“Ben Sparaco was up for his first Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park show since moving from South Florida to Nashville. At the advanced age of 19 (!!), Sparaco continues to grow as a superb guitarist and band leader. His tremendous set featured six tunes from new album Wooden. He is cut in the mold of Derek Trucks, but Sparaco is his own man in the same way that Trucks is.
Blasting off with ?Make Me Feel Alone Tonight,? he was definitely NOT alone during this set. Highlights from the set included an outstanding take on original tune ?Walk On the Levee? and great playing on ?Mountain Jam? and ?That?s It for the Other One? with some sweet note-bending. And about that jazz: Sparaco threw in a dynamite version of Miles Davis? ?So What? in the middle of ?Wooden? and quoted ?Volunteered Slavery? (Roland Kirk, and a Derek Trucks favorite) during closing ?Cypress Hotel.?
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If you are keeping track, King just turned 21, Heather Gillis is 22, and Ben Sparaco won?t turn 20 until August. The future of our scene is in very good hands, and these three represent just the tip of the iceberg.”