going. Scott is very good with the call and response that Charles feeds on. Hope Scott hears this someday as there are probably not too many "live" recordings of him even tho he played all the time around Tallahassee.

So things get cranked up by track 5 - Green Grass. Notice we are working the set list in alpha order again :)   Next track has a couple of blistering solos; seems like the drummer has trouble with the tempo but RC is probably like me and getting sucked in by Scott's phrasing. Guess I was late on the tape with track 7 as it starts with a guitar solo; then Knock On Wood has a cool solo 3 minutes in. A couple Little Bits and then everyone is warmed up and ready for a "short" Lovelight (8 minutes) and again some great guitar work. I remember Tom talking once about Scott going off on one of his progressions, like at the 6 minute mark here, and he wondered sometimes how he was going to get back. Woohoo, never fear - let it shine!

Tape side A runs out during an energetic Moving On and picks up on a guitar solo in the next song. Things are going good now. Nothing Takes the Place of You slows it down and lets some sweetness in. It's still good even tho Charles is talking out the chords here and there. About 4 minutes in is a good example of the call and response between Charles and Scott and Larry too. Good balance. Ditto for the next song - Rollin' Time - great take. Some cool stuff on St James, a bit slower than Charles wants but they work it out. The pace picks up for the standard Shake Rattle Roll and then slow right down again for track 20, with lots of space for Scott and Larry to play with Charles. Sure wish we had the bass mixed into the board but it sounds like the 2 college students, Matt and RC, left earlier, like after track 14.

And what better way to close the night than with Your Love is Lifting Me Higher.  Higher and Higher! The tape runs out just as they were getting ready for The Thrill is Gone; not sure if they played that or not - sorry!

