Roomful Of Blues Live @ The Montage Grill 3/7/03

 For the second time in a year the venerable Roomful of Blues rolled into town for a powerhouse set of swinging, horn fueled blues. Roomful is currently celebrating their 35th anniversary and with a brand new album on the Alligator label and fantastic new lead singer the band sounds fresh and revitalized.

The mighty Roomful of blues formed backed in the late 60's and has become an institution garnering numerous awards, cutting 17 records and packing dance all over with their hard swinging sound rooted in the jumping good time music of the 40's and 50's. Roomful has also become a breeding ground for a remarkable number of musicians throughout the years including guitarists Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl, organist Ron Levy, pianist Al Copley, singer Lou Ann Barton, vocalist/harmonica player Sugar Ray Norcia and numerous others.

 Roomful has gone through many personnel changes throughout the years and boasts close to fifty members passing through their ranks yet the sound remains remarkably consistent. The lineup that came into the Montage Grill was a mix of old and new including Rich Lataille on alto and tenor who's been in the band since the early days, guitarist Chris Vachon (1990), trumpeter Bob Enos (early 80's) and newcomers Jason Corbier on drums, Mark Stevens on piano/organ, bassist Brad Hallen, Mark Earley on tenor/baritone and singer/harpist Mark Dufresne.

 The eight piece band rolled expertly through two energetic sets playing everything from jump blues, New Orleans flavored blues and rock and roll as the dynamite horn section wailed along and kept the dance floor packed. Front man Mark Dufresne is a knockout singer who can really belt the blues and has an amazing vocal range. In fact it was nearly a year ago exactly that Dufresne made his debut with the band right here at the Montage Grill, a fact he commented on and which made this gig something a little special. Dufresne also showed off some solid harmonica chops playing some big toned chromatic ala chromatic Little Walter. The band dug heavily into their fine new record, "That's Right!", for tunes like the swaggering, jumping title track, mid-tempo B.B. King styled blues of "We Can't Make It", the jazzy, jivey 40's style of "I Know Your Wig Is Gone" and a gloriously rocking version of Big Joe Turner's "Lipstick, Powder and Paint." The band ran through some fine covers including a killer version of "Driving Wheel" with Dufresne showing off his impressive vocal range, a number of New Orleans styled tunes in celebration of Mardi Gras and even a version of "Mississippi Queen" that sounded great.

 Roomful of Blues keep the big band blues alive and well and these guys are a must see because this type of band is a rarity in an era when louder/faster guitar players rule the scene. Roomful still jump and swing gloriously after all these years and catching them is a guaranteed good time.

Check out the following links:

-Roomful of Blues Website
-Mark Dufresne Website

(Jeff Harris)