Duke Robillard – Roll With Me
From what I understand this was started in 2005 by the veteran award-winning blues artist Duke Robillard (guitar/vocals) who started with The Roomful of Blues, the Fabulous Thunderbirds & the Legendary Blues Band. He’s recorded with Bob Dylan, John Hammond & Ruth Brown (among others).
Duke’s self-produced 12-track Roll With Me (Drops Aug 30/Stony Plain Records/47:06) is blues but this isn’t the spare back porch with a jug blues or juke joint 3-piece on stage surrounded by Christmas lights type blues. This is more Big Band/swing blues. If Benny Goodman had an all-out blues band — this might be it.
The opener is Eddie Boyd’s “Blue Coat Man,” & it swings as much as Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, or even the Butterfield Blues Band in its horn era. There’s a radiant Bar-Kays (“Soul Finger”) horn inflection & Arthur Connely’s fiery “Sweet Soul Music” type of gusto.
An older Duke tune “Just Kiss Me” comes together with the addition of horns. To my ears, the song is more soulful than blues. I can hear Chuck Jackson or Gene McDaniel’s as well. The guitar solo is supported by smooth horns & it’s like chocolate & potato chips.
Fats Dominio was not a blues artist but his tune “Are You Going My Way,” with its 50s early 60s sax solo & rollicking drum beats is the glaze on the donut. I think the single word is dynamic, once you add that stride piano.
There’s an atmosphere of the 60s in some of these tracks. The sax tones from the Rockin’ Rebel’s marvelous hit instrumental “Wild Weekend,” occasionally peek through the curtains on some solos. But that’s me. Lots of these numbers are finger-popping & toe-tapping – something that isn’t necessarily always a blues song. “Boogie Uproar,” oh yeah, that’s worth the price of admission.
It’s amazing how unfinished pieces can suddenly spring to life later. The Rolling Stones’ classic “Start Me Up,” was a reggae song but it was discarded. As a rock song years later, it was exceptional. The funny thing about music is that you have to have the “spirit,” the “vibe” & “muse” when you create stuff like this.
“My Plea” is cool. It’s a slow-wrenching blues with a Pam Murray trombone solo – now that’s originality.
Highlights – “Blue Coat Man,” “Just Kiss Me,” “Are You Going My Way,” “Boogie Uproar,” “My Plea,” the excellent “Give Me Back My Money” & “Don’t You Want To Roll With Me.”
Musicians – Mark Teixeira (drums), Marty Ballou (acoustic/electric bass), Matt McCabe & Bruce Bears (pianos), Chris Cote (vocal/2 tracks), Doug James & Mark Earley (baritone/tenor saxes), Rich Lataille (alto/tenor saxes), Pam Murray & Carl Querfurth (trombones), Doug Woolverton (trumpet), Sugar Ray Norcia (harmonica) & Al Basile (cornet).
Color image courtesy of Brian Blauser. CD @ Amazon + Bandcamp + https://stonyplainrecords.com/dukerobillard/ & https://dukerobillard.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Music Reviews: Ian Noe and Duke Robillard, plus Genevieve Racette and Jefferson Ross
