Bman's Blues Report

  Born in Connecticut but raised on the gritty, sun-drenched sounds of Los Angeles, Hummel has spent the last four decades establishing himself as one of the ultimate torchbearers of West Coast blues —a killer style that seamlessly collapses the distance between traditional raw blues and swinging jazz. Since the late '70s, he has fronted his legendary band, The Blues Survivors , and since 1991, he’s been the mastermind behind the annual Blues Harmonica Blowout tours, sharing stages and trading licks with titans like James Cotton and Charlie Musselwhite . He’s got the institutional respect to match the street cred, too, including a Grammy nomination for his 2014 tribute to Little Walter. But if you think a guy with that kind of resume is ready to sit back and coast on past glories, his newest project drops the hammer and reminds us exactly why he's still the master blaster of the blues harp.     🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM   Add this Record to Your ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Slow Burn , by Kim Wilson and it may be his best. Opening with Little Milton 's, I'm Trying , Kim Wilson is up front on lead vocal with Nathan James really shining on guitar. Barrelhouse Chuck has the piano rolling and Richard Innes on drums rounds out the band. Strong opener. BB King 's classic, Sweet Little Angel is up next with smoking lead guitar work by Billy Flynn . Wilson soulful vocals are perfect for these tracks and Chuck adds vibrant piano lead backed by Innes, Larry Taylor on bass and Johnny Viau on horns. Wilson breaks loose on harmonica on Boogie in E with tight backing by James, Marty Dodson on drums, and Troy Sandow on bass. Excellent! Robert Nighthawk's, The Time Has Come, features Flynn on slide and Wilson on lead vocal. Signature piano work by Chuck and Taylor and Innes working the bottom makes this another standout track. Magic Sam 's Easy Baby is a cool showcase for Wilson on v...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Not Holding Back! , from Kyle Rowland and it's super. Opening with funky blues, Convict No. 1 , Kyle Roland on lead vocal and harmonica shows real feel, with blues master Johnny Burgin and his trademark style giving the track real spunk. Jim Pugh on clavinet, Ronnie James Weber on bass, June Core on drums round out the band for a solid opener. Rick Estrin 's  I'll Take You Back , is up next and I really like Rowland's vocal style. Burgin is front and center again on guitar and Kid Andersen on guitar adds nicely as well. Pugh on piano, Weber on bass and Core drums set the stage but it's Rowland's harmonica that really tells the story on this one. Excellent! Burgin opens blues rocker, You Got The Nerve Of A Brass Monkey , and Pugh on piano and Mr Anson Funderburgh adds real guitar flair on this track with Weber and Core rounding out the troops. Original track, Gamblin' Blues , is one of my fav...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, God Bless the USA , from Aki Kumar and it's cool. Opening with a Chicago style take on Joe Strummer's Should I Stay made popular by the British punk band, The Clash. With a low slung guitar rhythm by Bob Welsh, June Core on drums, and Kedar Roy on bass this track takes form. Aki Kumar on vocal and harmonica really fleshes out the track with Welsh on piano and Julia JD on backing vocals. Very cool. Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love gets an incredibly out of the box rework with Jim Santi Owen on tabla, Welsh on guitar, Will Marsh on sitar, and Kumar on vocal, harmonica and vocal. Really interesting barely touches it. A reggae/funk workover on Neville Brothers' Sissy Strut now remade as  Desi Strut is great with Kumar taking the lead on harmonica and Owens and Marsh providing the basics of the backing with Welsh on guitar and Core on drums. Oh Yeah...it's cool! One of my favorite tracks on the rele...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, True Believer , from Mark Hummel and it's chocked full of smoking blues. Opening with Chicago style blues track, High Time For The Devil , Oscar Wilson on lead vocals leads the way with solid pace and force, and Mark Hummel on harmonica really shines. Bob Welsh on piano adds a perfect glisten to the track, backed by Randy Bermudes on bass, Billy Flynn on guitar, and Wes Starr on drums. Great opener. Otis Rush's slow blues, Double Trouble , is terrific with Junior Watson getting hot and heavy on guitar, and Hummel shining on lead vocal and harmonica. With Kedar Roy on bass, Brett Brandstadt on piano, Jack Sanford on sax, and Starr on drums, this is my favorite track on the release.  Peter Green's Stop Messin' Round is a great shuffle and Hummel really gets in the slot on vocal. Watson has the lead on guitar again and his phrasing is excellent, backed by Roy, Brandstadt, Sanford and Starr. Little Walter...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, May Be The Last Time , from John Nemeth and it's really cool. Opening with traditional The Last Time and John Nemeth putting a strong gospel/R&B spin on it. With excellent lead vocal by Nemeth, Elvin Bishop on guitar, Kid Andersen on bass, Bob Welsh on guitar, Willy Jordan on drums and excellent vocal backing by Alabama Mike, Jordan, Andersen and Welsh, this is a terrific opener. With Elvin Bishop on this release it's great to see a resurrection of one of his great tracks, Rockbottom , from the Jo Baker era and featuring Nemeth on harmonica and lead vocal. Bishop steps up with his signature playing style and this release is two and 0. Very nice. Bishop gets the mic on his classic, Stealing Watermelons and with his fat guitar sound coupled with Andersen on guitar and Welsh on baritone guitar, this track is FUNKY. Wilson Pickett's, I Found A Love , works so nicely in this set with both Nemeth and Bishop fav...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Spider In My Stew, from Bob Corritore and Friends and it's terrific. Opening with Tennessee Woman , Corritore on harmonica is joined by Oscar Wilson on vocal, Tony Tomlinson on guitar, Shea Marshall on piano and sax, Patrick Skog on bass and Alan West of drums and percussion. A solid Chicago style track with a Latin beat, this is a solid opener. Moving into a full on romp, Sugaray Rayfield has the lead on vocal on Big Mama's Soul Food , backed by Kid Ramos on guitar, Blake Watson on bass and Marty Dodson on drums. Great vocals by Rayford, Corritore's always always fine harmonica work and saucy guitar work by Ramos give this track real zing. Diunna Greenleaf is upfront on Don't Mess With the Messer and with a snappy drum beat by Andrew Guterman and hot sax work by Doug James, this track is strong. Lurrie Bell delivers really inspired lead vocal and guitar on title track Spider In My Stew with Bob Margolin ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Complicated Mess , from Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones and it's really strong. Opening with title track, Complicated Mes s, guitar man and vocalist, Doug Deming sets the table for a blues feast. His vocals are solid as always and using machine gun and trem bend, his riffs are hot! Joining are Andrew Gohman on bass and Marty Dodson on drums. Super opener. Kim Wilson's harp work adds great depth and Demings riffs are rich and jazzy on Sweet Poison , a cool bluesy ballad. Sam Theard's classic, You Rascal You , has great wings with Little Charlie Baty on guitar, joining Deming with clever lyrics and an extremely active rhythm section. Excellent! Shuffle, Need My Baby has a great lope and Madison Slim's harp work is strong giving the track a nice edge. My favorite track on the release is slow blues, Deep Blue Sea , with soulful vocal by Deming and smoldering guitar riffs, playing against Bon Welsh's pi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Neoprene Fedora , from Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I've had the pleasure to review a few Rockin' Johnny releases and also to see him in person and I gotta say, there aren't too many players out there right now that I'd rather see. (Check here to see my recent interview with RJB) . He is inventive, his guitar work is clean and distinctive, his vocals are cool and he's music is a lot of fun. Opening with the title track, Neoprene Fedora , Burgin hits the strip running with a 50's style blues surfer with great great vibrato, and cool phrasing. The Latin beat and the shimmery guitar soloing is out of sight and Nancy Wright 's sax work is hot and heavy. Excellent! Joining Burgin are Kid Andersen on guitar, Bob Welsh on guitar, June Core on drums and Chris Matheos on bass. On Guitar King Burgin swings back into his Chicago roots and I really like his vocals. Aki Kumar...

Bman: Hi Johnny, Haven’t seen you in a while. I'm really sorry that I missed your show in Phoenix. I was in Europe and just got back. One show I really wanted to see. How did it go? RJB: I had a great show in Phoenix. " Bob Corritore and " Dave Riley sat in.  I had a great bassist from Alburquerque, J.D. Sipe , and Brian Fahey from The Paladains on drums.  I hadn't played with him since a tour in Europe three or so years ago with Mud Morganfield and Taildragger . Bman: Wow. That must have been a great show! Damn. I really wanted to see you. Are you coming back again this year? RJB: I hope to be back in October. Bman: Great! I should be  good then. I don't think I have anything planned for October. Last I heard you were in Europe with Aki Kumar . I love Europe. How did the tour go? Where were you? RJB: I left for Europe on Halloween, and got back at Christmas.  The first two weeks of the tour were with Aki Kumar and o...