Tedeschi Trucks Band, led by the husband-and-wife team of singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks, have grown into one of the most deeply skilled and admired musical ensembles in the world. 2016 was the 12-piece juggernaut's most impressive and successful year to date.
Loaded with triumphant follow-ups and notable firsts - from headlining the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to performances in 7 countries abroad and multiple-night sell-outs in major cities across the U.S., including a 6-night stint at New York City's Beacon Theatre, to a second annual "Wheels of Soul" summer amphitheater tour - the group played more shows and sold more tickets than in any year of their 6-year history; not to mention releasing third studio album, Let Me Get By, produced by Trucks with songs written for the first time as an ensemble, praised by Rolling Stone for its "Stax-Volt funk muscle and jazzy New Orleans elegance."
The definitive 15-track 3LP-set, Live From The Fox Oakland, TTB's first live offering since 2012's Everybody's Talking, captures the band performing in September 2016 at the absolute top of their game. From the opening notes of "Don't Know What It Means," to their transcendent takes on Derek and the Dominos' "Keep On Growing," Leonard Cohen's "Bird On The Wire" and The Beatles' "Within You, Without You," to the closing solo on "Let Me Get By," Live From The Fox Oakland is yet another galvanizing document of one of the finest bands around and one who's only getting better with time.
"The filmmakers who were working on the 'Mad Dogs & Englishmen' tribute we did with Leon Russell (in 2015) sent us a sizzle reel and the way they did it felt so good we invited them to come out on our West Coast tour and they filmed our two shows at Oakland and recorded every show of the tour to do maybe a compilation live album," explains Trucks to the Herald Tribune. “But the second night in Oakland felt so good we decided to make the live album that one show...I like it...There's a pretty amazing version of 'Bird on the Wire, and with Leonard Cohen and Leon passing it feels even more relevant...There are also a lot of tunes from the new record and it captures Alam Khan on sarod. He came out and sat in with the band. I recorded with him a few times and he showed up that night to do 'These Walls'" from our Revelator album and the stuff he plays throughout is just awesome."
