Aaron Griffin has handed me his first effort at recording, and it’s surprising and reassuring to see just how fine and unerring this 16-year-old guitarist/singers’ instincts are for the blues & R&B traditions St. Louis has always known. As old time people used to say, fruit never falls far from the tree: Aaron’s father, Larry Griffin, has long been a respected, deep dish blues guitarist, having played countless nights in the demanding St Louis club scene, toured and recorded in the US and Europe, while also encouraging his talented son to follow that same path and tradition. The evidence here clearly shows his mentoring was not in vain.

We hear Aaron’s mastery of Albert King, and that gruff man’s template for economic phrasing and tone. Go to each song here and understand how Griffin is saying ‘I know/feel & understand what this song/style/artist is saying’, and playing it with feeling and swing. Rarer still, we not only have a 16-year-old player operating on a very high level as an instrumentalist, but als