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Roomful of Blues will be at FTC’s StageOne March 13 for the release of its 19th disc, “In A Roomful Of Blues.”
Roomful of Blues will be at FTC’s StageOne March 13 for the release of its 19th disc, “In A Roomful Of Blues.”
Photo: Alligator Records / Contributed Photo
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Roomful of Blues will be at FTC’s StageOne March 13 for the release of its 19th disc, “In A Roomful Of Blues.”
Roomful of Blues will be at FTC’s StageOne March 13 for the release of its 19th disc, “In A Roomful Of Blues.”
Photo: Alligator Records / Contributed Photo
Roomful Of Blues’ new CD, “In A Roomful Of Blues,” is being release Friday, March 13, and the Rhode Island band will celebrate with a show that very night at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne.
“In A Roomful Of Blues,” the band’s sixth release on Alligator Records (and 19th overall), is filled with blues, zydeco, ballads, Latin-tinged funk and a touch of vintage rock ’n’ roll.
Produced by guitarist and bandleader Chris Vachon, the disc features 13 tunes, including 10 band-composed originals — more than on any previous Roomful album. Eight songs were written or co-written by Vachon (including one authored with vocalist Phil Pemberton), plus one each by sax player Alek Razdan and keyboardist Rusty Scott.
The band has maintained its signature sound with a stellar horn section, featuring tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille. Along with Vachon and Lataille, the band includes vocalist Phil Pemberton, baritone and tenor saxophonist Alek Razdan, trumpeter Carl “Geerz” Gerhard, bassist John Turner, drummer Chris Anzalone and keyboardist Rusty Scott.
Roomful of Blues began in 1967 when a group of southern Rhode Island teenagers with a shared passion for the blues formed a straight-ahead Chicago-style electric blues band to explore the music of their heroes. They added a horn section (including Lataille) in 1970 and released their self-titled debut album in 1977 on Island Records (reissued on Hyena Records), which brought them to the attention of fans and critics from coast to coast.