Michael Landau Liquid Quartet Live

The Players Club

Live outing for renowned superstar sideman

When James Taylor refers to someone as “the complete virtuoso” and this feeling is further backed up by Steve Lukather saying, “He is one of the finest players in the world,” you know they must be talking about someone pretty special. The guitarist in question is Michael Landau, who has enjoyed a stellar career playing with a who’s who of music’s elite, including Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Pink Floyd, among others. In November of last year Michael took his band (drummer Abe Laboriel Jr, bassist Jimmy Johnson and guitarist/vocalist David Frazee) to LA’s famous Baked Potato Jazz Club and delivered a blues‑driven set featuring some of his back catalogue, peppered with a few new tunes. Needless to say the guitar work throughout is immaculate – check out the frenzied soloing on Greedy Life, for instance. A six‑string tour de force. [DM]

Standout track: Killing Time

For fans of: Robben Ford, Scott Henderson