This was a decisive change. Robinson was now recording with R&B jazz musicians like Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Ernie Watts, Harvey Mason, Blue Mitchell, John Guerin, Gene Harris, Stanley Turrentine, Groove Holmes, Tom Scott, and the Jazz Crusaders. But the Blues called Freddy again, and he also recorded with Jimmy McCracklin in 1969, Shakey Jake Harris, and Jazz Blues Fusion with John Mayall, which was a delicious mixture that exemplifies where Blues meets jazz, and arguably Robinson’s most recognized body of work. There were three recordings with Bobby Bland, plus Smackwater Jack with Quincy Jones, and he spent years on the road with Ray Charles. There are some excellent Robinson solos on Brother Ray’s live recording It’s A Blues Thing on Monad Records which also features Billy Preston and Esther Phillips. Freddy’s final recording came as a sideman on Mitch Kashmir’s 2005 Nickels & Dimes for Delta Groove.

Robinson had five full length album under his own name. His last The Real Thing at Last was credited to his Muslim name Abu Talib, plus one Ace Records import compilation Bluesology.

About a week after Robinson’s passing, I was with Hubert Sumlin who was not aware of Robinson’s passing, but after choking up a bit, said, “Oh Lord, I didn’t know. I got to work with Freddy. He was a great player. Freddy did the original ‘Spoonful’ with the Wolf, and a lot more. And don’t forget his work with Ray Charles. Freddy was a special guy.”