On this special edition of Something Else! Reviews’ One Track Mind, we hand the reins over to blues legend Duke Robillard, founder of Roomful of Blues and former member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. You May Also Like: How Pee Wee Ellis Finally Stepped Into the Spotlight With ‘Blues Mission’

The new nominations for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 elicited the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth — even amongst us. You May Also Like: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Open Letter: Stop Being the Old Boys’ Club When John Frusciante Returned toRead More

After a desultory, red-light district blast of horns, the Wynton Marsalis-led Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra settles into this funereal rhythm, swaying from side to side as Eric Clapton rips off a few blues-simmered, heartfelt asides. If you hadn’t checked the liner notes, the song itself — a signature momentRead More

Duke Robillard, co-founder of Roomful of Blues and a former member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, has earned high praise from none other than B.B. King — who labeled him “one of the great players.” You May Also Like: Nick Finzer’s Thoughtful ‘Hear and Now’ Also Honors Duke Ellington: Something Else!Read More

In a way, Christian McBride has been working on this big-band project all along. The talented jazz bassist’s interest in this format began almost 20 years ago You May Also Like: Christian Marien Quartett – ‘How Long Is Now’ (2024)

‘All We Are Saying’ feels so connective because of guitarist Bill Frisell’s willingness to simply let things happen – to accept life as it goes.

I initially dismissed this, almost out of hand: There’s a reason people haven’t been rocking Robert Frost all this time. You May Also Like: How Brian Eno Made a Triumphant Return to Rock With ‘Nerve Net’

Rufus Thomas, R&B scamp and known ass-shaker about town, was the ripe old age of 53 when this single was released. He hadn’t lost one bit of arm-flapping gusto. Yet, “Do The Funky Chicken” still came out of nowhere. Thomas’s label, Memphis-based Stax, had recently severed ties with Atlantic Records,Read More

Credit Uriah Heep as the co-inventors of hard rock, along with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. It doesn’t mean they couldn’t craft a crunchy little hit single, too. You May Also Like: On Paul McCartney’s ‘Egypt Station,’ Uriah Heep’s ‘Living the Dream’ + other new releases Doobie BrothersRead More

A sharper direction on this new release, not to mention an all-star backing cast, helps Stanley Jordon overcome many of the stereotypes that have dogged him since rising to fame in the early 1980s. Back then, Jordan was riding a wave of attention over his use of a eye-poppingly fastRead More