At the beginning of 2012, I thought it appropriate to give credit to the team of musicians (and the female vocalist) that accompanied me on my forthcoming ‘Bend in the Road’ CD, due for release in spring of this year. The following entry is an excerpt from the CD’s liner notes:

Being an ‘elder statesman’ in the music field, I have been asked if I had considered working with younger, like-minded musicians and performers to produce contemporary material. The question usually included a referral to Carlos Santana’s multi-platinum ‘Supernatural’ album of about a decade ago.

Yes, I had considered it.

A positive example of such a like-minded experience for me began with an encounter with Brett Lucas, a respected guitarist from Detroit, who has been working the musical scene there since he was fifteen.

I heard about Brett through my friend and slide-guitar aficionado, Mark Grigorian, who told me that Brett Lucas was a guitarist for a Fleetwood Mac cover band called ‘Rattlesnake Shake’. I said that I would consider working with Brett if Mark would send me a clip of the young man playing a slow, sensitive blues solo. He sent me a live video clip of Brett playing just that on a soul number performed by Betty Lavette. I was impressed and told Mark that I’m on, and at the beginning of 2010, we endeavoured to realise a recording venture together. We decided on Dave Feeny’s Tempermill studio because of its warm and welcoming vibe, and a team of Brett Lucas, James Simonson and Todd Glass to back me. The three of them have formed a band called St. Cecilia.

 It’s a team of wonderful people! I’ll start with Todd Glass on drums and I must say it’s a pleasure to experience a drummer so tuned in to what I play on the slide. For instance, I would attack a certain way on a lick, and he would precede it and boost it with an uncanny sense of what I was about to do next. I commented on this, and he said that he was actually more a lover of guitar than drums, being a guitar player himself. On top of that, although he is quite a bit younger than me, he is a fifties music fan and enjoys playing Buddy Holly songs amongst others. Music to my ears!

James Simonson is featured on acoustic and electric stand-up, and regular electric bass. Listening back to the tracks in their various stages, I have found myself discovering new things in James’s bass runs. They’re simple but subtle and in the right places. Check them out. He’s an excellent player.

Brett Lucas plays electric lead and rhythm, and acoustic guitars. He is accomplished and confident, but has respect and gentlemanly humility; virtues that may not be in vogue, but I think are in demand more than ever. He has soul in his playing and, possibly due to his classical training, a broad understanding and love of music. Some beautiful interchange of guitars occurred between us in the instrumentals, somewhat like what Peter Green and Danny Kirwan performed together in the early days of Fleetwood Mac. Brett and I also had some fun downtimes chatting, drinking Jack Daniels and enjoying music from Duane Eddy and Hank Williams and other old-time ‘greats’!

Appearing throughout the session in a ghostly, angelic form that defied her punk-style exterior is Rachel May on background and duet vocals. Rachel may and does deliver the goods with sweet soul, and it seemed to me that her voice had a built-in reverb plate. I loved working with her.