Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Three Chord Monte , from Tony Romano and I really like it. Opening with fusion track, Cadillac Green , Tony Romano on percussive guitar, Jennifer Vincent on bass and Rob Garcia set a really super groove. Paul Carlon on sax sets up the melody and continues with an aggressive sax groove. Romano takes the lead on guitar and really digs in with percussive guitar rhythm and jazz chords. This really is a super opener. Lay It Down is a jazz rocker with an African rhythm feel. Romano and Carlon alternate and jointly play the compact melody before Romano takes an adventurous run on guitar. This track really has that Kuti vibe and with excellent work by Vincent and Garcia on the bottom this track is hot. Carlon's sax work is terrific with the life of authentic African jazz. Excellent! Camino has a definite Latin feel with a solid bottom by Vincent and Garcia and slick Flamenco style guitar work by Romano. Very nice. Ratatat ...

 I just hads the opportunity to review the most recent release, Love and the Catalyst, from Aimee Allen and it's a cool breath of fresh air. Opening with Freddie Hubbard's  Little Sunflower , Aimee Allen shows cool, expressive vocal skills backed by Toru Dodo on piano, nice bass soloing by Francois Moulin on bass and Kush Abadey on drums. Very nice opener. Allen's composition, Quantum Entanglements is a terrific foil for her vocal acuity. With really nice piano  work by Dodo and excellent bass lines by Moulin and always interesting drums intensity by Abadey, this music floats. On Chick Corea's Crystal Silence , Noah Allen adds ethereal trumpet lines that propel this classic composition to the next level with Allen and Dodo working together nicely.  Mortally Immortal (Requiem) is a  masterfully simple composition with a purity and brilliance that shines beyond the release (that means I really like it). Another of my favorites on the release is Hidden Place wh...