Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Make Them Dance , from Johnny Rawls and it's full of R&B, blues and soul. Opening with rocker, So Cold , Johnny Rawls on lead vocal leads the attack with the style early Clapton/Bramlett collaboration with Will McFarlane on guitar, Steve Potts on drums, Bob Trenchard on bass and Dan Ferguson on keys, beefed up by Mike Middleton on trumpet, Andy Roman on sax, Nick Flood on bari sax, Frank Otero on trombone, Kimberly Horton and Trinecia Butler on backing vocals. Latin flavored rocker, Make Them Dance is the title track with rich backing vocals, warm keys by Ferguson, a real nice sax solo by Roman, and hot percussion by Potts. Give It To Me has cool R&B roots with a hi stepping rhythm and solid horn backing. Rawls works the vocals and McFarlane adds cool bluesy guitar riffs making the track just that much bluesier. My favorite track on the release, Say That You Love Me , has a distinct Curtis Mayfield feel, giv...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Zito's Jump ! , from James Zito and it's a lot of fun. Opening with boogaloo title track, Zito's Jump , Rodney Whitaker on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums set up the rhythm expanded by Luther Allison on piano. James Zito steps up throwing down fluid, machine gun riffs with solid style. I can definitely hear traces of many of the greats in there but certainly not a copy. Joseph Miller wraps in some nice sax work concluding a fine opener. Laid back Island Girl has a light Latin flavor featuring Chris Lewis setting up the melody on flute and warm, relaxing solos by Allison and Zito. Very nice. Jimmy Smith 's swing track, Ready N' Able really kicks into gear with horns blazing. Featuring Lewis on tenor, Nicholas Dimaria on trumpet, Joseph Miller on alto sax, Jack Kotze on trombone and of course Allison, Farnsworth and Whitaker, this track is flying. Zito steps up with some ear opening guitar riffs...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release Lightkeeper , from Juan Perea and it shows depth including introspective, contemplative and Latin flavored compositions. Opening with Tito Puente's Ove Como Va , of course famously interpreted by rocker Carlos Santa. Featuring Eric Marienthal on alto sax, Gary Haase on bass, Steve Thornton on percussion, and Dean Brown on guitar Juan Perea really does a nice job on piano maintaining the Latin influence and pulling in the rock styling with brilliant guitar riffs by Brown. I really like El Sueno with it's quiet attack and a mix of piano and electric keys by Perea and light and tight bottom by Thornton and Haase. Breaking into full samba Perea really gets it rolling and again Brown lights up the fretboard. Very nice. Remembering You has an introspective melody blending keys and piano over Haase on bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums, and with a smart acoustic guitar solo by Brown. Wrapping the release is title track, L...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Conceptions , from Geoffrey Dean Quartet , and it breathes. Opening with Came And Went , Justin Copeland on trumpet has the melody, with strong support from Geoffrey Dean on piano and tight rhythm by Harish Raghavan on bass and Eric Binder on drums. Dean takes over expanding the melody with crystal clarity. Solid opener. Quiet ballad, Amidst A Dream , features a quiet yet essential trumpet solo by Copeland. Dean expands on the melody on piano and Copeland closes the track. Very nice. Springy, Song For Hannah is an adventuresome exploration on piano with a Latin twist.  With light drumming and bass, this track works nicely. Prism has a strong driving rhythm and with fluid lead on trumpet by Copeland. Dean takes the lead with strong support by Raghaven and Binder making this one of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the set is What May Come with a calculated pace and well structured lead by Dean. Copeland's solo ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The River , by Silvano Monasterios and it's very cool. Opening with title track, The River , Silvano Monasterios sets a suoer piano rhythm with a Latin beat. Troy Roberts on tenor sax, Nestor Torres on flute, Alex Norris on trumpet, Jeff Lederer on clarinet, Ricky Rodriguez on contrabass, Lusito Quintero on percussion, Jimmy MacBride on drums and Juan Diego Villalobos on vibes create a synchronous melody. As the band drops back, Monasterios creates the first improv on the melody followed by Lederer on clarinet. Roberts on tenor really kicks things up with a juicy solo of his own, followed by Norris on trumpet. Very nice opener. Against The Current has a great Latin beat that will really suck you in. Monasterios sets the first solo on piano and his phrasing is potent and engaging. Norris on trumpet picks it up and delivers with strong intent. The melody is delivered with brilliant vibes by Villalobos and Norris and Rob...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill , by Rodney Whitaker, and it's strong. Opening with title track, Mosaic , Rodney Whitaker on bass lays down an excellent groove, bound by Rick Roe on piano and Dana Hall on piano. Terell Stafford on trumpet sets the track on fire with excellent solo phrasing, followed by Tim Warfield on soprano sax. Very nice. Roe picks up his own lead on piano with confident improvisation with Warfield and Stafford joining the reconciling  refrain giving the floor to Whitaker for a masterful solo on bass. Strong opener. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Claxilever features another crisp lead solo by Stafford on trumpet over tight piano/bass/drum rhythm leading to a super tenor solo by Warfield. Not to be left behind, Roe steps up scorching the ivories and Whitaker well composed bass solo, coaxed on by Roe, and Hall on drums trades riffs with Warfield and Stafford making for another excelle...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dressed , from All Things Swamp and it's a blast. All Things Swamp is like a poker circle of pros from unrelated bands who get together on their days off to play funky jams on their days off. I think you'll be glad they do. Opening with Sidewalk Strut , Luke Kirley on tuba starts funky, Nawlins sound quickly joined by Brian Switser on trumpet, Tim Hockenberry on trombone, Dan Gordon on bass trombone, Dean Parks on tenor sax, Aaron Lington on bari sax, and Gary Novak on drums. Lington rips a great bari solo followed by Kirley on tuba and with a smart melody and a crisp drum snap, this is an excellent opener.  Joe Zawinul's hip track, Mercy Mercy Mercy made popular by Mr Cannonball Adderley on the jazz scene and by the Buckinghams on the hit parade, gets a bigger band redo lead by Hockenberry  with some real flash on trombone and a settled down organ groove by none other than Jim Pugh. The ever present tuba li...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Empty Chair , by Mike Dangeroux and it's a cool mix of blues and rock. Opening with shuffle, End Like This , Mike Dangeroux leads the way on vocal and guitar as well as bass, joined by Vincent Varco on piano, and Daron Casper Walker on drums. With an Elmo James kind of turnaround, this is a cool opener. Blues rocker, Play My Cards Right , has a snappy drum beat and Dangeroux's vocal/rhythm guitar sets the pace. I like Mike's guitar phrasing and style on this one. Solid contribution. Wrapping the release is slow blues, What's Taking So Long , featuring Dangeroux showing his chops over his soulful vocals. Varco on organ and tight drums from Walker makes this a solid closer.    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 audi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Nitty Gritty , from Russ Spiegel , and it's a cool release with some great tracks. Opening with Hank Mobley's Soul Station , Jim Gasior on organ, Lucas Apostoleris on drums set the foundation for Russ Spiegel's guitar lead. Nicely complimented by Gasior's organ accents a solid opener. Lennon and McCartney's Norwegian Wood gets a light redo with glistening tones from Spiegel's guitar and features a really nice bass solo by Kurt Hengstebeck. Francis Lai's pop track, A Man And A Woman , is approached with a subtle yet effective hand, pumping up it's Latin nature slightly and a soulful sax solo by Tim Armacost adds a warm richness to the track and Spiegel's lush guitar phrasing carries the melody. Consuelo Velazquez's Besame Mucho , a terrific Latin pop track, has an even more distinct Latin emphasis thanks to the drumming of Apostoleris and Spiegel's guitar approach is really clean....