Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters Smoking

People tasked with having to describe Ronnie Earl invariably note his passion. It's worth repeating because it's true. For his 40-year career as a blues musician, Ronnie has transfixed audiences with his distinct brand of emotion-laden blues. Still today, each time he performs he gives his audiences his all and shoots for the moon. Ronnie Earl is a four-time Blues Music Award winner as ''Guitar Player of the Year,'' and a world-renowned composer and musician. Most of his 26 albums have included chart-toppers and best-sellers and he continues to be a crowd favorite at music festivals to this day.

This particular version of the Broadcasters was unarguably magical, and this recording reveals why. Recorded four years after Earl dealt with his demons (alcohol, drugs, nervous collapse), it is the first of a string of all-instrumental albums by Earl, and it drips with class and soul. It's not just the exceptional skill of the players, however, that makes it so special; it was recorded on one of a handful of audiophile labels (AudioQuest), and therefore features state-of-the-art production. From the ringing opening chords of Magic Sam's "Blues for the West Side" to the beautiful acoustic guitar/piano duet of "Derek's Peace," Still River is thoroughly enjoyable. "Kansas City Monarch" is slow and sweet, featuring Bruce Katz tearing up the low notes, a nice sax solo by Anders Gaardmand, and some great double-string work by Earl. There is a moody version of John Coltrane's "Equinox" and a bog-dwelling rouser written by the entire band called "Chili Ba Hugh." You'll also like the greasy Hammond B3 organ on "Soul Serenade".

Although not released until 1995, this CD was recorded live in 1993 in Bremen, Germany. Live in Europe is Earl's tribute to his major influences, and Ronnie plays his favorite guitar throughout: a 1962 red Strat. The fast, driving "San-Ho-Zay" and "Blues for the West Side" go out to Magic Sam; "The Stumble" to Freddie King; "Thank You Mr. T-Bone" to T-Bone Walker and Duke Robillard (who inspired Earl to learn T-Bone). "Thank You Mr. T-Bone" features some cool call-and-response between Earl and Bruce Katz on the Hammond B-3. It segues nicely into "Akos," where you'll find more great B-3 (check out the improvised "Summertime" riff). An all-instrumental offering, Live in Europe includes a handful of tunes found on its predecessor, Still River, including "Szeren," "Rego Park Blues," and the aforementioned "Blues for the West Side." "Contrition," a slow, soulful tune penned by Katz, has some jaw-dropping runs by Earl. One can only imagine what it must have been like to be one of the lucky souls at this show. The only fault to be found on this album is the mislabeling of several tunes on the cover. (For example, "The Stumble" is listed as "Not Now Kovitch.") Still, it's this reviewer's all-time favorite album – thank you, Mr. Earl.

Perhaps the smartest move a non-singing guitar-playing virtuoso like Ronnie Earl could make was ditching the lame singers who permeate most of his earlier efforts and go with an all-instrumental program. On this outing, Grateful Heart: Blues and Ballads, he surrounds himself with an excellent quartet of players with David "Fathead" Newman on tenor sax, Per Hanson on drums, Rod Carey on bass, and Bruce Katz on keyboards, and the results are simply sublime. Instead of a bunch of Chicago retreads, we are treated to a heady mixture of blues, jazz, soul, swing, you name it, all of it infused with taste, tone and economy. When Earl burns, the results are jaw dropping; when he slows it down, his choice of notes is exquisite.

Ronnie Earl's third release for Black Top heralded the official formation of his band The Broadcasters, so named after the first solid body electric guitar, built by Leo Fender back in 1950. And in that band was one-time Rocket Darrell Nulisch and ex-Muddy Waters sideman and harpist extraordinaire Jerry Portnoy among other luminaries, plus a special guest appearance by Ronnie's Roomful of Blues mate Duke Robillard.

Blues guitarist Ronnie Earl has been making records since the end of the '70s, and he has a long legacy of fine picking to live up to, but it's not hard to wonder how much the man still has to say musically in a career that's spanned five decades. Released in 2015, Father's Day shows that Earl is not only still a master of the six-string, he still has a few new tricks up his sleeve. Father's Day gets its title from a song dealing with Earl's long estrangement from his father and their belated reconciliation, and it's a personal piece that gives Earl plenty of room to stretch out on spare, jazzy figures while the lyrics weigh the emotional hardships that come with family strife.

Now in his 60th year, 35 of which he's spent playing and recording professionally, soulful blues guitarist Ronnie Earl has released a mostly instrumental album, Just for Today, on Stony Plain Records, recorded with his band of over 25 years, the Broadcasters, live in 2012 at the Massachusetts-based Regent Theatre, the Center for Arts in Natick, and the Narrows Center for the Arts.

Although Joe Beard is a country-based bluesman and fellow guitarist Ronnie Earl (who brought along his Broadcasters for this set) is strictly city, they work together quite well. The emphasis is often on Beard's expressive vocals (which sometimes look toward John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins but display their own personality). Beard and Earl contribute contrasting guitar solos, pianist-organist Bruce Katz fuels a grooving rhythm section, tenor saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman has a couple of cameos and the harmonica of Joe Dubuc is a strong asset on three songs. Even with its nods toward the past, this release is a fine example of blues in the mid-'90s.

Guitarist Ronnie Earl continues his string of all instrumental albums with this stunning follow-up to 1997's critically acclaimed The Colour of Love. With sturdy yet subtle assistance from Anthony Geraci on keyboards, Mark Greenberg or Don Williams on drums, Michael "Mudcat" Ward on bass, and, for two tracks, special guest Jimmy McGriff handling the Hammond B-3 in his inimitable fashion, Earl peels off sweet and spicy jazz-blues-gospel licks with the touch of a musician whose heart and soul is intimately infused in his music.
Earl's love of Muddy Waters shines on a sizzling cover of "Catfish Blues" where his guitar alternately screams and moans through the stop-start rhythm of the song as if it's singing the lyrics. But this is primarily a jazz album with a heavy blues influence, and Earl's Kenny Burrell and Grant Green roots are pervasive throughout…