One of the most brilliant performances in the history of the electric guitar is definitely this one by Gary Moore at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990 when he performed in a masterful way, the instrumental composition ‘The Messiah Will Come Again’ by the late guitarist Roy Buchanan, pioneer of the Telecaster sound.
Gary performed the cover on his legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard which he himself named “Greeny”, in honor of its first owner, as well as his great idol, Peter Green, legendary former guitarist of the British band Fleetwood Mac, that he himself founded after he left the Bluesbreakers by John Mayall in 1967. Green had sold the Les Paul to Moore in 1972 after he leaving Fleetwood Mac. Peter Green played a lot of gigs and recorded many songs with that guitar, included “Black Magic Woman”.
Green’s Les Paul was considered “magic” for its out-of-phase sound, a nasal tonality missing from the typical Les Paul repertoire. Moore sold the guitar in 2006 for financial reasons. It eventually ended up in the hands of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, who purchased it in 2014.
But now watch and enjoy this amazing performance on stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990. Roy Buchanan was a great guitarist but the version of this song by Gary is for sure better than original.
R.I.P. Gary Moore (April 4, 1952 - February 6, 2011)
