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Digging Into The Blues With Kevin Eubanks At Jazz, TX

When guitarist Kevin Eubanks sat in for two nights at Jazz, TX last month, there was so much great music that we just had to create a second show for broadcast!

Eubanks brought his former “Tonight Show” bandmate Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums, and was joined by saxophonist Bill Pierce and bassist Ray Camacho, all of them featured prominently on Eubanks’ most recent release, “East West Time Line.” From that album, Eubanks pulled out the beautiful ballad “Watercolors” for this set, along with an older song called “Spider Monkeys” from his 2010 album “Zen Food.”

Calling club owner Doc Watkins up to the stage, the second half of the show digs into the blues, with “Thumb Blues for Wes,” a tribute to jazz master Wes Montgomery (who also played guitar without a pick, just like Eubanks), and a slow-cooking blues jam to end the set.

This episode also includes a short interview clip with Eubanks, who talks about how seeing James Brown in concert inspired him to pick up a guitar as a young boy.

Hear the full show in the audio player below, or listen to Texas Public Radio Saturday nights at 7:00 for “Live At Jazz, TX.”

Nathan has been with TPR since 1995, when he began working on classical music station KPAC 88.3 FM, as host of “Tuesday Night at the Opera.” He soon learned the ropes on KSTX 89.1 FM, and volunteered to work practically any shift that came his way, on either station. He worked in nearly every capacity on the radio before moving into Community Engagement, Marketing, and Digital Media. His reporting and criticism has been honored by the Houston Press Club and Texas Associated Press.