Product Description
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 2026 - DUKE ROBILLARD & HIS ALLSTAR BAND - BLAST OFF
BLAST OFF! on an out of this world musical odyssey covering a variety of material from blues to jazz to funky R&B.
Woonsocket, Rhode Island, native Duke Robillard is a legacy blues artist who launched his career with Roomful of Blues in 1967, joined the Fabulous Thunderbirds, played with the Legendary Blues Band, was one-third of the New Guitar Summit, leads his own band and continues to do solo shows now at the age of 77. With over 35 of his own albums plus contributing to dozens more with other artists, Duke is a master of Blues, Swing, Jump Blues and Jazz, and has won the Best Blues Guitarist WC Handy Award twice. He is twice Grammy-nominated, has won four Blues Music Awards as Best Guitarist, four Maple Blues Awards for International Artist, the Keeping The Blues Alive Award for record production, and is ranked among the World's Best Blues Artists by DownBeat and Living Blues. As a session guitarist and producer, Duke has recorded with Bob Dylan, John Hammond, Ruth Brown, Billy Boy Arnold, Rosco Gordon, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Maria Muldaur, Pinetop Perkins, Joe Louis Walker, Johnny Adams and many more.
For his new album, Blast Off! with Duke Robillard and His All-Star Band, the guitar maestro has
assembled a varied but mostly very traditional collection of many of the styles he's known for, including blues, swing, jazz, and R&B. This diversity represents his multi-faceted career and devotion to preserving these roots music styles. The twelve-track album contains three originals, including two instrumentals and an exciting piece concurrently historic and new, the first recording of a blues composition written by Robillard at the age of 17. He is joined on the project by Chris Cote on guitar and vocals, Bruce Bears on keyboards, bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Mark Teixeira. Doug James and Mark Earley are on sax, Jeff 'Doc' Chanonhouse, trumpet on 'You Rascal You,' with special guest Billy Novick on clarinet and alto sax.
Track Listing
- When I Get Lucky
- I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You)
- Feel My Cares
- Lowdown
- Play Boy Hop
- Confusion
- Blast Off!
- Stand By Me
- The King
- Warm and Tender Love
- Galactic Grease
- Look a There Look a There
DUKE ROBILLARD
Blast Off!
Nola Blue Records
There’s something for everyone on the celebrated Mr. Robillard’s 39th (gasp!) record – his debut on Nola Blue. Blast Off! treats us to a cadre of varied and talented musicians to match the array of songs on the 12 tracks, including three Robillard originals and four instrumentals.
Rhode Island born and based guitarist/songwriter/vocalist and bandleader, Robillard, nominated for two Grammys and the winner of four Blues Music Awards, handles all the guitar work marvelously, but nearly all vocals have moved to second guitarist Chris Cote. Also recruited were long-time musical buddies Bruce Bears on keyboards, Marty Ballou on bass, and Mark Teixiera on drums. Joining them are Doug James and Mark Earley on sax, Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse on trumpet, and Billy Novick on clarinet and alto sax.
Robillard kept the record faithful to his master of blues, especially jump blues, swing, and jazz, but with a rejuvenated vibe. Approaching age 77, Robillard, a founding member of the long-standing band Roomful of Blues, who later joined the Fabulous Thunderbirds (replacing Jimmie Vaughan) before sailing solo, describes this album as a chance to showcase his versatility, while dusting off some of his older songs with new twists.
“I’m looking at it like hopefully it’s not the last album I’ll make, but if it is, I want it to say everything I want to say, as far as stylistically. And that’s what it does,” he said.
The record kicks off with jump blues, Floyd Dixon’s “When I Get Lucky” featuring fantastic horn solos making for an up-tempo danceable gem. That’s followed by a super version of the infamous “You Rascal You” with those amusing lyrics, plus Chanonhouse on trumpet and clarinet from Novick. “Feel My Cares,” written by Robillard at age 17, is a moody, minor key blues with a stinging guitar solo.
“Playboy Hop,” an instrumental, evokes a ‘50s feel featuring James’ beefy horn; “Confusion” is a funky rocker by Allen Toussaint; the title track, an instrumental by Robillard, is a true gem coming midway through the record. Mellow and fun, it came about while the band was waiting for others and laying down some basics which turned into a chord progression and voila! Guitar Slim’s rollicking “Stand By Me” is another up-tempo number with new life breathed into it.
It wouldn’t be a Robillard album without some real jazz, and the Novick-arranged “The King” is a lively nod to Count Basie. “Galactic Grease” is a soulful Robillard original, another instrumental, full of bluesy riffs. The album finale, “Look A There, Look A There” by Tampa Red is a perfect ending for this remarkable collection.
– Karen Nugent