Drummer Tom Stephen was with Jeff Healey and bassist Joe Rockman right from the start of the group in Toronto, where he had moved from his Saint John, NB home. He stayed with the group until the end, when Healey let that band slide in order to pursue a bigger love, playing jazz music. During the band's heyday, from the late 80's to the late 90's, Stephen got to travel the world, perform in some of the biggest blues festivals, and meet many of the legends, including Healey mentors Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert Collins. After Healey's passing in 2008, the archives have been opened up, and lots of previously unheard music featuring the original trio is now coming onto the marketplace.

I continue to be conflicted by this major vault series. This is the 2nd live collection issued this year, and it's a big one: three full concerts on 3 CD's, plus one of them also included as a DVD. The shows come from three different time periods, so there's little song repitition. And they've managed to keep the price reasonable, under $30. So why my reticence? I'm not a huge Healey fan, but if this was somebody I collected, I'd be in heaven with the promise of lots more shows coming.

I guess it's that much of this sounds only average for the Healey band. I wouldn't call these the best performances, it's more like these are the ones they have taped. Even the sound quality isn't the most spectacular. It's not objectionable, but it's not the brightest either. There's even huge vocal error in the 1991 show here, where Healey can't hit the high notes in Angel Eyes, and makes light of it on stage. It's not the sort of thing that ends up on regular live albums.

The first gig is pretty good, as the group is still riding high on the success of the See The Light debut album, playing at the Montreal Jazz Fest in 1989. The next show, where the DVD also comes from, is the weakest, the 1991 show. At times it seems the only thing that lifts Healey into action is when the guitar solo comes up, and he knows he has to punch it. It's the third show I like the most, with the band out of its element for a bit. It's a radio broadcast from Toronto's Hard Rock in 1995, as the group was launching its Covers disc. Here the trio gets to stretch it on some fun numbers, including Stealer's Wheel's Stuck In The Middle With You, Hendrix's Angel, and The Beatles' Yer Blues.

Not every night is magic for a group. The players try to give it their all, but sometimes one little incident or mood swing can end up affecting what happens on stage. So it's buyer beware on such releases. These are the best examples of the Jeff Healey Band, they are just different ones.