Duke Robillard And His All-Star Band

Blast Off!

Nola Blue Records

Two-time Grammy nominee and four-time Blues Music Award winner Duke Robillard (Best Instrumentalist–Guitar) celebrates his recent signing to Nola Blue Records with the February 20, 2026 release of his label debut, Blast Off. As critic Bill Dahl notes, “Over the course of his glorious career, now extending more than half a century, guitarist Robillard has made many superlative albums. Few have captured his versatility more captivatingly than Blast Off.”

Robillard co-founded Roomful of Blues in 1967 and later replaced Jimmy Vaughan in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. With more than 35 albums under his own name and contributions to dozens more, his influence on American roots music is both deep and enduring.

For Blast Off, Robillard assembles a varied yet deeply traditional collection of styles he has long championed, including blues, swing, jazz, and R&B. This diversity reflects his lifelong commitment to preserving and advancing classic American roots music. The twelve-track album includes three originals—two instrumentals and one historic yet newly recorded blues composition written by Robillard when he was just seventeen years old.

Robillard is joined by Chris Cote on guitar and vocals; Bruce Bears on keyboards; Marty Ballou on bass; Mark Teixeira on drums; Doug James and Mark Earley on saxophones; Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse on trumpet on one track; and Billy Novick on clarinet and alto sax. The album is produced by Robillard and recorded and mixed by John Paul Gauthier at Lakewest Recording in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

The album opens with “When I Get Lucky,” first recorded by Floyd Dixon in 1954, with Cote singing, “When I get lucky I might buy a Cadillac car, gonna ride by all you girls like I don’t know who you are.”

“I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You),” originally written and recorded by Sam Theard in 1929 and later famously covered by Dr. John, features Chanonhouse, Novick, and Earley on horns, with Bears on organ and piano. Robillard and Cote trade vocals on the darkly humorous classic.

“Feel My Cares,” a Robillard original sung by Cote, delivers soulful reassurance with the line, “You’ve got a love that won’t grow cold, if you can help me when I’m down.”

“Lowdown,” written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan and first sung by Waits in 2006, is given a gritty, swinging interpretation. “Playboy Hop,” written by A.M. Brunner, follows as a tight instrumental showcase.

“Confusion,” written by Allen Toussaint and first recorded by Lee Dorsey in 1966, finds Cote channeling the song’s restless energy as he sings, “One minute I’m happy, next minute I’m blue.”

The title track “Blast Off” is the first of two original instrumentals, co-written by Robillard, Ballou, and Teixeira, highlighting Robillard’s fluid, authoritative guitar work. “Stand By Me,” written by Eddie Jones, brings heartfelt blues emotion, while “The King,” by Count Basie and Jon Hendricks, is performed as a swinging instrumental originally recorded by Joe Williams in 1968.

“Warm and Tender Love,” written by Bobby Robinson and Irra Berger and famously recorded by Percy Sledge, allows Cote to deliver a soulful vocal performance. “Galactic Grease,” the second original instrumental co-written by Robillard, Ballou, and Teixeira, keeps the groove deep and playful.

The album closes with “Look a There Look a There,” written by Tampa Red. Cote sings lead while Robillard adds backing vocals, bringing the set to a joyful, roots-soaked conclusion.

Robillard explains that Blast Off was conceived as “an overview of the many styles of American roots music that I love to perform.” He adds, “At 77 years of age, I am proud to have such a really swingin’, rockin’, groovin’ record to highlight my long career.” That pride is well deserved—Blast Off is both a celebration and a statement from one of the genre’s true masters.

Richard Ludmerer

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