There are times, such as when I am writing articles like this one, that I just like to put on instrumental music to inspire me.. move me…get my fingers tappin’ as I write. I have done it for years; perhaps you do also. But I have never taken the time to actually write about all the great instrumental music I listen to each year. So at the beginning of 2023 I made a resolution to note the great instrumentals on albums that I listened to and included in my shows during the year. This list is the result of that effort. It is not an exhaustive list and is drawn from the singles and albums that were submitted to me or available to me through my association with Blues Music Fan Radio. But I think it is representative of the fabulous blues, jazz, R&B, Soul, blues rock, and Roots instrumentals released during 2023 that fall under the “Roadhouse Blues” that I love to spin. I will comment on some of my favorites and I invite you to listen to all 40 via a Spotify play list that I have created at this link.

#1 Mindi Abair – Fly (Single release)

Mindi Abair is one of her generation’s great saxophone players. She is also a gifted singer and songwriter who has been nominated for several Grammys over the years for her artistry. Mindi only released one song during 2023 and it is an instant classic. FLY soars and floats in a musical stratosphere that many artists aspire to reach but few do. If you need a song to chill you out or inspire you to go out and face the cold cold world, this is it!

#2 Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Mississippi Night (Live In London)

The prince regent of the blues is a 24 year old young man from Mississippi by the name of Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Mentored by both Buddy Guy and Keb’ Mo’ at the start of his career, Christone has emerged as the first superstar of a new generation of young blues men and women. His instrumental version of Mississippi Nights is simply the electric blues at its finest.

#3 Jason Ricci & the Bad Kind – Hip Hug-Her (Behind the Veil)

Jason Ricci & the Bad Kind’s instrumental Hip Hug-Her is a throwback to the golden age of R&B in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I put this song on par with the Booker T & the MG’s classic Green Onions. Jason is based in my hometown of New Orleans and is acknowledged as one of the great contemporary harmonica players. Combine his talent with the organ playing of Joe Krown and you get one of the great instrumentals of 2023!

#4 Tony Wessels and the Revolvers – Walking With Jody (Reloaded)

I do my best during the year to give all the “indie” blues artists their due during my shows on BMFR. Independent artists have no label support. They raise the money to go into the studio from friends and family. Most have day jobs or independent sources of income that allow them to devote their time to their passion for the Blues. They market themselves as best they can and I write about them to get word out about their music. Tony Wessels is an indie artist from near Atlanta that put out a great album this year, Reloaded. Tony assembled a cast of supporting musicians he calls the Revolvers. Together they recorded a great upbeat instrumental entitled Walking With Jody.

#5 Vargas Blues Band – Blues The Healer (Stoner Night)

The Vargas Blues Band song, Blues the Healer, is my favorite blues rock instrumental of 2023. With soaring guitars solos and some awesome saxophone playing, this is another of those tunes that can just lift your day up after listening. This Spanish group led by Javier Vargas is well known in Europe and with songs like this one, they should make a big impression on listeners and audiences here in the USA and Canada.

#6 Blood Brothers (ft. Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia) – Hill Country Jam (Blood Brothers: Live in Canada)

I got to see the Blood Brothers perform this song live in Connecticut this past April. Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia trade guitar licks effortlessly, the dual drummers Ephraim Lowell & Matt Johnson drive the beat and Matt Johnson lays down some badass bass riffs. I put this Live instrumental on par with some of the best jams by the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule.

I hope you enjoy looking through the entire list of 40 of my favorite roadhouse blues instrumentals for 2023. All these artists deserve a listen….give them one!!!

#blues #bluesmusic #bluesrock #bluesnews #bluesreviews #contemporaryblues

Ben Vee started out spinning songs on terrestrial radio and at nightclubs back in the 1970’s in his home state of Louisiana. After a career in the construction business, he returned to DJing in 2011. He now hosts two shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com and writes about the blues at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut. He also has a personal 24 hour stream devoted to the Roadhouse Blues… WRHB as well as a Youtube channel.