Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Select Habits of Invertebrates , by Trey Gunn & David Forlano and it's mind expanding. Opening with title track, Select Habits of Invertebrates the duo creates a flexible electronic soundscape anchored by percussive lead and intriguing sonic phrases. With the addition of electronic expressions and glitches. This is really a strong opener. Litigation of the Monkey features Forlano on alto sax forging the primary theme and Gunn's unworldly guitar explorations. This is really quite interesting and spatial. Wrapping the release is The Wind That Ended History with an interesting rhythmic tonal vamp, overlaid by flowing soundscape. Cavernous electronics, looped rhythms and abstruse themes give this track a confident footing. This is a complex recording and one that is best listened to in entirety for best possible digestion.    If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Spartan Strong , from Michael Dease (with the MSU Jazz Trombones ) and it's super. Opening with Huesos Con Clave this set is off to a hot start. This track features over the top trombone solos by Aidan Clark , Dan Parrish , Altin Sencalar , Drew Kilpela , a strong bass trombone solo by Chris Glassman , and a hot piano solo by Xavier Davis and well as hot rhythm by Keith Hall on drums. Excellent opener. Randy Brecker 's Some Skunk Funk provides a great platform for some outrageous trombone work by  Sencalar, Kilpela, Glassman and Parrish with Davis on piano and Hall on drums. A Latin spin on Carmichael 's The Nearness of You has a light and aiery feel. Nanami Haruta blows an exceptional trombone solo on this one with full trombone backing. Really nice. Sharel Cassity original Composition, Song of Those Who Seek , features a strong trombone solos by Eli Howell and Charles Scanlon , alto sax solo by Cassit...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Retro Revival , from Alex Lopez and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with One More Time , Alex Lopez on guitar and vocal leads an updated blues number with acoustic rhythm and fiery electric lead by Lightning of Memphis Lightning. Vocal harmonies and with the backing of Steve Roberts on bass and Kana Leimbach on drums make this a solid opener. Soulful vocals by Lopez make When I Sing The Blues a standout track with simple arpeggiated rhythm guitar and basic drum and bass backing. R&B track, What The World Needs Now has a super beat and Lopez's vocals saturated with keyboard backing and an electrifying guitar solo by Lopez works great. Cranking up the rock edge a bit with a solid rock riff and heavy bottom and kick drum, Angry has real attitude. Wrapping the release is Keep On Living with ringing acoustic guitar and subtle vocals. Settling into an easy rock rhythm George Harris adds to B Bender guitar work...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Light & The Fury , from The Outernet and it's electrifying. Opening with The Fury , Phil Turcio on keys and Emilio Kormanic on guitars lead a high paced fusion track with an excellent presentation. Romping bass lines by Pete Mollica and tight drum work by Pete Drummond leave you breathless. Excellent opener. The Crossing is a super composition with an aggressive bottom. Mollica and Drummond are anything but subdued with excellent rhythm work and Turcio splashes in a bright piano solo to cap this one off. Menacing Images has a driving bottom and Drummond plays intense drum lead paired closely with Mollica and Turcio, Kormanic rips on guitar again and takes things down in tempo but without losing the enthusiasm with thought provoking piano work. Another strong track. Running From The Aliens (Pt I) has a great lead guitar rhythm melody synched with Turcio on keys and  Mollica and Drummond reinforcing t...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Good Soul , from Charles Tiner , and it's a solid mix or soul, rock and blues. Opening with Be A Man , Charles Tiner on keys and John Virgin develop the intro. Tiner with rich lead vocal leads the way and fluid guitar riffs by Virgin backed by Jamahi Patterson on drums and Charles Fox on bass for a deluxe opener. Easy blues, Blue Moon really showcases Tiner's soulful vocal work joined by Regina Stewart-Byrd and strong guitar lead by Travis Aldridge . Very cool. Theo Fisher lays in some real nice sax work on Peace By The River , a powerful vocal track featuring Tiner really digging in on enveloping keys. Solid radio track. R&B track, She Made A Move On Me is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a lightly funky rhythm by Tiner on keys, Virgin on guitar and William Bryant on bass. A strong radio track is Don't Be A Fool Too Long with Tiner on lead vocal and keys, backing vocals by Johnetta Jay Wil...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Seven Deadly Gins , by Reckless and Blue and it's  solid blues rocker. Opening with Come Back , Shaunda Fry on lead vocals sets the charge with George Williams on slide guitar, Tom Dillard on bass and Steve Gaskin on drums. Pounding opener. Slow blues track, Triftin' Blues is a nice showcase for Williams who has the mic and shines on lead guitar.  With Allen Anderson on keys providing a firm rhythm and a solid bass line by Dillard, this track has strong footing and Fry's lead vocals on the second phrase is powerful. Burnin' Daylight is another track featuring Williams on lead vocal and guitar. Fry's vocal work adds nice depth and Anderson's key solo is solid. If The Blues Was Whiskey is my favorite track on the release with nicely blended backing vocals by Annie Phillips and Ernie Martinez and just the right amount of edge. I also like Williams' saturated tone on guitar adding richness...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live In Alaska by Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic and it's a super party. Opening with This is All I Want , Corey Ledet  starts the party with rowdy vocals and accordion with Jean-Paul Jolivette on drums. Soulful, I Just Wanna Be Your Loving Man , keeps the sprit with the addition of solid backing vocals by Cecil Green , James Adams, and Julian Primeaux who also adds some tasty guitar riffs. Creole Cruising is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a great Isley Brothers feel. Ledet creates the melody with accordion and tight drum rhythm by Jolivette on drums. Soaring guitar lead by Lucien Hayes really elevates the track and tasty piano work by Cecil Green adds the perfect depth. M'Ape Gonn A Dauphine is a solid blues great vocals and accordion by Ledet and featuring a super guitar solo by Primeaux and soulful keyboards by Green. Wrapping the release is a Zydeco rocker with a driving beat. Hayes...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release,  Dream Dancing , Celebrating Zoot Sims at 100 , and it's a solid tribute. Opening with Porter's Dream Dancing, Scott Silbert on tenor sax sets a warm and supple melody over a crisp Bossa beat by Chuck Redd on drums, with Amy Shook creating a super lead bass solo and Robert Redd adding super depth on piano. Van Heusen 's Deep In A Dream is paced by Robert on piano and Silbert has strong rich tone on tenor sax, driven by Shook, who also lays down some mighty chops on bass. Fred Coots' You Go To My Head is actually a favorite melody of mine and Silbert really nails it on tenor. Robert's bright piano phrasing sets the melody off nicely making this one of my favorites on the release. Johnny Mandel 's Low Life has a great swing with Silbert really getting in the groove, punctuated by Robert on piano. Wrapping the release is killer track, JJ Johnson 's Wee Dot . Silbert gets on the tenor and ride...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, All In , by Gil Livni and it's terrific! Opening with Wonder Woman , Gil Livni is hot out of the gate with scorching hot guitar riffs with Amit Friedman on sax sharing the floor. Yonatan Riklis on organ and Yonatan Rosen on drums round out the band for one of the hottest openers I've heard in a long time. Excellent! Bluesy shuffle, All In is led by Friedman on sax and Rosen on drums. Holds it tight. Friedman really gets this track rolling with incredible phrasing warmed by Rikles on organ. I love Livni's jazz blues fusion soloing  with great contrast by Riklis who lines up his own organ attack. Really stellar. A Latin fusion twist on Lennon/ McCarthy composition , I Want You , is so cool. With it's spot on rhythm by Rosen, interesting rework, excellent guitar lead by Livni, and earthy exploration by Friedman and deep organ tension by Rikles... wow! Granted has that R&B funk sound powered by the fl...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bad At Being Good , by Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps and it's solid. Opening with upbeat, Love's A Full Time Job , Teresa James on lead vocal and piano sets the pace with Terry Wilson on bass, Billy Watts on guitar, Tony Braunagel on drums, Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Paulie Cerra on sax, this is a hot opener. With a real sway, I Got This Thing has a nice groove. Wilson sets a super bass line and James really digs in with sassy vocals and Watts guitar work add some real sting. Trouble In Paradise is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a lightly funky beat and excellent vocals by James. Dean Parks sits in on lead guitar and his and Kevin McKendree on Wurlitzer gives the track a real mellow feel. Very nice.  Bluesy, Treat Her Like You Want Her To Treat You is an excellent showcase for James and soulful horn work by Leonard and Cerra adds real nice depth. The addition of McKendree on B...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Slow Burn , by Kim Wilson and it may be his best. Opening with Little Milton 's, I'm Trying , Kim Wilson is up front on lead vocal with Nathan James really shining on guitar. Barrelhouse Chuck has the piano rolling and Richard Innes on drums rounds out the band. Strong opener. BB King 's classic, Sweet Little Angel is up next with smoking lead guitar work by Billy Flynn . Wilson soulful vocals are perfect for these tracks and Chuck adds vibrant piano lead backed by Innes, Larry Taylor on bass and Johnny Viau on horns. Wilson breaks loose on harmonica on Boogie in E with tight backing by James, Marty Dodson on drums, and Troy Sandow on bass. Excellent! Robert Nighthawk's, The Time Has Come, features Flynn on slide and Wilson on lead vocal. Signature piano work by Chuck and Taylor and Innes working the bottom makes this another standout track. Magic Sam 's Easy Baby is a cool showcase for Wilson on v...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Be About It! from Ryan Hartt and it's quite good! Opening with blues rocker, Breakin' Even , Ryan Hartt is great on lead vocals and his harmonica tone if full and his riffs crisp. I particularly love Jad Tariq's guitar tone and he lead soloing is really strong. Backed by Nick Toscano on drums and Jeffrey Berg on bass, I love this opener. Harmonica jam, All Night Long , has a great driving rhythm with Hartt punching the single note melody on harmonica and a dimensionality added by Tariq on guitar. With a chorus of All Night Long and drums and bass, this is one of the best mostly one note tracks I've ever heard. Really! Mel London's I Wonder Why is a terrific showcase for Nick Adams on lead guitar and Hartt's vocals are smooth as silk leading into warm harmonica soloing. Hartt's phrasing is soulful and fresh.  Very nice. Chicago styling really carries That's Right You're Wrong , a great ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cortadito , by The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective , and it's lively. Opening with Orchard Downs and extremely rhythmic track, Victor Garcia on trumpet, Brian Stark on tenor sax and Ben Carrasquillo o trombone lays down the melody with excellent rhythm by Michael Rodriguez on bongos and bell, Victor Gonzalez on timbales, Andrey Goncalvez on bass, Jose Guzman on guitar and Jose Natal on barril . Hot opener. A Sunday Kind Of Day features a cha cha rhythm and soft trumpet/sax/trombone mix over Javier Quintana on congas. Really nice trumpet improv by Garcia gives the track a nice edge and Guzman's guitar chops add nicely to the feel. Bembe style , Witches Dance really moves with excellent percussion by  Quintana, Gonzalez, Rodriguez,  and Natal. Brassy lead by Garcia and a rolling bass line by Goncalvez really sets this track off. Wrapping the release is Brian Stark's El Volcan   with shifting time sig...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Not Holding Back! , from Kyle Rowland and it's super. Opening with funky blues, Convict No. 1 , Kyle Roland on lead vocal and harmonica shows real feel, with blues master Johnny Burgin and his trademark style giving the track real spunk. Jim Pugh on clavinet, Ronnie James Weber on bass, June Core on drums round out the band for a solid opener. Rick Estrin 's  I'll Take You Back , is up next and I really like Rowland's vocal style. Burgin is front and center again on guitar and Kid Andersen on guitar adds nicely as well. Pugh on piano, Weber on bass and Core drums set the stage but it's Rowland's harmonica that really tells the story on this one. Excellent! Burgin opens blues rocker, You Got The Nerve Of A Brass Monkey , and Pugh on piano and Mr Anson Funderburgh adds real guitar flair on this track with Weber and Core rounding out the troops. Original track, Gamblin' Blues , is one of my fav...

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