Tedeschi Trucks Band celebrates terrific first year together with new double-live set

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The cool-rocking 11-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band will release an uplifting, energy-packed double live set called Everybody’s Talkin’ on May, 22, 2012 — a capping an amazing initial year of collaborations between Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi that culminated with a Grammy win for their debut album Revelator.

“I really never imagined it would have turned out quite like this, especially the last few months. The momentum picked up and it just really started rolling—everything kind of happened at once,” says Trucks, who maintains that his focus, and that of TTB have remained steadfast on the music itself. “As over the top as a lot of that stuff is, the one thing I notice is, it doesn’t really feel any different than being on the road and having successful shows. The way the band took shape musically around the time that we decided to record a live record was pretty exciting.”

TTB (as their fans know them) selected 11 tracks from a year’s worth of concerts, plus one new track called “Nobody’s Free.” Also featured: “Bound For Glory”, “Love Has Something Else To Say,” “Learn How To Love,” “Swamp Raga,” “Little Martha,” “Midnight in Harlem”. Other songs portray the group’s abiding affection for a truly wide range of soulful and gritty forebears, including Stevie Wonder (“Uptight”), Elmore James (“Rollin’ And Tumblin’”), Bill Withers (“Kissing My Love”), Joe Cocker (“Darling Be Home Soon”), Bobby Bland (“That Did It”), Harry Nilsson (“Everybody’s Talkin’”) and the traditional gospel (“Wade In The Water”).

Besides the Grammy for best blues album in February, Trucks and TTB bandmate Oteil Burbridge were honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for their membership in The Allman Brothers Band. A month later, Tedeschi and Trucks were invited to perform at the White House with B.B, King and Buddy Guy. On April 30, Tedeschi and Trucks will perform at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at a concert to celebrate International Jazz Day.

Besides Tedeschi and Trucks, who are married and have two children, TTB includes Mike Mattison (former lead singer with the Derek Trucks Band) and Mark Rivers, Oteil Burbridge (longtime member of The Allman Brothers Band) and Kofi Burbridge (another DTB member), J. J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell, Maurice Brown, Kebbi Williams and Saunders Sermons.

Complete tracklisting and concert information is included below.

Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Susan Tedeschi and the Derek Trucks Band. Click through the titles for complete reviews …

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND – REVELATOR (2011): Ever since Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi married in 2001, the two have frequently contributed to each other projects and performed together. But through (and likely because of) the rigors of the Allman Brothers, the Derek Trucks Band, Tedeschi’s own band, and the rigors of raising two kids, they never fully consummated their musical marriage. That is, until now. Tedeschi, a pretty good guitar player and a phenomenal singer and Trucks, a great guitar player and an all-world slide specialist, finally join forces full time to form a band that from the mere mention of its existence already becomes one of the premier roots rock bands in the land. Culling together members of the Derek Trucks Band, the Allman Brothers Band and elsewhere, the eleven member Tedeschi Trucks Band is a grand collection of backup singers, horn players, a rhythm section, and, at the core, Trucks and Tedeschi.

ONE TRACK MIND: TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, “MIDNIGHT IN HARLEM” (2011): Sounding something like a female Otis Redding, Tedeschi takes charge from the start on “Harlem,” a soulful Dixie beer-soaked left turn on an album best described as a memorable combination of the Meters, the Band and some ass-kicking bar band from a chicken-wire roadhouse. Here, we instead find a fully realized passion being celebrated: “He was born to love me,” Tedeschi sings, “and I was raised to be his fool.” As Derek Trucks’ carefully wrought lines unfold — as tender as a lover’s next-morning note — “Midnight in Harlem” begins to illustrate where the Tedeschi Trucks Band can go, as true songwriters — songwriters with face-blistering talents at their instruments, but songwriters just the same. That is to say, they can go just about anywhere they please. They are funkier elsewhere on Revelator, harder, more direct. But I’m not sure they are ever better.

THE DEREK TRUCKS BAND – ALREADY FREE (2009): The main impetus for recording this one is a straightforward one: Trucks recently completed building his own home studio with his own hands and the help of some friends, and quickly afterwards began noodling around in it. From that Jacksonville, Florida incubator came forth plenty of new material for a new album, as well as ideas for some well-chosen covers. Throughout, Trucks — who’s the owner of a wicked slide approach that’s surpassed only by perhaps only Ry Cooder — makes his axe sing with all the soul and urgency of Aretha Franklin.

SUSAN TEDESCHI – BACK TO THE RIVER (2008): With her strong blues foundation and pliable, slightly raspy croon, Susan Tedeschi is always going to be compared to Bonnie Raitt. However, she’s yet to achieve that crossover blockbuster success of a Nick Of Time. That isn’t for a lack of quality material, though, as with Back To The River, Tedeschi continues to stay true to providing an optimal blend of blues, r&b, gospel and rock.

In ever so discreet steps, though, she’s showing continued growth in the songwriting department. They’re nicely varied but all have a lot of that old school soul in them and showcase Tedeschi’s many facets of her voice.

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‘Everybody’s Talkin’ tracklisting:
Disc One:
1. Everybody’s Talkin’ (Live)
2. Midnight In Harlem (Swamp Raga intro with Little Martha) (Live)
3. Learn How to Love (Live)
4. Bound For Glory (Live)
5. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (Live)
6. Nobody’s Free (Live)*
7. Darling Be Home Soon (Live)
Disc Two:
1. That Did It (Live)
2. Uptight (Live)
3. Love Has Something Else To Say (with Kissing My Love) (Live)
4. Wade in the Water (Live)
*-new track

Tedeschi Trucks Band concert dates for 2012:
April 20 – Live Oak, FL – Wanee Music Festival
April 25 – Charlottesville, VA – nTelos Pavilion w/ Sam Bush
April 26 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
April 28 – Wilkesboro, NC – MerleFest
April 29 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium – SOLD OUT (limited tix at box office)
May 19 – Annapolis, MD – Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival
May 27 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival
May 30 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
June 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
June 2 – Elmer, NJ – Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival
June 3 – Hunter, NY – Mountain Jam
June 15 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
June 16 – Jacksonville, OR – Brittfest
June 17 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
June 24 – Apple Valley, MN – Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater
June 25 – Apple Valley, MN – Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater
June 27 – Madison, WI – Overture Center for the Arts
June 29 – Toronto Jazz Festival
July 6 – Winnipeg, MB – Winnepeg Folk Festival
July 7 – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Blues Festival
July 18 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Aug 5 – Newport, RI – Newport Jazz Festival
Aug 11 – Scranton, PA – The Peach Music Festival
Aug 28 – Brand Prairie, TX – Verizon Theatre w/ B.B. King
Aug 30 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ B.B. King
Sept 1 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre w/ B.B. King
Sept 2 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint w/ B.B. King
Sept 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl w/ B.B. King
Sept 9 – Valley Center, CA – Harrah’s Casino w/ B.B. King
Sept 20 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Sept 21 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Oct 27 – San Juan, PR – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

Something Else!