One of my favorite fusion songs - Stratus (Billy Cobham) Joe Bonamassa, Tommy Bolin, Frank Gamble, Jeff Beck, Chris Duarte

I remember the first time I heard this song. Before I played guitar I played drums and was really blown away by guys like Ginger Baker and john Bonham... but then there was Tony Williams .. and Billy Cobham! I was still living with mom and dad...well, I think I was home from college and I had like the best full blown stereo system that a kid could imagine... i won't go into all of my obsessions... but anyway I had all of my gear in the 2nd story of a two story house and the pool table of course was in the basement. I rigged wire to the basement and would put LP's on and then go down and play pool for 20 minutes to play pool with my pal Blues Ace. I would buy lp's by the armloads and play them all day while we played pool (I had a reel deck for parties). Anyway I would buy stuff I never heard (who'd a thunk it) and put it on and then go down to play pool. Spectrum comes on and and I about drop my pool cue. I had to find out who was playing guitar...I mean I bought a drum album.

It was Tommy Bolin. If you've never had the pleasure... woah.
Sorry no real video...but you can get the feel. If you like this at all, you should check out some of the Miles Davis (Amandela), Mahavishnu (Birds of Fire), Billy Cobham (Spectrum)...well, If you like it, and you want to know more,,,please comment. I have a lot of worthless knowledge up in my head and I am willing to share it.... conversly if you know someone that I should hear... stop holding out on me!! Enjoy!!


Of course I was blown away to find that my favorite contemporary player does it a few years ago...listen here:


Chris Duarte does a version of it... and a nice job!

Even Joe Bonamassa does it!


I love all of these guitar players... and Jeff beck almost always has the best guitar players on the planet.... but for all my drummer friends... here's Billy Cobham!! (He's one of the most articulate drummers to walk the universe!)

You name it ...they're here!
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Hope you enjoyed this as much as i did!!

Medley - Chris Duarte

Duarte was first inspired by music at age 8 after seeing Fiddler On The Roof on television. Duarte began playing his brother's guitar, and got his first electric guitar at the age of 14 and played with bands in San Antonio. In 1979, Duarte moved to Austin, Texas and purchased a 1963 Fender Stratocaster guitar for $500. Duarte began exploring the jazz music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

Duarte won a label recording contract with Silvertone Records and released Texas Sugar/Strat Magik in 1994, and was named "Best New Talent" in Guitar Player’s 1995 Reader's Poll.[citation needed] He finished fourth in the magazine’s "Best Blues Guitarist" category behind Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and B.B. King.

Though Duarte has played a limited number of U.S. dates in recent years with the Japanese band Bluestone Company backing him, he performs primarily as a power trio, the 'Chris Duarte Group'. Originally formed with long-time friends and collaborators John Jordan on bass and Jeff Hodges on drums, the current incarnation features Matt Stallard on bass and Chris Burroughs on drums. Apart from his band, Duarte has performed with Julie Burrell, Diana Cantu, Bobby Mack, Tracy Conover, Indigenous, and Omar & the Howlers.

Duarte's concert dates in Asheville, Charlotte and Greenville were filmed for "The PBS Project". This side-project featured Steve Bailey on bass and Jeff Sipe on drums.