Duke Robillard – Duke Robillard And his Dames of Rhythm

Yard.C. Records

www.dukerobillard.com

xiv tracks/62 minutes

Step back in time with Duke Robillard And his Dames of Rhythm. Conceived past Knuckles and label owner Mark Carpentieri, an album of 20'south and thirty's songs with a horn and rhythm section, an audio-visual archtop guitar and female vocalists became the solidified program.  Duke claims this was on his bucket list; if in that location are other things on it that are this cool I hope he as well produces them soon because this is a gem!

Duke is playing an eighteen" archtop JW White potato for near of the set.  He switches to a smaller 17" for a few cuts and a 1930 Kays Palatial for the final cutting.  The arrangements are suave, absurd, debonair and oh-then-slick. The Dames on vocals are spectacular.  They are Sunny Crownover, Kelley Hunt, Elizabeth McGovern, Maria Muldaur, Madeline Peyroux, and Catherine Russell.  Dukes band and rhythm section are Bruce Bears and Kelley Hunt sharing the piano duties, Brad Hallen on acoustic bass, and Mark Texiera on drums.  They are as solid every bit ever.  The horn section is Jon Erik Kellso (trumpet on all tracks), Billy Novick (clarinet and alto sax), Rick Lataille (alto and tenor sax and clarinet), Carl Querfurth (trombone) and Mark Early on (tenor sax on runway iii).  These guys are superb!

Out of the gate, we get Sunny singing on "From Monday On."  The trumpet leads u.s.a. in and then the horns and Sunny bring together in the fray on this old, great Bing Crosby melody.  Information technology swings and jives sweetly.  Duke comes in for a little cool duet action part fashion into it- very hep.  His first guitar solo tells usa this is going to be fun- dissimilar, as this is non dejection or fifty-fifty the swing nosotros are accustomed to from him.  Information technology's old, straight up stuff from the early big ring era with crooners and the horn and rhythm sections in full plume. Muldaur growls and purrs out "Got The South In My Soul" next. Her breathy and sultry approach is enchanting and cool.  The clarinet gets the first solo and then Knuckles joins in.  Very sweetness stuff! "Please Don't Talk About Me when I'm Gone" features Kelly Chase pacing the vocals nicely as Knuckles strums and picks along with her.  The first half is down tempo and stark as some restrained piano plays forth; the tempo picks up a flake every bit the horn and rhythm section come in for some instrumental fun and then Hunt joins back into the fray for a big terminate. Fats Waller'southward "Squeeze Me" is up next with Madeline fronting the band.  Her arroyo is sort of Blossum Dearie meets Billie Vacation every bit she pushes the lyrics out coated in musical sugar and sugariness.  Knuckles plucks along and some minor key restrained horns accompany things nicely.  The clarinet and trumpet gets some laid dorsum solos earlier Peyroux finishes us off.  Duke performs Irving Berlin's "Walking Stick," a mid-tempo romp with slick fiddle provided by Andy Stein.  Knuckles grinds the vocals out well and lays out some nice guitar every bit he and the fiddle trade solos.  The horn and rhythm sections take us home similar a comfy, late night cab waiting at the guild door.  "Blues In My Center" follows with Ms. Russell at the microphone helm.  She sings with a lilliputian restraint, edifice a scrap hither and there with a sexy arroyo forth with the boys playing some slick and dirty accessory.  "Lotus Blossum" closes out the beginning half; Hunt returns and gives another sweet performance.  The vocal could easily come from a smoky speak easy where Hunt reminds me a niggling of a female person Cab Calloway in her arroyo to this tune.  Very slick.

Sunny takes the lead in Cole Porters' "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," bundled nicely with a little samba sort of approach equally she sings in a breathy and sexy manner.  Mary Martin first sang this on Braodway and many a slap-up cover has been done.  Marilyn Monroe also did this in 1960  in the film, "Let's Make Dearest" while wearing a regal sweater and black torso stocking.  Cronower holds her ow equally she croons and moans to great effect and Duke does a peachy job on guitar, too.  The dabble returns and spars with the trombone as Duke fronts the ring for "What's The Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You)." A 1934 song, some may call back the Fats Domino version.  Prissy sax work stands out here along with a piano solo past Hunt. Elizabeth McGovern is only on 1 cut, "Me. Myself and I."  Billie Holiday popularized this vocal and the Downton Abbey actress and musician does a nice task here with an airy and ethereal vocal approach and swinging support by all.  Madeline returns for "Easy Living" and does it on Billie Holiday style.  Originally from a film of the same proper name, some will recall Johnny Hartman'southward version from the motion picture "The Bridges of Madison County."  Here we have Peyroux in a solemn but forthright approach and a overnice sax and trumpet solo are as well in the mix.  "Was That The Man Affair To Do" gives u.s. Muldaur in one case again in a jumping and swinging cut with the fiddle and the rest of the boys in full swing, too.  "If I Could Be With You (One 60 minutes Tonight)" is Kelley Chase giving a thoughtful and impassioned functioning of this quondam fourth dimension classic with some ragtime pianoforte sounds.  Duke does "Ready For The River," a song from 1928 and Minnesotan Coon-Sanders and his Original Nighthawk Orchestra (which was primarily based in Kansas City).  Hugely popular, Coon died unexpectedly of a jaw infection and the band dispersed, leaving a legacy of great songs which Knuckles does justice to.  Lots of nice trombone, clarinet, trumpet and horn support hither.  The terminal runway features the horn and rhythm sections, an instrumental entitled "Telephone call Of The Freaks."  Penned past Panamanian Luis Russell who lived in The Big Easy, this is a beautiful early jazz piece with some killer trumpet, guitar and work by the horn section.

OK, so if you are looking for straight up, familiar blues it'due south not here.  What is here is an extraordinary set of sometime early jazz tunes that were office of the blues of the era where the dejection went into the cities of the south and rhythm and horn sections were added to the music. The influence of the blues on the big bands and jazz is evident hither with 14 tracks that are washed with charm, style, and just a lot of exuberance.  Robillard achieves what he gear up out to exercise.  He demonstrates the versatility of his band, the gals who sing with him and himself.  If yous love old jazz tunes and want to hear what some 21st century masters can do with them, grab this.  I loved it!

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