Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, B's Time , by Al Basile and it's a cool retrospective of Basile's 25 years with Sweetspot Records using up to date technology on the remastering. Opening with You Showed Me Something , from 2009 release, Soul Blue, Basile on cornet and lead vocals is joined by  Mark Teixeira on drums, Bruce Katz on keys, Marty Ballou on bass, Doug James on sax, and Carl Querfurth on trombone, that walking bass line really sets up for great solos by Basile, Katz and James. Great opener. Two stepper, Drive Me Darling from the 2001 release Shaking The Soul Tree had a cool psychedelic rock vibe with solid vocals by Basile. Jeff McAllister on drums, Tom West on keys, John Packer on bass and some wild guitar work By Duke Robillard really makes this track a standout. Light jazz track, B.D. from the 2003 release Red Breath is chilled and relaxed giving Basille a lot of room to breathe on cornet and sets up with real nice lead work b...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Riffin' The Blue , by Tas Cru and it's got a little bit of everything. Opening with title track, Riffin' The Blue , an easy shuffle with Cru on vocal and featuring Mike Zito on lead guitar, backed by Bill Barry on organ, Ron Keck on percussion, Lenny Milano on drums. With a rich piano intro by Katz on One More Time , Cru on guitar sets the stage with lush phrasing and his own soulful singing, cradled by Katz on organ. Backed by Andy Hearn on drums and Bob Purdy, this is a cool track. My favorite track on the release is House of the Blues , with it's slow, deep bluesy feel and Katz's fat organ bottom. Mary Ann Casale adds some really nice backing vocals and this may be Cru's best vocal effort on the release. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Memphis Gone with Cru on vocal, paired with Zito on slide guitar and only the minimal piano by Katz. With the addition of Casale, Keck, Hearn and Purdy, this i...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 9, 2021), That's What I'm Talkin About , from Sean Chambers and I really like it. Chambers put together this release as a tribute to Hubert Sumlin who he played with  for over 4 years, in fact the title of the release is due to it being a phrase that Hubert used frequently. Opening with blues rocker, Hubert Sumlin's Chunky , a funky instrumental, features Chambers on lead guitr, Bruce Katz on B3, Andrei Koribanics on drums and Antar Goodwin on bass.  With strong blues rock guitar lead and solid phrasing, this is a super instrumental opener. Howling Wolf's Rockin' Daddy gets a really hnice Wolf like vocal lead and Chambers' guitar lead is nothing short of electrifying. On St' Loius Jimmy Oden's Goin' Down Slow , Chambers works the space with excellent phrasing and his attack has fire that I've rarely heard from contemporary blues players except SRV. Excellent! On Willie Dixon...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Don't Give Up On The Blues, from Giles Robson and I really like it. Opening with Land To Land Giles Robson on lead vocal and harmonica is a strong force to be reckoned with. His vocals are real and his harp playing solid. Backed by Bruce Katz on piano and Hammond, Aaron Lieberman on guitar, Antar Goodwin on bass and R ay Hangen on drums, this band is tight. Title track, Don't Give Up On the Blues is a cool shuffle track in pure Chicago style. Robson ramps up his harmonica showing his classic styling and key whiz Bruck Katz digs on piano for some terrific riffs as well. With it's Bo Diddley beat, Hangen really hammers it out on Damn Fool Way and Robson's tone is pure gold. Slow blues number, Your Dirty Look & Your Sneaky Grin is a terrific track with solid vocals, rich harmonica work by Robson and a real nice piano solo by Katz. Very nice. Harmonica/piano boogie track, Boogie at the Showplace is a...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Solo Ride , from Bruce Katz and it's a cool blues piano extravaganza. Opening with piano boogie, Down At The Barrelhouse , Katz is really rolling with a great boogie line on the bottom and solid great lead on top. Excellent opener. Tampa Red's It Hurts Me Too on piano has a totally different dynamic and Katz works it hard. Maintaining it's shuffle structure, Katz's hands are gold. With poise and elegance, Katz plays ballad, Dreams of Yesterday , with it's serene melody with a touch of gospel balance. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Easy Livng with it's early jazz/blues roots. Katz sets it up nicely and then hits the solo opening trill. Maintaining a slow but sure pace, his phrasing is strong. Very nice. Another piano boogie, Watermelon Thump really grinds out the blues in barrelhouse style. Very nice. Closing the release is Redemption with the structure of a movie soundtrack. Katz...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, All This , from RC and the Moonpie Band and it's a lot of fun.  Opening with boogie rocker and title track, All This , RC (Robert Christian) has lead vocals backed by Robert Marlowe on funky guitar, T Bone Betourney on drums,  Mike Logiovino on bass and Russell Pleasants on backing vocals. With Latin styling and tongue in cheek lyrics, Cheated on Me is a cool, clever track with interesting guitar work and a tight rhythm. Wild primitive delta styling and acoustic slide guitar make Big Ass Jug  O' Wine a favorite entry on the release. Older Women has a Screamin Jay Hawking kind of feel with dramatic wailing, solid soul vocals and powerful keyboard soloing. With fundamental blues structure, Take Off Your Shoes follows a T Bone Walker lead but with less flamboyant soloing and more curious vocals. The Buddy Guy Up is a super shuffle with a super groove. Potent vocals, dancing piano, hot guitar and a radical...

I just received the newest release, Homecoming , from Bruce Katz Band . Opening with title track instrumental, Homecoming , Katz and band mates Ralph Rosen (drums) and Chris Vitarello (guitar) ride an easy opening jam. Nice lap steel work from Jimmy Bennett mixed with the multiple key textures from Katz make this a great opener. Up next is King of Decatur , a funky New Orleans style track with Randy Ciarlante on drums and lead vocals. Katz shows his mastery of the style on electric keys and Bennett and Vitarello show their swampy chops. Santa Fe Blues features John Hammond on lead vocal and Katz really tickles the keys with a bright approach to a classic style period blues track. On shuffle track, No Brainer , the band really gets into a nice groove. Vitarello lays out some really swinging guitar riffs and Katz handles the B3 like it's a part of him. Excellent! Amelia opens with Katz on electric piano and Peter Bennett on bass and Rosen on drums finding a jazz overlay on a New ...

I just received the newest release by Johnny I. All Star Blues Revival . This release is star packed featuring the works of Jaimoe , Billy Cox , Bruce Katz and Reese Wynans . Opening with Life Is Better , a funky groove and Billy Cox on bass, Ingrassia leads the way on vocals. Wynans carries a lot of the load on B3 and Layton cements the bottom on drums. After a nice B3 solo from Wynans, Johnny I. steps up with a fat, high gain guitar solo making for a cool jam. Late Night has more of a jazzy ballad featuring Jaimoe on drums and Katz on B3. Katz steps up on this track and plays a mean solo opening the door for Johnny I. to step up again with a burst of fat guitar riff. An easy going track reminding me quite a bit of an early Isley Brothers track. Interesting listing and a decent start to a concept release. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page!...

I just received the new release (June 18, 2013); Blind, Crippled And Crazy ; From Delbert (McClinton) & Glen (Clark) and it's good rip roaring fun! Opening with the tongue in cheek, Been Around A Long Time , a great lyrical track with a bit of country and a bit of rock, The band is a who's who including Gary Nicholson on guitar, Tom Hambridge on drums, Bob Britt on guitar, Kevin McKendree and Bruce Katz on keys. This track is way sophisticated for "country music" but with a great country swing attitude it really is a fun track! Up tempo 2 stepper, Whoever Said It Was Easy , brings a smile to your face as it is obvious that D&G are having as much fun making this track as I am listening to it. A slick country pickin guitar solo sets off nicely in the middle of the track but this is really all about the singers and this is entertainment. Oughta Know , featuring Anson Funderburgh, has a real Texas lope to it and of course lots of really tasty guitar. This is a ...

The CKS Band is a powerhouse organ trio and a Blues/Soul & Rock supergroup. The group features Randy Ciarlante (The Levon Helm Band) on Drums & Vocals, Bruce Katz (The Gregg Allman Band, Delbert McClinton) on B-3 Organ and Scott Sharrard (The Gregg Allman Band) on Guitar & Vocals. The band was formed in Sept. of 2011 and has since played the Bearsville Theater, Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble and many other venues to spectacular reviews. An official live album is set for release in the spring of 2012 along with many more shows across the country... Randy Ciarlante (drums/vocals) Randy joined The Band in 1990 and is currently a member of The Levon Helm Band, singing harmony vocals and playing drums.He played and sang on The Band's albums from the 1990s, including Jubilation and High on the Hog. After The Band dissolved, he joined the Jim Weider Band from 1998-2006 and continues to play with Jim Weider's Percolator band. Randy Ciarlante has also been a mainstay o...