T H E---L I N C O L N S-----N E W S

Jaws drop as musicians bridge generation gap
Son Jordan John does dad Prakash proud in 'secret' concert

Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Rob Fraboni, the esteemed American producer who's worked on albums by Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and the Rolling Stones, was trying to tell me something the other night, straining his voice to be heard over the music. We were among dozens crowded into a tiny, strip-mall club on Baseline Road, braving the blizzard for a hastily arranged gig by Jordan John, an artist I'd never heard of.
"It reminds me of the first time I saw Jimi Hendrix," Fraboni declared, comparing the prodigious guitar talent and soul-filled singing of the 21-year-old on stage to that of the iconic guitar hero of the 1960s. To me, the lanky six-footer with big brown eyes and movie-star looks also bore a passing resemblance to Entourage's Adrian Grenier.
On stage with Jordan was his dad, Prakash John, the renowned Toronto-based bassist who's played with everyone from George Clinton and James Brown to Alice Cooper. He's also a member of the legendary Canadian R&B outfit, the Lincolns. Him I'd heard of.

While Prakash and Fraboni are old friends, Fraboni wasn't just there to appease his mate. He sees a ton of potential in Jordan, and wants to work with him. This particular performance was shot for a promotional DVD -- it happened in Ottawa because of Fraboni's connection with Ottawa-based Tetra Speakers, a high-end loudspeaker company founded by Adrian Butts. The crowd was mostly made up of Butts' friends, although word also went out to fans of the Lincolns.
Spirits were high in anticipation of the "secret" gig, though Jordan seemed a little shy in the spotlight, usually letting his dad take the microphone when it was time to address the crowd. But when the young man sat down to play, he made it look effortless, his ability easily matching that of his dad's. Jaws dropped at the unbelievable display of talent from both generations.

Accompanied by drummer Al Cross, their repertoire consisted of soulful, bluesy standards, including a knock-out version of Crossroads, but also a surprising cover of Patsy Cline's I Fall To Pieces that featured the heart-tugging effect of Jordan's slide-playing.
Instrumental prowess of this calibre must have taken years to develop -- right? In Jordan's case, not exactly. In an interview between sets, he said he'd only been playing guitar for a little over two years. Piano was his first instrument, followed by drums, to his father's chagrin.
"He was a beautiful boy soprano playing piano," Prakash recalled. "Won Kiwanis at the age of 10, and then he announces, 'Well, I'm not going to sing, I don't want to play piano, I want to be a drummer.' I flipped out. It took me two years to recover from that. "Now he's gone on to play guitar and keyboards so I'm not letting him anywhere near the bass or else I'll be out of a gig," he added, grinning.

As a drummer, Jordan has played with artists such as Jeff Healey, Burton Cummings and even Prince. But one of the perks of playing guitar is being able to jam at home with his dad, who he describes as his biggest influence. "It's a real honour and a real thrill for me to be able to do that, not only because he's my dad but because he's such an accomplished musician," Jordan says.
The next step in Jordan's budding career is to develop some original material for a debut CD. Fraboni isn't the only industry bigwig itching to work with Jordan -- singer-songwriter-producer John Capek, the Canadian who wrote Rhythm of My Heart for Rod Stewart, is also interested. He too was in the audience on Friday.

While grateful for the support of his father's fans and peers, Jordan doesn't seem to be in a huge rush to be a rock star. He also tours as a sideman with harmonica wiz Carlos Del Junco and Canadian blues guitarist Shawn Kellerman. "I'm just keeping my options open, just getting as much learning done as I can and trying this out seeing how it works," he says.
Look for him in the lineup when Prakash's band, the Lincolns, pay a long-awaited return visit to Ottawa on March 20 at Greenfields Pub in Barrhaven.

The Ottawa Citizen 2008