Bman's Blues Report

Ryan Barry is an up-and-coming U.S. jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader who has fast become a fixture of the highly competitive New York City jazz scene. He first fell in love with jazz and organic improvisation while playing in his university big band, a passion that eventually drove him to move straight to the heart of NYC in 2021. Since then, he has cut his teeth busking in Central Park, cutting late-night jam sessions at iconic institutions like Smalls , and playing city staple venues like Fiction and Maison Cafe Kitsuné. Since 2020, Ryan has studied closely under famed instructor Mike Tucker , cultivating a lyrical, velvety, and spacious hard-bop sound on the tenor horn that mirrors the legendary influence of icons like Sonny Stitt and Dexter Gordon . He found early streaming success when he signed with G² Records & Publishing and released a soulful bossa nova cover of "I Love How You Love Me," which blew up on Spotify's official All New Jazz playl...

Sonny Rollins Born: Harlen NY September 7, 1930 Genre Style: Modern Jazz Sonny Rollins (1930–2026) was an American tenor saxophonist widely celebrated as one of the most commanding and influential improvisers in jazz history. After rising to prominence in the 1950s alongside legends like Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, he defined the hard bop era with his landmark 1956 album Saxophone Colossus and popularized calypso jazz with his signature composition "St. Thomas." Known for his relentless perfectionism, Rollins famously stepped away from his thriving career in 1959 to practice alone for hours a day on New York's Williamsburg Bridge , a testament to the dedication that fueled his powerful tone and innovative, thematic style. Over a career spanning seven decades, he earned the National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor before retiring from public performance in 2012 and passing away in May 2026 at the age of 95. 💿 Sonny Rollins Disco...

Joanna Connor is an absolute powerhouse on the Chicago scene, widely celebrated as the "Queen of Slide Guitar" for her fierce, lightning-fast fretwork. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Massachusetts, she fell in love with music early through her mom’s killer record collection, picking up the guitar at age seven and fronting local bands by 16. Driven to dive headfirst into real blues culture, she hopped a Greyhound bus to Chicago at age 22. She quickly made a name for herself jamming at legendary South Side spots like the Checkerboard Lounge and shared stages with icons like Buddy Guy , Junior Wells, and James Cotton . After a breakthrough stint with Dion Payton’s band, she launched her own powerhouse group in 1987 and dropped her praised debut album, Believe It! , in 1989. She spent the '90s touring the world but later scaled back to raise her kids, anchoring the Chicago scene with legendary, multi-decade residencies at Kingston Mines and the House of Blues . In 2014,...

Terence Blanchard is an eight-time Grammy-winning, twice Academy Award-nominated jazz trumpeter, composer, and educator who stands as one of modern jazz’s most influential voices. Born on March 13, 1962, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Blanchard launched his career in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra before succeeding Wynton Marsalis as the musical director for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers . Over a celebrated solo career, he has released more than 20 studio albums and established himself as a giant in the film industry, most notably through a three-decade collaboration with director Spike Lee , which earned Blanchard Oscar nominations for scoring BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods . In 2021, he made history when his production, Fire Shut Up in My Bones , became the first opera by a Black composer ever performed by the Metropolitan Opera. Currently recognized as an NEA Jazz Master and serving as the Executive Artistic Director of SFJAZZ , Blanchard continues to shatter genr...