To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale

When I went to the store and saw this DVD I knew it wouldn't leave my hands anymore. And I must say it's really a great DVD. It's not a rental DVD over here so people will only have the chance to buy it. It's a docu of a great man with LOTS of music. It's a DVD all big stars should have because the man stays with both feet firmly on the ground. It also shows what a great guitar player and performer the man is, so beginning artist or even advanced ones should take a look at this DVD too. The feeling I had after seeing this DVD was that the MAN himself is the style, his music is not a style but a lifestyle. I thought he was great, but he's far greater than I thought. A great opportunity for people like me out of Belgium who will never see the man live to see a man in action where all those other great ones got the juice from. It's worth every penny(Euro) I paid for it.

Having been allowed behind the scene access during this tour, I have to say that everything you see in these videos truly portrays JJ Cale in the most accurate way possible.

The film moves slow, sometimes to the point of boring. But, that's the "laid back" feel you're supposed to get. Waiting for a train to pass, sitting in a parking lot playing guitar. This is the calm, relaxed way John leads his life. Definitely something to look up to considering his financial wealth.

The interviews with Eric Clapton are great. He puts Cale on a pedestal (so to say) and credits him properly. I admire that.

This film has finally been released in the US as well and definitely worth a look for those interested in the Tulsa Sound, the roots of popular music, and of course, JJ Cale himself.

Saw the film last night at the Nashville Film Festival. The documentary follows Cale and his band on a two week trip to Tulsa and back where Cale talks about his life and his approach to his music. It was great to watch in a lot of ways .. the music was great and, as a longtime admirer of the music, I heard a lot of songs in the film that I would like to own if I could figure out their names, the scenery was kind of cool and made me wonder if the German director (who had never met Cale before he made the film) had also never been through the American southwest.

For me, the most poignant parts of the film were with JJ Cale in downtown Tulsa with an acoustic guitar playing his songs -- seeing a musician transforming from a quiet, soft-spoken man into the musical genius that he is in such a mundane setting can be magic.

The film also made me think about the way we age. Cale, who tells that he is 65, obviously looks different than he did years ago and the film's photography seemed to let you catch that young musician's face from the photos it showed in the aging face of the man as he is now.

It's a great film about a man who could be anyone you know with everyday thoughts, a dry wit and a gentle and humble approach to life.

Just watched this DVD, having got it for Christmas, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was expecting a basic concert film with maybe a couple of backstage scenes - you know the sort of thing - but this is far more than that. It's a proper documentary, running through Cale's career, including old photos and film and anecdotes, as well as visits to old haunts in Tulsa and interviews with his entourage and his long-serving tour band. Eric Clapton also makes regular affectionate contributions throughout.

All through the film J J Cale comes across as the cool and relaxed guy one would expect from his legend, but he's also got a constant twinkle in his eye and a smile and a handshake for everyone.

There's actually only a handful of live songs with the full band, which surprised me, but there's music playing all the way through and there's plenty of footage of just Cale and a guitar, which is plenty satisfying for me.

Definitely recommended to any fan, past, present or future.

I'm somewhat prejudiced, since I'm in the film, as the piano player with the Cale Band, but even allowing for that, I still think it's magnificent. If they allowed me to vote even higher than ten, I would. JJ Cale has been an enigma to most of his fans, a mystery, for years. This documentary changes that. The crew from Kick Films really captured the real JJ Cale, not an easy task. I have been playing with Cale off and on since 1957 and the JJ Cale I know is the one you'll see in this film. The DVD has now been released in the USA, on 13 June, 2006 and has been available as a region two DVD in England, Germany and Australia since late 2005. This Documentary is not to be missed!