Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Interim , from Jeff Aug , and it's an extraordinary exploration in fingerstyle playing .  Opening with New Day's Dawn , Jeff Aug and his son, Oskar Tauber , sketches out a solid acoustic rocker with traces of Jimmy Page and Patrick Simmons creating a quiet melody under the percussion of the strings. Interesting opener. Katzenjammer has a playful acoustic melody created in memory of the family cat who was lost during the pandemic. Title track, Interim is one of my favorites on the release with a repetitive acoustic guitar riff played together with some environmental electronic guitar sound. Puts me in mind of a Fripp composition . Very cool. Another track with the family pet in mind is Ernesto with a rich melody and Kottke like structure. This is a cool track with supple guitar phrasing. Open Fields has a strong melody, the essence somewhat putting me in mind of David Crosby , not so much in execution but melod...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ode To The Possible , by Tom Lippincott , and it's quite enjoyable. Opening with Preface/Overture , David Fernandez on tenor sax brings a flowing yet jagged melody to life, caressed in the lush guitar work of Tom Lippencott, Marty Quinn on bass and Lucas Apostoleris on drums. Very cool. On An Inhabitant of Carcosa, a complex rhythm spurred by Apostoleris, and a driving bass line and soaring guitar and electronics by Lippincott on his fanned fret 8 string guitar, this track really gets moving. A super bass line by Quinn and melodic soloing by Fernandez, this track is complex without being tedious. Very nice. Stella By Searchlight is an interesting track with a cool interplay between Fernandez and Lippincott, anchored by Quinn, and Apostoleris. Lippincott lays out a flowing yet obtuse melody on sailing guitar with a counter solo by Fernandez and snappy drumming by Apostoleris before coasting into a peaceful tempo, making...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Random Madness , from Billy Price and it's a solid blues /R&B release. Opening with up tempo, I Was A Fool , Billy Price leads the way on vocals, backed by Tom Valentine on bass, Steve Delach on guitar, Jim Britton on keys, Dave Dodd on drums, Delana Flowers, Willa Katy Cotten, and Carmen Miller on backing vocals and with some super sax work by Eric Spaulding . Hungry Ghost has a Donald Fagen feel with nice trumpet by Joe Herndon, and a cool Latin based beat by Dodd. A clean guitar solo by Delach adds a a really nice touch to a cool radio ready track. Bluesy, Rent Free , has a great feel, with subtle keys by Britton, Tony Braunagel on drums, showcasing Price's strong vocals, and a a really nice trumpet and trombone solos by Herndon and Reggie Watkins on trombone. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Dirty Knee Revelation , with warm sax backing by Spaulding. Price really digs deep on vocals and wit...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Love, Peace & Chicken Grease, from Pontchartrain Shakers and it's refreshing. Opening with blues rocker, Sunshine , Amedee A5 Frederick sets the pace on guitar and lead vocal, and Earl Smith Jr. holds it tight with a tidy drum rhythm. Jojjo Wight on guitar and Red DeVecca on bass make this a compact yet effective opener. A strong cover of St. James Infirmary features A5 on lead guitar and some really tasty riffs. Michael Loupe on sax, wails soulfully over the patient bass and drum bottom of DeVecca and Smith Jr. Very nice. Ammdee Frederick IV is featured on guitar and vocal on acoustic, Lucy Mae , backed by DeVessa and Smith Jr. A cool understated boogie, this track rocks. You Amaze Me  is one of my favorites on the release with excellent, soulful vocals by A5 and melodic guitar soloing giving the track just a hint of fullness. Strong. Elizabeth Cotten's , Freight Train features Wight on vocal and guitar w...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Two Nights - Live , from Steven Husted , and it's moving. Opening with Hank Mobley 's This I Dig of You , and Grant Teeple is really rocking it on sax. With Milo Hehmsoth on keys, Steven Husted on bass, Matt Berger on guitar and Israel Yanez ripping on drums. Existential Changes is a mid tempo bop featuring Teeple leading the way on sax, going from moderate to intense phrasing before handing off to Hehmsoth on keys. Husted pulls out a real nice bass solo followed by a snappy solo by Yanez on drums. Matt Berger leads off Against the Grain with some real nice guitar lead with clean, articulate phrasing, punctuated by Husted on bass. A real nice relay from Husted to Berger and Yanez adds just the right tension, making this one of my favorites on the track. Mooncake really moves with a driving bass line by Husted and fleet fingered lead by Berger. Another super bass solo from Husted makes this track stand out, w...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live at the Chicago Blues Festival , from Stefan Hillesheim Band and I really like it. Opening with, Always Get to Hear from You , Stefan Hillesheim on lead vocal and slide guitar leads the way with super drumming from Dionte McMusick on drums, Darryl on bass and Sumito Ariyo Ariyoshi on keys. With it's cha cha rhythm , its a super opener. Slower, do wop style blues, The Love I Had For You , driven by Ariyo on piano, gives Hillesheim a great stage to showcase his vocals and his slide solo is lush and sensitive. Melvin London 's classic, It Hurts Me Too , has s super cover here with strong vocals and slide work by Hillesheim and potent backing piano by Ariyo. Very cool! The radio on this release is clearly, You're My Family with a strong melody, snappy rhythm and restrained rhythm guitar work by Hillesheim. Slinky, When I'm Gone has a funky back beat and outstanding slide work by Hillesheim. The deepest...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Aqua Con Gas , from Dave Schumacher & Cubeye and it really moves. Opening with title track, Aqua Con Gas , Dave Schumacher on bari sax lays the foundation of the track, with Chegui Metralla on Clave , Joel Mateo on drums,  and Yusnier Sanchez on congas . Schumacher sails taking the track for a solid bop ride, with Alex Norris really working the trumpet, Peter Brainin on tenor sax , Manuel Valera adding a strong solo of his own on piano and Alex Apolo Ayala on bass. Terrific opener. Al Rose' is a great track and really showcasing what a hot bari player sounds like. Cooking his lead lines he really sets a groove followed by Norris on trumpet with a crisp contrast, punctuated by Valera on piano. Valero's own lead work is exhilarating with super phrasing and concise execution. Very cool. Punchy, Amosaya 's Latin rhythm really highlights the work of Mateo and Sanchez, with solid solos by Brainin and Norris...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Black Crow , from Brother John ( Johnny Never & John Colgan-Davis ) and it's thick acoustic blues. Opening with Bread and Salt , Johnny Never leads the way on vocal and slide with Holly Hoffman, Shannon Roberts and Monica Moran on backing vocals and John Colgan-Davis on harmonica. Deep rooted blues and a solid opener. Svelte Man Blues is a great rag style blues . Never on guitar and Colgan-Davis get a great cadence going with Never on vocal. Very nice. Charlie Patton 's Dirt Road is particularly cool featuring Colgan-Davis really working the harmonica over Never's vocals. Wandering Eye Blues is one of my favorites on the release with slick slide work by Never and with choppy harmonica work by Colgan-Davis. Very cool. Old Man Mose has a real nice guitar stroll feel to it, reinforced by Jimmy Pritchard on bass and and Hoffman and Moran on backing vocals. Colgan-Davis' harmonica work is particularly ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hometown , by Jared Hall , and it's quite good. Opening with title track, Hometown , Jared Hall on trumpet and Troy Roberts on tenor sax create the melody, joined by Ben Markley on piano, Michael Glynn on bass and Kyle Swan on drums. Hall takes the first opportunity to explore and creates solid, intuitive melodic statements, punctuated by Markley. Roberts' solo is much more sensual and soulful giving the track a nice balance. Bobby Hutcherson's Little B's Poem has a flowing melody in 3/4 time. Hall and Roberts together create the melody before handing off to Glynn who lays down a real nice solo. I really like Roberts' work on this track stretching the melody and a pickup in rhythm by Swan. Monk's Ask Me Now is my favorite track on the release with clean phrasing by Hall, and warm harmonies by Roberts. Markley's solo on this track double times really brightening up the feel and giving it a real ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sing Pretty Blues , by Crystal Shawanda and it's powerful music. Opening with heavy bottomed, Preachin' Blues , Crystal Shawanda leads the way with potent vocal lead, supported by Dave Roe on bass, Nioshi Jackson on drums and Stephan Hanner on harmonica and featuring Dewayne Strobel on guitars. Excellent opener. Bluesy ballad, Would You Know Love , really has a super radio/R&B feel, featuring Crystal on vocal and warm backing vocals by Sarina Joi Crowe and Ping Rose and horns by Chris West. Strobel lays in some real nice melodic guitar work giving the track cool contrast with Peter Keys on keys. Very nice. Title track, Sing Pretty Blues has a classic blues format with Hanner and Strobel on guitar working with Crystal on the lead and Jonathan Nixon on bass and Jackson on drums. Waitin' For My Lover To Call has a funky pop feel with warm B3 support by Keys and Ping Rose and Strobel on guitars. Crystal...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, BB King's Blues Summit 100 , by Joe Bonamassa and it's terrific! Opening with Paying The Cost To Be The Boss , Kingfish Ingram is featured on vocal and guitar and he really gets it done. With it's laid back BB King style and with the help of Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Lemar Carter on drums, Travis Carlton on bass, Jeff Babko on keys, Steve Patrick and Tyler Jaeger on trumpet, Marc Douthit and Jimmy Bowland on sax and Barry Green on trombone, this is a strong opener. Marcus King does an incredible job on vocal and guitar delivering Don't Answer The Door . (I've bought entire albums based on 1 track that doesn't stack up well against this track). King, Bonamassa and Josh Smith really work the guitar on this track and support from Carter, Carlton, Babko, Patrick, Jaeger, Douthit, Bowland and Green are icing on this very nice cake. Buddy Guy gets Sweet Little Angel and he digs in giving it pure Guy trea...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, This World , by Billy Thompson and I really like it. Opening with This World, a rolling rocker, Billy Thompson on lead vocal and slide is joined by Golder O'Neill on bass, Eric Selby on drums and Michael Leroy Peed on keys. A super opener with solid vocals and radio promising melody.  Like Rain is another strong track with a great, funky style rhythm. With Kirk Joseph on sousaphone (which is great), Eddie Christmas on drums, Lionel Batiste Jr. on drums, and Thompson on guitar and vocal. One of my favorite tracks on the release is For True with a real swampy, funky blues feel. Thompson's vocals are great and his slide guitar is reminiscent of Lowell George . O'Neill on bass, Selby laying down some terrific drums and and Peed on keys really propel this track. R&B track, Hope, Peace and Joy has a great feel with some of Thompson's best vocals on the track and warm keys work by Peed. Latin rhythm r...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Old, New, Funky and Blue , by Omar Coleman & Igor Prado and it's a cool funky blues party. Opening with I Only Have Love , Omar Coleman is on the mic laying down his James Brown best, with Igor Prado and his signature guitar riffs backed by Yuri Prado on drums, Denilson on sax and Bruno Belasco on trumpet. Solid opener. Cut You Loose is a super strutting blues track with Albert King like guitar swagger by Prado. Coleman's vocals are super and Ted Furtado rocks the bottom on bass with Felipe Magon on organ. Very cool. Answer Your Phone has a strong R&B undertone but precise stinging guitar riffs by Prado keel it on blues keel and Juninho Isidoro on drums adds critical percussion. Brown Nosin' Man has a real nice funky bottom with Furtado on bass, Isidore on drums and Coleman getting a D'Angelo influenced feel. Very cool. Wrapping the release is easy flowing, Blue Line Train In Chicago , with Co...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Addis Ken , from Abate Berihun & The Addis Ken Project and it's a terrific blend of African rhythms, Ethiopian , Jewish and modern influences. Opening with Tefila , Abate Berihun sings and plays a soulful melody on sax, surrounded by the improvisational piano work of Roy Mor , David Michaeli on bass and Nitzan Birnbaum on drums. Earthy opener. One For Roy has a terrific bottom and rich sax melody. With Mor on piano, working with Michaeli and Birnbaum on rhythm this really is a terrific track. Michaeli steps out on upright bass creating a sub melody and Berihun structures a super vocal melody chased by Birbaum on drums. Nice! Ya Zaman has a move western contemporary feel with a stiff drum kick, and beautiful sax lead. Mor emphasizes the rhythm and stretches nicely on piano creating bringing it back for another terrific entry. Anchi Jazz has a strong klezmer feel with excellent drumming by Birnbaum and strong s...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blast Off! , from Duke Robillard and it's really swinging! Opening with Floyd Dixon 's, When I Get Lucky , Chris Cote is up front on vocal with Duke Robillard on lead guitar, Bruce Bears on piano, Marty Ballou on bass, Mark Teixeira on drums and Doug James and Mark Earley on wailing sax. Strong opener.  Robillard original, Feel My Cares has a deeper, BB King feel with stinging guitar work by Duke and again featuring Cote on lead vocal. Bears on organ adds a real nice warmth and James and Earley on sax really fatten the track up nicely. AM Brunner 's Play Boy Hop is a terrific sax led instrumental with James really making it wail and Duke's guitar phrasing is dynamic and urgent. Very cool. Guitar Slim 's Stand By Me really swings with Cote on lead vocal and Earley and James on horns. James takes command on bari sax really kicking up the dirt and Duke rips a classic solo of his own making this one o...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ball Cap Blues , by Davey Jones and it's solid contemporary blues. Opening with shuffle, Banks Of The Blues , Davey Jones on lead vocal and guitar sets a nice groove, backed by piano, organ and drums. Cool opener. Easy blues rocker, Walking Easy , definitely has radio airplay characteristics with it's memorable melody and easy beat. Rocker, Mis Memphis Blues has a fine tempo with super vocals by Jones who also grinds in on "JJ Cale" like guitar with organ and drum backing. Real nice. Six Feet In The Ground is my favorite track on the release with a Don Nix feel. Driving piano rhythm and solid guitar work under Jones vocals gives this track a solid kick. Wrapping the release is rockin roller, Woman I Love with Jones grinding out a rocking guitar riff. With super vocals, drums and organ/piano following, this is a super closer.    If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and wa...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bright Dawn , from Harvie S and it's light and flowing. Opening with Ghosts of Havana , Miki Hayama on Fender Rhodes creates the fabric on which Peter Bernstein builds the guitar rich melody. Matt Wilson holds a tight rein on the rhythm and Harvie S lays out a really nice solo on bass for a solid opener. Waltz For Vartan showcases Harvie leading the way on bass. Flowing guitar lead by Bernstein adds a real nice lyrical feel to the track and giving the track a lighter feel. I 've Got Rhythm and Blues is my favorite track on the release with Bernstein really strolling on lead guitar and a thumping bass line reinforcing all the way. Smoking. On Chick Corea's , Humpty Dumpty ,  Hayama really rolls on piano and a complimentary bass solo by Harvie makes this one of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the release is Swithering , a dramatic composition featuring Hayama on piano crafting the melody with interw...