Guitarist Robben Ford reflects on music, partying and meditation on the eve of his Australian tour

At 70, he's still got super powers.

He has practically an encyclopedic memory of all the gigs and the players he's jammed and recorded with over a 50-plus year career as a guitarist.

And he's still making new music - spectacular new music. No wonder he was named among the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20^th century" by Musician magazine.

Ford arrives in Australia for a whirlwind eight-show tour in May, starting with a gig at Lizotte's on May 19 (it was sold out months ago). The other shows are at Blues on Broadbeach Music Festival on the Gold Coast; Memo Music Hall in St Kilda, Melbourne; The Factory Theatre in Sydney and The Gov in Adelaide.

"Australia has always been one of my favourite places," Ford says.

"I love the feel of the country."

It doesn't matter if it's a small club or big stage to Ford: "Anything can work. The biggest issue is sound. If they have their sound together, it doesn't matter where you are.

"It's nice to have variety in life as a performer. It is critical that it sounds good. The audience supports you, wants you to be comfortable. Otherwise, it just becomes work."

It's fair to expect a few songs off Ford's latest album, Pure, released in August 2021. It was his first instrumental album in more than 20 years, and features a tasty variety of jazz and blues, and rock tunes - all of them his original compositions.

"The track Blues for Lonnie Johnson is the track blues purists will love," says a critique in Blues Rock Review.

"It's a slow blues track that captures Ford at his best. When listening to this track I'm envisioning a late night smokey blues club while watching musicians do what they do best."

"The album is clean but gritty at the same time, bluesy but with jazz and classical influences," says Dan Wilcock of American Blues Scene.

"Ford may say there's no rock on this album, but he has a rock and roll heart. And a blues heart, a jazz heart and a classical heart. This is a release that takes the listener to all these places beyond earth's orbit."

Ford will have his usual touring band. Their credentials speak for themselves. Andy Hess on bass (Government Mule, Black Crowes, John Scofield, Steve Kimock); drummer Doug Belote out of New Orleans (Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Dr John, Anders Osborne, Jon Cleary), and saxophone player Jovan Quallo (Keb Mo, Aloe Blacc, Jake Owen).

"I've been travelling with my own band for 30 years," Ford says.

"It's not a luxury. It's what I do.

"I crave musicians who can play. When I take the stage, those are the kind of guys you want. It's hard to find. Every individual has his own vibe."

Indeed, defying labels is part of the Robben Ford story. At age 18, his band was backing Charlie Musselwhite, a blues legend. But his next was with Tom Scott and the LA Express, which was pushing jazz into the mainstream conscience. He's toured or played with the who's who of music - Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Larry Carlton, Miles Davis, Arlo Guthrie, Rickie Lee Jones, Herbie Mann, John Mayall, Phil Lesh - and recorded dozens of his own albums.

He reflects on many moments in his career on his subscriber-only website, robbenfordguitardojo.com.

Born and raised in California, he called Nashville home for the last five years. But this month he moved to Paris, France.

"It is a big move," he says. "I'm only excited about it.

"It's a kind of a life change .. I'm just ready to move on. I wanted to live in Europe my whole life. For the last 30 years, I've had this inclination ... and the doors were open."

He's toured plenty in Europe, and knows what he's getting into.

"I just need to vibe and even that feels a little more sophisticated," he says.

"People over there understand the value of friends, family, lifestyle."

He's anticipating the move will be satisfying.

"I don't want to work, but I want to play," he says he told his European promoters.

"That's the marching order. Whatever is it, it's not going to be hard. I'm going to have a blast."

Asked how he handles his hectic schedule, Ford attributed it to his lifestyle. He's a long-time devotee of meditation (he's a Buddhist), tai chi and qidong.

"I like to party. It keeps it even," he says. "It's fair trade."

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