Review of Jim Weider's New CD "Percolator"

Does Jim Weider need an introduction? Probably, although he replaced roots legend Robbie Robertson on lead guitar in The Band in 1985.

Maybe you saw him at the Narrows earlier this year. Maybe you saw him at the Bob Dylan Tribute at Madison Square Garden (dubbed “Bobfest”) in 1992 playing with The Band. Maybe you were at Bill Clinton’s “Unofficial Blue Jean Bash” in 1993, along with Jim Weider, Bob Dylan, Steven Stills and Dr. John. Or maybe you spotted him on the A & E Biography show about The Band.

Or maybe you studied guitar using one of Jim’s instructional videos.

Jim’s a master of the Telecaster, which, thanks to Texas native Buck Owens, became “the instrument of choice in the country field,” according to author John Einarson in his book “Desperados, The Roots of Country Rock.” “The thing about a Telecaster…,” he quotes Eagle Bernie Leadon as saying, “is that it’s remarkably comfortable for an acoustic player to make the transition to electric guitar. A Les Paul or Stratocaster is more suited for rock. You can play most of the same styles on a Tele that you do on an acoustic, and it just sounds great. It has to do with the tone. Leo Fender designed the Strat to be a country instrument, but over time the Tele caught on more for country music.”

Which finally brings us to Jim Weider’s new CD “Percolator,” which has plenty of “Tele” on it—however, it’s not a country record. Oops!

“Percolator” is an instrumental album that’s in the “jam” style so popular with many of the same people who would have boogied to the Grateful Dead were they alive during the Dead’s heyday. The recently departed Phish and “Martin, Medeski and Wood” might be described as jam bands. (I don’t mean to be pedantic, but I keep running into people who’ve never heard of the whole jam band thing.) John Medeski, by the way, is playing B3 organ all over “Percolator.”

(And I have to mention that bass legend Tony Levin is on several cuts. Levin has played with everybody great--John Lennon (that was him playing on “Double Fantasy”), Yes, James Taylor, Lou Reed, Buddy Rich (?), Ringo Starr, Tom Waits and many more.)

This is a top-notch CD if you dig funky guitar instrumental recordings, or even if you like to have on quality background music while you’re at work. If you get a chance to see Jim Weider don’t miss it. He’s based in the Woodstock, New York area, so you’ll probably have a better chance seeing him if you live in the Northeast.

NOTE FOR GUITAR FANATICS: In the CD booklet, Jim lists the guitars he plays on the recording. They include: a 1952 Telecaster, a Flying Finn Telecaster (with humbuckers), a 1960 Guild Starfire, and a Gibson Sonoma Acoustic. Not being a guitar fanatic, I guess that’s good stuff!