NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW!!!

MY SOUL ALONE

Chris Duarte's new album "My Soul Alone" is available HERE Released on February 23rd, it's his 7th release on the Blues Bureau/Shrapnel label with Mike Varney. Recorded this past October at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, California, Chris used studio musicians Steve Evans on bass and Aaron Haggerty on drums and the results are spectacular! Producer Mike Varney has once again nailed down the "tone" on this revved-up album. The touring band will feature Dustin Sargent on bass and Dave Anthony on drums. It'll be great to see Dustin again, he played in the Chris Duarte Group back in 2006. Click HERE for an up-to-date list of tour dates near you! Grab some friends and check out the new material performed live by one of the hottest bands on this planet.

Wanna' See Chris Duarte In Concert For FREE?!

Simply go to ITunes or Amazon.com and leave a review of the new Chris Duarte Group album “My Soul Alone”! This contest will run until April 3rd and five lucky winners will be picked. Winners get two tickets to any show between April 4th and June 24th. Not only that, but you will also get your 15 seconds of fame in the spotlight as YOU introduce the Chris Duarte Group LIVE on stage! For real! You can even wear a funny hat!

As the Chris Duarte Group performs the super "My Soul Alone" album in concert, I would love to have some concert reviews and photos to post here on the Reviews page. I've posted several YouTube video links to many 2012 shows, but I also like hearing people's reactions to the music and their tales of the roadtrip itself. Please write up a little review, maybe something bigger than a Tweet (or be as verbose as you want, there's no word limit), and send it on in to: cdgfans@ix.netcom.com or mail them to:
Chris Duarte Group Fan Club, 939 Revere Street, Aurora, CO 80011

I'll post them here for all to see! Thanks!

"HOUND DOG BLUES FESTIVAL"
Tulsa, Oklahoma
9/22/12

---

Here's a YouTube clip of Chris Duarte with Yoshi Ogasahara on bass going "Crazy" at the recent "Hound Dog Blues Festival" (click HERE).

SKIPPER'S SMOKEHOUSE
Tampa, Florida
8/18/12

---

I went and saw Chris Duarte live for the first time Saturday (8-18-2012) at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa, Florida. I am in the 55+ age group and have seen alot of guitar players in my time. Every player has his own style and every music fan has his own opinion about "who's best". But one thing can't be denied - there's not many out there with more energy than Chris Duarte. What a dynamic live performance! A great evening of music. If you get a chance to see Chris live, GO!!! Here's some video clips from the show, click here for "Bottle Blues" and here for "Sundown Blues"!

-review by Don Melton

HIPSHOT JAPAN
Koriyama, Japan
7/25/12

---

I was tipped off to Chris's show in Koriyama by friend and Texas based promoter, JJ "Johnny Joe" Nelson. As a longterm resident of Tokyo with 27 previous years in Texas, I was very interested to see an artist I enjoyed a lot when living in the states. I took a train up to Koriyama to see Chris and the band. It was a pain in the ass, but I felt it would be worth it--and it was! The band did not disappoint! I enjoyed the hell out of the show, and got to hear some of my old favorites from recordings such as "Texas Sugar", along with more recent material. It was great to hear Chris's excellent blues/rock sound, as well as the more jazzy/fusion stuff. Talking to Chris, drummer Jack Jones and bassist Yoshi Ogasahara after the show was real nice, and I stocked up on some recent recordings and memorabilia. I'm looking forward to his next trip and hope he takes me up on my offer to take him to the one and only authentic Texas barbecue place in Tokyo!

-review by David Price

KNUCKLEHEAD SALOON
Kansas City, Missouri
6/24/12

---

1st Set: Sidetracked / Crazy / Scrawl / Big-Legged Woman
Make Me Feel So Right / Bottle Blues / Do The Romp
Hold Back The Tears / Ridin' / Free 4 Me
Screenwriter's Blues / 101
2nd Set: The Best That I Can Do / Paper Dolls / Satisfy
Let's Have A Party / One More Cup Of Coffee
Sundown Blues / My Way Down / Cleopatra - Like Eric
Encore: People Say

It was a dark and stormy night…Well actually it was an outdoor show with not a cloud in the sky and considering it was just a few days past the solstice, it was pretty sunny when the first notes rung out! Knucklehead's in Kansas City hosted the final show in the U.S. summer tour, and lucky me; I was on vacation and could make the trip down from Nebraska. It was the first time I'd seen the band without old standby Matt Stallard, but Mark Simms acquitted himself admirably on the bass and drummer Dave Anthony surely didn't disappoint. As usual, Chris and the boys "played their asses off". Both sets were straight-ahead hard blues with a mix of old and new. Paul Barnstable joined the band on guitar for "Screenwriter's Blues" and "101" at the end of the first set and for "Sundown Blues" in the second with a solo that I swear melted the plastic chairs up to the third row! As always - well worth the trip!

-photos and review by Thomas Joyce

"HILLBILLY'S BLUES FEST"
Alcester, South Dakota
6/23/12

---

Here's a hot YouTube clip of Chris Duarte and Scott Holt jamming at the recent "Hillbilly's Blues Fest" (click HERE).

I-90 EXPO CENTER
Sherburn, Minnesota
6/22/12

---

Here's some photos of a show in Minnesota sent in by Randy Brown. Mark Simms was on bass for this leg of the "Blues In The Afterburner" tour.

THE HUNGRY TIGER
Manchester, Connecticut
6/14/12

---

Here's an intense version of "Bottle Blues" off YouTube (click HERE).

THREADGILL'S
Austin, Texas
5/20/12

---

Here's a trippy version of "Sundown Blues" from the Steamboat Reunion Show at Threadgill's (click HERE). And then be prepared to be blown away by "Bottle Blues" HERE and "Make Me Feel So Right" HERE!!!

CRYSTOLA ROADHOUSE
Crystola, Colorado
5/12/12

---

The Best That I Can Do / Ridin' / Satisfy / Scrawl / Just Kissed My Baby
Let's Have A Party / Screenwriter's Blues / One More Cup Of Coffee
Make Me Feel So Right / Free 4 Me / 101 / Big-Legged Woman / Slapstak!
Letter To My Girlfriend / Crazy / Open Up That Back Door / Bottle Blues
Leave Her Be / Paper Dolls / My Way Down / Cleopatra-Like Eric / Hard Mind / People Say

When I arrived at the Crystola Roadhouse in the mountains west of Colorado Springs it was already a full house and an excited crowd. I like the sound at the old, historic Crystola as it is made up mostly of wood which gives a warmth to the sound you don't find in other clubs. Chris has played here a few times now, as well as numerous times just up the road in Woodland Park and at the base of the mountain in Colorado Springs, so he has had a loyal fan base in this area for many years. Chris sat off to the side of the stage and was writing down the setlist, something he rarely does. Most shows he uses hand signals and tells the band the next song on the fly. He writes down a setlist only if the band is new to the CDG catalog. The show started with a rockin' "The Best That I Can Do" and never looked back. The dance floor filled up quick and it felt like a true roadhouse Saturday night! The energy from the audience revved up the band and Chris was headbobbin' and flying all over the place. Just like the other night in Denver, it was nearly impossible to get a picture of his face! This was the third night seeing the band and I definitely like the new tuning Chris is using on his guitar (the title of an old Who album best describes it: "Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy"). Chris' searing solos were red-hot and sharp and his band was right there with him like a shadow. The audience liked Chris Duarte's rhythmic rap at the end of "Screenwriter's Blues" a lot. They added a nice, little James Brown "Sex Machine" riff at the end of "Scrawl" which was just a teaser. It would've been sweeet to have the song go into something funky! Chris should do more funk, he is really good at it but doesn't think he is (same with slide guitar). You get glimpses of it here and there with "People Say" or "Screenwriter's Blues", but I'm talkin' 'bout THE FUNK (like his old tunes "Black Cat Bone" or "Like This, Like That" he used to play years ago). My favorite song of the night was the chilling, heartfelt "Bottle Blues" and you could hear a pin drop as he sang it in the club (I was moved to throw down a dollar by his pedals). It was a fantastic show, the perfect ending to the three-night stint here in Colorado. The band left for Texas and shortly after the area between the Crystola Roadhouse and Colorado Springs went up in flames, destroying over 300 homes. I hope they come back soon, we really need the moisture! This was truly one of the hairiest CDG shows I have ever seen!

-review and photos by Craig Keyzer

...and here's two successful face shots of Chris Duarte taken at the Crystola Roadhouse by Julianne Gilmer...

THE SONGBIRD CAFE
Beulah, Colorado
5/11/12

---

Just the 2nd Set (arrived late due to bad weather): The Best That I Can Do
Still I Think Of You / I'll Never Know / Scrawl / Let's Have A Party / Satisfy
Paper Dolls / How Long? / My Way Down / Cleopatra-Like Eric / Drivin' South

It was a blustery Friday morning, cold and windy, overcast and wanting to rain or maybe even snow. As my coffee brewed, I looked out the window and fully expected to see dozens of neighbors out twirling naked in the rain, giggling crazily and looking up at the drizzly sky with big, wide grins. Why? When the Chris Duarte Group blew into Colorado they came on the heels of the driest Spring ever recorded here in Colorado. No rain, excessive heat, low snowpack, dried-up streams - it sucks! Spring here is real beautiful and something everyone looks forward to after the cold winter months, but this year we went from winter straight into a blistering summer with no spring at all (and no rain). But rainmaker Chris Duarte came to Colorado and brought with him big, fat drops of much-needed rain in the form of a statewide coldfront from the northwest. The Toad Tavern show the night before was our typical hot night with no hint of anything. I grabbed my coffee and began Drivin' South towards Colorado Springs and then west up into the mountains to pick up Rev. Bob in the hinky-dink speck of Divide. We were gonna' roadtrip down the mountain to see the Chris Duarte Group play in Beulah, a little town situated deep in a remote, scenic area of the state southwest of Pueblo. Well, the best-laid plans of mice or something like that... The first delay occurred at 9,500 feet as the drizzly rain turned into invisible ice and a pea-soup fog that engulfed the landscape, reducing visibility to 40 feet at most and reducing the speed limit to single digits. Our roadtrip planning had been based upon the dry/hot conditions we've had for weeks. Nonetheless I pressed on and made it to Bob's mountain hideaway up a looping dirt road at 10,600 feet. After getting properly motivated, we slowly inched our way back down the icy, dirt road to foggy, icebound Highway 24 to Colorado Springs at the base of the mountains. Our plan was to arrive at the Songbird Cafe in Beulah around 4:00 or so, but thanks to the weather we were thrown straight into rush hour in Colorado Springs at 5:30! Muddling our way through that mess cost us another 45 minutes. That delay, combined with more driving and an early start time by the band, caused us to arrive at the venue just as the first set was ending (Oh well, half a Chris Duarte concert is better than nothing!). After a break selling some merchandise, The Chris Duarte Group began the 2nd set with "The Best That I Can Do", one of several new songs Chris been trying out on this tour. New tunes "I'll Never Know" and "Satisfy" were also played. The set also featured "How Long?" played for the first time in years, as well as a speed-limit-bustin' "Drivin' South" as an encore! The band played great but unfortunately the PA system and acoustics made the sound kind of "boomy" and muddy in parts (but I got spoiled when Mike Tomaskovic did sound the night before at the Toad Tavern and had it dialed in nicely). After the show, Rev. Bob and I got back in the car and made our way out of Beulah under a sky of twinkling stars and patchy clouds backlit by the moon. As I was on the outskirts of town and getting up to speed, a blur of white zipped straight from the left and went right under my front tire with a crunchy double thump. I bit my tongue as I thought to myself that it sure looked an awful lot like a cat! "What was that!?" asked Bob, who had also felt the double-bump under the tires as my car flew on down the road, accelerating onwards without missing a beat. "I think it was just a cat." I said. "We should stop, it was probably somebody's pet!" Bob said in a concerned tone. "I think was is the key word here." I said in a nondescript tone, eyes looking down the two-lane country road as we barrelled into the darkness, "Besides, I think that cat killed itself. It ran straight under my tire on purpose." "Couldn't you have swerved or braked?" Bob said in another concerned tone. "I guess I was too busy tryin' to see if it was a cat or not.", I mumbled, "It must've been the end of the line for that feline and time to cash in 'ol #9!". Heading back up the mountain, the fog had dissipated but the temperature dropped to single digits the fog had given everything a glassy coating of ice. It was a real white-knuckle ride with the ABS braking system kickin' in a few times, but we made it. I dropped Bob off and then slowly worked my way back down the icy mountain and back to Denver, arriving home about 5:30 in the morning. Piece of sweat, no cake! One more show to go when I wake up at The Crystola Roadhouse on a Saturday night!

-review and photos by Craig Keyzer

THE TOAD TAVERN
Denver, Colorado
5/10/12

---

The Chris Duarte Group kicked off the first of three springtime Colorado shows at the Toad Tavern in Denver. It had been a year and a half since the band last played here. Since that time, Chris Duarte had recorded the cool album "Blues In The Afterburner", recorded some cool studio tracks with the band Mama (click here for more on this cool collaboration), and had also auditioned some cool new musicians on both bass and drums. In March and through the beginning of May, Chris had Mark Simms on bass and Dave Anthony on drums. Former drummer Jack Jones has also played a few gigs as well. The tour here in Colorado features newcomer Trey Lander on bass and Dave Anthony on drums. Chris said he hopes to finalize the band sometime this August. It was really wonderful to see owner Mark Sundermeier up and around and looking good after being in a horrific auto accident. He came by to talk to Chris before the show and I took it as an omen of good things to come. Mark has always been a big supporter of the Chris Duarte Group, booking the band for many years now (and has been a fan long before that). As a resident of Denver I would like to add how important Mark has been in keeping blues music alive in the Rocky Mountain region. The Toad Tavern has been a blues venue for years now, giving voice to the music by booking all varieties of blues musicians from national acts to up-and-coming young local bands. Denver is lucky to have a club like the Toad. As start time approached I was eager to check out the new band and hear their take on CDG classics and how new material from the "Blues In The Afterburner" album would sound live. Chris gives his bands a lot of room to run and is open to new musical ideas. The PA music cut off suddenly and the band came quickly on stage and picked up their instruments. Chris didn't tune up, he just nodded at his bandmates and then hit an open D chord, letting it hang in the air a bit before diving straight into a rollickin' full-tilt version of "101". From the get-go I could tell that Chris had a highly energized band backing him up, like a lightning strike of focused energy but also playing with bazillowatts of energy and passion. Right out of the gate, bassist Trey Lander leaned forward confidently, one hand firmly wringing out chords up and down the neck as his fingers danced rhythmically across the strings to anchor the fat boogie of "101", throwing a change-up here and there to the loping trainlike rhythm. Drummer Dave Anthony, who's sat in the chair since January, was on top of it all with a decisive, commando beat and both were playing hard and sweating by the end of the first song, something I always like to see. After seeing Chris Duarte perform hundreds of times, with a variety of musicians behind him and across many years, it is my long-winded observation that his best bands, his best shows, his best playing, are when he doesn't have to do all the "heavy lifting". The last few years I've seen Chris play it seemed he was carrying a lot of the show on his back, even having to do a lot of rhythm work. And sometimes a lackadaisical band would actually make Chris slow down to their speed! In his best bands, Chris instinctively knows his rhythm section has his back, allowing him to skip across the music like a stone across a pond and play more freely, his rhythm section ready and waiting for him - one that plays hard and is sweating by the end of the first song! Some of the best CDG rhythm sections had already played together before and knew each others styles and communication. They were as tight as clockwork and really lit a fire under Chris's ass to stay two steps ahead! In this instance, drummer Dave Anthony recommended Trey Lander to Chris and had played with him in other bands. This show was Trey's second week with CDG and he was still learning the songs. He was honored and excited to be playing with Chris and was giving it his all, not only making a big fat difference to the CDG sound, but also letting Chris just play. And that he did! I also think Trey and Dave made Chris play even harder, it was really great! I hadn't heard Chris sound like this in quite awhile. It was a nice realization and made me smile, especially since he was just getting warmed up, but there was something else, too. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The band was ripping it up with reckless abandon and they sounded really good (which I naturally attributed to looongtime CDG fan Mike Tomaskovic, also a professional soundman, who came in to do the sound for tonight's show). It was between songs, when Chris Duarte was tuning and hit a few power chords, that I realized what sounded different - it was the guitar, his Xotic XS-1 Series Strat and its tone. This was the same guitar I had seen him play since 2009, yet it sounded better than ever and for the first time it almost sounded like the '63 Fender Strat it was designed to replace. I have been seeing the Chris Duarte Group since the early '90s and have seen Chris play the '63 Fender on most songs over the years. Chris is hard on guitars and the '63 Fender he used on every album and at most shows became more and more "broken in". The Fender Strat is synonymous with Duarte's music - the deep, rich tone complimenting his vocal style. Just like Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fender Strat and the music are intertwined, especially in the hands of a player with good hand strength like Chris. The '63 Strat became too fragile, and valuable, to take out on the road and Chris is reserving it for studio work only. In 2009 he replaced it with an Xotic Strat (built here in America by ProSound Communications using the same measurements as the '63 Fender Strat) and has been playing it ever since. When I first saw Chris play the Xotic in 2009 I noticed it sounded thinner and more tinny than the sturdy Fender Strat tone I was used to. Up until now I didn't really think it sounded like a strat and I asked Chris what was different. He said when he recorded sessions with Mama in August of 2011 (click here) that he had to tune his Xotic guitar down lower to match Jeff Leonetti's vocals. Chris decided to tune the guitar the same way for some live shows and liked the result. Chris said the one drawback is having to watch his hands more because he has to phrase certain chords differently. I think it makes all the difference and compliments his vocals much better, too. I really hope Chris keeps the new tuning, but I did notice one other drawback beyond him having to watch his hands more and that is how much harder it is to get a decent face shot of Chris because his hair hangs down as he looks at his hands or is head-bobbing uncontrollably (see photo montage where I could not get one single photo without hair in his face. I take that back, the photo below is the only one I took that did not have hair in his face! Chris also mentioned that he is going to grow his hair long again. It is already longer than his shoulders and along with it, as in days of yore, comes the frenetic headbob. Chris's hair and head flew all over the place for most of the show, like a woodpecker but in human form. So at this show I was unable to get a face shot but hopefully you kind of know what he looks like anyway. What a killer show and an interesting setlist that spanned several albums and included new songs such as "Still I Think Of You", "Make Me Feel So Right", and "Ridin'". The whole show cooked from beginning to end and never let up for a second. The solid rhythm section of Trey and Dave sounded great! Chris and the new tuning of his guitar sounded really great!! Everybody had a really, really great time!!! And there's two more really, really, really great shows to go!!!! Really!!!!!

-review and photos by Craig Keyzer

THE WINCHESTER
Cleveland, Ohio
5/4/12

---

Cleveland Rocks! Here's a nice 21-minute clip from YouTube of CDG tearing it up at The Winchester! Click HERE

MUSICPIX.NET Interview with Chris Duarte
Dayton, Ohio
5/3/12

---

Here's a must-see online interview that Chris did with MusicPix.net recently. He talks about the "Blues in the Afterburner" album, his gear, and a lot more HERE

THE CANAL HOUSE
Tuscarawas, Ohio
5/2/12

---

Here's a cool YouTube clip of the band "live". Click HERE

"CONCHO VALLEY LIVE" TV SHOW
San Angelo, Texas
4/18/12

---

Here's a clip of Chris Duarte, Mark Simms, and Dave Anthony performing on the "Concho Valley Live" TV show in San Angelo, Texas. They perform "Let's Have A Party" and at the beginning Chris starts to sing in the background, forgetting there's a microphone right in front of him! The magic of "live" TV! (click HERE)

LOW SPIRITS
Albuquerque, New Mexico
4/16/12

---

Some nice, little black & white clips from YouTube of "Bottle Blues" (click HERE) and "Big-Legged Woman" (click HERE). This leg of the "Blues in the Afterburner" tour featured Mark Simms on bass. And here's a jam of Chris Duarte with Ryan McGarvey on "Shake For Me" (click HERE).

THE 21st AMENDMENT
Omaha, Nebraska
4/4/12

---

1st Set: Hideaway / Scrawl / Still I Think Of You / Big-Legged Woman
Open Up That Back Door / Free 4 Me / Hold Back The Tears
Make Me Feel So Right / Do The Romp / Let's Have a Party / Sundown Blues
2nd Set: The Best That I Can Do / Letter To My Girlfriend / Crazy
Satisfy / Screenwriter's Blues / One More Cup of Coffee / Slapstak!
Cleopatra - Like Eric / Encores: My Way Down / People Say / Hard Mind

Like I've said before, it's a road trip if it's too far to walk, and Omaha is too far to walk from Lincoln! Thanks to Tracy from Waterloo for saving me a seat and to Karen for once again doing a fine job selling the merchandise, including the new tee shirt, in all sizes up to 3X, which Chris said could be used as a prom dress. The band played many of the same songs as they did Monday night in Lincoln, but as usual, it was still a completely different show with fewer songs but longer solos. Both sets were extremely high energy, and the encore included two songs: "My Way Down" and "People Say" - but as if that wasn't enough, venue owner Mark convinced the boys to come back for a second encore - "Hard Mind". This show was also the last for Matt "Skinny Buddha" Stallard, who will be leaving The Chris Duarte Group to devote his time and talent to his band Copious Jones. All in all an incredible two nights of some of the best music to be found this side of rock & roll heaven! Here's a video clip of "Still I Think Of You" from the show that was posted on YouTube (click HERE)

-review and photo by Thomas Joyce

THE ZOO BAR
Lincoln, Nebraska
4/3/12

---

1st Set: Hideaway / Scrawl / Still I Think Of You / Big-Legged Woman
Leave Her Be / Let's Have A Party / Sundown Blues / Drivin' South
One More Cup Of Coffee / Satisfy / Hold Back The Tears
Make Me Feel So Right / 101
2nd Set: The Best That I Can Do / Letter To My Girlfriend / Do The Romp
Something Wicked / Crazy / Hard Mind / Screenwriter's Blues
Are You Experienced? / My Way Down / Borrowed Love
Cleopatra - Like Eric / Encore: People Say

The hardcore fans were here to witness the return of the Chris Duarte Group to the legendary Zoo Bar after almost a year's absence; the weather was more like July than August and the band did their best to crank up the temperature even hotter. New drummer Dave Anthony fit right in, driving the tempo hard all night, with stalwart Matt Stallard laying down the bottom with his usual Zen serenity. Even though the crowd was somewhat sparse, Chris vowed to push it to the limit and no one was disappointed. Chris started out with a blistering version of Freddie King's "Hideaway", interspersed with some riffs from "The Peter Gunn Theme," before launching into fan favorites old and new. About halfway through the first set the walls shook with "Drivin' South" before slowing down to a ska-tinged "One More Cup of Coffee". The first set ended with a rockin' "101". The second set featured a smokin' version of "Shiloh/Something Wicked", followed by insane solos as part of "Slapstack" and "Hard Mind". Perennial favorite "Screenwriter's Blues", an uptempo rendering that included some added lyrics referring to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and "The Penis of the Plains" - our state capitol and segueing into Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" - which singed my eyebrows as I stood in front of the stage! As always, it was good to see some of the regulars, Tracy from Waterloo Iowa, and Mike, who claimed that it was his 138th CDG show and David Sukovaty, photographer extraordinaire. The show was supposed to end at 9:00 p.m., but somehow the last notes faded away closer to 10:00!

-review and photos by Thomas Joyce

ROTHSCHILD PAVILION
Rothschild, Wisconsin
3/31/12

---

Here's some YouTube videos of jams between Chris Duarte and Albert Castiglia! They did several songs together including an instrumental version of "Big-Legged Woman" (click HERE) and a long, wicked jam of "Make Me Feel So Right" (click HERE)

THE HUNGRY TIGER
Manchester, Connecticut
1/31/12

---

1st Set: 101 / Open Up That Back Door / Big-Legged Woman
Let's Have A Party / Still I Think Of You / One More Cup Of Coffee
Crazy / Scrawl / Watch Out / Leave Her Be / Drivin' South
2nd Set: Satisfy / You Make Me Feel So Right / Bottle Blues
Just Kissed My Baby / Ridin' / Hideaway / Sundown Blues
Letter To My Girlfriend / My Way Down / Cleopatra-Like Eric

The band played a few familiar standards as well as numbers from just about every past CDG release, something from the Bluestone 396 disc plus a couple from Chris' latest album, Blues in the Afterburner. Every CDG show I've seen at The Hungry Tiger has been on a Thursday night, so it broke with tradition to make the 75-mile drive early in the week for this Tuesday gig, but Chris' tradition of presenting hours of entertainment remains unbroken. The band opened the first set with a rousing "101" followed by a stomping version of Hank Ballard's "Open Up Your Back Door" before jumping into a slightly funkified ten-minute version of "Big-Legged Woman" that contained a couple of Chris' signature exploratory excursions and "Let's Have a Party." Next up was the Bluestone piece of the night, "Still I Think of You" before heading into "One More Cup of Coffee", "Crazy" -- which was exactly that and included harmonizing vocals by bassist Matt Stallard -- and "Scrawl." Chris then launched into a slightly slower and more bluesy 14-minute treatment of "Watch Out" and closed out the set with "Leave Her Be" and another favorite jam of mine: "Drivin' South." Set Two commenced with "Satisfy" from the Vantage Point album before giving us a taste of Blues in the Afterburner tunes like "You Make Me Feel So Right" and "Bottle Blues." This was the point at which I reluctantly brought out my video camera and randomly captured six of the songs from the second set, but I'll say that I'm sure grateful I was shooting "Bottle Blues" -- that was unbelievable! (Check it out on YouTube by clicking here!) It's tough to shoot video and enjoy the show at the same time, and I'm always torn between shooting and just enjoying the show, but the result always makes it worth it. "Just Kissed My Baby" slowed things down a bit, but the energy level cranked right back up when the feedback crescendo ending led into "Ridin'" as drummer Dave Anthony put the pedal to the metal and really gave this one his personal touch -- nicely done! And while I greatly enjoyed "Hideway," Chris commented at the end how he "really needed to practice that one!" A ten-minute take on "Sundown Blues" quickly followed, including the standard deviations for a live CDG piece of this length, and was held tightly together by Matt's confident bass underpinnings. A short five-minute treatment of "Letter To My Girlfriend" got the crowd shuffling again before the finale trio of "My Way Down," "Cleo" and "Like Eric" that held the remaining faithful captive for a combined twenty-one minutes. Talk about entertainment value! How many bands play a total of 160 minutes -- that's two hours and forty minutes -- and are nice enough to hang around, shoot the breeze with you, answer questions on technique and regale you with Shakespeare? I've been listening to the Chris Duarte Group and saw them for the first time in 1995. Right now I'm listening to audio from "My Way Down," one of the songs I shot video of, and this music just never gets old - it gets better.

-review and photos by Brian Douglas

B.B. KING'S BLUES CLUB
New York City, New York
1/30/12

---

Here's some nicely-shot YouTube clips from the Big Apple of "Still I Think Of You" HERE and "Let's Have A Party" HERE