Crazy Mixed Up World

You know, I've been around awhile and have made a handful of CD's with some good bands in my time,including the Blue Hornets,( with guitar player George McCann, of James Montgomery Band fame)and three well received efforts with the late, acoustic band Roll & Tumble,( including slide guitarist extraordinaire, Frank Corso) This one was the most fun and satisfying by far due to the fact that I was the leader on this session, picked all the tunes, and chose the format. The only negative was that I had to pay the bills! The concept was to get all my favorite players into the studio for one night, grab a handful of hot tunes, fuel up with pizza and Irish Whiskey,(not too much, just enough!) and record the whole thing, live, in one or two takes. We got it, captured some great energy, and made a fast and dirty recording we can be proud of! Let me tell you who's in the band; Jon Ross on guitar. Jon is such a fine player! He plays bass, drums, mandolin, and dobro and can handle jazz, blue grass, and country music as well as the blues. Jon's been recording and playing these past few years with James Cotton, Kim Wilson, and most recently, Duke Robillard. On drums we have the masterful Per Hanson, one of the top drummers in the blues genre. Among the many artists Per has performed and recorded with are James Cotton and Ronnie Earl.

Per is featured on the newest Charlie Musselwhite recording, and the Junior Well's tribute CD. Holding down the bottom is Dave Sag, the versatile bassist and singer has led the raucous party band Mad House for many years in the greater Boston area. Catch Dave at the Rhumb Line in Gloucester, Ma. every Thurs. Night, where he runs his invitational blues jam at one of the best bars I've ever visited! Curtis Jerome Haynes is on piano pounding out powerful rhythms,on one tune, and subtle phrases on the next. His keyboard stylings can be heard with the Chicken Slacks, every Thurs. Night at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Ma., and on their funky new soul CD, which Curtis co-produced. The Reverand Curtis, when he's not barrel-housing, finds the time to direct a church choir on Wed. evenings. Guest players, Kate Redgate on vocals, and Mark Hayden on harp wrap up the session. Kate's gritty vocal on the classic Hound Dog, sounds like a chain saw in a velvet wrapper! And we had a great time nailing down Johnny Cash's Get Rhythm. A new name to remember, Kate, who won a song writers award at the prestigious, Kerville Music Conference, will be releasing her first full length CD of original songs in the summer of '09. Mark was good enough to help me out when I asked him to play a second harp part on the Big Walter instrumental Skip It. A talented and full time painter,(Copley Master!) Mark is in demand for his landscapes and portraits, especially his portraits of the great bluesmen. If you've gotten this far, down load a few tracks, turn it up, and give a listen! Enjoy! Justin Quinn.