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Showing posts with the label Kedar Roy

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💿 ALBUM REVIEW: Leigh Pilzer - Keep Holding On

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Get ready to groove with Dr. Leigh Pilzer , the Washington, D.C. baritone sax powerhouse who proves that jazz is meant to be a living, breathing party, not a dusty museum piece. Described as a pure force of nature with a gruff, punchy, and assertive sound, Leigh brings a heavy dose of soulful grit to the stage. She has traded licks with the legendary Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and even arranged horns for local legends like Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy , and now she is bringing that deep, soulful swagger front and center with her vibrant new album, Keep Holding On. This record is a masterclass in pure, undeniable groove, packed with plenty of attitude, low-end bark, and raw energy that blues fans will instantly appreciate. Keep Holding On strikes the perfect balance between paying respect to the jazz heritage and absolutely cutting loose, making it an essential, high-energy addition to your playlist.   🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM   Keep Holding On by Leigh ...
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💿 ALBUM REVIEW: Mark Hummel Allstars - Road Dog

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  Born in Connecticut but raised on the gritty, sun-drenched sounds of Los Angeles, Hummel has spent the last four decades establishing himself as one of the ultimate torchbearers of West Coast blues —a killer style that seamlessly collapses the distance between traditional raw blues and swinging jazz. Since the late '70s, he has fronted his legendary band, The Blues Survivors , and since 1991, he’s been the mastermind behind the annual Blues Harmonica Blowout tours, sharing stages and trading licks with titans like James Cotton and Charlie Musselwhite . He’s got the institutional respect to match the street cred, too, including a Grammy nomination for his 2014 tribute to Little Walter. But if you think a guy with that kind of resume is ready to sit back and coast on past glories, his newest project drops the hammer and reminds us exactly why he's still the master blaster of the blues harp.     🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM   Add this Record to Your ...
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Little Village Foundation artist: Aki Kumar - God Bless The USA - New Release Review

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 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, God Bless the USA , from Aki Kumar and it's cool. Opening with a Chicago style take on Joe Strummer's Should I Stay made popular by the British punk band, The Clash. With a low slung guitar rhythm by Bob Welsh, June Core on drums, and Kedar Roy on bass this track takes form. Aki Kumar on vocal and harmonica really fleshes out the track with Welsh on piano and Julia JD on backing vocals. Very cool. Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love gets an incredibly out of the box rework with Jim Santi Owen on tabla, Welsh on guitar, Will Marsh on sitar, and Kumar on vocal, harmonica and vocal. Really interesting barely touches it. A reggae/funk workover on Neville Brothers' Sissy Strut now remade as  Desi Strut is great with Kumar taking the lead on harmonica and Owens and Marsh providing the basics of the backing with Welsh on guitar and Core on drums. Oh Yeah...it's cool! One of my favorite tracks on the rele...
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Mark Hummel - True Believer - New Release Review

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  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, True Believer , from Mark Hummel and it's chocked full of smoking blues. Opening with Chicago style blues track, High Time For The Devil , Oscar Wilson on lead vocals leads the way with solid pace and force, and Mark Hummel on harmonica really shines. Bob Welsh on piano adds a perfect glisten to the track, backed by Randy Bermudes on bass, Billy Flynn on guitar, and Wes Starr on drums. Great opener. Otis Rush's slow blues, Double Trouble , is terrific with Junior Watson getting hot and heavy on guitar, and Hummel shining on lead vocal and harmonica. With Kedar Roy on bass, Brett Brandstadt on piano, Jack Sanford on sax, and Starr on drums, this is my favorite track on the release.  Peter Green's Stop Messin' Round is a great shuffle and Hummel really gets in the slot on vocal. Watson has the lead on guitar again and his phrasing is excellent, backed by Roy, Brandstadt, Sanford and Starr. Little Walter...
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VizzTone Label Group artists: John Primer & Bob Corritore - The Gypsy Woman Told Me - New Release Review

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I just had the opportunity to review the latest release, The Gypsy Woman Told Me , by John Primer & Bob Corritore and it's a great dose of contemporary Chicago style blues. Opening with Keep A-Driving , Primer on vocal and guitar really does a nice job of setting the stage with Corritore supporting nicely and with solid piano work by Bob Welch, Kedar Roy on bass and June Core on drums. With a bit of boogie built in, Knockin' On Your Door , with Primer again leading on vocal gives Corritore a nice chance to spread a bit with great harp tones and Primer's guitar work is tight and well phrased. Lil Son Jackson's Gambling Blues is one of my favorite tracks on the release with quick paced acoustic guitar and fleet fingered lead by Primer and a fatter harp part by Corritore. Primer's own, Little Bitty Woman falls right from the Muddy Waters tree with a bouncy, Chicago blues pace, riding harp and Waters like slide work by Primer. Very cool. Slow blues, Walking ...
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