Duke has been on the music scene for years, working steadily since his conception of Roomful of Blues in 1967. He has won the “Best Blues Guitarist” award from the Blues Music Awards (previously W.C. Handy awards) four times in the last eight years. He received a Grammy nomination in 2007 for his Guitar Groove-a-rama CD. His discography takes up multiple pages on his website. A National Treasure he certainly is to the music world!
Duke Robillard and Jim McCarty at Callahan’s on 8-24-08
Longtime Detroit DJ Gene Elzy had a long running show on public radio on which he played what he called “the bluesy side of jazz and the jazzy side of the blues.” This aptly describes what Duke is now doing with the new CD, although his career has revolved more around all shades of the blues. The new disc has 10 tunes, 8 of them covers. He digs way back for some of the tunes, such as the great opener “‘Deed I Do,” written in 1926 and made famous by Perry Como in 1957. This version is a very jazzy version laced with sax, guitar and organ. The next tune is the standout one for me, a traditional called “The Lonesome Road.” This tune comes essentially in two parts. The first is a slow melancholy bit of acoustic guitar and horn that gives the feel of a slow lonesome journey, but something happens in the middle. The tempo picks up and the mood electrifies as if to say, “if I’m going down a lonesome road at least I might as well dance!” The disc is worth it for this track alone! Another standout is “Meet Me at No Special Place” (and I’ll be there at no particular time), a 1944 composition. One of his two originals, “Red Dog,” seems to show Duke tipping his hat to his jazz forefathers. The tune is an upbeat instrumental that definitely borrows heavily from Miles Davis’ classic “So What.”
What you have here is a classic performer playing some classic music while at the same time honoring the writers and players who have inspired and influenced him. If Duke comes to your town do yourself a favor and go see him. Better yet, bring along a young musician who Duke could influence and help carry the spirit of this music on to another generation!
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