Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, In Tribute o Joe Williams , by Doctor Professor Leonard King and it's a lively jazz vocal release with plenty of spring. Opening with Joe Williams track, Who She Do , Leonard King rolls right into the slot with excellent vocals. Matt LoRusso on guitar plays a hot intro, joined by Alex Colista on alto sax, Christopher Tabaczynski screaming on tenor sax, Tre Smith on bari sax, James O'Donnell on trumpet, Charlie Mille on trumpet, Tbone Paxton on trombone, Michael Zaporski on piano, Trevor Lamb on bass, Sean Perlmutter on drums and RJ Spangler on percussion. Excellent swinging opener. Herb Ellis', Detour Ahead , gives King a great opportunity to showcase his vocals, with nice solos by Colista on alto sax, and Miller on trumpet. Nappy Brown's, Night Time Is The Right Time , takes it down deep with strong vocals by King over clean piano lead by Zaporski. Paxton lays in some real nice muted trombone work and trum...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Echoes of Harlem (A Salute to Duke Ellington), Vol. 2 by Planet D Nonet and it's tasty. Opening with Happy Anatomy , Michael Zaporski on piano leads the way with Sean Perlmutter on drums and Trevor Lamb on bass. Charlie Miller on trumpet and Chris Tabaczynski play hot solos and Alex Colista (sax), Goode Wyche III (sax), James O'Donell trumpet, and John Paxton (trombone) build the wall of sound. Tight opener. Camille Price has the mic on bluesy, Rocks in my Bed , with Colista, Paxton and Tabaczynski each weaving in solid solos. Addi features Colista with really meaty alto lead and rich horn backing by the band. Very nice. Juniflip really does get a strong groove going featuring solos by Miller, Colista, Wyche, Zaporski and Lamb. Whew! On Latin flavored Caravan , Tbone Paxton has the lead vocal with Sean Pearmutter on cowbell, bursting into full swing and back with excellent solos by Colista, Miller and Wyche. Very c...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues To Be There , by Planet D Nonet and it's strong! Opening with Spacemen , a high energy romp, With excellent trumpet lead by James O'Donnell and Michael Zaporski on piano, this track is hot. Alex Harding on bari sax, and Christopher Tabaczynski on tenor sax,  and Tbone Paxton on trombone really sail with Charlie Miller on trumpet, Alex Colista on alto sax, Trevor Lamb on string bass and Sean Perlmutter on drums. Title track,  Blues To Be There finds Zaporski laying down the melody on piano with Colista, Tabacynski, Wyche, O'Donnell, Miller Paxton, Lamb and Perlmutter joining in. O'Donnell blows some really soulful work on trumpet giving this track a great feel. Purple Gazelle is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's Latin rhythm, powerful bari sax work by Harding, hot clarinet by Tabaczynski, and brass highlights by O'Donnell, Miller and Paxton. Wrapping the release is VIP's ...