Bangers & Mash (feat. Johnny Baab)

#129 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bangers & Mash, features the highly adept guitarisms of Ghost Hounds' guitarist, Johnny Baab. Johnny caught my ear while scrolling Instagram one night. I saw that his band, The Ghost Hounds, had opened for the Stones recently as well as Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, and Bob Seger, and suspected that he'd be a worthy participant. This track, an homage to the British Blues of days gone by, Clapton, Beck, Humble Pie, and even a little Sgt. Peppers (reprise), had been waiting a few years for just the right player to come along and Johnny proved to be the right man for the job. Not to get too tweaky here but, listen to the note at 01:15, I LOVE THAT! That's the wonderful sound of a Gibson cs356 being expertly manipulated. It is worth noting that Johnny is also an adjunct instructor at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, where he splits his time between his native Brooklyn NY when not on the road with the Ghost Hounds. Enjoy!

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 and additional guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Johnny's tracks were recorded at Maple House Studios in Pittsburgh PA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

733 Boylston (feat. James Montgomery)

#128 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, 733 Boylston, features the harp playing of Boston music legend, James Montgomery. In 1973 James' track Train was played every day at lunchtime on WBCN for more than a year. I remember riding my bike down Commonwealth Avenue and seeing The James Montgomery Band playing the quadrangle at James' alma mater Boston University. (I would also get to see Aerosmith and George Thorogood in that same quad) Upon graduating, James was offered a $15,000 a year job at BU but turned it down for a $250,000 contract with Capricorn Records and an opportunity to go on the road opening for the Allman Brothers Band. James had already had a taste of the road fronting the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band on a tour supporting Janis Joplin. The adventures haven't stopped since; James has played with B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Bonnie Raitt, Steven Tyler just to name a few. As a band leader, he's been a sort of John Mayall of the Boston Blues Scene, having had a bunch of great musicians "graduate" and go on to successful careers, including Billy Squier, Wayne Kramer (MC-5) Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Nunzio Signore (Bo Diddley), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles, CS&N), and my favorite, bassist David Hull (Buddy Miles, Aerosmith). I hope you'll enjoy this childhood fantasy of mine having James guest on this tribute to the legendary Paul's Mall/Jazz Workshop located at 733 Boylston St. Boston MA. I think it's wicked pissah!

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 and additional guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. James' session was engineered by Jack Gauthier at Lake West Studios in Rhode Island. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Valentine (feat. Robbie McIntosh)

#127 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Valentine, features one of the best guitarists I have ever encountered, Robbie McIntosh. Robbie's resume speaks for itself...five years touring and two albums with Sir Paul McCartney, three albums with The Pretenders including Learning To Crawl (that's Robbie's soloing on Middle Of The Road!), records with Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Joe Cocker, The Bee Gees, Mark Knopfler, Norah Jones and John Mayer and it just keeps on going. When not enjoying his life by the English seaside in semi-retirement you can still hear and see Robbie with The Robbie McIntosh Band. Robbie was so enthusiastic and generous with his gift that he actually played on two tracks...so, enjoy this one and know that there's another one coming down the road. Cheers!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Robbie's place in the UK. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Song For Mongo (feat. Idris Ackamoor)

#126 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Song for Mongo, features Afrofuturist & Shaman, Idris Ackamoor, on tenor saxophone. A couple of years ago I was hipped via Malcolm Catto's Instagram to a "new" artist, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids. I became somewhat obsessed and really dug into their catalog. Turns out they are located here in the Bay Area and have a history going back some fifty years. Being someone who is never afraid to ask, I reached out to Malcolm, who had masterfully produced their two most recent albums, and asked him for Idris' contact info. Idris generously agreed to play on this track and it is everything I had hoped for. Fast forward to the present; I've now been lucky enough to have been Idris' US co-producer (Malcolm and Quentin Scott are the UK producers) on his forthcoming masterpiece, Afro Futuristic Dreams. It's been an absolute joy and honor working with Idris and I hope more music will flow from this new friendship. If you want to know more about Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids check out this recent New York Times article maybe while you're listening to this track. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, San Francisco's own and one of the Pyramids, Tony Price on Percussion, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, and The Phamily Room, Nashville TN. Prodigiously mixed and mastered by the Grammy-winning and extremely good-humored, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito).

Bat Shit Crazy (feat. Buzz Campbell)

#125 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bat Shit Crazy is a master class in Rockabilly guitar playing featuring the great Buzz Campbell. Born in Dallas, Texas, of course, because that's where great guitarists grow like weeds. Buzz was inducted into Doo-Wop and early Rock & Roll by his father and uncle and although quite good at it, he was content with guitar being a hobby. Then on his twenty first birthday he saw the Stray Cats at the Bacchanal in San Diego, California and life would never be the same. Buzz quit college and yes, dedicated himself to Rock & Roll. In no time Buzz was gaining attention and momentum and while playing with The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash he was approached by Jocko Marcellino, one of the founding members of the revivalist Doo-Wop group, Sha Na Na. The gig with Sha Na Na led to Buzz meeting Lee Rocker, bassist for the Stray Cats, which began a lifelong friendship and collaboration. And just like in the storybook, in 2008, The Buzz Campbell Band opened for the Stray Cats European Farwell Tour. That tour established Buzz internationally and he has since been tearing it up around the world and on this track! Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) rocking the shit out of the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Johnny On The Nod, Pt. 2 (feat. John Medeski)

#124 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Johnny On The Nod, Pt. 2, features the ubiquitous and brilliant, John Medeski on the Hammond B3. When we originally sent this track to John it was over six minutes long and being the badasss and generous musician that he is, he sent us back multiple great takes varying from inside to outside. So, when it came time to comp something together the tape fairies guided me to creating a Part 1, being what we previously released (NTK-19) and Part 2 which appears before you presently. Maybe someday down the line, we'll release the full 6:36 minute dance mix!. For those of you three people that are not hip to Medeski, John was a founding member of the pioneering acid jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood and now plays with EVERYBODY; Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, George Porter Jr., Phil Lesh, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Youssou N'Dour, John Zorn, Iggy Pop...you get the idea. John and I met and played together twenty-something years ago in Porter Square, Cambridge, at the memorial service for our fallen comrade Mark Sandman. Another of our friends and Sandman alumni, Mike Rivard of Club D'elf, was kind enough to reconnect us. Medeski is definitely in my fantasy band and this track is a little taste of how it might sound. (Anybody out there know Jeff Beck??? : )))). Well, until then...ENJOY!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Marcus David (Nick Gravenites) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs at Medeski's place. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Zero To Sixty (feat. Mason Ruffner)

#123 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Zero To Sixty, features legendary blues rocker, Mason Ruffner. #5 in Captain Beefheart’s 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing goes something like this: 

"#5. If you’re guilty of thinking, you’re out.
If your brain is part of the process, you’re missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing."

I believe Mason is a "fur bearing" MF'r. And everybody from Dylan to Jimmy Page to Ringo Starr to Santana to John Lee Hooker (I could go on) all seem to agree. When we send a cat a track, this is our spiel: "Please play, whatever and however you feel it. You are the guest soloist and will be the last and only other element to be added to the track. So, do your thing all over the track!" Well, Mason let this track have it! I'm not gonna go all bio/blurb on you guys for this one...here's Mason's wiki and more importantly his YouTube rabbit hole. Hopefully, you'll have a chance to be driving when listening to this track really loud....be careful and enjoy!

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. Mason's session was engineered by Tom Goren at Sonika Studios in Stockholm Sweden. The Grammy winning and extremely personable, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito), mixed and mastered this one! 

BUENOS AIRES BLUES (feat. JIMMY RIP)

#122 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Buenos Aires Blues, features the rock star's guitarist, Jimmy Rip. Born in New York City and raised on rock and roll radio, by the early 1980's Jimmy was one of the East Coast A-listers. At one point he had to choose between Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Television and Peter Frampton in the same week! By the 1990's Jimmy had racked up gigs with Rod Stewart, Debbie Harry, Willie Nelson, Jack Bruce, Mariah Carey, and more. He was also the co-writer and guitarist for Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit album and producer and guitarist for Jerry Lee Lewis' Last Man Standing album. After the success of his collaboration with Jagger and a couple of years on the road with Hall and Oates Jimmy decided to move to Buenos Aires. Where Jimmy says, "every kid still has a guitar over his shoulder. They’re still learning how to play, and there’s still real arguments over Page, Beck, or Hendrix. Genuine arguments. It’s a rock 'n' roll heaven!" Jimmy remains incredibly busy producing some of Argentina's top Rock acts and fronting his own band Jimmy Rip and The Trip. Speaking of trips, I really love where Jimmy takes this track, and I'm pretty sure you will too. Enjoy!

 

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) rocking the shit out of the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Hit Me, Fred! (feat. Fred Wesley)

#121 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Hit Me, Fred!, features a J.B., a P-Funk Allstar, and one funky MF, trombonist Fred Wesley!. I'm so excited about this that it's hard for me to just write a little bio/blurb as I usually do. If you haven't read Fred's book, Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman, yet, I highly recommend you do. My musical brother, David DR Robbins, sent me a signed copy of the book as a gift a while back which lead to me reaching out to Fred directly, the results of which are this collaboration here before your ears. Born in Columbus GA, Fred is the son of an educator and big band leader. He started out on piano and trumpet and by 12 had switched permanently to trombone. By the 1960's he was playing in James Brown's band (he had been on tour with Ike & Tina Turner previously) and it's been non-stop funkin' ever since. Fred is on Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud, Sex Machine, Funky Drummer, and is the co-writer of Hot Pants and Doin' It To Death. As a member of Parliament-Funkadelic, you can hear Fred on Flashlight, Chocolate City, and Tear The Roof Off The Sucker to name just a few. He's also on all those great 80's George Clinton records, including Atomic Dog! You really gotta read his book and check out his Wiki. Seriously!!! Okay, I'll spare you the fanboy gushing and let you get to it...Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is the Grammy winning and super groovin', Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, the great Christian Pepin (2x Grammy winner) on percussion, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass (where's my Grammy???). The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and VicWes Productions in Manning, South Carolina. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

[No Use Crying Over] Spilt Milk (feat. Lucious Spiller)

#120 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, (No Use Crying Over) Spilt Milk, features the very real guitar playing of, Lucious Spiller. A resident of Clarksdale Mississippi, nephew of Magic Sam, and mentor to Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Lucious is about as real deal as one can be. His father, also a Bluesman, taught Lucious his first chord at 4 years old, and by the time he was a teenager, Lucious was playing bass for Larry Davis (writer of the 1958 song Texas Flood later immortalized by Stevie Ray Vaughan). Lucious also played bass for Albert King, Fenton Robinson, and Calvin Levy before even finishing college. Finding it easier to sing and play, Lucious switched to guitar when starting to front his own band and has since performed with Bo Diddly, James Brown, Big Jack Johnson, T-Model Ford, Bobby Rush, Luther Allison, and more. He has also been featured on the series Moonshine, and Mojo Hands, the documentary, True Delta: Keeping the Blues Alive, and was the subject of the 2020 documentary entitled Walk with Me: Lucious Spiller, Called to Sing the Blues. His friend Charlie Musselwhite is talking about making a new Lucious Spiller album but until then, turn this one up!

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 track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs recorded by Gary Vincent in Clarksdale MS. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb. 

Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys (feat. Quique Gomez)

#119 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys, features the Spanish harmonicist, Quique Gomez. Born in Madrid, Quique's first band, Juan Bourbon, Juan Scotch & Juan Beer, was cleverly named after the Rudy Toombs song popularized by John Lee Hooker in 1966. The band achieved enough notoriety in Spain to inspire Quique to travel to the US and specifically Chicago, where he met and formed lifelong friendships with some of the last of the original greats, including John Primer, Eddie C. Campbell, Bob Stroger, Jimmy Burns, Tail Dragger, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne, and others. Quique has since recorded 13 records and toured from Brazil to The Congo. He also finds time to satisfy his inner crooner by singing with the Bob Sands Big Band, a Thad Jones/Count Basie tribute band. And if that isn't enough, Quique teaches at the “Escuela de Blues de Madrid” (Madrid Blues School) and is the director of the Intensive Blues Course in Béjar, Spain. Quique is a disarmingly positive and funny human being, which I believe translates quite well into this track. Enjoy!

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 track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs at NTA, San Bruno CA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb. And an extra special thank you to Kid Andersen for introducing us to his friend and for delivering him to the session.