Band leader, singer and guitarist Duke Robillard is a unique figure in the blues. In his career he has coached such stars as Bob Dylan (Time Out Of Mind) and Dr. John, once replaced Jimmy Vaughan in The Fabolous Thunderbirds, but was mainly the leader of his own bands. He periodically enriched his original starting point with influences from jazz and rhythm & blues. Duke's Mood is another good
… example of how Robillard incorporates these different - but also connected - traditions into his own sound. The first CD of this double album is a tribute to T. Bone Walker, one of the pioneers of the electric blues guitar. At the time Walker was accompanied by jazz musicians (complete with wind section) and that is exactly what Robillard does now, resulting in twelve swinging blues songs. The second CD contains eight acoustic songs: own work and covers by, among others, Sleepy John Estes, Jimmy Rogers and Big Bill Broonzy. Duke Robillard proves with Blue Mood that he has mastered the blues in every setting. (MS)more
