Howlin' Waters coming soon
Howlin’ Waters, the latest studio album from Terry Robb, Howlin’ Waters reinforces why Terry is regarded as one of the foremost acoustic blues guitarists of our time (or any time!).
Across 13 glistening tracks, his acclaimed fingerpicking mastery brings a new level of flair and depth to a range of moods and styles that not only feel as current as any new blues today, but also offer direct touchstones to ragtime, jazz, folk/americana and even rock and roll.
The way his songs all tie back to blues are a direct reflection of his roots. "The people I heard were delta blues guys who were fingerpickers. In the '60s there was a big guitar thing coming around and there was also a big blues revival. A lot of the old recordings were reissued and rediscovered by a new generation. Even the electric guys like Hubert Sumlin and John Lee Hooker were fingerpickers. I was never really comfortable with a flat pick. I play lots of differentkinds of songs but my techniques come from leaning on blues guitar. A lot of my solo playing is influenced by people like Blind Blake and Reverend Gary Davis and from what I learned working with and producing John Fahey. Whether I'm playing bossa or ragtime it still comes out as blues."
And while that core blues background is the ace in Robb's hand, he also is an expert at divining new melodies from non-blues places and playing the improv card. "My playing takes a lot from ragtime guitar, but I also take inspiration from classical. I was also really influenced by Louis Armstrong, Coltrane, Johnny Hodges and Stan Getz. I've always tried to capture that improv stuff from the jazz world on acoustic guitar. My guys, the band I have now (who I got together on the last record, Confessing My Dues, and then we became a band started playing live) are from that era. They played with those guys and understand what I'm trying to do. It's also the approach to the music. I want to bring that into what I do. I write these songs on how these guys play."
As the title implies, Howlin' Waters nods to two of the definitive pillars of the blues as we know it today. And while there are no covers of Wolf or Muddy, Terry Robb expertly shows the unmistakable imprint and influence these giants (and blues in general) has had on practically every genre of modern American music.
TRACK LISTING
1. St. Charles Rag 2. Alleluia Shuffle 3. Back Door Mirror 4. One Way Train To Sorrow 5. But Not Now
6. When It Gets Cold 7. Boogie In Seven 8. Fires In Country 9. Hobbs Captein 10. Katie and Arnie
11. Ride to Ticino 12. Tripped and Fell in Love 13. Fahey At Bush Park
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