Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Who Knows What The Future Holds , from Greg Piccolo & Heavy Juice , and it's a cool mix of R&B, rock n roll, blues and soul. Opening with I've Lost Faith , Greg Piccolo on vocal leads the way over percussive piano work by Shinichi Otsu, Mark Kazanoff on bari sax, Al Gomez on trumpet, and Piccolo on tenor sax and Bob Ruggiero on drums. I really like Dean Shot 's guitar work on this track with plenty of swagger contrasting against the backing vocals of Shot, Ruggiero, Paul Tomasello, Kazanoff, and Gomez. People Are Hot is cool reggae track featuring Piccolo on lead vocals and warm horn work and a cool sax solo by Piccolo, classic guitar rhythm by Shot and bass by Tomasello. Laid back JJ Cale style rocker, Don't tell Me The Truth really has a solid feel with a nice melody, and punchy horn backing. Another no nonsense guitar solo by Shot turns the heat up a notch for this track. Ballad, Guilty f...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, New Paradigm , from Zen Zadravec , and it's strong! Opening with driving, First Impressions , John Douglas on trumpet, Dominic Bierenga on tenor sax and Todd Bashore on alto sax really rip the melody with firm punctuation by Zan Zadravec on piano, Mike Pope on bass and David Alverez. Zen cruises into an easy, laid back take on the melody before blowing the doors open with a super expansion with terrific percussion soloing and detailing by Alvarez . Excellent opener. Rebirth is a cool Brazilian/ Chick Corea influence with Bierenga on sax joining with Dylan Bell on vocal, articulating the melody. Elaborating on the theme, joined by Zen who expands the track with brightness and an almost joyous feel, anchored by Alvarez on drums. Very nice. In Memoriam (In Memory of Irene Zadravec) has a beautiful melody illustrated by Bierenga on soprano with counterpoint by Zen on piano and excellent drumming by Alvarez. A lush bas...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Into Thin Air , from Dar Stellabotta and it's earthy. Opening with Many Miles To Go , I'm immediately attracted to this release. A thumping, droning bass line, under electric cigar box guitar and solitary vocal with hill country purity, what's not to like. Dar is authentic, and confident with a solid melody and foot stomp and going it alone. Transparent orange vinyl is cool on the eyes and the purity of her work is evident plastered directly in the center of the listening room. Strong opener. Living on the River is a bit rockier with a pinch of White Stripes . Dar's vocals are smoother than Whites and her guitar work more rudimentary but it's perfect for this sound. Deep, rich and cleanly recorded into total darkness. Never Heard has a bit more of a stripped down primitive sound (seems like a track waiting to be picked up by another rocker with a few pals) but I like this original form. Dar's s...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Young Rell , by Harrell Davenport , and it's hot! Opening with Chicago Style shuffle , Tomorrow , Harrell Davenport on harmonica, guitar and vocal evokes early Muddy Waters with plenty of grit and spunk. With Jim Pugh on piano, Daquantre "Q" Johnson on bass, and June Core on drums this is a super opener. R&B flavored, Spinning , shows Davenports roots with soulful vocals, Pugh on organ, Endre Tarczy on bass, Kid Andersen on rhythm guitar, and Core on drums with Larry Batiste on backing vocals, Aaron Lington on sax and Niel Levonius on trumpet giving an authentic 60's R&B feel. Very nice. Richland Swing is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Davenport really showcasing his guitar mastery ala Gatemouth Brown style , Pugh really pushing on organ, Lington wailing on bari sax, Levonius on trumpet and with Tarcyz on bass and Core on drums. Smoking!! I Be Tryin' is a great blues trac...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Man Who Would Be King , from Adam De Lucia and it's quite interesting. Opening with Cycle One , guitarist Adam De Luca and Oz Noy   open with clean, melodic, phrasing with Henry Hey on Rhodes piano sounding somewhat like a Jeff Beck/Max Middleton sequence before breaking into an excellent Cody McCorry bass solo pushed by Jordan Perlson on drums. Rocker, Store On The Corner, has a driving bottom courtesy of Tim Lefebvre on bass and Perlson on drums. Brian Lawlor on keys sets a melodic floor and Michael Ghegan on sax leads the way. De Lucia flexes his strat with some muscular riffs but keeping it to a solid jam. Will You Follow has an Asian feel with a modern Latin rhythm led by Hey on Hammond and Rhodes, light vocal melody by Chrissi Poland and Ghegan, and De Lucia on strat with an attack resembling classical Spanish acoustic. Lefeebvre and Perlson anchor the track on bass and drums. Quite different. Wr...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Collar , by Chris O'Leary and it's a huge bite of Chicago style blues . Opening with shuffle, Bad Decisions , Chris O'Leary on vocal and harmonica sets a  romping pace with crisp piano work by Bronson Hoover , Chuck Cotton on drums, Rodgigo Mantovani on bass and Pat O'Shea on guitar. Solid opener. Funky, Am I the Only Fool? , features super horn backing by Shane Kirsch, Andy Stahl and Ron Knittle on sax giving it a cool Memphis sound and O'Shea's guitar is stinging under O'Leary's vocals with Hoover on keys, Cotton on drums and Shiela Klinefelter on bass. Slower paced track, Nothing But A Memory not only features O'Leary's strong vocals but smoky harmonica and Morganfield like slide guitar work by Rollin Bob Margolin really adds great flavor and further guitar work by Chris Vitarello, piano by Jesse O'Brien, Mike Law on bass and Mike Bram on drums makes for a tight trac...

 I jut had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stretch , from Ben Patterson and it's cooking. Opening with Unbridled , Ben Patterson on trombone leads off on this slamming adventure. Backed by Shawn Purcell on guitar, Harry Appelman on keys, Miles Brown on bass and Todd Harrison on drums, this track is energetic. Patterson stretches out with a real nice elaboration of the melody, chased by Appelman on piano and Purcell really kicks it with a vibrant guitar solo making this a super opener. In swiftly paced 6/8 time, Ship of Fools is perfectly coordinated with Patterson, Purcell, and Appelman trading phrases every four bars making for quite an exciting exchange, anchored and augmented by Brown on bass and vibrant drums by Harrison. Very cool. My favorite track on the release may be David and Francis a hot bottom and a driving rhythm. Patterson really kicks in on trombone setting the pace and Appleman on B3 rolls up behind him and adds the funk. Of course everyone...