After Hours Swing Session

After Hours Swing Session

Editorial Reviews
<"b0000003597499"> Amazon.com
Recorded in a single overnight session, this delightful 1992 CD spotlights bluesman Duke Robillard's other forte: authentic '40s and '50s small-group swing. Duke's vocal style is closer to that of his idol T-Bone Walker than to the elán of Billie Holiday or Nat Cole, whose tunes he covers. But Duke's playing and off-the-cuff arrangements get to the heart of classic swing's simmering emotionalism. "Albi Ain't Here" is especially rich in the music's signifiers: a sloe-eyed muted cornet solo, Rich Latille's graceful clarinet, and of course, Duke's pure-toned guitar. Robillard's solos unwind with casual elegance, darting between blues and jazz as the best swingers always have. Guitarists will note the authenticity of his rhythm tracks--played on an acoustic 1939 Epiphone Deluxe archtop. For more, dig up Swing, a rewarding prequel Duke cut with saxist Scott Hamilton's combo in 1986. --Ted Drozdowski --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

<"b0000003595228"> From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD
The former Roomful of Blues guitarist (now with the Fabulous Thunderbirds) has had a void of a solo career. His Pleasure Kings are eminently forgettable (snub the 1988 Rounder CD compilation Rockin' Blues), and his 1986 jazz album entitled Swing impressed only when saxophonist Scott Hamilton took flight. Yes, Robillard is a technically gifted player with a refined taste in music, but, as in this antiquarian jazz-with- hints-of- blues session, a certain wont of iciness in his phrasing and tone... read more --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.