Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Door Is Open: The Music of Gregg Hil l, by Randy Napoleon , and it's quite engaging. Opening with The Lost Tune , a lush melody with a Latin rhythm really is a solid opener. With rich vocals by Aubrey Johnson and well phrased guitar lead by Randy Napoleon, this tune floats. With Rick Roe on piano, Quincy Davis on drums, and Lucas LaFave on bass, sit back and let it flow over you. Light and aiery, Escape to Cat Island has a brisk Latin feel with a real nice trumpet solo by Anthony Stanco. Roe, always on top of things on piano is a key contributor and the slashing cymbal work of Davis and energetic bass lines of Rodney Whitaker really gives this track zip. Napoleon and Johnson work nicely to create a united front on Motel Blues , a slower blues with a samba rhythm, supported by Stanco, Walter Blanding on tenor sax and Andrew Kim on trombone. A real nice bass solo by LaFave leads back to Napoleon on guitar for one of ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Green Lights , from Troy Roberts , and it's solid. Opening with title track, Green Lights , Troy Roberts on tenor sax shows his chops with excellent melodic riffs over a solid bottom by John Patitucci on bass and Jimmy MacBride on drums. Guitarist Paul Bollenback on guitar really adds strong fusion guitar work with full spectrum sound, leading back to Roberts who expands his sax work. Tight opener. Solar Panel is an aggressive track with excellent drum articulation by MacBride and a jagged melody lead by Roberts. Patitucci really drives on bass and Bollenback adds round fusion tones before riffing into a terrific solo of his own. Very cool. I really like the rhythm of Up To No Good with a strong melody line by Roberts and one of Bollenback's best guitar runs on the release. This is my favorite track on the release with super phrasing by Roberts on his expanded solo on the melody. Excellent! Wrapping the release is ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Buckle Up , from Brad "Guitar" Wilson and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with rock n roller, Lucille , with it's Chuck Berry overtones, driven by the bass lines of Hal Cragin on bass, Adam Gust on drums, Chris Rhyne on piano and Wilson on lead vocal and lead guitar. Solid opener. Boogie rockin, Hoodoo Party , really has a great feel and Wilson gets a chance to walk his guitar up and down the fretboard with plenty of rocking style. Very cool. Title track, Buckle Up , really has a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd swagger. With backing vocal by Su Isaac and Galen Keith and cool rhythm guitar riffs putting you in mind of Keith Richards, this is a cool radio track. Cast Your Shade is a cool, blues rocker with a strong bottom. Wilson's vocals nicely compliment the strong guitar phrasing and excellent drum rhythm on this track. A guitar ballad, Sky Full Of Rain should really attract crowd appeal with a strong me...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Twelve Bar Prescription , from FOG  Blues & Brass Band and it's a full blown brass blues rocker. Opening with title track, Twelve Bar Prescription , a bass driven rocker featuring Al Hosack on bass, and Hilliard Walter on lead vocal this track is moving. With a ripping guitar solo by Tim Palser, Dan Jancar on tenor and bari sax and powerful support by Domenic  DiNino on drums, Bobby Becker on keys, and  Joe Dublanski on alto sax, this is a punchy opener. Funky, Seven Year Itch , really has a great feel with hot vocals by Walter and a great mix between sax and keys and another smoky guitar solo by Palser. R&B flavored, Hey Lucy , has a great JB boogaloo rhythm. Walter really works the vocals and Dublanski and Jancar kick it hard on sax. Wrapping the release is rocker, Who's Gonna Suffer with high energy drumming by DiNiro and a great mix on sax and keys. A great bass line by Hosack anchors t...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Up And Gone , by The Moore-McColl Jazz Society and it's an interesting blend of R&B, pop, rock and jazz. Opening with What's Still Happening , Beth Moore on keys and Chance McColl on guitar create an slightly funky track with a cool melody. With Tim Aucoin on bass, Joel Morris on drums, Randy Hunter on alto sax, Caleb Latimore on trumpet, Justin Powell on trumpet and Declan Ward on alto sax. Sunlit Flower (Against The Sky) is a supple ballad featuring Moore on lead vocal, accompanied by McColl on acoustic guitar. Nicely blended backing vocals give the track a really nice iridescence. R&B track, Back To Atlanta has a bit of a 60's 70's soundtrack feel with saturated keys by Moore and nicely phrased guitar soloing by McColl. Lattimore belts out a solid trumpet solo followed by a real nice alto solo and a nicely phrased guitar solo by McColl. Wrapping the release is No Apology , with McColl on lead v...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, "30" Live At Dizzy's , from the Diva Jazz Orchestra and it's a big splash of big band. Opening with Bernstein's Something's Coming , the band is lead by drummer Sherrie Maricle with grand support from Liesl Whitaker on trumpet, Jami Dauber on trumpet, Kellin Hanas on trumpet and Barbara Laronga on trumpet. Jennifer Krupa on trombone, Sara Jacovino on trombone, Leslie Havens on bass trombone, Noriko Ueda on bass, Tomoko Ohno on piano and featuring Erica von Kleist on alto sax and Kellin Hanas on trumpet. Powerful opener. Sue Giles is featured upfront on vocal on Here's To Life with a light Latin rhythm and warm horn backing. On a swinging take on Memphis Slim's Every Day I Have The Blue s, Giles is again upfront on lead vocal  with warm sax under the bottom and trumpets on top, this track has a great bass driven bottom. Schella Gonzales really wails on alto sax giving this track a real kic...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Unidad , by Aquanko and it's a heaping plate of Latin flavored jazz. Opening with Kintsugi , a fleet footed mambo, features Alberto Nacif on congas, Jose Espinosa on timbales and percussion, and Patrick Prouty on bass. Featuring hot brass by Charlie Miller on trumpet, Russ Miller on sax, Rick Roe on piano and Christopher Smith on trombone this is a solid opener. Un Poco Cubop has excellent mambo rhythm, with strong piano and timbales work under the perfectly blended horn work of Smith, Charlie Miller and Russ Miller. Another mambo, Interception really moves, With tight horn interplay between Smith and the Millers as well as driving piano by Roe and Nacif's confident congas work, this track is explosive. Wrapping the release is Espacio Verde with it's infectious rhythm. A stellar piano solo by Roe, a warm sax solo by Russ, Charlie's articulate trumpet work and Nacif and Espinosa really accentuating the rh...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cheat The Devil , from Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Sweet Little Devil , a funky rocker with biting lead/slide guitar work by Anthony Rosano and cowbell laden drum work by Kyle McCormick, how could you go wrong. Jake Fultz on bass really does a solid job of driving this train and I gotta say, Rosano's lead vocals sound quite a bit like one of my favorite lead voices in rock, James Dewar of Robin Trower fame and together this is a great sound. Fat, distorted guitar tone permeates the opening of slow blues, What Kind of Fool , and with deep bass and tight drum work, Rosano really works the lead vocal on this track. Dropping out all of the overdriven guitar saturation, Rosano develops a beautiful melodic guitar line. Very nice. Funky blues rocker, Jonesboro Road , really is a cool track with McCormick and Fultz laying down a great groove and Rosano singing and playing ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Touch and Go , from The Jim Self & John Chiodini Quintet and it's a cool set with dominant melodic lead on Fluba (a tuba sized flugelhorn). Opening with Touch and Go , Jim Self on Fluba and Ron Stout on trumpet, set the melody with John Chiodini on guitar, Ken Wild on bass and Kendall Kay on drums. The bottom is aggressive and tight giving Self a solid floor to show what a Fluba can do. Chiodini plays warm chords and gentle phrases leading to fluid soloing by Stout on trumpet and firm finger work by Wild. Solid opener.  Benny Carter's Only Trust Your Heart features a particularly nice trio set by Self, Chiodini and Stout. Chiodini penned, Amber, is one of my favorites on the release with a cool bop feel a particularly nice interlude by Self and Stout and some of the nicest guitar work by Chiodini on the release. Triangles is a cool track in 3/4 time. Stout and Self weave seamlessly on Fluba and trumpet crea...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, If I May , from Little G. Weevil , and it's another in a line of solid releases from him. Opening with cool, blues rocker Yoga Girl (Hold Me Close) in the style of Willie Dixon, Little G onlead guitar and vocal has total control. With K.C. Brown on tight blues harp, Mr. Jambalaya on piano, Csaba Pengo on bass and Tom Kiss on drums, this is a strong opener. Wandering blues rocker, One Last Time really puts me in mind of early Savoy Brown and the great Kim Simmonds. With excellent musical tension, powerful vocal, thumping drumming by Kiss and excellent guitar lead by Little G., I love this track. Doctor Hay is a cool piano shuffle featuring Jambalaya on piano working hard with Pengo on bass under Little G's vocal. Nicely phrased guitar work by Little G gives the track a springy texture and a rakish grit. Very nice. Chicago style blues, Tingalingaling (Everybody's Qualified) really gets the band rolling with ful...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live In 1967 Vol. 3 . from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and it's terrific. Over the years I've embellished upon how much the British blues had on me personally and my personal taste in music. I's remarkable that these early tapes have come to light, featuring Green, Fleetwood, McVie and Mayall in their raw glory. It would have been a rare find when recorded and it's a real treat today. Opening with Brand New Start, Mayall on vocal, harmonica and organ is the leading force, with solid bottom by Fleetwood on drums,  and the driving bass line of McVie but of course it's Mayall's harmonica and vocal, punched into oblivion by the sensitive hands of Green that make these cuts so vital. Listen to Green just rip away on Tear In My Eyes , a slow blues justcrafted excellently for Green's phrasing and style. He doesn't waste a phrase, making every impulse count, framed by Fleetwood. Brilliant! Ther...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Without Question , from Pete McCann and I like it's aggressive attack. Opening with title track, Without Question , Steve Wilson on alto sax and Pete McCann on electric guitar really rip it loose. With Henry Hey on piano, Matt Pavolka on bass and Mark Ferber on drums, this track is smokin. I really like the excitement created by Wilson and Ferber on Trifecta . McCann's guitar solo is unhinged, with intense energy. Very nice! Blues For O.M. is a "heady" exploration on Oliver Messianen who is known for the famous Modes of limited transposition. I think that this track works really well giving McCann a wide open floor to lay down a blistering guitar solo over a conventional walking bass line by Pavolka. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Erase The Hate , a soulful ballad featuring Wilson on alto leading the melody which has just a taste of Eastern influence. McCann shifts to more rock styling with Gary More...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, While We Have Time , by Maddie Vogler and it's quite entertaining. Opening with, The Need To Be , Maddie Vogler on Alto Sax, is joined by Tito Carrillo on trumpet and Flugelhorn, Matt Gold on guitar, Jake Shapiro on piano, Samuel Peters on bass and Neil Hemphill on drums. This track shows a definite interest in exploring Vogler's Cuban roots. Her sax soloing on this track is mature and intense. Great opener. Ropa Vieja is a more sensuous track with Vogler carrying a very nice intro. Vogler and Carrillo present a verry supple interplay before forging into a more dynamic portion of the track with intense work by Shapiro, Peters and Hemphill. Very nice. Between Wakefulness and Sleep , plays over a lightly salted Latin rhythm with the melody being shared between Vogler and Carrillo. But when the melody breaks, begins the fireworks  begins. First up is Vogler with an explosive sax solo which leaves you wanting more, fo...