Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tribute , from Joe Krown , and it's a New Orleans soaked release. Opening with Allen Toussaint's, All Of It , renown piano and B3 player player really gets things going, backed by  Mark Brooks on bass, Doug Belote on drums and with some searing guitar riffs by Leo Nocentelli. Powerful opener. Dr. John's Such A Night maintains all of the spirit of the Daytripper's original with Ivan Neville on lead vocal and Kassie Netherland backing, Jack Miele and John Fohl on guitar and of course Krown really  working the piano. On Ode to Mr. Davis , Krown lays back in the slot with cool piano and B3, joined by excellent sax work by Joe Sublett, Belote and Brooks. Very nice. Lightning Hopkins' Feel So Bad , features Wolfman Washington on vocal and guitar. I have always loved his style and his vocal, paired with his own funky guitar riffs makes this my favorite track on the release. wrapping the release is a stirring ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Joy Machine , from Circus Mind and it's a funky music party. Opening with Are You Ready? , lead vocalist and keyboard player, Mark Reehler sets the pace backed by Chris Crosby on bass, Dave Berg on guitar, Dane roth on drums and Steve Finkelstein on percussion and featuring Brandon "Taz" Niederauer with an outrageous guitar solo. Solid opener.  Air Waves is another track with a funk laden backbeat but leaning more to jazz rock. With strong vocal blending and cool percussion by Finkelstein, this track has cool radio appeal. Longing Song is laid back and adventurous featuring rechler backing himself on keys and with a cool guitar solo by Nels Cline. One of my favorite tracks on the release, JazzFest Time has that New Orleans pumped up street jazz sound featuring Pablo Rodriquez on trombone, Michael Amendola on alto sax, Damien Pacheco on trumpet and Richard Bomzer on bari sax. This track really hums with t...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The NOLA Sessions from Tom Hambridge and it's got real feel. Opening with Easy flowing, Blues Been Mighty Good To Me , Hambridge has lead vocal and of course drums backed by superstar Allen Toussaint on piano, max Moran on bass and Wendy Molten on backing vocal. Smooth opener. On Bluz Crazy , Hambridge has a distinctive slap on the snare that I really like and the lope of the track is further enhanced by John Fohl on guitar with Tommy MacDonald on bass and Kevin McKendree on piano. Very nice. Sonny Landreth's Slydeco guitar on This End Of The Road gives the track a real nice edge on a John Hiatt style track. Great two stepper. With real New Orleans style, I Love Everything has a great melody and sense of rhythm. With Shance Theriot on guitar, Calvin Turner Jr. on bass, David Torkanowsky on piano, McKendree on B3, SaRachael on backing vocals and The Naughty Horns this track rocks! Landreth is back again on Lit...

I just received the newest release, Demolition Day , from Honey Island Swamp Band and it's quite entertaining. Opening with a full blown rocker, How Do You Feel with a Stones vibe, Aaron Wilkinson on guitar, Chris Mule on guitar, Sam Price on bass, Garland Paul on drums and Trevor Brooks on keys get this track rockin. With strong piano support, key guitar riffs and a sassy Bobby keys like sax solo this track is a great opener. Head High Water Blues has a swampy, Band meets Little Feat groove. Price's bass work on this track, nicely balanced with Brook's keyboard really hits on full behind the vocal work of the band. High plains rider, No Easy Way , has an ethereal western sound blended with a jazz flavor. Subdued slide guitar work and nicely accented horn work gives this track a real cool feel. Medicated has a modern R&B feel bringing to mind a lot of the J Geils tracks with solid vocals and horn backing over a solid bass line. A nicely articulated guitar solo gi...

Dragon Smoke is a band that formed as part of the New Orleans Jazz Fest tradition of the “Superjam”. The “Superjam” idea is to put together a band of people who don’t normally play together and see what happens. With the dual vocals of Neville and Lindell, matched with the Galactic rhythm section, the band quickly realized, “We are a great band!” and has played every Jazz Fest since it’s inception in 2003. This inception took place at the famed Dragon’s Den, hence the name of the band. The music centers around Lindell’s blue eyed soul , Neville’s funk and R&B, and Galactic’s groove. Besides a couple trips to the West Coast, this band has been strickly playing in New Orleans. With everyone in the band being a leader on their own, it is rare to get this band together. And when it does, it shows that these guys are really having FUN! From the interplay between the members, you would think that Dragon Smoke has been playing shows forever. Dragon Smoke is looking towar...