Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Living In The City , from Big Harp George , and it's a solid mix or blues and rock. Opening with Build Myself an App , a rock track with a retro beat features Big Harp George on lead vocal and harp, Chris Burns on keys, Doug Rowan on bari sax, Joe Kyle on bass, June Core on drums, Kid Andersen on guitar and the Sons of the Soul Revivers (James Dwayne and Walter Morgan) on backing vocals. Heading Out to Itaipu has a cool, light Latin feel with excellent percussion by D'Mar, Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Carlos Reyes on Paraguayan harp and violin, Kid Andersen on bass, and really nicely crafted harmonica lead by George. Laid back blues, Bayside Bounce , has a cool, shuffle beat with Ben Torres on bari sax, Andersen on bass, and featuring Baty with some really tasty guitar riffs under George's harmonica lead. Blues shuffle, First Class Muck Up is my favorite track on the release with it's boogie beat and hea...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Complicated Mess , from Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones and it's really strong. Opening with title track, Complicated Mes s, guitar man and vocalist, Doug Deming sets the table for a blues feast. His vocals are solid as always and using machine gun and trem bend, his riffs are hot! Joining are Andrew Gohman on bass and Marty Dodson on drums. Super opener. Kim Wilson's harp work adds great depth and Demings riffs are rich and jazzy on Sweet Poison , a cool bluesy ballad. Sam Theard's classic, You Rascal You , has great wings with Little Charlie Baty on guitar, joining Deming with clever lyrics and an extremely active rhythm section. Excellent! Shuffle, Need My Baby has a great lope and Madison Slim's harp work is strong giving the track a nice edge. My favorite track on the release is slow blues, Deep Blue Sea , with soulful vocal by Deming and smoldering guitar riffs, playing against Bon Welsh's pi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (7/16/18), Uptown Cool , from Big Harp George , and it's tight. Opening with loping shuffle, Down To The Rite Aid , Big Harp George has it running from the first note with his great harp sound, singing duet with Loralee Christensen backed by Chris Burns on piano, Alexander Pettersen on drums, Kid Andersen on bass, Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Michael Peloquin on sax and Mike Rinta on trombone. Very nice. Alternative Facts has a laid back, sauntering feel with real cool harp soloing and great guitar backing by Kid Andersen. Latin fused track, I Wanna Know has strong rhythmic Santana like influences with D'mar on percussion and nice backing vocals by Christensen and warm sax tines by Peloquin, strong bass lines by Andersen and trademark harp soloing by George. On bluesy, Nobody's Listening , Little Charlie really lays in a articulate guitar solo and George some of his best vocals on the release. Standing In T...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Skronky Tonk , from Little Charlie and Organ Grinder Swing and it's massive! Little Charlie Baty has teamed up with Lorenzo Farrell on Hammond and J. Hansen on drums to put together a really swinging blues/jazz release. Opening with title track, Skronky Tonk , Little Charlie takes a departure from the blues of the Nightcats with this groove swing track instrumental showcasing Little Charlie at his best. Charlie plays long flowing nicely formed guitar phrases stacked up nicely with Farrell on Hammond. Excellent! Morgan Lewis' How High The Moon really made popular in recent times by Les Paul is really ripped by Little Charlie who cranks it up and lets it fly. Another excellent Hammond solo by Farrell and these guys deliver. Latin influenced, Receita de Samba shows yet another side of Baty with sensitive yet quickly articulate playing. Hansen is tight on drums and Farrell's organ work is clean. Gypsy jazz favorite,...

I just received the newest release, Wash My Horse In Champagne , from Big Harp George and it's a nice dose of  harp. Opening with Home Stretch , George takes the lead on vocal with Little Charlie Baty laying down some real nice guitar along with Kid Andersen on bass and Raja Kawar on drums. Georges vocals are tight and his harp riffs certain and well punctuated. Nice opener. On Road Kill , a bikini beach rocker, George really gets the track swinging and Kid Andersen's guitar work is excellent. Wash My Horse In Champagne is a cool track with stylized Spanish guitar and cool vocal blending with Loralee Christensen, this track sets up nicely for a longer melodic harp lead. Very nice. Swing track, Cool Mistake , has a great beat and George lets his harp do a lot of his talking. With a sweet guitar lead from Baty, this track really hums. Slow blues track, My Bright Future , gives George a really nice opportunity to stretch both vocally and on harp along side the beautiful piano...

I just received the newest release from the Golden State Lone Star Blues Review , and it's terrific! This all-star band opens with Gatemouth Brown's loping Texas style blues, Midnight Hour , featuring Mark Hummel on lead vocal, Anson Funderburgh and Little Charlie Baty on guitar, RW Grigsby on bass and Wes Starr on drums. This track is a great opener with reinforcements by Eric Spaulding and Jack Sanford on sax. Billy Boy Arnold's, Here's My Picture , is up next and Hummel takes a super sweet harp break during a break in the primarily Latin rhythm track. Prove It To You is a cool swing blues track with Hummel driving the train on vocal, a nice walking bass line by RW Grigsby and tight drums by Wes Starr. Little Charlie hits the strings with a slick guitar solo and Hummel's phrasing is top notch. Slow NO style blues, Cool To Be Your Fool , features beautiful piano interplay by Jim Pugh and a solid bass line by Grigsby. Very nice! Lowell Fulsom's, Check Yourse...