Monday, April 17, 2023

The Fortune Teller (feat. Eric Benny Bloom)

#142 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, The Fortune Teller, features Lettuce trumpeter, Eric Benny Bloom. Eric was born in Rhode Island, and after attending university, he moved to New Orleans where he quickly became one of the "cats on the scene", recording with Aaron Neville, Dr. John, and John Cleary among other notable NOLA royalty. Eric has also been a member of the critically acclaimed funk outfit Lettuce since 2011. The list of artists that Eric has played with is longer than a fresh roll of Bounty so, I'm just going to attach the link to his bio here. Working on this track with Eric was really enjoyable. His care and enthusiasm were above and beyond and along with note choice, timing, and intent, probably explains the fat resume. I hope you enjoy this wink and nod to the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Catherine Laveau.

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs at Benny's place in New Orleans. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

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