Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Six String Soul , a double cd release by Dave Specter and it's great. Celebrating 30 years on Delmark, with remastered recordings from throughout his career and celebrating many guests. Opening with Buzz Me Specter on guitar, is joined by Barkin Bill Smith on vocal and Ronnie Earl on guitar as well as Ken Saydak on organ, Dez Desormeaux on sax, Red Groetzinger on sax, Mike McCurdy on bass and John Hiller on drums. Very cool. Specter really stretches out nicely on solo guitar on slow blues, Railroad Station . Smith, on lead vocal does a real nice job and Bob Stroger on bass anchors the track. Saydak's piano is a nice accent and sax soloing by Groetzinger is really nice. I really like instrumental, Specter's Walk, with it's deep jazz groove. Specter cruses on guitar, Desormeaux's sax solo is rich, and Saydak's organ work is strong. Tad Robinson has lead vocal on Sweet Serenity . I've always been ...

I just received the newest release, Livin' Life Not Worryin' from the Dennis Herrera Blues Band and it's terrific! Opening with All This Fun's for Free , a cool blues rocker featuring Igor Prado. Herrera brings a great band featuring Rich Wenzel who really plays out the piano on this track. Prado throws down some hot rockin riffs on guitar and Herrara's vocals are just right. Denis Depoitre steps on the gas with his harp playing topping off this real nice opener. Can't Get Enough is a stinging rocker with Alan Maggini with great tone on guitar and Wenzel laying down some great organ riffs. Loping, Damn Uncle Sam opens with Depoitre on harp and a cool Lee Campbell drum riff. Herrera has just the right vocal style for this track and Maggini cuts it up pretty nice on guitar. Hank Van Sickle's bass lines are spot on, with Wenzel giving the track a great rhythm. Uptempo blues, Chicago style, Love You Good , has a cool vintage feel with distorted vocals and ...

I just received the newest release (February 17, 2015), Way Down South , from Igor Prado Band and Delta Groove All Stars and it's smokin! Opening with Ike Turner's, Matchbox , Sugaray Rayford leads the way on vocal and Prado really romps the guitar. A heavy slung blues, Prado throws stiff riffs and wild trem work making this a terrific opener! John Hunter's, Ride With Me Baby has an easy rock beat with deep blues roots. Kim Wilson has the lead on vocal and Prado shows his fleet fingered guitar work. Yuri Prado on drums and Rodrigo Mantovani on bass keep it tight. Muddy Water's She's Got It , featuring Mud Morganfield on lead vocal sounds like it's right out of 60's Chicago with Ivan Marcio on harp and Donny Nichilo doing a great Otis Spann. Morganfield, Marcio, Nichilo and Prado really do capture Muddy's band sound with a lot of authenticity. Very cool! Lowell Fulsom's Baby Won't You Jump With Me features Ari Borger on piano and Lynwood Sli...

Igor Prado Band - Way Down South Release Date: February 17, 2015

COME DOWN TO TONIGHT'S BIG BLUES HARMONICA SHOW Friendly blues reminder for blues harmonica lovers!  See you TONIGHT - MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2012 - for the Blues Harmonica Heaven with a cavalcade of top notch blues greats!   All details below were sent in a previous e-mail. Your blues pal forever, Cadillac Zack ************************  BLUES HARMONICA HEAVEN!   ...IS BACK AGAIN!  STARRING...    LYNWOOD SLIM   BHARATH RAJAKUMAR   JUNIOR WATSON   FRED KAPLAN   RICK REED   RENA BEAVERS   AND TONS OF SURPRISE GUESTS!   (TONIGHT MONDAY, OCT. 29)   7:00 pm - Audience Seating Begins   8:00 pm until 9:30 pm - Harmonica Heaven Concert  9:30 pm til 1 am - Open Blues Jam Rages On   NO COVER AT THE DOOR!  THERE IS A TWO DRINK MINIMUM AT THE CLUB.  DONATIONS ARE NEEDED TO K...

Alex was born in new york city in 1954, and at a young age became immersed in the city’s legacy of jazz. Studied with guitarist George Barnes and at Berklee College of Music in boston. Early exposure to BB King, James Cotton and the Butterfield Blues Band planted seeds of a lifelong love of blues music. Schultz moved to Los Angeles in 1979 and established himself as both a bass player and guitarist on the roots music scene, working for two and a half years with rock and roll/rhythm and blues pioneer Hank Ballard. This provided some early road experience, including playing Antone’s in Austin, Texas in 1986 and sharing stages with Jerry Lee Lewis, Albert Collins and many other greats. Beginning 1986 worked with L.A. harmonica master William Clarke: recorded the W.C. Handy award winning album “Blowing Like Hell”, played and recorded with Smokey Wilson, and made appearances on all 4 of Clarke’s releases on chicago’s Alligator label. This period saw gigs with a who’s-who of the los ...

Born on January 13, 1959, in Fullerton, CA, blues-rock guitarist David "Kid" Ramos inherited his love of music from his parents, who were both professional opera singers. When his father grew tired of life on the road, he settled down with his family, buying a gas station in Anaheim. One day, when Kid was eight, he bought his son an electric guitar and amplifier from a customer passing through. By his teenaged years, Ramos was playing friend's parties and nightclubs on a regular basis, joining harmonica expert James Harman's blues-based band in 1980 (all its members sported sharkskin suits), playing up and down California alongside such punk bands as X, Oingo Boingo, the Blasters, and the Plimsouls. Kid played with the Harman Band for most of the '80s, until his departure in 1988, and although he filled in as the guitarist for the outfit Roomful of Blues, decided to put his musical career on the backburner to focus on his home life and start a family (for the next...