Al Basile is steady. A founding member in the 1970s of the enduring New England-based jump blues outfit Roomful of Blues, Basile stays busy churning out really good music, including Woke Up in Memphis in 2013, B’s Expression in 2015, Mid-Century Modern in 2016 and last year’s outstanding Quiet Money. But what is surprising about cornet player and […]
Bill’s Blues-Based Best – 2015
There’s no way we can claim to track all the new music that comes out in a year. But we’re wired to find what we like. While I certainly enjoy the alt. country artists so popular on Twangville (caught Jason Isbell’s show at the Electric Factory last summer – fantastic!) I tend to write more […]
The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard
Duke Robillard has pretty much reached a point in his career when he knows he doesn’t have to try to impress anyone. He can play what he wants, and if you want to come along for the ride, so much the better. With the Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard, which releases Friday, Robillard […]
Duke Robillard – Calling All Blues
Duke Robillard is a blues guitar icon. A multiple Blues Music Award winner and Grammy nominee, if Robillard had stopped at creating the jump blues revival outfit Roomful of Blues in the late 1960s, his contribution to blues music would have been sizable. Jump blues, an up-tempo form of blues often featuring horns that was […]
Duke Robillard – Independently Blue
Duke Robillard, a founding member of Roomful of Blues and the first great guitarist to emerge from the band, has a long track record of superb guitar work. Unlike his fellow Roomful alumnus Ronnie Earl, Robillard is a colorful singer as well as a guitarist, and Robillard’s music usually frames his vocals, although he has also […]