Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Brothers by Junior Wells and featuring many contemporary blues players. Opening with low slung, Blues Hit Big Town , Colin James weighs in on lead guitar with Wells on Harp. Good Morning Little School Girl lines up Pat Travers on guitar and James Montgomery on harp. I really like Montgomery's work and his interweaving with Travers on this track is tight. One of Well's most loved classics, Messin' With the Kid gets a rework with Tyler Bryant on guitar and his open tone with just the right amount of reverb works really nicely. Baby, Scratch My Back features Albert Castiglia and I always like his style. He doesn't overplay but his notes all count. Very nice. Eric Gales is featured on Lovey Dovey, Lovey One and his confident attack on this shuffle really works nicely. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Snatch It Back And Hold It, featuring Joe Louis Walker. His guitar work is fluid and fleet...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The James Montgomery Blues Band , from James Montgomery and it's a cranking homage to Paul Butterfield. Opening with funky rocker, One More Heartache , Montgomery blows the doors open with his always powerful harp, backed by George McCann on guitar, David Hull on bass and Jeff Thompson on drums and punched up by the Uptown Horns including Crispin Cloe on sax, Larry Etkin on trumpet, Arno Hecht on sax and Bob Funk on trombone. Super opener. Nick Gravenites' Born In Chicago gets a bit more bounce that Nick's original and McCann sports a real nice guitar solo opening the way for Montgomery's harp solo. Very cool. Little Walter's Blues With A Feeling is solid and Montgomery's vocals are raw and gritty. I particularly like the tight guitar work by McCann on this track giving it a casual pace along with stinging riffs. Young Woman's Love just has that snap making it sit solid on your foot. McCan...

BRAND NEW FROM THE VIZZTONE LABEL GROUP mmm, mmm, mmMemphis!  and coming soon.... Hey All Y'all (note the vernacular, we're getting in the mood) — Lots of VizzTone folks are heading to Memphis this week, so we wanted to take this opportunity to give one more shout out to our BMA nominees, talk about our Big Blues Party on Beale, and brag about our new and upcoming releases! So first of all, one more big CONGRATS and GOOD LUCK to the Blues Music Awards nominees from our VizzTone/Vizzable family: OUR NOMINEES... Ann Rabson w/Bob Margolin / Not Alone - Acoustic Blues Album Bob Margolin- Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year Phantom Blues Band - Blues Band of the Year Tony Braunagel (Phantom Blues Band, Robert Cray Band) - Drums Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band) - Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Diunna Greenleaf (Vizzable Music Artist) - Koko Taylor Award      ...

     BRAND NEW FROM THE VIZZTONE LABEL GROUP VizzTone proudly welcomes the James Montgomery Band! NEW ON VIZZTONE / OPEN E ENTERTAINMENT - CLICK ON THE CD COVER TO CHECK IT OUT! The VizzTone label group is proud to welcome the James Montgomery Band , and their new CD - FROM DETROIT TO THE DELTA - featuring special guests Johnny Winter , James Cotton , Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer , the Uptown Horns , and seminal rapper DMC ! When blues legend James Montgomery sings and plays the harmonica, he summons the power and inspiration of a rich history.  While growing up in Detroit he learned first-hand from the masters — James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, and Jr. Wells — at the legendary “Chessmate.” Over the years, he’s carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in Blues as one of its most dynamic performers. In the late 60s Jam...

A film documentary about the blues. Clarksdale Mississippi to Memphis Tennessee. Although not new, a new one on the list for me to watch! Features Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Jimbo Mathus, Scott Bomar, James Montgomery, Chris Cotton, Ruby Wilson, Super Chikan, Grace Kelly, Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edwards and others. Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE