Blues guitarist ready to swing through Old Saybrook

OLD SAYBROOK — Nobody swings like Duke Robillard.

What you get when you see Robillard, a Rhode Island native and one of the world’s great blues guitar treasures, is some of the best, most lyrical and tastiest blues and jazz guitar playing anywhere.

And he’ll swing back by The Kate on Thursday.

Robillard’s show at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $28, available in advance at thekate.org.

Robillard, founder of Roomful of Blues, is a widely respected blues guitarist — and a walking, talking and always swinging encyclopedia of classic blues, jazz and swing music of the past and present, including the stuff he writes himself.

In addition to founding Roomful of Blues 49 years ago, he has toured with Bob Dylan and been a member of both the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Legendary Blues Band, made up of former Muddy Waters Band members.

He also has recorded or toured with some of the greatest American musical talents of the last century, including Tom Waits, the late blues shouter Big Joe Turner, the late Ruth Brown, the late Eddie “Cleanhead” Vison, the late legendary Kansas City piano man Jay McShann, the late Pinetop Perkins, the late Jimmy Witherspoon, Billy Boy Arnold, Rosco Gordon, Snooky Pryor, Joe Louis Walker, Herb Ellis, Robert Gordon, Maria Muldaur, John Hammond Jr., the Rockin’ Highliners and Robillard’s Roomful successor, Ronnie Earl.

Not a bad résumé. Robillard, with jazzy influences and, in fact, an

almost parallel interest in jazz and swing guitar, is one of the most lyrical of blues guitarists and is someone that people who love any of those types of music ought not miss.

When he’s not performing and leading his Duke Robillard Band, he’s also a songwriter, session musician and producer.

Robillard has been nominated for a number of Blues Music Awards, winning the award for “Best Blues Guitarist” at least four times.

He was nominated for a Grammy in 2007 for his “Guitar Groove-arama” album.

Contributed photo Blues guitarist Duke Robillard will perform at The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook.