Bman's Blues Report

      Joanna Connor To Perform On Fox TV show THE EXORCIST This Friday! More Right On Reviews From Vintage Guitar and More Northport N.Y. - It's great when we get our music on TV shows but it's even better when the artist is on the actual show! The Queen of Blues/Rock Guitar, Joanna Connor will perform a song for the Fox drama "The Exorcist." The date of broadcast is Friday November 18th, 9PM Eastern. Click the photo of Joanna Connor and one of the stars of the show Ben Daniels for more.                                     ...

STEVE VAI’S THIRD VAI ACADEMY GUITAR CAMP  TO TAKE PLACE JANUARY 2-6, 2017 IN CARMEL, CA PASSION & WARFARE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION 180 GRAM VINYL NOW AVAILABLE NORTH AMERICAN PASSION & WARFARE 25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR CONTINUES LOS ANGELES — Steve Vai’s third annual Vai Academy Guitar Camp — Vai Academy 3.0:  “Passion and Technique” — will be taking place in Carmel, CA at the Asilomar Conference Grounds from January 2-6, 2017.  Along with a star-studded lineup of special guests including Al Di Meola, Zakk Wylde, Carlos Alomar and others, Vai will stage the event for players and music lovers of all ages, levels, interests, and tastes. The four-day gathering offers once-in-a-lifetime activities such as jamming with Steve Vai and his band, as well as activities and workshops for master players, beginners, and enthusiastic fans alike.  For more information, including a variety of registration options, visit www.vaiacademy.com .  Registe...

RONNIE BAKER BROOKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF  TIMES HAVE CHANGED, HIS FIRST ALBUM IN TEN YEARS Produced By Steve Jordan, Featuring Lonnie Brooks, “Big Head” Todd Mohr, Bobby “Blue” Bland,  Steve Cropper, Angie Stone, Eddie Willis, Al Kapone, Felix Cavaliere, Lee Roy Parnell Out On Provogue / Mascot Label Group January 20, 2017 Chicago, IL --- Brooks, 49, was born in Chicago, and started playing guitar around age six. At 19, he joined his father, Lonnie Brooks who by then had influenced some of the most well-known bluesman of our history: Jimmy Reed, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Winter, and Junior Wells. For 12 years, the two would tour together, putting Ronnie out front with Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Koko Taylor.  Times Have Changed , Brooks’ first album in ten years, carries with it the weight of grown perspective and time spent perfecting old material. Brooks worked it with Steve Jordan, whose work runs from Keith Richards ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Strong Like That , from The Fabulous Thunderbirds and I really like it. Opening with Temptations classic, (I Know) I'm Losing You , TFT have melded a track that has been done by everyone from Rare Earth to Rod Stewart and with spicy steel guitar work of Roosevelt Collier and the funky beat of Wes Watkins created a cool new sound. Kim Wilson is upfront on vocal and harp and Steve Gomes lays down a solid bass riff along with Kevin Anker on keys. Very cool! Stepping off like Curtis Mayfield on Don't Burn Me , Wilson delivers a really soulful vocal line. Anson Funderburgh lends an artful hand to this soulful mix with tasty guitar riffs and with Christal Rheams and Caleb Green on backing vocals, Gomes on bass and Robb Stupka on drums. Excellent! Funky blues soul on You're Gonna Miss Me has a super groove that makes you want to bounce in your seat if not outright get up and dance. Wilson's harp work on this tr...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Time To Let Go , from the Bob Lanza Blues Band and it's rockin'. Opening with boogie woogie track, Mind Your Own Business , Lanza leads the way on vocal and guitar but not without heavy support from Randy Wall on piano, The Cranberry Lake Horns and Vin Mott on drums. Excellent! On title track, Time To Let Go , Lanza leads an easy, jazzy track with light fingered guitar riffs and a bluesy twist. With supple vocals and cool horn backing this track is just right. Snappy drumming by Mott on When The Sun Comes Up gives it a cool spring and snappy bottom for super guitar riffs by Lanza. Slower blues number, Your Turn To Cry , sets a nice groove with Lanza punctuating his vocal with stinging guitar riffs. Very cool! Rush'n The Blues is a low slung blues instrumental and Lanza pulls out the stops. Riding along on a nice B3 air by Wall this track is one of my favorites on the release. Chicago style track, Follow Y...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Right Back Atcha , from Dave Keller and it's a funky blues party. Opening with R&B track, It's Time You Made Up Your Mind , and it has a great groove. With Jessica Friedman on bari and alto sax, Joe Moore on tenor and Terry Youk on C melody sax the horn section is rich. 2 AM Talks continues with a driving soul feel and Keller sets out a biting guitar solo over Ira Friedman's Hammond, Gary Lotspeich on bass and Brett Hoffman on drums. Hi steppin' title track, Right Back Atcha , has a great bass line from Lotspeich and a crisp guitar solo from Keller under his rich vocals. Prime soul track, Deeper Than The Eye Can See opens with a real nice piano line from Friedman and the soulful vocals sounding like a blend of Lionel Richie and Van Morrison. Very nice. Forever Summer has a different blend of sounds with vocal duets with Morgan Klarich giving it more of a pop country phrasing. Slow Train slides out ...

American musician and songwriter Leon Russell has died at the age of 74. The artist, who is best known for the songs "Shine a Light" and "A Song for You", died in Nashville on Sunday. “His wife said that he passed away in his sleep,” a statement posted on Russell’s website read. The artist, who performed his gospel-inflenced southern boogie piano rock, blues, and country music for over five decades,  was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2011. Russell's colourful career saw him lead the famous Joe Cocker's ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’ tour, perform with George Harrison and Friends and tour with everyone from Sir Elton John to Willie Nelson, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Edgar Winter and The New Grass Revival. He was a longtime hero of Sir Elton  and collaborated with him on a number of occasions.  Born in Tulsa in Oklahoma, Russell embarked on his musical career...

I just had the opportunity to review Ike & Tina Turner , The Complete Pompeii Recordings 1968-1968 3 CD Set on Cleopatra Records and it's a wealth of 60's soul and R&B music. This is a boxed set with three original LP covers and 10 pages of cool liner notes. Disc 1, So Fine includes It Sho Ain't Me , a slow R&B number with terrific vocals and back up vocals by the Ikettes. Another favorite is I Better Get Ta Steppin', a funky James Brown style track. Other highlights are Shake Your Tail Feather with it's fast paced rhythm, R&B hit, So Fine , with rich backing vocals and a solid bass line by Ike and You're So Fine. On Disc 2, Title track Cussin' Cryin' & Carryin' On they wastes no time getting in the groove. With sounds of early James Brown, Tina really has started to mature a little starting to stretch a bit and showing traces of contemporary Tina Turner. Black Beauty is an interesting Jazz funk fusion. It's instrument...

I just had the opportunity to review the latest release, Strangest Things , from Ducharme-Jones . Opening with Red Roses , a country rocker, David Ducharme-Jones takes the lead on vocal and guitar with Anne Ducharme-Jones singing harmony. His guitar work is actually quite interesting with Mark Leshner on drums, David Evertson on bass and David Breaux on keys. Smooth ballad, Wherever You Go is a well written track with nicely blended vocals. Anne takes the lead on vocals on I Was Wrong , a radio track with rock and country roots. One of my favorites on the release is Of The Water , with delicate guitar work and nicely blended vocals, reminiscent of Graham Nash and David Crosby. Rocker, The Girl Is Gone , features some of the coolest guitar work on the release with constructiuon not unlike Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Wrapping the release is country rocker, Good Enough with a super hook. Well blended vocals and solid organ support by Breaux makes this a perfect closer for t...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Seasoned Soul , from Al Corte' . Opening with Little Milton's That's What Love Will Make You Do , Corte' serves up a full plate of traditional funky soul. On Freddie King's, I'm Tore Down , and sticking pretty close to the original arrangement, Corte' is joined by Jerry Bone on guitar, Lennon Bone on drums and Ron Miller on keys. I particularly like Bone's bass line on Albert King's Oh Pretty Woman . Otis Rush's, All Your Love , gets a light Spanish flavoring showcasing some of Corte's finest vocals. On classic, Unchain My Heart , Corte's vocals are solid with nice vocal backing by Sarah Jo Roark. On Otis Reddings' Any Ole Way , Corte's vocals are smooth as silk breathing real southern fried R&B. James Brown's Cold Sweat gets a total remake with a rolling swing. Jerry Bone plays some of his best riffs with snappy bottom work by Lennon. A cool release that i...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Elemental , from Ross Neilsen . The release opens with It's Time You Made Up Your Mind , a dark spiritual kind of sound with warm, soulful vocals. Primal tom tom work by Matt Sobb give this track a cool vibe. Black Coffee is a modern take on the blues with harp by Steve Marriner. His vibrant harp work coupled with stylistic drums and loose guitar riffs give this track bite. Woman's Name is a cool track with solid drum work by Sobb, reminiscent of John Bonham and with Jack Bruce like vocals by Neilsen, and searing slide work by Jim Boskill, one of my favorite tracks on the release. Country flavored, Devil Made You shows strong radio characteristics highlighted by Boskill on pedal steel. Aided by the sounds of the fiddle, Ash Fault has the sentimental sounds of rural America. Another track with a country twist, Nobody Gets Lonely shows some of Neilsen's best vocals, backed by Boskill on mandolin and featuring a s...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Movin' On , by Ilana Katz Katz and it's original and interesting. Opening with Baby Please Don't Go , Ilana immediately grabs your attention with the lonesome sound of the Appalachian fiddle in a blues setting with Cedric Watson on banjo and in duet with Katz on vocals and Daniel Sanda on drums. Barry Levenson adds masterful guitar riffs to Sweet To Mama with Katz on vocal and fiddle, Mike Sandberg on drums and Hank Van Sickle on bass. Reuben's Train has a pure Appalachian sound with Katz's vocals and fiddle. Tanya switches gears with a stylistic jazz track. Nicely adorned by Katz and Bobby Radcliff this track is soothing and smooth with a solid rhythmic bottom courtesy of Geoff Wright on bass and Dave Moore on drums. On Blues for Bobby Radcliff , Chas Justus and Katz play a cool acoustic blues with traditional Piedmont style. Very cool. I really like Demon Blues which has a bit of a Ali Farke Toure so...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Illogical Optimism , from Reverend Freakchild and it's quite good. This is a 3 disc review so I will try to describe it as I can. Opening disc one is a loose, Lou Reed kind of interpretation of John Lennon's Imagine . It's actually quite different and with a fluid jazzy electric guitar solo, it's quite cool. Next up is The Meters' Hey Pocky Way ... pure New Orleans with nice sax work, a super bass line and vocals and of course snappy drumming. Joseph Pace's I Still Have Joy is exceptional in all of it's spiritual glory. Gospel backing on this track is off the charts. Bill Monroe's Cryin' Holy To The Lord has the gospel feel but with a solid country swing table. This track is clever and a nice addition to the set. Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love has a considerable swampy darkness and a lot of the Diddley rock beat. With underlying guitar melodies from Jimi crossing the Diddley beat and co...

Blues Hall of Fame Member John Mayall Set to Release New CD, Talk about That , on January 27, 2017, from Forty Below Records Latest Album Features Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member Joe Walsh as Special Guest  on Two Tracks LOS ANGELES, CA – Iconic musician and Blues Hall of Fame member John Mayall will release his latest CD, Talk about That , on January 27 from Forty Below Records. Joining Mayall (vocals, keyboards, harmonica and guitar) and Greg Rzab (bass), Jay Davenport (drums) and Rocky Athas (guitar) as special guest is legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who plays on two tracks, “The Devil Must Be Laughing” and “Cards on the Table,” both John Mayall compositions. The songs showcase Walsh’s amazing guitar work and are destined to be two of the many highlights on this new disc. Talk about That will be available for pre-orders at both Amazon.com and iTunes starting December 9. Watch a special preview video of the making of Talk about That : Prod...