Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, It's Time , from Steve Kozak Band , and it's quite good. Opening with shuffle track, Cane Sugar Sweet , Kozak on lead guitar and vocal is backed by Dave Webb on keys, Roger Brant on bass and Chris Nordquist on drums. On Jody Williams track, You May , Kozak brings the tempo down to a cool swing and lays down incredibly fine guitar riffs. On Magic Sam's, Every Day and Every Night , Shawn Hall joins on harp pushing Kozak to dig in with smoking blues guitar riffs. If you haven't heard this guy... you're missing the boat. R&B with a twist on That's Cool With Me , features warm sax work and clean jazz guitar runs. One of my favorites on the release, Stranger In My Hometown , has warm Hammond tones and solid vocals by Kozak topped off with crisp piano and guitar solos. One of the coolest tracks on the release is Love, Life and Money with just the right pace, soulful guitar solo and bright, expressiv...

Vancouver's Steve Kozak Band Release 'It's Time' March 17th The latest offering from this seasoned Canadian bluesman offers a tasty mix of blues as seen through a decidedly West Coast lens Preview/Stream Tracks from It's Time on SoundCloud You only need three things to play the blues: a good guitar, an innate understanding of the music and thirty years in which to do it. Maple Blues Award winner Steve Kozak qualifies on all three counts. The latest offering from this seasoned Canadian bluesman offers a tasty mix of blues as seen through a decidedly West Coast lens. The aptly named new release It's Time prophetically and succinctly states that putting in time is indeed a prerequisite of being a great musician, with some veteran bluesmen even attaining the status of venerable, beating time itself at its own game. Time is also about understanding th...

I just received the newest release, Lookin' at Lucky , by S teve Kozak and it's quite good! This recording is packed with 12 solid tracks, 5 originals by Kozak and the balance by such names as Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Walter, JD Miller and William Clarke. Lookin' at Lucky opens with the title track, a bright swing blues with Kozak laying down cool guitar riffs and Dave Webb backing him up with notably nice keys. Blues Dance Party takes a rockin' boogie posture and again Kozak is right on the guitar attack. Kozak also sings these tracks and his voice is well suited to deliver the news. Your Funeral and My Trial features James Harman on harp along with the balance of Kozak's band. This track by Williamson is a a solid swing with an anchored beat.Chris Nordquist keeps this tight on drums and Webb and Harman sound like they have been playing with Kozak for years. Kozak plays a particularly hot solo on this track ... maybe Canada's best kept secr...

Steve Kozak was born in Vancouver BC Canada in 1956 and since the mid eighties has been a mainstay on the Vancouver scene as a guitarist, band leader, singer, songwriter, and tireless cheerleader and promoter of Blues and Roots music. Backed by some of Vancouver’s top musicians, Steve has built a reputation as one of the premier Blues acts in western Canada. Steve began playing guitar and singing at age sixteen and took to the Blues like a duck to water. His passion for the Blues flourished after meeting and hanging out for a few memorable nights with the legendary Muddy Waters in May of 1977. Muddy encouraged Steve and set him straight on a few things. After that Steve was ‘on a mission’-- his musical future as a Bluesman was sealed. Throughout his career Steve has shared the stage, and played with many Blues greats including; Pee Wee Crayton, Big Joe Duskin, Sonny Rhodes, Eddie ‘The Chief’ Clearwater, ‘Ice Pick’ James Harman, Duke Robillard, Rod Piazza, Rick Estrin, Mark Hummel, Lee...