CD Review
Duke Robillard
Blue Mood – The Songs of T-Bone Walker
(Stony Plain – SPCD1300)
by Dave "Doc" Piltz
Review date: October 2004
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Duke Robillard has been at the forefront of the music business for over thirty-seven years, since his founding of the seminal east coast blues band, Roomful of Blues. Since then Robillard has made a career as a guitarist, songwriter and producer, working with everyone from the Fabulous Thunderbirds to Bob Dylan.
Over the years Duke Robillard has been referred to as a blues, a jazz and a rock guitarist. With influences including Charlie Patton, Jimmy Witherspoon, Big Joe Turner and the legendary T-Bone Walker, it is no surprise that Robillard has been acknowledged as a master in so many genres. It is no more surprising that his latest release on the Stony Plain label is a tribute to one of his heroes, T-Bone Walker. Entitled, Blue Mood, the 12 song CD is a tribute to one of the great Texas guitarists of the 20th Century and his influence on both blues and jazz music. Upon my first listen to Blue Mood, I was instantly struck by the fact that while the vocals are all Duke Robillard, the guitar work is as true to the sound of T-Bone Walker as could ever be possible. On Blue Mood, Robillard is backed by his regular band including Jesse Williams (acoustic bass), Mark Teixeira (drums) and Matt McCabe (piano); along with several old friends from his days with Roomful of Blues, Doug James (baritone sax), Sax Gordon Beadle (tenor sax), Al Basile (coronet) and Carl Querurth (trombone). New faces Billy Novick (alto sax) and John Abrahamsen (trumpet) round out the personnel found on the recording.
Six of the twelve songs on Blue Mood are song written and performed by T-Bone Walker, along with six additional songs not written by Walker, but made famous by him during his illustrious career in Texas and later in California. Highlights on the recording include a fine version of T-Bone Shuffle with some nice cornet by Al Basile, along with Duke’s exceptional guitar; he guitar/horn rich “Alimony Blues,” a song penned by Freddie Simon and made famous by Walker; and the edgy “T-Bone Boogie” with its up tempo boogie beat.
Other notable songs (among all of the notable songs) include the very smooth title-track, “Blue Mood”; the jump blues of “Pony Tail”; the slow bluesy sound of “I’m Still In Love With You” that includes the rare blues sound of clarinet by Billy Novick; and the different bossa nova blues of “Hard Way.”
Duke Robillard is an exceptionally versatile guitarist and his versatility is evidenced on Blue Mood, as he admirably mimics one of the most versatile guitarists of the blues. Fans of both Duke Robillard and T-Bone Walker will thoroughly enjoy this recording. To find out more about Blue Mood, visit Duke’s website at www.dukerobillard.com or the Stony Plains Records website at www.stonyplainrecords.com to pick up a copy.
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