Robben Ford – From A Mauve Mansion

Pete and Robben catch up to talk about the brand new album Purple House on e.a.r Records which finds the guitar master in some new territory and fresh company…

JLTT: We speak again, amigo – I’ve given the new release a few close listens and I have a few things to run past you, please

RF: That’s fine, Pete..it’s what I’m expecting, from you!

Overall, this set of recordings seems to find you playing the studio as much as the instrumentation

Well it was recorded with me working alongside Casey Wasner,who brings a lot to the project and who I find easy to liaise with on ideas and execution and the notion was in honesty to indeed create this time a set of recordings that had a bit more emphasis on the production side..not to complicate things at all but to put a touch more emphasis on production and let’s say enhancement of each individual song we were putting together..more than I might have opted for in the past. The studio was ideal for seeing that through

It did sound a deliberate strategy…not least because all the tracks sound distinct from each other…

Right! You know that with me, I am always to an extent pushing myself with each project. I know what fans like by now – but I always strive to make each album somewhat different from the last set I put out. You have to satisfy yourself, I guess on that front and in essence, that is how I do things. So this was going to be in that vein, would be no departure from that overall intention.

Now here with Purple House and in this company, it was a great opportunity to try something really different..which is what you’re picking up on. There’s a drum room..lots of great amplification and recording gear. I couldn’t have made this record without the Purple House. That really is why I called the results Purple House, a tip of the hat. I did allow myself a lot more freedom on this exercise, to bring out the best in the songs themselves. The core sound though was inspired by the Howlin’ Wolf records from the 60s. They are such a great combination of elemental sounds and just so lively. So that is all there on this record

Stylistically, it keeps the listener guessing…which I like

(Sighs) Ah well, I used to deliberately aim at writing material which was blues or rhythm & blues. As you know from old our group The Blue Line, it really focussed on that blues and rhythm & blues thing..although your latching on to me we both know goes back to The Yellowjackets.

Yes, with our man Jimmy Haslip!

So The Blue Line observed tradition, you could fairly contend. However over the years I have really tried to expand on that and so this new record, it does more than anything else I have worked on represent a roots sound but nonetheless a real departure from tradition, in terms of the songwriting. The structures, the sounds..

Yes and the moods.

Correct, the atmospheres we visit across the set

Also, the guests are accommodated really well…

Thank you. Shemekia Copeland is such a fine vocalist and it’s such a pleasure to include her contribution

The duet on Break The Chain

Yes. Then, the Bishop Gunn personnel

Yes – now Travis McCReady, he’s singing on Somebody’s Fool..then the guitar chap Drew Smithers solos on the last cut

Wiling To Wait, yes

A terrific song, that. Not what I might have expected, but by that time I had ‘got’ the concept!

That’s good..why be predictable?

That bluesy core though – more than previously there’s a chunk of The Meters in some of the tracks

Hmm..who doesn’t dig The Meters? (Laughs) No-one I know!

Are you going to be touring this release?

The idea at present is to do shows in The Netherlands, France and Italy and then across 2019 visit The UK, Germany and Scandinavia.

Great, catch up with you then

Thanks Pete

Pete Sargeant