Jimmy Adler - Grease Alley (2015)

Pittsburgh guitarist Jimmy Adler is noted for his stingingly sweet slide guitar. Adler also plays guitar with his fingers, instead of a pick, which accomplishes a sound reminiscent of the great Hubert Sumlin of Chicago's legendary Howlin' Wolf Band. Adler began playing guitar at the age of fifteen and was heavily influenced by Eric Clapton's early recordings. Not surprisingly, In Pittsburgh Magazine has said, "Adler's Claptonesque leads will appeal to the modern blues lover..." Through Clapton and early Rolling Stones records, Adler began to discover the black blues of Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, and Elmore James. He used to sit for hours with a whiskey bottleneck that he cut with a special glass saw, attached to his finger, emulating the sounds of Elmore James and the siren sounds of the city juxtaposed with the natural sounds of the birds in his backyard. The editor of BluesBiz.com has stated, "If you like bad to the bone slide guitar, don't miss [a Jimmy Adler] show!"
"Guaranteed excitement for fans of straight-ahead blues guitar." Blues Revue Magazine.
“I like the playing a lot. Good band interaction too. A really good guitarist with a good understanding of the blues and a subtle rhythm sense. The band is really good and the music grooves well.” Bruce Iglauer, Alligator Records
Adler used to see B.B. King at Pittsburgh's Stanley Theatre every year with Bobby Blue Bland and Millie Jackson. King would always play two shows, and a high school aged Adler, who could only muster up enough money for one show, would buy a ticket for the early performance, and duck into a closet area when the lights went down before the encore. Here he would climb a wooden lattice-like ladder that led to a cased in janitor's storage space where he would hide while the theatre emptied out and filled up for the second show. Adler watched B.B. King's second shows through the holes in the lattice-like woven front from this janitor's balcony closet on the side aisle of the theatre. Before King's encore in the second show, when the lights went low, Adler would reemerge and stand on the side aisle to watch King's grand conclusion. "There was always at least one moment in a B.B. King show when the hairs would stand up on the back of my neck and chills would just go throughout my body. The first time I met B.B. King, some years later, I smiled from ear to ear and told him how I used to see him every year, although I never revealed the hidden balcony story." It was this kind of obsessive compassion that has always driven Adler's search for that blues muse in an effort to receive the spiritual cleansing that occurs through experiencing and ultimately playing the blues. Later, it was Otis Rush's live album Tops that really cut to the core, struck a nerve, and spoke to Adler's soul. Meeting Otis Rush at the Syracuse Blues Festival reminded Adler of his first meeting with B.B. King and how these two heroes were so kind and warm with their hospitality and words of encouragement.
He later discovered the sophisticated stylings of T-Bone Walker, Little Charlie Baty, and Duke Robillard. These players have inspired Adler to emulate the more jazz-like spirit of the blues. Adler's guitar playing channels the spirit and essence of these classic blues heroes.
As a performing blues guitarist, Jimmy Adler has spent a number of years lending his talents to many Pittsburgh Blues Bands.
Ultimately, Jimmy decided to pursue his own project, specializing in preserving the old-school styles of his heroes. "Absolutely Blues! Live at the Boneyard" combines old songs with his very own new and original material!
Adler packs his passion and energy into every performance! At a Blues for Food benefit in February '05, one writer said, "Straight up boogie blues followed with the Jimmy Adler Band. These players are seasoned blues veterans, and they showed it with a strong and tasteful set. Jimmy was glidin' and slidin' all over the fretboard and the thumpin' rhythm section got the Sunday blues crowd on their feet at last. It was a good thing, too, because by this time the place was packed with not a seat to be had." -- Blues Society of Western PA
Pick up a copy of Absolutely Blues! Live at the Boneyard and you won't be disappointed. This CD contains 8 originals and 5 classic gems. It incorporates the sounds of old-school blues playing, featuring the barrelhouse piano of John Burgh, as well as Adler's stingingly sweet slide guitar. The thumping rhythm section is created by the prominent bass stylings of Harry "Alley Cat" McCorkle and the driving drums of Randy Roth. Pittsburgh's WYEP 91.3 FM station has featured and continues to play this CD. Wrett Weatherspoon, 25 year host of WYEP's "Big Town Blues" show has stated, "Nice piece of work. Jimmy, you did it!" When in the Pittsburgh area go to a live show and experience the Jimmy Adler Band. Absolutely live! For more information, visit the website at: www.jimmyadler.com