I just gave up and recorded something else.

Now I've got my new cheap CD player playing the "Stratosphere Boogie" album starring Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West.

They remind me a lot of Les Paul. Except there are no overdubs. Of course there are two of them and a band. Les rarely had that in his later years on his recordings.

One of the researchers who was writing about Les' music in an entry once said that Les played hokie hillybilly music. That researcher obviously had no idea what Les did as a highly respected jazz music, particularly on the Carnegie Hall recording.

I've been getting into Jeff Beck a lot recently. I have had half a clue who he was for several decades but I hadn't really paid attention to him.

It was his attention to Les Paul and Les' feelings for Jeff that got my attention.

Jeff doesn't use a pick very often. I've been trying to use one less and less, partly on the advice of Kevin Eubanks, the Tonight Show guitarist.

I'm not a big fan of whammy bars, though. That could change.

If you don't care about Jeff Beck or Les Paul, at least check out Howard Roberts. He is my hero, just after Frank Zappa and Eddie Lang.