I will start with this one because James Cotton was one of the first bluesmen I've ever heard...it's been a thrill to play with him at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach. Jan 12, 2003...

...and also to play at the Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland, with the amazing Mel Brown, Bob Stroger, and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. Half of Muddy Waters' Band right there! Nov 15, 2003

I should go back in time to 1994 when I studied with Duke Robillard and his bass player Marty Ballou at the National Guitar Workshop, in Connecticut...

...and with Ronnie Earl, who invited me to join his band several times while I lived in Boston. Here we are at the Sit'n'Bull Pub in Maynard, Massachusetts, December 1996.

Thanks to Ronnie I met the great Bruce Katz. On the same night here he is, playing his B3. The Broadcasters: Rod Carey on bass, Per Hanson on drums. What a band!

My very first lesson at the Workshop was actually with the legendary John Jackson. I could have listened to him play for days. July 11, 1994

While in Boston I got to play with another legend, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. Not the best picture but it means a lot to me.

Well since we are talking about blues legends, here are a couple of good shots! Here I am with B.B.King at his blues club in Los Angeles, later on, in February '98...

...and with John Lee Hooker at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, when I had the immense pleasure of opening his show with the James Harman Band. March 21, 1998

photo Jocelyn Richez

In 1997 I moved to Los Angeles, where I got very busy as a guitarist. The first band I joined was the Janiva Magness Band. Here is a nice photo of Janiva, Jeff turmes and myself at the Handzame Blues festival, Belgium, 2000.

...and here one from the 1998 Belgium Rhythm'n'Blues Festival, in Peer.

Through Janiva I met everybody in the LA blues scene. One of them is the one and only Junior Watson. Long Beach Blues Caravan, sometime in 1999

photo Bert Lek

I soon got in touch with James Harman, with whom I played for over a year. James is fantastic! Here we are at the Moulin Blues Festival, May 2, 1998.

...and here at the Harmonica Blowdown, at the Golden Sails in Long Beach. James and myself plus Tom Mahon on piano, Rick Reed on bass, Mike Tempo on percussions and Paul Fasulo on drums. 26 Nov 97

James is the greatest guy to hang out with. Sure all of us in this picture know that. From left to right, Nathan James, myself, Junior Watson, James Harman, James Cotton, Long Beach Jan 2003.

Not long after I moved to LA I met Lester Butler, who took me on my first real tour of the United States. We became close friends and it was shocking when he passed away. Here we are at the Grand Emporium, Kansas City, Missouri, July 27, 1997.

Again with Lester at Brendan's, Denver, Colorado, July 31, 1997. Mike Hightower is on bass and Eddie Clark on drums. This band had some serious groove happening. I played with Lester a lot in the Los Angeles area until his premature death.

A couple of months before the tour with Lester I joined Jason Ricci for a recording in Memphis. Jason used to play in Junior Kimbrough's band and took me to Junior's juke joint in Chaulahoma, near Holly Springs, Mississippi. April 29, 1997.

Jason introduced me to Mr. Kimbrough. I don't have any pictures with Junior, but here is one more from the juke joint, which unfortunately burned down a couple of years later.

It was quite amazing for me to be able to play and record with Junior's son and bandmember, drummer Kinney Kimbrough. His grooves are unbelievable. Rockingchair Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee.

It was also great to play with Billy Gibson and his band in Mississippi, as well as at the world famous Center for Southern Folklore of Beale Street, Memphis. May 2,1997.

Los Angeles has proved to be a wonderful music city for me. It's not unusual to jam with some of the world's finest musicians, such as Chaka Khan (on drums!)...

...Sugar Blue (here at the Long Beach Blues Festival, Sept 5, 1999)...

...and Little Charlie and the Nightcats. Charlie Baty is one of my guitar idols and it looks as if I am really enjoying the jam!

I have played a lot with J.J."Bad Boy" Jones, who has always been one of my favorite LA bluesmen. He grew up in Louisiana with his cousin (and my hero) Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones, and you could tell...he had that swamp sound down! Unfortunately JJ passed away in January 2004. Here is a special treat, we are playing in Hyde Park with LAPD officer Andrew McGuire (guitar), Eddie Daniels of the Platters (piano), and Bill Walker who was T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner's bass player for decades.

On the same day Louisiana Guitar Red paid a visit and jammed with us. Red's real name was Cordell Boyette. Another local legend in the Los Angeles area, he could play the funkiest blues that I've ever heard. Unfortunately he joined the long list of great bluesmen who have left us. Wherever he is now, I am sure he's still playing the blues.

I often back up harmonica players. Lynwood Slim is one of the finest in the whole world. Here we are at Harvelle's, Santa Monica, CA, Dec 30, 1997. Jeff turmes on bass.

Another harmonica player I admire is Freddie Brooks. I have played hundreds of gigs with him in California. This one is from Europe, precisely from the Ecaussinnes Blues Festival in Belgium.

One of my best friends, and a brilliant guitar player, is Kirk "Eli" Fletcher. Here we are playing in Santa Monica with Bruce Katz on piano, Rick Reed on bass and Ron Felton on drums. January 14, 2003.

Kirk and I played together at the 1998 Tucson, Arizona Blues Festival with the Janiva Magness Band. We got a chance to spend some time in the backstage with Snooky Pryor. A few minutes later he put on an amazing show!

Again I am with Kirk, backing up Finis Tasby. We both think Finis is the greatest blues singer around these days, and we both are honored that he sings on our cd's. By the way, playing with Finis and Kirk was a very good way to celebrate my birthday on December 28, 2001.

I also have been touring Europe extensively with Finis Tasby. The band consists of Alberto Marsico on the Hammond C-3 organ, and Gio Rossi on drums. Both fantastic musicians who appear on the upcoming new cd by Alex Schultz. Here we just finished our set at Nekkersdal in Brussels, Belgium.

Los Angeles gave me the opportunity to study with my long-time hero, jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. A real gentleman. He has played and recorded with every jazz player including John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. And he can play some super-lowdown blues!

Los Angeles is also home base for Royal Crown Revue, the terrific swing band that appears on the movie "The Mask". I have been their guitarist for over a year and I loved every minute of it. Here I am with RCR singer Eddie Nichols at the Livid Festival, Brisbane, Australia, where we are opening for Lou Reed. October 2000.

On the same Australian tour we got to play at the 2000 Olympic Games. This photo is from the Olympic Village in Sydney. It was a thrill to be there but I didn't change my mind, I'd rather play guitar than any sports!

Here we are at the Hi-Fi Bar in Melbourne, Australia. Since I was playing my Gibson ES-5 I couldn't help and I had to do the T-Bone Walker thing...

Yet it's easier on a Stratocaster! About two years later, thanks to my friend David Shaw, I was back in Australia with my own trio. This picture is from the Empire Hotel, Sydney's home of the Blues. October 2002.

Believe it or not T-Model Ford opened for Royal Crown Revue at the Great Northern Theatre in Byron Bay, Australia. He blew everybody away, including me--I was scared of going on stage after him. The best thing was to spend two days with T-Model and hear all those stories from Mississippi.

A few more shots from Los Angeles. This one was taken at B.B. King's Blues Club on June 30, 1999. That is one of my favorite guitars, a 1960's hollow body Silvertone.

This one was taken at the Derby, in Hollywood, where I played for a year or so as a member of the house band led by these phenomenal doo-wop singers, the Real Seductions. I never played doo-wop before but these guys really made it easy!

And this one at the 1997 Irvine Lake Blues Festival, where I played with my long-time friend L.A. Jones. L.A. and I met in Texas many years ago and have done a lot of playing together, particularly in Europe.

West Side Blues Festival, Los Angeles. Nice group here--Cad Zoots on tenor saxophone, Larry "Fuzzy" Knight from legendary rock band "Spirit" of Randy California, and Japanese drummer Jun Umemoto.

photo Eric Thom

What am I doing with Henry Butler? Recently I have been going to Canada very often, touring with David Rotundo and the Blue Canadians. This photo is from the 2003 Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The festival jam was incredible, here David, bass player Shane Scott and myself are backing New Orleans piano extraordinaire Henry Butler. He's something else.

Jeff Healey is an amazing guitarist. It's very hard to hear someone play rhythm so well, and his solos are really inventive. On top of it he is an accomplished trumpeter and leads his jazz group. We are playing at his Toronto club, Healey's. Sept 26, 2003.

I played with Jeff Healey a few times. This one is on March 7, 2003, again in Toronto. Jeff is a very nice person...you never know, he may call again! The harmonica player to the right is the great Jerome Goodboo.

photo Mako Funasaka

Through Electro-Fi Records I met Mel Brown. He has always amazed me and now that I get to watch him play more often, I just can't believe how good he is. He never plays the same thing twice. He lives in Canada now, on this picture we are at Liquid Studio in Toronto, where he let me play his Super 400.

A nice shot from the 2003 Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Sept 13, 2003

Southside Shuffle: a four-day-long festival in Port Credit, Ontario, Canada. Hundreds of bands playing everywhere! We played four shows, one on a big stage, two in clubs, this one on the street. Great. The band is David Rotundo and the Blue Canadians. That day we had a good surprise, Matt Schofield just flew in from England and joined us. Sept 7, 2003.

Again around Toronto, this time I am with three super harmonica players. From left to right, Michael Pickett, David Rotundo, and Lee Oskar himself. We just had a jam with Lee Oskar, who literally gave me goosebumps. Incredible musician. Touchdowns, Mississauga, Ontario, 2002.

A few recent shots from Europe. On August 18, 2002, I played with the Bruce Katz Band at the Jazz In Der Burg Festival, in Dreieich, near Frankfurt, Germany. Needless to say, Bruce is awesome!

Lucerne Blues Festival. It was a very special night because after playing with Mel Brown, Bob Stroger and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, we had an amazing jam. Here I am using my friend Johnny Moeller's guitar to play with Kim Wilson and Willie Hayes. Lucerne, Switzerland, Nov 15, 2003.

The jam went on until the wee hours and just kept getting better! It doesn't happen often to share the stage with Kim Wilson, Bob Stroger and Sugar Ray Norcia...all at the same time. Unfortunately this photo doesn't show the rest of the band: Alex Schultz, Christian Dozzler, Rick Reed, Willie Hayes.

I guess it wasn't enough because the next day I also got on stage with Otis Clay! Not much to say...he is simply the best soul singer alive today, and a long-time hero of mine. I was moved.

The Lester Butler Tribute Band has been put together by gathering some of Lester's former musicians from the Red Devils or from "13" to celebrate his music and keep it alive. The Tribute is an idea of the great drummer Eddie Clark, who managed to get the first version of the band its start at the 2001 Moulin Blues Festival, Ospel, The Netherlands. From left to right Zack Zunis (guitar), Mason Casey (harmonica), Rick Reed (bass), Paul Size (guitar), and myself. Eddie Clark is on drums.

The latest version of the Lester Butler Tribute Band has a great young guitarist from London Matt Schofield. We trade licks...I mean, necks, at Paard Op Hol, Den Haag, The Netherlands, Feb 18, 2002.

With the Tribute Band in Ruiselede, Belgium. The club is the famous Banana Peel. R.J. Mischo happened to be in the neighborhood and we were glad to see him show up and, even better, sit in with us. Feb 25, 2002.

Sometimes we are so lucky that we go to super-exotic places... Nobody believes me when I say that I played in Polynesia. Here is the proof! We spent the first three weeks of 2002 playing in Tahiti. I look forward to going back.

The first time for me playing in the Middle East, at the Philips Dubai International Jazz Festival. Amazing festival! I look forward to doing this one again too. Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan 31, 2003.

Among the performers at the Dubai Jazz Festival was the great Stanley Jordan. We spent a few days together but I couldn't learn one of his licks... Here we are waiting for our flight at Dubai International Airport.

Talking about exotic places... I am in IlhaBela, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, playing bossa nova with Beto Di Franco. I consider Beto to be one of the best guitar players in the whole world. Believe me...if you have a chance to go to Brazil you have to see this man. And if you go to IlhaBela you may not want to go back home! Maison Jolie, IlhaBela, May 18, 2003.

More from South America: this is El Samovar De Rasputin, the legendary blues bar in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am playing slide with a glass on my birthday, December 28, 2000.

photo UBLUES

Another place I love to go to. My trio played at the 2003 Universal Blues Festival in Singapore. The picture shows the festival jam: from left to right, Danny Loong, Mia Dyson, Trevor Jalla, Kelvin "Smokey" Ng. Bill Heid is on my left playing piano, too bad he isn't on this picture. Fort Canning Park, Singapore, July 13, 2003.

However, this is Bill Heid--amazing piano and organ player from Washington, DC. You may know him from his records with Johnnie Bassett. He was touring Asia with his jazz trio while we were doing the same. We crossed paths several times and got to know each other. The picture is from No Black Tie, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 18, 2003. Despite my efforts, I have no idea what he is doing on the keys!

The first time I went to Singapore I was impressed--there are many world-class musicians there. I've been there a few times and it keeps getting better. I had the pleasure of jamming with two of my favorite guitarists-singers: blues-soul man Trevor Jalla (right), and the amazing Paul Ponnudorai (center). Gio Rossi is on the drums, we are at Harry's on the Esplanade, Singapore, Jul 14, 2003.

Our trio played in Singapore in October 2002 as well, at a great club called Crazy Elephant. We were on the way to Australia where we performed at the 2002 Manly International Jazz Festival. The location is fantastic: Manly is a beautiful beach city 30 minutes ferry ride from Sydney, and the stage is right on the Pacific Ocean. Check it out! Oct 5, 2002.

Our second show at the Manly International Jazz Festival, Australia. The night was dedicated to the three foreign bands, we really were moved. One of those unforgettable moments in life. Oct 6, 2002.

Radio interview at SBS Radio, Sydney, Australia. Oct 3, 2002.

Back to Los Angeles, Alex Schultz and I are at Clear Lake Audio recording "Key to My Kingdom". Only after we pulled the guitars out of their cases, did we realize that they were completely identical! By the way...cherry red Gibson Es-330. Hollywood, Jan 14, 2003.

The day before we had a rehearsal...I hope it went well! Rick Reed, Bruce Katz and I, Jan 13, 2003.

I saved this one for last because now it should be clearer why I was passionate about having, on my first album, these musicians. I kind of wanted to sum up the experiences that I made in the past ten years, and gather the musicians who have been and still are significant to me. You have seen these people several times in the pictures above--that's why I am grateful that they pose for this picture in the studio. Jeff turmes, Bruce Katz, Finis Tasby, Steve Mugalian, Alex Schultz. Plus Scott Steen of Royal Crown Revue and James Harman. Thank you! We'll make another one soon.