Traffic - Capitol Theatre NY - 1970

This is Traffic live in concert at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, USA back on the 26th June 1970. The concert was broadcast live on the excellent WNEW-FM.

In late 1968, Traffic disbanded, guitarist Dave Mason having left the group for the second time prior to the completion of the Traffic album. In 1969, Steve Winwood joined the supergroup Blind Faith, while drummer and lyricist Jim Capaldi and woodwinds player Chris Wood turned to session work, Wood also joining Blind Faith's drummer Ginger Baker in his post-Blind Faith group Ginger Baker's Air Force for their first album.

In the beginning of 1970, after the demise of Blind Faith, the band having lasted barely six months, Winwood returned to the studio ostensibly to make his first solo album, originally to be titled Mad Shadows. He recorded two tracks with producer Guy Stevens, "Stranger to Himself" and "Every Mother's Son", but yearned for like-minded musicians to accompany. Inviting Wood and Capaldi to join him, Winwood's solo album became the reunion of Traffic, and a re-launch of the band's career.

As did most of their albums, it featured influences from jazz and blues, but the version of the traditional English folk tune "John Barleycorn" also showed the musicians attending to the same strains of folk baroque and electric folk as contemporary British bands The Pentangle and Fairport Convention.

Five live versions of the then brand new album are performed in this the second performance of the evening along with earlier material, in what is an incredible piece of the bands history.

Source: FM Broadcast.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps. 

Genre: Progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, jazz fusion.

Set: Full Late Set. 

Set List:

01. Tuning              

02. Scott Muni Intro                

03. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
04. Every Mother's Son
05. Medicated Goo
06. John Barleycorn            

07. Pearly Queen
08. Stranger To Himself            

09. Empty Pages                

10. 40,000 Headmen
11. Freedom Rider                 

12. Feelin' Good
13. No Time To Live 

Line Up:

Steve Winwood - organ, guitar, vocals
Jim Capaldi - drums, vocals
Chris Wood - sax, flute, keyboards

Web: Official Steve Winwood HERE, Jim Capaldi HERE, Chris Wood HERE.

(download link in comments below).