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.

Lower Broad Blues (feat. Johnny Hiland)

#118 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Lower Broad Blues, features the legendary Nashville picker, Johnny Hiland. Johnny grew up in Maine, with an eye disease called nystagmus (he's legally blind). He started playing guitar at age 2, played his first talent show at age 5, performed on Dick Stacey's Jamboree on local TV at age 7, and won Talent America at age 10, with sister Jodi and brother Jerry, "The 3 J's," playing bluegrass country. The 3 J's broke up when Johnny turned 15, due to his voice changing. Having picked up the electric guitar at the age of 12, Johnny left bluegrass and started playing country, rock, and blues. In 1996, Hiland moved to Nashville and worked as a session musician for country artists including Toby Keith, Ricky Skaggs, Janie Fricke, and Hank Williams III. Meanwhile, he played with the Don Kelley Band at Robert's Western World. Hiland signed with Steve Vai's Favored Nations label as a solo artist. After reaching the top of the heap, Johnny left Nashville for Chatham Virginia where he lives a simpler but no less musical life. He's released two records over the COVID "break" and also offers telecommuting session work (that's how we did this) and private instruction via Skype. Pretty cool to be able to study with a cat that was named one of the “Top 5 Best Chicken Pickers” by Gibson.com, one of the “50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time” by Guitar World Magazine, and, one of the “Top 3 Country Guitarists” in the 2017 Vintage Guitar Magazine Readers Poll. None of which is hyperbole. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky MF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Johnny's place in Chatham VA. Expertly mixed and mastered by the super bad, F. Reid Shippen.

Bottleneck Stomp (feat. Johnny Stachela)

#117 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bottleneck Stomp, features the tone-filled slide guitar playing of Johnny Stachela. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Johnny was already in the right place and right time and had the goods when opportunity knocked. Originally cutting his teeth on the gods of Hard Rock like Zep, Sabbath, and AC/DC, Johnny, like a lot of us white boys of a certain age, eventually found his way back to the roots. And there he found the three Kings (Albert, Freddie, and B.B.) and of course the Holy trinity of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James. Johnny cut a couple of solo records with Govt. Mule bassist, Jorgen Carlsson, producing and at the same time began a year-long residency at the Santa Monica blues club, Harvelles, where he would share sets with his longtime friend, guitarist/singer Duane Betts. In 2017, Duane and Johnny formed Duane Betts and the Pistoleers and in 2018 they began collaborating with Devon Allman, ultimately leading to The Allman Betts Band and the Allman Family Revival. Johnny has been enjoying favorable comparisons to the celebrated legacies of Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, and Derek Trucks, which he takes in humble stride. Johnny's a good sport, he didn't even flinch when I sent him this track in 5/4 and I love where he takes it. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA, Johnny's place in L.A., and diabolically mixed and mastered by the Supreme Ruler of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen.

Saturday Morning (feat. David D.R. Robbins)

#116 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Saturday Morning, features a great musician and very dear friend, David D.R. Robbins. D.R. and I go way back, he was the Baritone Sax player in the instrumental funk groups Junk and post junk trio. D.R. grew up on the East Coast, playing in big bands with a lot of the present-day jazz notables which opened up his ears and eyes to what good musicianship was all about. Searching for funkier and warmer surroundings brought him to Oakland, where he toured, recorded, and played extensively on the West Coast Acid Jazz scene, sharing stages with The P-Funk Allstars, George Porter & Zigaboo Modeliste, Charlie Hunter, Ledisi, The Broun Fellinis, etc...Since moving back East more than 15 years ago, he's been woodshedding and playing in NYC with all the usual suspects. D.R. literally phoned in his performances on flute and bari on this track! That's to say that despite not being able to access any "professional" recording gear, he found a way to record his parts in his apartment using only his cellphone! It's been over fifteen years since the last time D.R. and I played music together. It was definitely worth the wait, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the results.

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky MF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and D.R.'s pad in Brooklyn NY . Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Next Stop Everywhere (feat. Howard Levy)

#115 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Next Stop Everywhere, features the mind-boggling, virtuosic, harmonica playing of Howard Levy. Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, Howard attended the Manhattan School of Music where his musical giftedness was apparent from a very young age. Howard's first instruments were the piano and pipe organ. While attending college, Howard developed a new approach to the diatonic harmonica enabling him to play it chromatically. For the non-musicians out there, this means he was able to play notes that were previously believed to be unavailable on the instrument. In 1995, Howard composed and performed the Harmonia Mundi, Suite for Harmonica and Chamber Ensemble with the Chicago Sinfonietta. A few years later Howard co-founded the now legendary (and multiple Grammy-winning) Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Howard has also toured and/or recorded with John Prine, Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Loggins, Chuck Mangione, David Bromberg, Dolly Parton, Donald Fagen, Jerry Butler, Chris Siebold, Trio Globo, and Pete Seeger to name just a few. It was an absolute pleasure working with Howard and as you will hear he may have telecommuted from his home in Chicago but he definitely ain't phoning it in. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky MF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and the House of Howard in Chicago, IL. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Nothing Left (feat. Will Kimbrough)

#114 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Nothing Left, features the beautifully lyrical guitar playing of Will Kimbrough. Born in Mobile Alabama, Will gained entry into the "club" early on in his career with his band Will and the Bushmen and then the Bisquits who were signed to John Prine's Oh Boy Records. He's an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist, writer, producer, and performer. His list of collaborations is a who's who of Americana and Roots music, including; Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, Kim Richey, Garrison Starr, Matthew Ryan, Josh Rouse, Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, Jack Ingram, Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, The Jayhawks, Mark Knopfler, Buddy Miller, Billy Joe Shaver, Mavis Staples, and a whole lot more. Will won the 2004 Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year Award. The previous year it had gone to Jerry Douglas and the following year to Sonny Landreth. Will replaced Audley Freed in Joan Osborne's Trigger Hippy and is a member of Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Boys. He's made ten albums as a solo artist and continues to be the envy of mere mortals. You can find out more about Will and join his Patreon campaign here. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Will's place in Nashville TN. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb. 

Mephistopheles' Blues (feat. Jerry Goodman)

#113 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Mephistopheles' Blues, features the instantly identifiable electric violin of Jerry Goodman. Yes!, The Mahavishnu Orchestra's Jerry Goodman! Okay, I'm a little excited. Fusion, in my opinion, had a very small window of cool, and Jerry and The Mahavishnu's were at the absolute epicenter of that moment. That was 50 years ago and Jerry has kept very busy since. He has played with a myriad of legendary acts including; Toots Thielman, Hall & Oates, Derek Sherinian, Dixie Dregs, and Dream Theater. He has done soundtracks including Billy Crystal's Mr. Saturday Night and Steve Martin's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was also a member of Billy Cobham's Spectrum 40 Band. Musical virtuosity is somewhat of the Goodman family business, Jerry's parents were both string players in the Chicago Symphony and his uncle was the noted composer and jazz musician Marty Rubenstein. Having Jerry play on this track is a thrill and honor, (maybe he can get his old buddies John and Jan to join us). Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb.