New York (Top40 Charts/ Sweetspot Records) - Sweetspot Records announces the
September 22 release of Soul Blue 7, the new CD from singer-cornetist Al Basile, which will be distributed nationally by City Hall. Produced by Duke Robillard and recorded at Duke's Mood Room studio in Pawtucket, Soul Blue 7 once again teams the talented Basile up with many of his former Roomful of Blues mates such as Robillard (guitar), Doug
James (sax) and Richard Lataille (sax); later alums Marty Ballou (bass), Carl Querfurth (trombone) and
Sugar Ray Norcia (harmonica); plus frequent collaborators Bruce Katz (keyboards), Mark Teixeira (drums) and special guest Sax
Gordon Beadle.
Soul Blue 7 is Al Basile's seventh solo CD and follows his critically-acclaimed 2008 release, The Tinge, which garnered rave reviews and hit No 14 on the Living Blues radio chart. Long praised as one of the top songwriters and lyricists working in the blues and jazz mediums, Basile proves it again with his fresh approach to melodies, insightful lyrics and philosophical look at life on the new CD. His influences cover the broad spectrum of American roots music of the past 50 years, including blues, swing, jazz and soul, all presented in a way that is fresh and exciting on Soul Blue 7.
'I write songs for characters that are not necessarily me,' says Basile in the album's liner notes. 'They convey truth from someone else's life or occasionally from mine. Every once in awhile there is a song that has an extra personal meaning for me that speaks more in my own voice.'
The 13 original songs on Soul Blue 7 cover ground from swing and straight-ahead jazz to folk, soul, pop and even reggae, on the track 'Causing Joy.' Once again, his expressive cornet playing is front and center in the mix, joining his soulful vocals and intelligent - often witty - lyrics for a winning trifecta of sound.
Born and raised in the Northeast, Al Basile began playing trumpet when he was eight, and cites influences such as Louis Armstrong, Harry James, Ruby Braff, Clark Terry and Shorty Baker among his favorites. As a teenager, he became close friends with both Duke Robillard and tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton. During his college years at Brown, he wrote lyrics for musicals there and also developed as a writer of fiction and poetry. He hooked up with Duke to become a trumpet player in Roomful of Blues from 1973-1975; and later continued writing songs, playing sessions and live dates, as well as becoming a teacher.
In 1995, he began recording his own music and started his career as a solo musician and performer. His songs and playing continued to appear over the years on Robillard's albums, including Duke's latest from Stony Plain Records, Stomp! The Blues Tonight. Songs he has co-written with Duke have been used on television's Homicide: Life on the Street and the feature film Blood and Wine. Ruth Brown recorded one of Al's songs on her Handy Award winning 1997 release R&B=Ruth Brown, the first of two albums with songs written by Basile to also be nominated for a Grammy.
To watch the video of Al Basile performing the song, 'Termites in My Basement' from the new CD, directed by Philip Palombo, click on this link: https://www.albasile.com/
For more information, visit www.albasile.com
