tracks

Blue Drag
Calling All Carts
I Ain't Drunk
Mardi Gras In New Orleans
One Meat Ball
Save The Bones
Who Drank My Beer
Your Mind Is On Vacation
A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird
Such A Night

notes

Pittsburgh’s rockin' rhythm & jazz trio, The Red Beans & Rice Combo, will serve up a delightful musical gumbo with their debut recording, Let the Joy Begin! The Combo features Tom Roberts on piano, whistling, & vocals, along with Dave Klug on drums and his custom-built "Kluger Soundboard," and Wayno on vocals, harmonica, & ukulele. The fun-loving, sharp-dressed trio has been gigging around Pittsburgh since 2016, and quickly developed a reputation for delivering a danceable mix of New Orleans R&B, early rock & roll nuggets, and barroom ballads, with a jazzy dash of Tin Pan Alley, and a generous side of wit & humor. Let the Joy Begin! features ten of the Combo's favorite tunes. The album was produced by Xayne Berlinski at Mojo Bone Yard Studios in McKeesport, PA.

Man alive! These guys make you wanna jump and jive! Pittsburgh rhythm & blues and jazz at its coolest!
— DJ Flipside Scotty, RadioCore.org

"Wayno met pianist Tom Roberts in 2016, when the latter was presenting a documentary at the Hollywood Theater on the colorful New Orleans pianist James Booker. Roberts grew up in Pittsburgh but throughout a wide-ranging musical career, he lived in New Orleans for several years and toured with the legendary Leon Redbone. With an encyclopedic knowledge of early jazz and rhythm and blues, as well as a massive collection of 78s, Roberts hit it off with the cartoonist. Wayno had played in the band the Chalk Outlines a few years prior to their encounter, and he was casting around for something to do. Despite having ongoing projects like a tango duo and providing music for silent movies, Roberts was interested. Dave Klug, drummer of numerous local bands including the Chalk Outlines, became the third piece in the puzzle.

All 10 songs on the Red Beans & Rice Combo’s debut CD, Let the Joy Begin, could be considered classics, though some might be more widely known than others. “Mardi Gras in New Orleans” feature as funky second line beat, topped off by some strong whistling by Roberts. “One Meat Ball” — the minor tale of a fellow who can only afford a meal consisting of that one item — has as much of a connection to Tin Pan Alley, but the trio still keeps it steeped in blues. Among the deeper cuts, one of the more engaging is “Who Drank My Beer,” a question first posed by Dave Bartholomew, a Big Easy native who also played with Fats Domino." - Mike Shanley, Pittsburgh Current, September 25, 2018

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