![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/aj_crawdaddy.jpg\")
The West Coast blues tradition builds upon the styles and achievements of blues greats, with a healthy does of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll influence mixed in. A product of that tradition, Palo Alto-born guitarist Angelo J. Rossi \u2013 known to fans as AJ Crawdaddy \u2013 has been a fixture of the blues scene for decades.<\/p>\n
Rossi\u2019s formal introduction to the blues came at age 17, almost by accident. He bought a ticket to a Chambers Brothers show at Winterland. \u201cThey canceled, and a fellow by the name of Albert King came out on stage instead,\u201d Rossi recalls. He was immediately impressed. \u201cThis big guy had a Flying V [guitar] that he played left-hand and upside down.\u201d King launched into one of his signature tunes. \u201cHe played \u2018Crosscut Saw,\u2019\u201d Rossi says, \u201cand that was that.\u201d He was won over by the blues.<\/p>\n
That same year, Rossi\u2019s mother bought him his first serious guitar, a brand new Epiphone Riviera. Rossi had already proved to his parents that he was committed to playing, so after having used a rented instrument for some time, he was thrilled to receive an instrument of his own. The gift took on special meaning, as his mother was suffering from cancer and died the next year. A half-century later, Rossi still owns and plays that treasured electric guitar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell in love with the \u2018three Kings\u2019 \u2013 Albert, Freddie and B.B. King,\u201d Rossi says. \u201cI saw B.B. King open for the Rolling Stones in 1968. He tore that stage up!\u201d Growing up in the Bay Area,, Rossi took every advantage to see his blues heroes when they came through town. He was especially inspired by bands that included a horn section; that approach would greatly influence the direction Rossi would follow in his own blues journey.<\/p>\n
Along the way, Rossi\u2019s musical path found him playing in musical idioms well beyond the blues. When rock band Pablo Cruise wanted to add more musical muscle to its sound, the group recruited Rossi on guitar and vocals. Working with the band in studios like Sausalito\u2019s famed Record Plant, Rossi became friendly with a wide variety of artists. \u201cIt was basically a family unit,\u201d Rossi says. \u201cEverybody hung out together, got stoned together, and worked on each other\u2019s records.\u201d Rossi\u2019s backing vocals can be heard on Jefferson Starship\u2019s Freedom at Point Zero<\/i> album.<\/p>\n
But his commitment to the blues remained strong. Even when onstage playing breezy, soft rock hits like Pablo Cruise\u2019s \u201cWhatcha Gonna Do?\u201d and \u201cLove Will Find a Way,\u201d Rossi provided bluesy texture to the music. \u201cWhenever I play, I always \u2018blues\u2019 something up,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cI just get sneaky. I have that ability to be able to sneak the blues in, no matter what genre I\u2019m playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
These days, Rossi maintains his own studio, The Cave. And it\u2019s there where he has recorded two albums to date under the AJ Crawdaddy moniker. The records \u2013 2015\u2019s Vaporized<\/i> and Slow Cookin\u2019<\/i> from 2017 \u2013 display Rossi\u2019s love of the blues as well as his skill at showcasing the genre\u2019s various styles. \u201cI try to make well-rounded records,\u201d he explains, \u201cones that aren\u2019t just steeped in traditional blues, but that also touch on Chicago, Kansas City, and even West Coast blues. Because I\u2019m a West Coast guy!\u201d<\/p>\n
Rossi\u2019s music also draws from the jump blues tradition, a late 1940s style that music historians describe as a missing link between big band swing, blues and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll. Both in the studio and on live dates, Rossi uses a horn section \u2013 featuring select players from the region\u2019s blues scene \u2013 whenever he can. But when he can\u2019t, or when the music calls for something different, he calls old friend and harmonica player Jim Durrants. \u201cThink of the harmonica as a poor man\u2019s horn section,\u201d Rossi says with a good-natured laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s the \u2018Mississippi saxophone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Rossi has deep friendship with many in the Bay Area blues scene, and that\u2019s a key to his popularity and success. Most of the musicians who play with him have been bandmates for more than two decades. \u201cWe\u2019re playing blues, and that\u2019s a simple language,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a very fun language.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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