Description
Joe Louis Walker is a walking encyclopedia of blues history, and blues vocal and guitar styles. In fact, one of the very few who can match his eclectic tastes in music is Duke Robillard, the veteran guitarist who founded Roomful of Blues when he was a teenager, and who has made a dozen albums for Stony Plain. Holger Petersen, who heads the Canadian-based roots label, was delighted by the choice of Robillard as producer for “Witness for the Blues.” And for Robillard, the sessions were a joy. “There’s a lot of diversity on this CD, yet it hangs together really well.” The material — more than half the 11 tracks were written by Walker — includes two traditional blues pieces (Sugar Mama and Rollin’ and Tumblin’) which he completely transforms. A highlight of the CD is a killer duet with Shemekia Copeland on Lover’s Holiday. The back up players are all musicians with long experience with Robillard, including horn players Doug James and Scott Aruda, Bruce Katz on keys, Jon Ross on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums. Robillard himself adds guitar parts on five cuts. Both vocally and instrumentally, Joe Louis Walker is indeed a witness for the blues, and the creative, sometimes startling approach to America’s most significant music holds a bright lantern for others to follow.More Info
- Call
- 415.292.2583 (Box Office)
Comments