Album Notes

The title of this CD is accurate, as this live date -- recorded at Washington D.C.\'s Adam\'s Rib on April 27, 1984 (but not released for the first time until 21 years later) -- is full of explosive fire. The legendary Danny Gatton and Tom Principato had complementary guitar styles, open to jazz , electric blues , and country . With stimulating backup from keyboardist Mike Sucher (who often achieves the sound of an organ), bassist John Previti , and drummer Robbie Magruder , the two guitarists dig into blues , passionate pop/rock , and even \'Harlem Nocturne\' (a feature for Gatton ), all of it having the spirit of adventurous jazz . While Principato has four vocals along the way, the emphasis is very much on the guitarists, who are at their best when they are interacting with each other. This is consistently exciting music. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

\'Blazing\' is just the right word for this live set with blues guitar hotshot Tom Principato , who played on and off with Gatton through 1984. This is the resulting snapshot that Principato reissued several years later on his own Powerhouse label (and remains available im retail stores and by mail-order , regardless of its ongoing demand as an Internet auction item). Principato \'s blues -oriented style -- which also draws on elements of jazz , jump blues , and swing -- pushed Gatton beyond the peaks he\'d achieved with his Redneck Jazz Explosion , and the \'50s- and \'60s-style explorations of Unfinished Business . This guitar summit meeting, then, inspired some unlikely choices -- such as a countrified take on Bob Dylan \'s \'Don\'t Think Twice, It\'s All Right.\' Other highlights include \'Honey Hush (Talkin\' Woman),\' which features some sizzling exchanges between both guitarists, and a Latin-oriented swing into Les Baxter \'s \'Quiet Village,\' where everyone pulls off inspired soloing (except drummer Robbie Magruder ). There\'s a bright reading of the jazz standard \'Cherokee,\' which provides an appropriate contrast to the mellow fusion of Principato \'s \'If You Only Knew\' and \'Been \'N\' Gone.\' Guitar enthusiasts will appreciate Principato \'s notation of who\'s soloing when, as well as the photos of its featured players hamming for the camera (note the visual reference to one of Gatton \'s favorite concert tricks: using a beer bottle for a slide). All the players are in outstanding form, and this is definitely among the most absorbing of all Gatton \'s one-off projects. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide


...some mean fingerpicking as he (Principato) trades vicious eights with Danny Gatton.
Bill Milkowski Guiatr World Magazine Sept. 1990

7 tracks and 52 minutes of pure guitar ecstasy.
Paul Parietti Fantastic Voyage System Magazine June 1997

Fantastic album ram-packed with superb blues style guitar jams by two DC greats.
Keith Ayres Texas Beat Magazine Aug. 1990

Labels are moot in the hands of Gatton & Principato, who use the songs as mere vehicles for their extended excursions.
Jon Sievert Guitar Player Magazine July 1990


It\'s finesse more than fireworks, and camaraderie more than competition that distinguishes Blazing Telecasters. In the end it\'s the tight twin-guitar weave that holds most of the tracks together.
Mike Joyce The Washington Post March 30, 1990