Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release (January 28, 2014), Smokin' Blues , from Mark T Small and it really is smokin! Opening with Blind Boy Fuller's guitar boogie, Step It Up And Go , Small is cooking right out of the gate. A straight simple acoustic guitar boogie with vocals its a great start. Next Up is Tampa Red's Sell My Monkey , a slow acoustic blues with really clean walking bass line and blues riffs. Cool track. My Daddy Was A Jockey is right out of John Lee Hooker's songbook and Small gets the feel of Hooker with his relentless vamp and 2 note solos. Very cool. Jimmy Oden's Going Down Slow has really expressive vocals and exceptional acoustic blues riffs. Really really nice. Gary Davis' Buck Rag is really well executed. Davis was one of my favorite acoustic players and Small has done an excellent job of playing tribute to a great player. Rufus Thomas' Walkin The Dog is always a fun track and Small gives it a new run. He coaxes himself on in a cal...

Guitarist Mark T. Small Delivers Some Smokin’ Blues on New CD Coming January 28, 2014, on Lead Foot Music   Latest Album Showcases Small’s Guitar Mastery in a Variety of Blues & Roots Forms SOMERSET, MA – Guitarist Mark T. Small announces a January 28, 2014 release date for his fourth CD, Smokin’ Blues , on the Lead Foot Music label imprint. The even-dozen tracks on Smokin’ Blues solidify the Massachusetts-based Small’s place as an emerging master of the guitar, ranging from Delta blues and Chicago styles, to the intricate flatpicking schooled from his early days in “Newgrass” bands. The 12 songs on the new CD reflect music originally performed by such early blues legends as Blind Boy Fuller, Tampa Red, Charley Patton and Reverend Gary Davis to post-war icons John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James and even a Stax/Memphis soul vibe with the inclusion of a Rufus Thomas tune.   “Smokin' Blues is a sampler of the guitar g...