I had not seen Roomful of Blues in about twenty years, and even though the members of the band have changed in that time, the band’s roots are the same. Their recent appearance at Regattabar showed that they continue to be worth seeing.

The Horns Section of Roomful of Blues

What a history Roomful of Blues has! Founded 48 years ago, this Rhode Island based band plays horns-heavy Chicago blues with swing and Cajun mixed in for good measure.

The band’s current lineup is Rich Lataille on alto and tenor saxophones, Chris Vachon on guitar, Phil Pemberton on vocals, John Turner on bass, Chris Rivelli on drums, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, Mark Earley on baritone and tenor saxophones, and Rusty Scott on keys.

Rich Lataille

Mark Earley

Phil Pemberton

John Turner

Doug Woolverton

Rusty Scott

Chris Vachon

Chris Rivelli

Every member of this band is quite talented, but I was especially impressed with the horns section. Rich (alto and tenor saxes) is the only remaining original band member. Whether playing together or taking solos, the audience showed their appreciation throughout the show.

Mark, Doug, and Rich

A couple of New Orleans funk songs made it onto the set list, including ‘Jambalaya’ which is always a crowd-pleaser.

Phil

This show may have been a bit lower energy than their typical show; Phil mentioned that five of them were sick (he apologized in advance if he spit a cough drop into the crowd – which he did not do) and that, combined with the snow fatigue many of us are feeling, was most likely the cause. Still, people were dancing at the back of the room where they weren’t blocking anybody’s view of the stage. And I enjoyed it regardless.

Ticket courtesy of Regattabar; all opinions are my own.