I just received the newest release (May 19, 2015), Blues Gotta Holda Me, from the Texas Horns and it's a hot one! Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, John Mills and Al Gomez kick out the windows on opener track Soul Strut, a cool shuffle just pumped with fat sax work and trumpet highlights. An instrumental track, this one has a great groove and despite the press, features really cool guitar work from guitar wizard Anson Funderburgh. Next up is Go On Fool with it's New Orleans strut. Marcia Ball leads the way on piano and vocal. Thirties track, You're Driving Me Crazy, features Kaz on vocals and huge swing style horn solos from Kaz, Al and John. Nick Connolly on piano and Roscoe Beck on bass round out the band. They ain't playing around! Straight up, horns in your face rock on Kick Me Again features a great thick bari solo from Mills as well as Derek O'Brien with a ripping guitar solo and Danny Levin on piano. W.C. Clark takes front and center vocals on shuffle track, Cold Blooded Lover. Rich horn work envelopes this track but O'Brien on guitar and Kaz on harp do rips some really nice solos as well. Percy Mayfield's Lost Mind lays back in the groove featuring Kaz on vocals. Kaz lays out a real sweet tenor solo and Gomez works the mute really nicely on his trumpet with a sassy solo of his own. Earl King's Sing, Sing, Sing again visits the New Orleans flavor and this time with more of a Dixieland approach. Barry "Frosty" Smith's drumming on this track really gives it the extra punch. Kaz lays down a nice tenor solo and Connolly rolls the piano down the road like he owns it. Hot charger Rippin' and Trippin' is a horn mans delight. These guys really do rip it on this track with a featured solo by Kaz on tenor backed by Danny Levin on piano and Ronnie James on bass. Title track, Blues Gotta Holda Me is a real rock and roller with Kaz on vocal leading the way chased by the entire horn section. Johnny Nicholas hammers out a great piano solo and Gomez and Kaz each rip great lines of their own. Curtis Mayfield's People Get Ready shows a healthy blend of horn work with Mills on bari, Gomez on trumpet, and Kaz on tenor all taking sweet solos. Roscoe's bass solo is a particularly pleasant surprise as well. Fleecie Moore's Caldonia plays right into the hands of a band with this kind of horsepower. Kaz takes the vocal lead with strong piano backing from Connolly. Gomez on trumpet, Mills on Bari and kaz on tenor all take righteous solos making this one of the hottest tracks on the release. Breaking back to some southern soul, Home Cooking sounds just like the title. You can smell it on the stove simmering. The horns balanced nicely against Connolly on B3 this track grooves. Kaz steps up with a tenor solo followed by Gomez on trumpet and Mills on tenor. Smokin'! Wrapping the release is beach blanket rocking Spanky's Twist. These guys drive it home on this track with a great solo from Connolly on B3, Kaz on tenor, O'Brien on guitar, Miulls on bari and Gomez on trumpet. Excellent conclusion to a horn soaked extravaganza!
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Sorry , could not find an appropriate video. here's Kaz.
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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
Please email me at Info@Bmansbluesreport.com
I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
Please email me at Info@Bmansbluesreport.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Yonder Mountain String Band Announces New Band Member Line-Up!
Yonder Mountain String Band
Announces New Band Member Line-Up Featuring
Violinist Allie Kral and Mandolinist Jacob Jolliff
Boulder, CO -- Tuesday, May 12, 2015 -- Embarking on the June 16, 2015 release of their latest full-length studio album, Black Sheep (Frog Pad Records), Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) officially announces today its new band member line-up moving forward, which features the additions of violinist Allie Kral and mandolin virtuoso Jacob Jolliff. Joining founding members Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals) and Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), Kral and Jolliff have been touring with YMSB over the past year and appear on Black Sheep. Black Sheep marks the first time in Yonder's history that they're utilizing, throughout an entire record, the conventional five-piece instrumental arsenal of bluegrass introduced in the 1940s: guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and bass. YMSB is available for interviews upon request.
Jolliff is an award-winning mandolinist (First Place, The National Mandolin Championship 2012, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS), and was a longtime member of the Americana band, Joy Kills Sorrow. He's performed with many of today's most distinguished mandolin players, including Ronnie McCoury, Chris Thile, Sam Bush, and David Grisman. Kral is well-known as the former fiddle player for Cornmeal (2003 - 2013), and she's worked alongside various notable artists such as Warren Haynes, moe., and Railroad Earth. With the addition of these two standout musicians, YMSB sets forth on its new path of re-exhibiting itself and broadening its parameters.
"Just months ago, we were playing music for the first time together," says Allie Kral. "We were getting to know one another and 'testing the waters' so to speak. What we found was that we have the dedication and the drive to practice all day long, the hearts to hang out together as friends, and the souls to play together on that stage. I'm equally blessed and humbled to become a member of Yonder Mountain String Band, and forever a Kinfolk."
Jacob Jolliff adds, "It's been such an honor and a privilege to perform with Yonder Mountain String Band for the last year. I'm so grateful to the band for the opportunity, and to the fans for being so welcoming. I'm excited to continue to spend time with these great people, and push each other to make better and better music!"
"Playing with Jake and Allie, working with them in the studio, and traveling with them has been a real blast," says Dave Johnston. "I couldn't have anticipated how they have simultaneously provided a host of great possibilities and potential for Yonder Mountain while at the same time fitting in with our vibe. They are truly part of our Yonder family and I welcome the days to come."
It's apparent that Black Sheep is the work of a new Yonder Mountain String Band. While it's immediately recognizable as YMSB music, there's undeniably a raw aesthetic to the studio tracks -- a sense of daring is embedded in both the instrumental interaction between these five singular musicians and in the lyrical content of each song. With the band's 17th anniversary coming this summer, YMSB continues to redefine bluegrass music as they expand the traditional acoustic genre beyond its previously established boundaries by steadily pushing the envelope into the realms of rock n' roll and improvisation.
Commencing in May 2015 and running throughout the rest of the year, YMSB performs at premier music festivals and venues, including Dear Jerry: Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia (May 14: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD), Summer Camp Festival (May 22 - 24: Chillicothe, IL), Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival (May 23: Axton, VA), Blue Ox Festival (June 11 - 13: Eau Claire, WI), Telluride Bluegrass Festival (June 17 - 20: Telluride, CO), Electric Forest (June 28: Rothbury, MI), Brooklyn Bowl (July 7: Brooklyn, NY), All Good Music Festival (July 11: Summit Point, WV), Mountain Sol Festival (July 12: Felton, CA), Northwest String Summit (July 16 - 19: North Plains, OR), Hinterland Music Festival (August 1: Des Moines, IA), Red Rocks Amphitheatre (August 21: Morrison, CO), Hangtown Halloween (October 22 - 24: Placerville, CA), Strings & Sol (Dec. 10 - 14: Puerto Morelos, Mexico), and many others!
Labels:
Yonder Mountain String Band
House Concert, Festival, Blues Club
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Labels:
Lisa Biales
Cream boxed set to be released on heavyweight vinyl / May 18 on USM
Cream Albums To Be Re-Released In Full 180gm
Heavyweight Vinyl Boxed-Set
May 18th On USM
USM are pleased to announce the release of the band's complete studio and live albums between 1966 - 1972.
Cream were a 1960s British Rock Supergroup Power Trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's operatice voice and prominent bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming.
Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Their third album (included in this set), Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album.
The full set includes "Fresh Cream" (1LP), "Disraeli Gears" (1LP), "Wheels Of Fire" (2LP), "Goodbye" (1LP), and live albums "Live Cream" (1LP), and "Live Cream Volume II" (1LP).
May 18th On USM
USM are pleased to announce the release of the band's complete studio and live albums between 1966 - 1972.
Cream were a 1960s British Rock Supergroup Power Trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's operatice voice and prominent bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming.
Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Their third album (included in this set), Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album.
The full set includes "Fresh Cream" (1LP), "Disraeli Gears" (1LP), "Wheels Of Fire" (2LP), "Goodbye" (1LP), and live albums "Live Cream" (1LP), and "Live Cream Volume II" (1LP).
Labels:
Cream,
Eric Clapton,
Ginger Baker,
Jack Bruce,
New release
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams announce headlining tour + 2-month Jackson Browne run
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Blues Legend Captain Luke Passes Away at Age 87
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Labels:
Captain Luke,
Music Maker Relief Foundation,
passed
Cleopatra Records artist: Canned Heat with John Lee Hooker - Carnegie Hall 1971 - New release review
I just received the newest release, Carnegie Hall 1971 from Canned Heat and it's a living snapshot of a great live band at it's peak with one of the kings of the blues! Opening with the slinky, Framed, Bob Hite speaks the lines and belts out the chorus. Backed on lead guitar by Henry Vestine, Fito de la Parra on drums, Joel Scott Hill on guitar and Antonio de la Barreda on bass this is a great track! Classic Heat, Let's Work Together is up next and a classic Heat jam. Vestine takes a cool lead solo but this track is all about the mystique of Heat. Hey Babe features the one and only John Lee Hooker on vocal and guitar. There are few vocalists to my hearing that deliver the blues like Hooker and this track spells it out in spades. One of the difficulties that I have complained about with Hooker in a larger band setting was the band's inability to capture Hooker's real sound and trying to make all of his measures even and equal. Hooker's sense of timing is not harmed here and Heat follows the master like a hound on a rabbit. Excellent! Shake 'N' Boogie is an extended track (in excess of 19 minutes) with Hooker leading the way. The track breaks about 7 minutes in for a frenzied guitar solo by Vestine. Cranking this track up to the end is Canned Heat's inspiration by Hooker. A true boogie with loose solos including a longer solo by de la Parra on drums. A great driver! Willie Dixon's Back Door Man is up next opening with a lot of guitar distortion and loose playing. Maturing into a loaded jam, this track is the embodiment of Heat jamming during it's prime. Hooker takes the lead once again for one of his own creations, Tease Me Baby. This track, showing one of Hooker's tracks with a blues rock base, gives the band the opportunity to close this performance with an upbeat rocker while still featuring the super power of JL Hooker. I tight little rocker and a sure closer for a cool live release.
“Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE
Here's a studio version of Framed:
“Like” Bman’s Facebook page. I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog (Now with translation in over 50 languages). I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE
Here's a studio version of Framed:
Monday, May 11, 2015
Cajun and Blues Music Festival Coming Next Month To Simi Valley, CA
BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY |
CANNED HEAT |
LEO "BUD" WELCH |
ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD |
CANDYE KANE |
GUITAR SHORTY |
REVEREND TALL TREE |
THE RECORD COMPANY |
SPENCER DAVIS GROUP |
BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY |
Jazz Great Cheryl Barnes Sky Rockets on Billboard
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Labels:
Billboard,
Cheryl Barnes,
Listen To This
Three Alligator Artists Receive Five Blues Music Awards
Elvin Bishop Leads All Artists -- Wins Album, Song And
Band Of The Year
Newcomer Selwyn Birchwood Wins Best New Artist Album Of The Year
Marcia Ball Wins Piano Player Of The Year -- The 10th BMA Of Her Career
Newcomer Selwyn Birchwood Wins Best New Artist Album Of The Year
Marcia Ball Wins Piano Player Of The Year -- The 10th BMA Of Her Career
Newcomer Selwyn Birchwood -- winner of the 2013 International Blues Challenge -- received the award for Best New Artist Album Of The Year for his breakout Alligator debut, Don't Call No Ambulance. This is Birchwood's first nomination and first win.
Austin piano queen Marcia Ball won the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year Award. This is Ball's 10th career Blues Music Award. She has received a total of 44 nominations.
The 36th Annual Blues Music Awards were presented in Memphis on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at the Cook Convention Center.
Alligator artists and awards are as follows:
ELVIN BISHOP:
Song Of The Year - Can't Even Do Wrong Right (written by Elvin Bishop)
Band Of The Year - The Elvin Bishop Band
SELWYN BIRCHWOOD:
MARCIA BALL:
Labels:
Alligator Records,
Elvin Bishop,
Marcia Ball,
Selwyn Birchwood
Carl Hall, Northern soul singer, 'Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-72' coming on Omnivore June 23
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Provogue Records artist: Sonny Landreth - Bound By The Blues - New release review
I just received the newest release (June 9, 2015), Bound By The Blues, by Sonny Landreth and I think it may be his best yet! Opening with Delta blues track, Walking Blues, Landreth maintains a sense of the original but with just the right amount electric slide and drums to make it sound fresh. Very nice! Title track, Bound By The Blues, has a more modern sound but it's basic bones are very primitive. I like his mixture of acoustic and electric instruments and the driving beat which gives it it's certain footing. The High Side has a cool funk but set over a mostly acoustic sound. A unique track for these reasons alone but coupled with Landreth's skillful slide work and a catchy melody, it's really nice! Tampa Red track, It Hurts Me Too, again done stripped down with only basic backing to Landreth's vocals and slide this track is a screamer. It is great to see Landreth laying down on the blues straight up and he's doing it here. Excellent! Latin jazz influence on Where They Will has an entirely different flavor and I really like the smooth slide work on this track for a lot of reasons. Very cool! Skip James' Cherry Ball Blues has a total rework, but maintaining it's primitive grittiness. Fat slide runs and a solid blues base makes this one of the killer tracks on the release. Firebird Blues is done in memory of the great Johnny Winter. Winter, who dominated the blues rock scene for more than 40 years was a figure to be reckoned with,with lightning fast riffs, outrageous slide work and voracious energy. This is a nice 12 bar number with just basic cardboard box drum by Brian Brignac and ukulele bass backing by David Ranson. Robert Johnson's Dust My Broom is done shuffle style with a real nice drum lope. Instead of Elmore James style slide riffs which anyone else would have done, Landreth steps back and rips melodic slide lines of his own, giving in only on the track close with these sliding landmarks. Very nice! Big Bill Broonzy's Key To The Highway, played by just about everyone and especially popular by Derek & the Dominos with Clapton and Duane Allman, is up next. Landreth seems content to keep it simple as a basic blues track for a chorus or so but them opens the can and lets out the dogs. Fat slide tones and nicely thought through guitar runs, leading to a full blown slidathon makes this one of the releases strongest outings. Wrapping the release is cool instrumental boogie, Simcoe Street, with a great walking bass line by Ranson. Landreth takes a remarkable slide journey with tight backing by Brignac and Ranson capping a spuer outing by Landreth.
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If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
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