60 Valley Street Providence RI
Saturday May 26, 2012 9PM
Duke Robillard Jazz Trio
Quote from Downbeat magazine July 2010 issue:
Most everything Duke Robillard has done as a guitarist during the past four plus decades – two dozen feature albums, thousands of headlining gigs, co-founding Roomful of Blues, Fabulous Thunderbird Membership, quality time with, Herb Ellis, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ruth Brown, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and a long list of others-bears witness to his musical intelligence and his dedication to his craft. (Frank-John Hadley)
Duke Robillard has been a champion for America’s original musical art forms of Blues and Jazz since his dozen year stint as founder leader, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for Roomful of Blues back in 1967.
He has recently garnered two Grammy nominations in 2007 and again in 2010 for his recordings “Guitar Groove a Rama” and “Stomp the Blues Tonight.” He has received 4 Blues Music Awards trophies for best Blues guitarist and a Keeping the Blues Alive Award for producer of the year by the prestigious Blues Foundation. He’s been nominated for no less than 21 BMA awards since 1989 with 2 more nominations this year for Best Guitarist and Traditional Blues Album of the Year. In 2007 Duke was awarded the prestigious Rhode Island Pell award for excellence in the arts and has also received several awards from the Canadian Maple Blues Awards for international artist of the year and international Trophies from the French for guitarist and albums of the year.
All along his love and aptitude for jazz have been displayed throughout his career recording ‘Swing” in 1986 with his friend Scott Hamilton, then After Hours Swing Session in 1988, both for Rounder Records to wide critical acclaim. The 90’s found him teamed up with jazz guitar icon Herb Ellis for two stunning jazz guitar albums. His 2008 release on Stony Plain “A Swingin’ Session” showed his instrumental, vocal, arranging and band leading abilities to his best advantage to date and he has recently recorded two critically acclaimed CDs with vocalist Sunny Crownover called “Introducing Sunny and her Joy Boys” and in 2010 released “Tales from the Tiki Lounge” on his own “Blue Duchess” label. “Tiki” rose to number the 23 position on Americana radio in 2010 and is a loving tribute to classic jazz and blues ala Les Paul and Mary Ford who the CD was dedicated to.
Duke’s latest jazz group “The Duke Robillard Jazz Trio” is a vehicle for the talent of Duke and his rhythm section of Mark Teixeira on Drums and Brad Hallen on acoustic bass to swing through their great repertoire of Swing era tunes and Jazz classics along with some jazz/blues that will move your soul AND your feet!
Duke says: “the openness and freedom of the trio allows me to express myself fully as an improviser and my guys are ready for the unexpected turns that a trio format allows. It’s a fun and fulfilling experience for us and the listener. My penchant for 30’s tunes and blues gives us, I believe, a unique twist on a jazz guitar trio”
Brad Hallen, besides being a member of the Duke Robillard Band for 3 years and his bass playing has been heard in the bands and recordings of Roomful of Blues, Susan Tedeschi, James Cotton, Johnny Winter, Hubert Sumlin Aimee Mann, Elliot Easton, Iggy Pop and many more.
Mark Teixeira has been a Duke Robillard Band member for 10 years and was schooled in jazz drumming by the great Alan Dawson. He has played and recorded with Al Kooper’s Funky Faculty, Ruth Brown, Rick Danko, J Geils, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Dr Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Paul Broadnax and many other roots music greats
318 Blackwell Street Durham, NC
