Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, The Beautiful Bones , from Kelley Hunt and it's surprisingly good! Opening with a high stepping This Time , singer / song writer Hunt shows a little Billy Preston flair on piano under her solid vocals. Backed by Brian Owings (drums), Tim Marks (bass), John Jackson (guitar), Mark Jordan (B3), Mitch Kelley (sax) and Jon-Paul Frappier (trumpet) this band gets it moving. Golden Hour has a strong gospel feel with cool backing vocals by Regina McCrary, Alfreda McCrary, and Ann McCrary. Kelly is really a super vocalist and supports herself well with percussive piano work. Jackson lays down some cool guitar riffs on this track as well. Let It Rain is a solid R&B style ballad without a lot of star search pyrotechnics. Actually quite nice. Release And Be Free is soul personified with a hot taste of gospel. This is someone who has tasted the waters of Aretha Franklin. Now that is a strong statement but first I'll clarify that I did not say t...

Charles "Charlie" Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), also known as "Yardbird" and "Bird", was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Miles Davis once said, "You can tell the history of jazz in four words: Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker."Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career and the shortened form, "Bird", which continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspired the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise." Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop,a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and improvisation. Parker introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrati...

Betty Hall Jones, born Betty Hall Bigby (January 11, 1911 – April 20, 2009), was an American pianist and singer. She was born in Topeka, Kansas. Jones's father was George Arthur Bigby, a cornetist and leader of a brass band. She learned piano from her uncle in California, where she was raised after her family moved there when she was a child. In 1926, she married a banjoist whose last name was Hall but was divorced by 1936, when she got a job as a backup pianist for Buster Moten in Kansas City. She then returned to Los Angeles to play with Roy Milton through 1942, then joined Luke Jones's trio, with whom she recorded. She married Jasper Jones in the middle of the decade and recorded as Betty Hall Jones in 1947 and 1949 for Atomic Records and Capitol Records. She recorded frequently in the 1950s and worked at the Hotel Sorrento in Seattle, Washington, for seven years. In the 1960s and 1970s she did USO tours in East Asia and toured Australia and Mexico in addition to regular...

Martha Davis (December 14, 1917 – April 6, 1960) was an African-American singer and pianist whose musical comedy act, "Martha Davis & Spouse", was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid 1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band. In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O", from the movie A Song Is Born, which reached the R&B top ten later that year. ...

Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands: the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles. He has also experienced success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B. King and Dan Fogelberg. He holds the 54 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." A native of Wichita, Kansas, Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio, for a number of years. His mother was a classically trained pianist. When Walsh was twelve years old the family moved to New York City. Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey and attended Montclair High School there. While attending Kent State University, he spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland area, including The Measles. Walsh began a lifelong hobby of amateur ("ham") radio while living in New York City. In January 1968 he r...

Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore (November 8, 1913, Topeka, Kansas - May 19, 2004, Yazoo City, Mississippi) was an American blues and gospel singer, songwriter and pastor. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, he claimed to have earned his nickname as a result of his loud speaking and singing voice. During his career as a recording artist, Moore worked with various jazz musicians, including Bennie Moten, Tommy Douglas and Walter Barnes, and had songs recorded by B.B. King and Rufus Thomas. In 1949, Moore was ordained as a minister First Church of Deliverance in Chicago and went on to preach and perform as a gospel singer and DJ at several radio stations in Memphis, Birmingham and Chicago. Moore holds distinctions as a survivor of the 1940 Natchez Rhythm Club Fire and as the first blues singer to perform at Carnegie Hall. A brass note on Beale Street Walk of Fame was dedicated to Moore in 1996. He was also featured in Martin Scorsese's 2003 documentary Th...

Josh Vowell & The Rumble is a five-piece progressive blues band that stormed onto the Regional music scene in November, 2007. They are a Blues/Rock outfit from the Greater Kansas City region and are currently booking for the 2012 season. The band is Josh Vowell on Lead Guitar & Lead Vocals, Boyd Brown on Bass & Vocals, Justin Shelton on Harp & Vocals, David Spritzer on Drums & Vocals and Marcell Stewart on keys and vocals all of which are veteran musicians from Louisiana, California, and Kansas. They won the 2010 Topeka IBC Blues Challenge and competed and performed in Memphis in the 2010 International Blues Challenge, IBC In 2010 the band shared stages with Jonny Lang, Tab Benoit, Randolph Family Band, Albert Cummings and have played shows at the famous Mississippi venue “Ground Zero” in Clarkesdale. In 2011 they won the Wichita Blues Challenge and returned to the Memphis stage for the 2011 IBC. Their material consists of stunning tributes to th...

One of the great newer bands that i saw live this year. They opened for Buddy Guy and held their own. Since their beginnings in the Kansas heartland a decade ago, guitarist Aaron Moreland and vocalist/harpist Dustin Arbuckle have captured the visceral spirit of the early 20 th century Delta blues and the raw energy of post-World War II urban blues and distilled it all into a hard-driving and powerful garage-rock configuration of guitar, vocals, harp and drums. Moreland & Arbuckle build on that solid foundation with the August 23, 2011, release of Just A Dream, their second album on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group. The 12-song set showcases Moreland’s dynamic and compelling guitar work – two tracks were recorded on his cigar-box guitar consisting of three guitar strings and one bass string – Arbuckle’s emotionally charged vocals and edgy harp, and drummer Brad Horner’s rock-solid backbeat. Just A Dream adds a few layers of sophistication ...

Charles Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), also known as "Yardbird" and "Bird", was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career and the shortened form, "Bird", which continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspired the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise." Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop,a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and improvisation. Parker introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Many Parker recordings demonstrate virtuosic technique and complex melodic lines, sometimes combining jazz with ...

mykaZoo Music in partnership with Universal Music Enterprizes has plans to develop and present quality family experiences. Randy Kaplan , a nationally acclaimed artist who was recently named as one of the nations top childrens performers has put together a blues record based upon a number of country blues and ragtime numbers from the 20's through the 40's. Artists who's work is represented include Robert Johnson , Sonny Boy Williamson , Jimmie Rogers , Blind Blake , Blind Willie Johnson , Blind Boy Fuller , Elizabeth Cotten, Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, papa Charlie Jackson, Jim Jackson, Hambone Willie Newbern, Dave Van Ronk and Mance Lipscomb . Kaplan presents these songs in a simplified fashion with children accompanying. If you are looking for an interesting cd that you could enjoy along with your children, this may be your ticket. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for ...

Martha Davis (December 14, 1917 – April 6, 1960) was an African-American singer and pianist whose musical comedy act, "Martha Davis & Spouse", was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s. Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid 1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band. In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O", from the movie A Song Is Born, which reached the R&B top ten later that year. Dav...

LEE McBEE is an Internationally established American Blues recording artist having released 6 critically
acclaimed recordings as frontman with MIKE MORGAN & THE CRAWL (featuring) LEE McBEE on the BLACK TOP RECORDS label and 2 equally acclaimed recordings under his own name on the RED HOT RECORDS/CROSSCUT and PACIFIC BLUES record labels. .... Lee McBee and The Confessors have been the house band found playing most Sundays in Kansas City, Missouri at BB’s Lawnside BBQ, they frequently back National Acts that come through the Midwest area and tour the Midwest on their own. .... In April of 2006 and throughout 2007 Lee reunited with Mike Morgan for several reunion shows and has recorded several songs with Mike Morgan for the 2008 Crawl CD “Stronger Every Day” release on SEVERN RECORDS. .... In November 2007 Lee completed a very successful tour of Europe reuniting with Mike Morgan in an
updated version of Mike Morgan & The Crawl (featuring) Lee McBee that performed well received c...

I just received the new recording by Tricia Freeman called Everyone Can See . This is a release that reflects all of the paths Tricia has explored. She opens the release with "Thought You Was The One", a funky blues number in the vein of Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt. This song not only features Tricia on vocal but K.K. Martin on slide. "Blind Man Wandering" is a heartfelt ballad with solid instrumentals as support. "Mama, He Treat's You Daughter Mean" is a song we've all heard but Trisha brings her own vocal flavor to it and again strong slide work by K.K. Martin shines through this time in tandem with piano work by Kerry Chester. "Going Back", another ballad reflects more to Tricia's country/folk roots with clouds of memories. "Let It Go" again a ballad is well constructed and professionally performed. "Time To Call A Friend" showcases Freemans vocal talents as well as her imaginative writing skills. Time To Call...