POP MUSIC REVIEW : Robben Ford Offers Blues Set

You’ve got to give guitarist Robben Ford credit. His opening set at At My Place on Monday (the first of a two-night stand) was an effective return for the musician known for his jazz fusion work to the classic blues he described as his “real musical preference.”

Concentrating on material from his new Warner Bros. album “Talk to Your Daughter,” Ford sang passably well and played a lot better in a program that ranged from the title song (an old J. B. Lenoir number) to Bobby (Blue) Bland’s “Blind Man.”

A supporting band consisting of drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Roscoe Beck and keyboard Russell Ferrante occasionally urged Ford into a rhythmic charge that pushed well beyond the familiar limits of reconstructed blues. But the evening’s energy more often came from enthusiasm and affection for the blues rather than from a creative advancement of the music.

In addition, Ford’s failure to acknowledge the composers of many of the pieces raised the uncomfortable question of just whose blues are his real musical preference.