Robben Ford KOKO JAZZ CLUB Helsinki 2022

An intimate night at the Koko Jazz Club in Helsinki with some great musicians: Timo Hirvanen on Bass - Holgar Marjamaa on organ & Jussi Lehtonen on drums.

[@meshackgaolathe6492]

The guy on keyboards is special. Can’t get enough of him

[@stuartkinzel8195]

I wish I was in a band with a killer keyboard player. There just don't seem to be any at all around my area.

[@SteveHubbardGuitar]

@@stuartkinzel8195 And not just keyboard, but B3. It's a special skillset, that not everyone with a Nord can do right.

[@m.vonhollen6673]

@@SteveHubbardGuitar Moving a B-3 with a Leslie… someone has to pay for that.

[@warrenbutterfield4208]

Let’s not mince words, he can play the livin’ Lesley out of that thing But quite frankly I’d had enough of the whole bag of tricks already spilled all over the floor about 2:38 in. Whenever I come across some of these guys …..and yes they are talented…. I go back to John Ginty. There is something way deeper across the emotional spectrum when he gets it going. Forget Joe DiMaggio… Where have you gone Keith Emerson? A whole bunch of nations turn their lonely eyes and ears to your fully stabbed keys.

[@FrensTimmerpens]

@@stuartkinzel8195 i had the grace to play with a great Hammond player who is never overwelming the gig! Its a pity the band stopped after and due to Carano shit!!

[@Jesse_Johnson]

I love that it’s 2022 and we still get Robben live. Only gotten better with time. Long live Mr. Robben Ford!!!

[@user-ko8ms2oq7i]

He is in his mid-age. what r u talking about....

[@Jesse_Johnson]

@@user-ko8ms2oq7i huh? Dude is gotta be pushing 70. That’s not middle age. Lol. What are youuuuuuuuu talking about.

[@stevetautog880]

there are so many great guitarist I want to learn from and Robin has been on that list for about 25 years there are so many,,,,,, but thanks to this performance now i see where he is really coming from and I dig it man and at the tender age of 65 will begin an in depth study of this great player

[@stevetautog880]

to add, I want to mention a player, he is the brother of the late great Danny Kalb blues project circa 1967, and earlier,) and he ,btw, was accepting sudents in 1979 when I managed to go for a couple of years ,,, so . like I started to say, get this , he has a brother, who is still playing I bet h is not a day under 70 he is slight in stature versus Danny who was rather rotund, as thanks to Covid now I am as Rotund, anyway I would say that the brother plays in this style as Robbin his name is same last name Kalb Jonathen and there are a few things up here on KZbin just wanted to share that,,,,,,,,,,

[@marystevens5130]

Amen!

[@spinelldete]

At 71 Robben Ford finally reaches puberty. His singing is better than ever, the PRS suits him well. Awsome band too.

[@GS-uy4xo]

Definitely agree his vocal sounds invigorated - maybe less forced, great to hear him this way. But I still I prefer him on his Les Paul and Dumble rig - maybe a bit more grit.. but I’m not complaining!

[@marcob.7801]

He's only 70!

[@rozalisonnybahari2586]

hahahaha..good assumption.. Then there's still hope for Geezers like me!

[@tswrench]

As if it matters what brand of fiddle he plays. Seen him live many times, and never heard him play a guitar that didn't suit him.

[@ThomasBN4G]

Some of us are late bloomers lol!

[@goswo]

Ahhhhhhh, music. Real music, real artists, real instruments. Real living….

[@rmoraespinto]

I always love to hear (and SEE) Robben displaying his playing full of subtlety and magic. He knows it all, all the tricks of the trade. He is flashy in a way that no other guitar hero is -- by holding back his extraordinary pick skills and not displaying useless scales and boring guitar runs. To say that he is tasteful is a truism, He touches my deepest musical sensibility and I am quite grateful for him being in the business for so long. Long live Robber Ford and his music!

[@warrenbutterfield4208]

Very nice comment Roberto. Certainly Robben can play….. I’m drawn back to the days decades ago when I first discovered him. Everybody is drawn to the new PRS… Gee wiz another black guitar! However your name reminds me of some thing more nostalgic. I had two different Ford Pinto’s back in the day… The first one was a light mossy green and we nicknamed it ‘the Minto.’. Of course playing with the cassette player (Possibly Robben Ford maybe playing North Carolina at the time I was rewinding) it died in a head on crash Thankfully not from the deadly rear. My girlfriend wasn’t too impressed when I was trying to pick her up I told her we may be taking the bus. Pinto number two was more exotic and Ford had come around to finally admitting these things blow faster than an M 80 when struck from behind::: This one had kind of a junky dirty antique brass finish so we dubbed it “the copper coffin”…. My brother was last seen driving it on or around 1981. It was dying a slow death and he decided to go 4 wheeling with a friend and a case of Budweiser in the woods in northern New Jersey. My brother and his friend were experienced motocross riders and decided to take ‘the copper coffin’ trail riding. They literally went speeding over the backside of a hill in the woods. The car was airborne and jammed and stopped mid air between two trees about 30 inches off the ground. Like me luckily they didn’t put either of their heads through the windshield but they probably came close. They abandoned ship, brought the rest of the case of cold ones home (it was really less than a mile) Went back two days later to remove the Vin numbers. I think the car sat there rusting although you couldn’t tell by the color… For a number of years till some greedy developer went in with a backhoe there and destroyed our private Unadilla. Crime of the century, to this day unsolved well till I opened my big mouth,.

[@Improveng1]

Very well said sir.

[@interstellarwarpdrive9600]

100% True❤

[@apphappy3796]

YOU took took the words right out of my mouth.

[@minoz55]

Band warm-up 7:50 Bird's nest bound 13:10 Everything I do gonna be funky 17:50 Band introduction 18:50 Go 26:20 Oh Virginia 31:55 What I haven't done

[@mapp4751]

Nice to see real musicians at work for a change! Glad such people are still out there Thankfully!

[@apphappy3796]

Ill second that.

[@chuckdriver8269]

Robben Ford on a PRS just makes perfect sense. 🎸🇺🇸

[@robpapp2145]

Killer band!…that rhythm section,,wow,,

[@ryanphelan6861]

Incredible 👍

[@professorhamamoto]

Rockin' the Robben Ford signature PRS. Sounds great. Whoever engineered this live performance did a fine job.

[@bradt.3555]

Funny how more n more top guitarists are using a guitar that people kept telling me would never give Gibby or Fender a run. The first PRS I ever played in a store I ended up buying. I have a R8, 335, Strat but they don't compare overall to my PRS's.

[@tangotommi]

Absolutely, the cymbal ringout, the bass too, clarity.

[@tangotommi]

Robben is one of the most underrated guitarist on the planet. Thank you so much!

[@bradt.3555]

@@tangotommi It's like Martin Barre, not that there underrated, they just don't get noticed or publicized like some of the others, which in a lot of cases aren't as good a player.

[@tobe2056]

@@bradt.3555 Odd coz I had the opposite experience. I went through several PRS and sold them all. Just not a fan. Not enough character/uniqueness for me, tonally, compared to my vintage stuff. Solid tho and lots of pple play them. I didn't dig the neck profiles either. First thing I did was change the pups. Wasn't enough. Glad RF is getting his due with a sig model. Not his first btw. I have a few. Including a Fender 1984 RF Elite. And a cple Baker B1's. Robben has had a lot of great builders make gits for him. When he walked up in this video I thought at first he brought his a Baker. Amazing how he can pick up local musos and make it work. Great players they are. But for an artist like RF that's taking quite a chance. So great it worked out well. I guess he's not traveling with his guys anymore.

[@QuinnGuitar]

Love you, Robben. Thank you

[@edwardjons8684]

That PRS brings out the nuances of Robben’s rhythm playing clear as a bell, and the band are brilliant, not least the guy on keys.

[@jlr022159]

Yeah I think so as well and it’s so weird because it hasn’t been that long ago when he said that “PRS just isn’t my thing”… and here is sporting one and it sounds great!

[@skunkymuggles]

His PRS signature about to be release this year sssasssh...

[@BasilHayden]

he's playing great as usual, but that little top end sparkle missing a bit. PRS's have that smoothing/compressed sound. i guess i'm used to the tele. Like listen to this...wow! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJjMapqmn9Zqeqc

[@BigEdWo]

@@BasilHayden the tele sounds way better, what a difference. this prs sounds almost dead. nevertheless great playing.

[@blindboy1787]

Lovely playing - this band is grooving out and cooking. Nice to see Robben with the PRS.

[@marcob.7801]

This fellow Holgar is ridiculously fabulous on that B-3,....wow!

[@steveshaffer8981]

Never heard Robben sound better! This kicks serious ass!

[@jorbv8]

What a Fantastic Band... And the new PRS is great actually

[@timothydaniels504]

Robben is such an interesting musician. You appreciate the way he can lay back and play quietly in the mix, then pull out all the stops. He’s kind of a humble genius.

[@diego9000]

Love Robben, such a class act! Like how he tells the guy that is filming with his cell phone to stop recording (at 8.37) Seems like he wants the audience to live the concert experience trough eyes and ears not trough a cell phone screen.

[@ronnynast]

He did it again at 22:37! He really hates the phones up in the front row!

[@ronnynast]

And again at 27:20. This time he says “dude”. For some reason it rubs me the wrong way! 😂

[@diego9000]

Hahahah yeahhh thats true! Poor guy 😅 Robben can be a little though sometimes 😁

[@56davidwright]

I guess we are all watching the little screen 😁

[@alexmoore84]

@@56davidwright yeah but when we do it from home on youtube we're not distracting the performer and blocking the view of the people behind us

[@user-uu6mk5cr6l]

These guys from Finland are killing it! And Robben is just as tasty as it gets.

[@user-ck9pq4pu9z]

I'll be damned , what a great players from Finland. A dream band

[@youKnowWho3311]

PRS sounds stellar. Glad to see Robin on one.

[@SorinPopovici985]

too refined for me....no grit at all. I mean crystal clear, but just dont expect that from blues. 90% he is clean into the amp.

[@MrScrofulous]

I think it's because he saw Tag playing one. Tag knows tone.

[@warrenbutterfield4208]

Got it agree with Alex here. PRS makes some fantastic instruments…. So why is Carlos Santana squeezing all kinds of nuance out of his these days and although this has a pristine tone it almost sounds like Robin is playing ‘elevator blues’ I remember finding one of his early albums in the bargain bin with North Carolina on it. The tone and the sound on that record is stellar. I’ve seen him a couple times he just doesn’t seem to get there and I hate saying that.

[@youKnowWho3311]

@@warrenbutterfield4208 The best I can come up with is that it's a jazz room that he is playing his tunes in. Perhaps that was his approach to tone, and/or he's on backline gear beyond the PRS.

[@ruckailo88]

What model Is the PRS ? Please

[@pekkaek9576]

Great gig, i was there. Robben had very clean sound as usual. Groovy band and Robben played loud,yeah.

[@stevenjewell460]

This is the best clean guitar player ever! Perfection!

[@AlonRozenblit]

That new signature PRS sounds like honey! Amazing musicians, every single one

[@Quebecoisegal]

Wonderful intro on the Hammond!! Very supportive competent band.

[@ardenstevens2466]

Love the sound of that PRS

[@pillitube]

Absolutely brilliant! Such a great set. I chuckled at 27:38 "I've been an unstable man".....and the cameraman almost falls over... :)

[@paristexas919]

🤣🤣🤣

[@laurieharper1526]

Great band. Tight and concise playing.

[@alexhauser405]

Super Robben Ford ! un des meilleurs bluesman de tous les temps 🔥🔥🔥

[@bunskilabonskiwashtubfun9841]

"Everything I do, gonna be funky, from now on".........Thank you Robben Ford!

[@Chris-rj5kn]

Audio was done perfectly. Great sound and superb musicians. I first saw Robben playing with Joni Mitchell about 1975. Then again at a small indoor concert at UCLA - about 1979.

[@jonathanavery7583]

Killer band Robben. Your playing is outta sight. Also, the mix is spot on for KZbin. Mate, fantastic!

[@AlexSharesTheView]

God, how do they sound this great playing live? Both the quality of playing and the recording.

[@jimmyv1301]

Pro players, pro sound engineer, pro gear.

[@pawineepusri9111]

Mr. Ford, I have been listening to you for nearly 40 years… live, on record, studio sessions. This is a joyous recording so good that it must be made available and heard by many. Great playing by you and these Finnish musicians. Thank you Robben!

[@FrettieFingers]

50 for me...went to his high school. 🙂

[@apphappy3796]

Same here ill been listening to Robben Ford since the late 70s early 80s. Ine of Best Guitarist ever made.

[@orwellsgoatatemyradishes4358]

My favourite guitarist,man,his playing is simply sublime.

[@carlenallador8611]

Thank you so much Sir Robben Ford for sharing this amazing upload with us. 🙏💞🎶

[@edcolins5498]

What a band, like they playin with Robben for ages !

[@wallabumba]

Robben Ford is for the discerning taste. Always impeccable. Entirely underrated.

[@wmdoux2108]

Underrated? By who? Not by anybody who knows great playing when they hear it.

[@wallabumba]

@@wmdoux2108 Indeed that is true. No disrespect meant to Mr. Ford.

[@petereiseman-investor]

Great band, exceptional keys and Robben is always amazing to hear.

[@johnpeterson5354]

So much guitar education to plug in and play with this video. Robben is our leader . . . . So clean, so proficient!

[@NickGranville]

Great band, grooving nicely. Especially like the organ players approach. And that PRS sounds sweet, really suits Robben's style of playing.

[@yourefromdownsouth9728]

I completely agree about the PRS. I have never bonded with them because they can sound a little sterile to me, but here it is absolutely perfect, with that brilliant clarity letting all of Roben’s subtle chord voicings shine through. Great performance, great sound quality, and the right tool for the job. Fantastic!

[@SteveG123]

PRS has a transparent sound which in Roben's hands is a plus but I do agree with you that in the incorrect hands, that transparency is closer to sterility. They are extremely well made gits, though.

[@anttihyvarinen1838]

Nice to hear afterwards that Robben Ford was here. ..Note: audience is real, not moving, nothing wrong finnish music lovers..😄

[@yarygork2334]

filming in front row with the dumb phone was wrong.

[@jdcaporali]

Thanks for posting this, Robben sounds amazing, the band is great, and the video and sound quality is top notch!

[@imme.7106]

Best sounding "live"video I've seen! Makes it a supreme pleasure to listen to this living legend!(Bet he hates that reference!!) Bass tone is really sweet too!

[@thomasgilson6206]

Robben is the perfect mix of Jazz and Blues. Love the Authorized Bootleg. My favorite live album of all time.

[@user-xv1lh5id6q]

Only Pops.Not Jazz.

[@supapornchirabancha6796]

Good dynamic drummer!

[@panavisionnot7180]

What a great backing band , great balance.. and Robben's playing and singing just does not seem to age..

[@johannesschmid3027]

"Old" Robben with open mind to integrate young and talented musicians...a wonderfull result.🥰

[@jonathonmcmillan9410]

it's been a while since I've seen a real live B3 and someone who can drive it like this! Superb!

[@Drinckx2]

This is a fantastic recording, and then there is the off-the-charts playing. Great stuff!

[@TimoMakela-mf2cz]

Ford is a nice car.But what a guitarrist... Wonderful live performance !Great band!

[@juzzybassgrove4354]

GREAT band, fantastic bassist

[@JoseRamos-eu2fo]

What a groovy band!

[@fredguldentops6081]

This is a beautiful concert (and unlike many youtuben live concerts with a good quality), I would like to see the second part. Robben Ford is of course an icon in his style and has mostly recorded with the best musicians like Charlie Haden, Kenny Garret, Larry Goldings, ... But this band here feels really perfect for Ford's music, they should record an album of this concert and I would buy it. The bass players timing and groove, the drummers orchestrates a lot and adds a lot of colours but it's never too much, he has an incredible ear for detail without going over the top. And the opening tune they played in trio was really great playing, a nice theme with the three parts. It may sound like a "warm up" jam but It feels like they know the tune very well and have played it before (which it deserves)

[@stephendawg1]

Great band! Great mix! Love Robben’s playing.

[@jboughtin7522]

This was a treat. These guys sound great together.

[@rmoraespinto]

Everytime I hear RF playing the guitar I feel it is a revelation. Incredible chops and delivery. Thank you for uploading.

[@apphappy3796]

You ain't kidding.

[@corrindion]

Wow! Great musicians! Fabulous!

[@papapetad]

Thank you so much for sharing the recording. You all rock...the blues :)

[@user-gg5eu2zb1g]

This is the best performance I have seen since the pandemic！！

[@stashe8083]

I’m so thankful to be seeing this. Thank you, Robben! 🙏🏻

[@MesaGuitarGuy]

I first saw Robben in the early 90's and he just blew my mind! Danny Gatton was the "opener" that night, I think they took turns headlining. Man, what a show!

[@yarygork2334]

wonder if Robben had a tele to play back then? Danny was a tele wizard.

[@fusionfan6883]

I’ve followed Robben from day one and seen him with many bands, but I have to say this backing band is one of the best in recent times for sure🤘🏻 I am not sure if it is a pick up band for this gig, but Robben could do worse than record with them, they are all right on it!🎸🔥

[@meshackgaolathe6492]

Definitely

[@Theweeze100]

Agreed!!!

[@canalsalvamendez]

Fantastic band indeed!!

[@stephendawg1]

Word!

[@frankadams4586]

The musicians are all based in Finland and were contracted for this gig.

[@anttikoponen9647]

What a superb gig!!! Great band and Robben is as great as ever!!! 😀👍

[@donniedonnie639]

Such tasty playing and great rhythm too! Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful music Robben.

[@cesarepelaschier4829]

i have never heard such perfection,the sound the musicians just top notch.

[@Diplomat924]

Thanks Robin for your generosity and leadership in teaching your students. You are now and forever an Icon. Congrats and Thanks for your instructional videos. ;-)

[@gregdemeterband]

Great Blues Player....Robben Ford... Great songs...Originality shines...

[@ppguitars]

What a band!

[@phillyman5000]

Ashamed to admit, never heard of Robben Ford but I certainly will listen from this point on!! Great stuff!!

[@realtruenorth]

he is one of the great ones, a living legend.

[@franckrichard8077]

I saw him several times in Paris, but one time I was very close to the stage, less than 2 meters from the guy. A true guitar lesson ! He is a model for us aspiring guitarists !

[@jrmamg]

What a great band. Take that on the road to the US. Robben you sound great, vocals as well.

[@Jesus-hp1ho]

Brutal Robben and Holgar with B3

[@georgemouchaty1104]

What a tremendous musician is RF. by the years he became a loupe clean diamond..!!!! A great band too.

[@EddyLemaire]

It’s so great to see Robben, hear some great guitar! I think he is THE master, always perfect, never boring or demonstrating , perfect skill. I’ve seen him two times and expect him to come in France, please Robben come to Provence, south of France and taste good wine !😎🎶👏

[@yvesnadeau]

Amazing trio, what a treat for Robben.

[@thehumblepundit9790]

Best tone I've heard out of Robben since his first Blue Line record. Brilliant.

[@kenster865]

Seems he's moved away from his Dumbles of late. Looks like his amp is a Fender offering (can't tell which one), likely vintage. I agree... cool sound.

[@tonypadina6006]

Absolutely! Do you know what his new guitar is?

[@thehumblepundit9790]

@@tonypadina6006 it's a signature model he's working on with Paul Reed Smith.

[@thehumblepundit9790]

@@kenster865 I think Mr. Ford had a bit of a moving away from Dumbles. He went to get one fixed by someone other than Dumble (before he died) and that's apparently a serious no no. Dumble was very quirky about that. The only person he wanted touching his amps was him. He would black ball you if you deviated. Dumbles were, after all, modded Fenders. So a vintage Fender with a treble boost could do the trick.

[@imanalien2222]

@@kenster865 looks to be a Red Knob Twin. He uses them over seas when without the Dumble.

[@SolarEnergyExpoRallySEER-ek5lt]

you never cease to amaze, thanks home man Mendocino County

[@FelixGarcia-vi6fy]

SUPER!!!👍Robben! And the Band !Fantastic!!!🙏🏻🎶🎼🎸

[@KsiazeIgor]

Had loads of fun working with this particular live set on me headphones. Boosted my creativity, thank you so much, Robben!

[@VeriteProductions1]

Slow burn man. Robben is probably one of the most versatile guitar players out there. Play on man.

[@hegartyj1]

Lovely tone, and the touch is sublime as usual. I really like the slightly more laid-back vibe of this gig. PS: The new guitar sounds and looks just wonderful. PS2: those musicians are fantastic! They sound like they play with Robben week.

[@John-the-Bass]

The new guitar sounds just great. It looked like a great gig. I am waiting to see Robben the next time he visits UK. Thanks for this!

[@markh6384]

Let's hope he comes!

[@JordanHigginsGuitar]

Saw him this past March in Ronnie Scott’s, one of the best gigs I’ve seen by far.

[@TheHonudiver]

Alas, Robben has bowed to the King, Paul Reed Smith...

[@molotulo8808]

The greatest jazz musicians that passed away are looking down with a smile. They're sayin' "that's good shit" because They know great jazz lives on ...

[@freddievaldez6587]

I love how RF does the sleight of hand with the pick as he alternates with fingerstyle. I'll have to practice that one...

[@SDisonYT]

I had no idea Robben played PRS sometimes. I thought he only played old classic Gibson’s and Fenders. Very cool.

[@grooveitman929]

As far as I know they are about to launch the PRS Robben Ford model after some years of trials. He has been seen using it in some tunes in his new album, you can see him in videos done during recording with this same guitar. Signature pickups in it.

[@yarygork2334]

PRS tone is said to be right in between a fender Strat and a Gibson les Paul. Best of both worlds here. 1/2 of the great tone is from the tube black face Fender amp. Vibroverb?

[@oddarvearnes3457]

A really fresh performance with great musicians and Robben i great shape!

[@heinersaggel7455]

The man is 70te! Sing and play with the energie of a youth!

[@ericd.5306]

Woah ! Really fantastic ! I love Robben, but i didn't know the band ! Thank you guys ! Music like this is the best addiction. 🎸🎹🎤🎶

[@nathanpickett202]

Beautiful guitar tone!

[@user-ij3kv2lc5z]

Löysin Robbenin musiikin 80-luvulla. Tämä on kyllä aivan mahtava tallenne, kaikki toimii. Robbenin nähnyt toki kaksi kertaa livenä ja olleet mahtavia keikkoja. Olen tavattoman ylpeä suomalaisena tästä bändistä Robbenin taustalla

[@liviodedola7453]

Superlativo !!!!Mr Robben Ford

[@karivierimaa5908]

That's a great band. I've seen Timo Hirvonen on bass before, he's fantastic. His body language is really interesting, he seems to be at the same time really stiff and yet totally groovy 😀

[@warrenbutterfield4208]

Early in the mix didn’t seem to me like you could hear anything bass… but the percussion and the billion notes B3. I was wondering if he was plugged in or the sound guy forgot to put a coaster under his drink.

[@Sammywhat]

What a fantastic set! Wow!! The mix on this was superb!! Robben never ever disappoints. 🙏

[@BNC593]

Wow! Holy Sh!t! That intro was incredible. Also the lows and depth coming from the Hammond is mind blowing good!

[@KazKasozi]

Smoking! Thanks for posting this.

[@orffrocks5667]

What a. treat to hear RF! And a great band; really listening to each other. Cool.

[@LPCustom3]

Great Band!! I got real drunk with Robben about late 80's at the Palamino Club in L.A.(No. Hollywood). He had come to see a band I was in play. We hung for a couple hours. Great guy! This band is Great!! they all listen to each other!

[@kerrycosner6533]

Another outstanding example of less is more! Only the most important well placed notes!

[@bernhardwasem6228]

Absolutely fantastic. Following him now over 30 years as a big Zappa fan. A pity they never played together.