JJ Cale/ EC Call Me the Breeze sound

Greetings all,

I've been in a big JJ Cale kick recently but I'm really struggling to capture the essence of it. I haven't played much other straight blues/ blues rock and I can get the sort of the shuffle feel but it just doesn't sound right. I love JJ's feel in call me the breeze, crazy mamma, after midnight, cajun moon, travelin light, carry on, as well as Eric Claptons ain't that loving you baby, and even lay down sally. I can't tell if the sound that I'm looking for really requires that laid back rhythm section and that's what I'm missing or if I'm just missing some sort of country soul. Either way it bugs me that I can't articulate what exactly it is about all these songs that draws my ear to them. If anyone could help explicate this unknown variable I'd be happy.

Sorry for getting all philosophical!

In having mastered Clapton's Lay down Sally long ago as one of my favorite tunes
the key to me lies in understanding muting and the use (in my case) of the thumb doing the alternating low E string tones on the standard first position A chord. (there's kind of a walking bass line going on with the thumb)
(also another key is the open string partial bouncy or hammer on thing going on between the D and G strings on the 5th then 4th fret)

Once you get that intro down, the rest just comes. Also understanding at the break his solo hangs on the A chord throughout, there are no changes during the solo, which is what gives it that laid back feel. He just meanders around in the A box between major and pentatonic stuff. The key to keeping the feel and even making it better on the solo for me is that alternating between pent and major to kind of keep it somewhere between country and blues.

I have never done this song in a pick up or blues jam setting where the rest of the band doesn't start doing the regular verse/chorus chord changes when I go into the solo, because most folks don't remember it stays on A throughout the solo and then loses that whole laid back feel. Plus it makes me have to completely alter the solo from the original which loses the whole originality of that song, making it a very standard sounding song.

To get the hang of this song (Lay down Sally) the fastest just play to the beat of the song keeping the open position A (at the 2nd fret) depressed, while doing the beat of the song (or bass line) with your thumb moving on and off the low E string at the 2nd fret as well. Use your middle finger for the low E Bass line fingerig on the 3rd fret, then you'll have the bass line down for the verse (it just alternates between the 2nd and 3rd fret on the low E while playing the A chord). Then you'll get the rest in no time as it all flows naturally from that.

(of course do the open A chord using only the index finger to cover the strings to keep your other fingers free and in position to bounce of the the D string at the 5th then 4th fret alternating. The song kicks off with a nice bend of the low E string at the 3 rd fret

Use your thumb and middle finger like a big pincher thumbing the low E at the 2nd fret and the middle finger hitting the low E on the 3rd fret.

J.J. Cale......if you aren't laid WAAAY back, it is going to be hard to get the 'feel' of Cale's music even if you have the technical aspects down pat, imho. For a definite contrast, listen to Cale's version of his song "Crazy Mam"...adn then listen to the southern rock version that ??Lynard Skynard??? or one of Skynard's contemoporary southern rock bands did of that song. (Forgive my memory---I was overseas listening to Cale's albums when the southern rock bands were doing the covers of his music. Cale just meanders down the road singing his tune...while the other version punches the rhyhtm.
And...no, imho, Cale's music does not require any one else playing with you. HE can play that stuff by himself and make you know that these are his songs completely.
YOu gotta relax, right? Get the licks down...and then relax. AFter that, relax some more!!! (;^)

Everything's gonna be alright....

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After midnight.....

THanks to the OP for bringing the thread up and thanks to all for the video....it has been along time for me since I have listened to my old vinyl.

AFter Midnight.....I just reviewed the song. You know, that song works really well in a funk mode, too.

...8...7
...8...7
...8...7
...x...6
...x...7
0......0..////

AS the first chord and rhythm...funk it! After midnight....

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...drums like a click track
jj is a natural he has excellent timing and a great guitar style like merle or willy

Anyone who plays "Kiss this world goodbye" can you post it? Such a great little solo.

J2mq5lPymFg

...drums like a click track
jj is a natural he has excellent timing and a great guitar style like merle or willy

...chills down my spine... I was at that gig (actually both nights, travelled from north of europe for that), front row, almost at his feet. Shaked his hand afterwards. My meager attempt to decipher his songs is at: http://pickingjjcale.blogspot.com/ but I was never able to nail any of it, but I've enjoying playing them anyways!

On the other hand, Eric Clapton has not impressed me since I was in high school. I just don't get him anymore, I guess. Not my cuppa tea.

JJ Cale plays with his fingers only (thumb + index I think). Light strings, light touch. Limiter and sometimes wahwah in the old stuff, I think. And his Harmony (never was able to get *that* tone since), as well as es-335/345/Les Paul.

Anyone who plays "Kiss this world goodbye" can you post it? Such a great little solo.

Somebody asked me that in my blog (you?)... but I've never really actually played it myself... so my old tab could be all wrong...

http://pickingjjcale.blogspot.com/2009/12/ill-kiss-world-goodbye.html#comment-form

I love this one. I've had the DVD of this session for years. Get it.

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This one from the same session. More the style you are looking for.

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Playing a Strat.

Somebody asked me that in my blog (you?)... but I've never really actually played it myself... so my old tab could be all wrong...

http://pickingjjcale.blogspot.com/2009/12/ill-kiss-world-goodbye.html#comment-form

I'll check it out. Thanks.

THanks for posting that Crazy Mama. That is so different from the orignal album version. THe original is much more laid back than this. I like them both.

MBqd8Pf4kcQsorry wally i should have posted this studio version it was closer to the timing you had posted previously

i like to study the individual personal style of the artist thats more why i posted the clapton and jj at crossroads and the club setting

you can see how jj uses no pick

this mannerisms
serious -laidbackness and humor


crazy momma my observations
has a nice bounce to it

the slide is wonderful

drum like a click track

No problem, Brew. And...thanks for posting the old version. Laid back.
IT is good to hear that Cale changes things up. Like I said, with that approach I now have a funkified 'After Midnight'.

And...listening to this old version of Crazy Mama, I realize that i was using a flatted 7th when Cale actually uses the octave in that shuffle. I'll have to decide if I want to play it his way or my way....lol. I bought a made in ASia Republic bellbrass tricone the other day for a few bucks....beat up but sounds great. I may see what it does for this Crazy Mama song.

the intro 1234....

how it takes off

his strum ...no pick


laid back style all things to consider


and enjoy

thank you jj!

http://jjcale.org/jjbooks.htm#books

CALL ME THE BREEZE - This song was recorded on a 4 Track Ampex recorder with the Ace Tone Drum Machine into a Fender Twin Amp and then miked. The Rhythm Guitar was a Harmony Acoustic guitar with a Dano Electric Pick Up. The Lead Guitar was a Gibson ES 335 with Fender Twin Amp recorded by Audie using Teletronix Limiter and Ampex 2 Track Recorder giving slap back echo at 71/2 IPS for a saturated tape sound.


CRAZY MAMA - This was done with an Acetone electric drummer. The rhythm guitar is my Harmony tuned to the key of F#. Bass was overdubbed by Carl Radle after the rhythm guitar and Acetone tracks were put down. Mac Gayden overdubbed slide wah-wah using a Lincoln guitar, a Japanese made Les Paul copy, and a Maestro Boomerang pedal through a Fender Deluxe Amplifier. Mac played this cut with his guitar laying on his lap, steel guitar style. This was an idea he picked up while playing with Weldon Myrick, a Nashvillc steel guitarist. It gives a cleaner sound.

Somebody asked me that in my blog (you?)... but I've never really actually played it myself... so my old tab could be all wrong...

http://pickingjjcale.blogspot.com/2009/12/ill-kiss-world-goodbye.html#comment-form

Man that was me and I forgot I put that comment on your blog. Can you try it on your strat/tele? Just sounds like it's missing parts. I really appreciate your blog and am not trying to be critical.

http://www.jedistar.com/images/drum/acetone_drum_machine.jpg

acetone was a pre roland brand name


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HzO0qUnejWw/TJnMyHKzVGI/AAAAAAAAA3o/xTRaLdwzKu4/s400/ace.jpg

The Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-1 secured a place in drum machine history
as the first transistorised machine to appear on the market in 1967.
The Rhythm Ace was the brainchild of Ikutaro Kakehashi,
(founder of Ace Tone and later, Roland in 1972).

Thank you all for these clips - I don't think there's an artist alive I'd rather play along with. His music feels so familiar to me, almost as a kindred spirit and oh so tastey.

For my own experience its been a combination of the problems you cite.
Because even once you do have the feel and sound down cold, you gotta find a rhythm section that does as well and JJ's style just doesn't seem to come natural to very many folks. Funny, you'd be surprised how many people don't even know JJ exists as an artist.

The only familiar tunes to many people were made that way through Clapton-LOL.
Clapton does JJ better than JJ does JJ in many people's eyes though, so that's another thing. If an artist was made to have his best brought out by Clapton, JJ might be it.

I've always liked both.

Over the years EC has borrowed so much from JJ Cale - songs, using wah with slide guitar, general attitude to his more laid back music - that it was great to see JJ get some wider publicity -to the general masses via his appearance at the first Crossroads festival and also the Escondido album.

Funny, you'd be surprised how many people don't even know JJ exists as an artist.

And that's just he way he likes it. Got to admire the man for that, just doing his own thing and not getting fussed about pushing it, letting it do its own thing.

The only familiar tunes to many people were made that way through Clapton-LOL.
Clapton does JJ better than JJ does JJ in many people's eyes though, so that's another thing. If an artist was made to have his best brought out by Clapton, JJ might be it.



I came to JJ very late, but obviously via Clapton, who I've never really got into. I much prefer JJs treatment of his own songs. Clapton took Midnight into a pop gospel area, and Cocaine a poppy tune with edgy lyrics.

I thought Clapton sounded his best on Escondido, where he was very much playing like JJ. More subtle, laid back and not filling the gaps with frill. As he's said somewhere, whereas JJ chooses his notes, he sees a space and wants to fill it.

Thanks one and all for the recordings and the tips. J J Cale is absolutely of my favorite song writers and eventually one of my favorite performers.

Like many of you I probably began hearing his stuff through the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other Southern Rock groups until a musician friend finally turned me on to his versions. That rootsy laid back style of his really kicked my a$$ and I've been doing his stuff of an on in that same style for years. I love singing off those arrangements.

Thanks again for the contributions guys. This whole thread gets into my archives.

"I've been in a big JJ Cale kick recently but I'm really struggling to capture the essence of it." No real advice but me too for about 20 years...

I have always been a Clapton fan and owe the man a great deal as my number one overall influence. Whats funny is I hate his post 90's tone, tolerated his 90's tone, liked his late 70's and 80's tones alot.

But what really nailed it for clapton tone was his time with John Mayall and the bluesbreakers, I loved his tone then and to me it was without peer. Then Cream was pretty good too especially early Cream like at the BBC sessions and earlier.

The 70's and 80's were okay and some evenj good, but thenh he started getting this compressed bell like tone that to me was a wanna be "woman tone" type sound.
Now whiloe I can tell within the first couple notes its clapton, I don't like his tone right now at all. Love his phrasing and everything else about his playing, but hate his tone.

I don't know why he can't see that and get back to either the more pure tone he had in the 80's, or go alol the way back to his amazing tone with John Mayall and to a lesser degreee cream. But oh well - he obviously doesn't hear it.

Man that was me and I forgot I put that comment on your blog. Can you try it on your strat/tele? Just sounds like it's missing parts. I really appreciate your blog and am not trying to be critical.

It sure will, and the tone just isn't there! it was a really quick take (by ear). Don't get much playing time nowadays, so didn't have time to actually learn, nor check my own tab. Basically it was playing a around the B major chord on the seventh fret (with hammerons and pulloffs to and from the 3rd and foruth on the G string). If I were to try it, I'd maybe take a strat (or danelectro?!) and play it with my thumb.

Anyway my upload of it was panned left and right and 80% of teh speed, so you can balance out my version and loop the original and try to get it yourself. Don't trust my tab to a tee, as it might be wrong, I've only done blog post in a one 1h sitting each, so they are not always 100% spot on. If you find something to correct, just post a comment, I will look into it.

Over the years EC has borrowed so much from JJ Cale - songs, using wah with slide guitar

It was actually Mac Gayden, on JJs record that played the slide with a wah-wah.

Plus I don't think JJ did any slide himself on the early records. I could be partly wrong, but at least I remember him saying he only learned to play slide later.

Clapton took Midnight into a pop gospel area, and Cocaine a poppy tune with edgy lyrics.

I thought Clapton sounded his best on Escondido, where he was very much playing like JJ. More subtle, laid back and not filling the gaps with frill. As he's said somewhere, whereas JJ chooses his notes, he sees a space and wants to fill it.

Clapton's after midnight was an attempt to carbon copy the '60s original. JJ only later did the slow version himeself, to set apart from Clapton's take.

http://jjcale.net/snd2010/singles/Liberty%2055931/after%20midnight%20(liberty).mp3

I have always been a Clapton fan and owe the man a great deal as my number one overall influence. Whats funny is I hate his post 90's tone, tolerated his 90's tone, liked his late 70's and 80's tones alot.


To me the 2010 "Clapton" album actually was quite splendid! Not that I would have gone and bought it... but still. I think he might be in his 3rd age, he plays out more like a veteran blues singer than a guitar hero.

More of the same vibe is Oldakier's "Mad dogs and Okies" that features both JJ and EC, among others. Tulsa sound!

But Clapton royalties did pay JJs kids through college so I am happy for both of them. :P

JJ has never been able to get *that* classic tone since the Harmony was broken in transit when he toured Australia. It's still good, but not the premium grade 100% proof Naturally - Travel log stuff tonewise.