David Landon

              San Francisco Bay Area guitarist David Landon, whose sideman credits include work with Frankie Lee, earl Thomas and Lenny Williams, is a consistently creative player who holds back when he wants and charges ahead when the mood calls for excitement. He utilizes several sonic shifting devices such as tremolo bar and wah-wah pedal, but only sparingly, instead keeping the focus on his clean articulation and wonderfully melodic lines that draw B.B. King tradition leavened with hints of jazz. His solos are models of well- refined taste, as is his sensitive use of dynamics. I Like It Too Much, his fifth CD in 17 years features 11 original songs. 
          He is a superb tunesmith. “I like it too much - though I know that it’s true, it aint good for me but it’s just what I want to do”. He sings in light tenor tones on the shuffling title track about smoking, drinking, womanizing, staying up all night and sleeping all day. His compositions are distinguished by clever chord substitutions, turn arounds, instrumental breaks and other variations on standard blues structures. Landon’s humor-laced vocal and guitar duet with Alvon Johnson (another underrated Bay Area Bluesman) on the rocking That’s What Friends Are For is particularly pleasing. Three instrumentals further serve to put the spotlight on Landon’s remarkable guitar prowess. 
         Landon carefully produced the CD- surrounding himself with a changing cast of first-rate players while maintaining the continuity of the program. The include B-# organist Tony Stead and Melvin Seals, pianist Steve Willis, bassist Steve Evans, drummers Randy Hayes and Andrew Griffin, harmonica blower Michael Peloquin and saxophonist Charles McNeal. The performances are nicely enhanced by a horn section playing punching arrangements by Kelly Park and Landon himself.