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August 8/23/2022 – New Jazz & Blues

New Jazz:

Monty Alexander – Love Notes (www.montyalexander.com): “In accepting another powerful instrument that he has, jazz musician Montgomery Bernard Alexander, more popularly known as Monty Alexander, is speaking into being a decade-long dream to record his first vocal album. All the magic he was certain to create was done each time Alexander placed his fingers on a piano. But he also recognised a transcendental feeling singing tunes while walking down a roadway or in the shower, he shared during a light-hearted moment with The Gleaner. “I never stepped up to the plate to record my voice. I’ve always been told, why not make a record singing? It is something. Truth is, when I start to play music on the piano, I get so engrossed in making the notes have so much meaning. And after making those, I’ve put so much of my heart and soul into it that there was no room for something like that,” Alexander said in his interview. Well, he’s made room. After releasing over 75 albums playing the piano in different styles over the course of his six-decade-old career, Alexander is making his vocal debut on the Love Notes… Alexander shared, “I’ve always merged my love for American music with my love for Jamaican music. It’s the merging of two worlds, one love between the two worlds. And the inspiration was to sing. I made piano, piano, piano, which I am so proud of, but this is the first time I said I am going to make a record singing; and it came out okay, pretty good, wonderful, I don’t know… . And I am very happy about it, because it is something I always had the desire to do.” He added, “I have lived in two different worlds, Jamaica as well as America, and the world because my life as an artiste has been worldwide, so as far as my career I don’t think of me receiving this honour from that standpoint, it’s more national pride and personal pride and when I am among my American peers, I don’t go to say I got an honour. It’s not my style, but hopefully they will hear about it. Matter of fact when some of my musician peers heard about the OD, they joked and called me by the nickname Commander and I don’t want to ever take myself seriously that people will treat me differently because I am still regular Monty, but not anybody ‘boasy’ as we Jamaicans say,” declared the 78-year-old jazz veteran, who in 1991 played on Unforgettable, Natalie Cole’s tribute album to her father, Nat King Cole.” (stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com) Click here to listen to “Love Notes”.

Mike Clark – Blues On Top (JazzAvenue1): “Veteran drummer Mike Clark and stalwart bassist Leon Lee Dorsey continue their fruitful collaboration with the release of Blues On Top in the company of renowned pianist Mike LeDonne, filling out a swinging, top tier trio. Blues On Top brings Clark and Dorsey together for their fifth recording with each collaboration finding the superb rhythm section augmented by a star third guest. Last year, they released Freedom Jazz Dance, a high-flying Latin jazz tribute to the great Hilton Ruíz with Cuban-born pianist Manuel Valera. Previous collaborations include Thank You Mr. Mabern (2021) with the late Mabern himself, Play Sgt. Pepper (2020) with pianist Michael Wolff and Monk Time (2019), alongside guitarist Greg Skaff. Each release demonstrates a different side of Dorsey and Clark’s deep musical simpatico, with the end result colored beautifully by their chosen featured guest.
Mike LeDonne joins the vigorous rhythm section this time around. From the first notes of “Blues On Top”— his rousing take on Wynton Kelly’s “Blues on Purpose”— it’s evident that this session has been well paired. “Chemistry between musicians is one of those great mysteries,” said LeDonne. “It either happens or it doesn’t, in this case it did!” Magically, the March 2022 session that would become Blues On Top marked the first time these three musicians had ever played together. The New York-based pianist and organist is a permanent fixture on the contemporary jazz scene, having built a significant presence since the late 1980’s. A first-call sideman for jazz icons such as Milt Jackson and Benny Golson, LeDonne has made his mark on numerous recordings as a sideman and leader. Since 2003, he has steadily released well-received albums on the Savant label, including two piano trio recordings, one being 2019’s critically acclaimed Partners in Time with Christian McBride and Lewis Nash. Now with Blues On Top, LeDonne once again showcases his undeniable prowess in this intimate format. Similar in approach to its predecessors on the Jazz Avenue 1 label, Blues On Top is decidedly “old school” – and unapologetically so. Opener “Blues On Top,” finds Clark tipping from the outset and playing the same quick fills on his kit that bass great Paul Chambers played on Wynton Kelly’s original 1965 version of “Blues on Purpose” (either from the Verve studio album Undiluted or the live Xanadu album Blues on Purpose, recorded at the Half Note). Once they get out of that stop-time head, it’s off to the races, with Dorsey walking insistently while channeling his inner P.C. and LeDonne stretching mightily on his burning solo. “Wynton Kelly was one of my biggest idols,” said LeDonne.  The last thing I wanted to do was try to play that tune straight up because there’s no way I could ever get close to what Wynton did. So I wrote ‘Blues On Top’ with the same accents but featuring the drums.” (https://www.groovmarketing.com/artists/mike-clark-leon-lee-dorsey/) Click here to listen to the title song.

Michael Dease – Best Next Think (Positone): “Michael Dease keeps the music moving forward toward the “Best Next Thing” on his 2022 and ninth album for Posi-Tone. With clear purpose, Trombonist Michael Dease gathers together an assemblage of exceptional musicians to help him interactively explore the essence of the blues and reframe the abstract truths of jazz as the “Best Next Thing” for today’s audience of listeners. Providing support in bringing this vision to fruition, the session features an all-star lineup of musicians including trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Boris Kozlov, and powerhouse drummer Rudy Royston. As a band leader, Dease makes sure the entire session stays insightfully straight forward and refreshingly melodic throughout while he conducts his topnotch crew through a series of his new compositions and some inventive arrangements of selections crafted by Dease’s musical mentors. With this latest release, Michael Dease not only confirms his status as a virtuoso soloist and one of the biggest stars in jazz today, but also demonstrates that he is clearly an artist for jazz fans to rely upon to bring them the “Next Best Thing” in jazz for years to come. (https://michaeldease.bandcamp.com/album/best-next-thing) Also, click this link to listen to the songs on this terrific release. 

Charlie Gabriel – Eighty Nine (SUB POP): “I’ve been playing since I was 11 years old,” says Charlie Gabriel, the most senior member of the legendary Preservation Hall Band, “I never did anything in my life but play music. I’ve been blessed with that gift that God gave me, and I’ve tried to nurse it the best way I knew how.” While he’s faced plenty of challenges nursing that gift for more than 78 years, none likely rank with last winter’s passing of his brother and last living sibling, Leonard, lost to COVID-19. For the first time ever, Gabriel put down his horn, filling his days and weeks instead with dark reflection, a stubborn despondency broken now and then by regular chess matches in the studio kitchen of Hall leader Ben Jaffe, working overtime to bring his friend some light. One such afternoon also included Joshua Starkman, sitting off in a corner playing his guitar and half-watching the chess from a distance. When Charlie returned the next day, he brought his saxophone. “I was just inspired to try it, to play again. It had been a long time, and a guitar makes me feel free. I do love the sound of a piano, but it takes up a lot of a space, keeps me kind of boxed in.” That day was to be the first session for Eighty Nine, almost entirely the work of Gabriel, Jaffe and Starkman, recorded mostly right there, in the kitchen, by Matt Aguiluz. Charlie Gabriel’s first professional gig dates to 1943, sitting in for his father in New Orleans’ Eureka Brass Band. As a teenager living in Detroit, Charlie played with Lionel Hampton, whose band then included a young Charles Mingus, later spending nine years with a group led by Cab Calloway drummer J.C. Heard. While he’s also fronted a bebop quintet, played and/or toured with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Aretha Franklin and many more, this is the first time his name appears on the front of a record, as a bandleader. Since 2006, Gabriel has been a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, featuring prominently on That’s It, So It Is, and Tuba to Cuba. Eighty Nine was different, and not simply due to a smaller ensemble. “We had no particular plan, or any particular insight on what we were gonna do. But we were enjoying what we were doing, jamming, having a musical conversation,” Charlie says, further musing, “Musical conversations cancel out complications.” Eighty Nine includes six standards and three newer pieces on which Gabriel is a writer: “Yellow Moon,” “The Darker It Gets” and “I Get Jealous.” The record also marks Charlie’s return to his first instrument, clarinet, on many of the tracks. “The clarinet is the mother of the saxophone,” he says. “I started playing clarinet early in life, and this [taught me] the saxophone.” Finally, Eighty Nine includes three tracks of Charlie singing. “I always sung, but it wasn’t my forte to become a singer,” he says. “The truth is, people often develop a real relationship with a song once they hear the words. Sometimes I enjoy singing them.” (https://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/product/charlie-gabriel-eighty-nine-cd/) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.

Grant Geissman – BLOOZ (Futurism): “Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings announces the release of veteran guitarist and composer Grant Geissman’s new album Blooz. The twelve instrumental tracks are a collection of original blues and jazz songs, performed by a stellar supporting cast of musicians. Geissman comments: “On Blooz, with the help of great friends and incredible musicians, I had some of the most fun and made some of the best music of my career. It’s the album I have always wanted to make.” The gospel-oriented “Preach” (featuring Randy Brecker), the Latin-influenced, Santana-inspired “Carlos En Siete” (featuring David Garfield), the funky “Robben’s Hood” (featuring Robben Ford), the blues shuffle “This and That” (featuring Tom Scott), the mournfully bluesy “Sorry Not Sorry” (featuring Russell Ferrante), the rockabilly-styled “Whitewalls and Big Fins” (featuring John Jorgenson), and the Bo Diddley-inspired, three-guitar shootout “One G and Two J’s” (featuring Josh Smith and Joe Bonamassa) come together to form a project that might just surprise listeners who think they had a handle on Geissman both as a player and a composer. Blooz showcases Geissman’s new creative directions and limitless musical prowess.” (https://newworldnjazz.com/grant-geissman-blooz-mesa-blue-moon/) Click here and roll out the strings even when Grant Geissman is warming up!

The Jazz Professors – Blues And Cubes (Flying House): “So, we’ve had the Jazz Messengers and the Jazz Crusaders, among others. Now we get the Jazz Professors, keeping the classic hard bop tradition alive with Jeff Rupert/ts-as. , Dan Miller/tp, Per Danielsson/p, Bobby Koelble/g, Marty Morell/dr-perc and Richard Drexler/b mixing originals with a couple jazz standards. You’re going to think that you’ve discovered some long lost vintage Blue Note album, as Rupert’s rich tenor rides over Morell’s shuffle on “Dor Maar” and is rich over the fun samba of “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”. Miller’s horn is lush on the lovely “Picasso’s Blue Lobster” with the horns locking in palpable textured harmony around Koelble’s gypsy strums on “Promenade aux Champs-Elysees”, with the guitar man doing some lyrical work with Danielsson on the lovely “View of Heaven”. Lots of exciting energy and rich tones throughout. And while there’s no Francis Wolff photography, you could fool anyone on a blindfold test. The big beat.” (https://www.jazzweekly.com/2022/07/the-jazz-professors-blues-and-cubes-kari/) Click here and scroll down to listen clips of each song on this disc.

Katalyst – Jazz Is Dead – 13 (Jazz Is Dead): “Drab graphic design aside, the semiology of the Jazz Is Dead label promises good things. The name itself suggests music that is the opposite of dead—something vibrant, inventive, of its time—while the label’s co-founders, producers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, are active in the struggle for universal social justice. On top of that, Muhammad was a founder member of A Tribe Called Quest, for many people the most incisive rap group of the 1990s, and one with a reputation for choosing great jazz samples. And then you listen to the albums. At their best, a category which includes Katalyst’s upbeat 13, these are well crafted though generally patchy affairs which include moments of substance. Others are slick, inconsequential exercises from artists such as Marcos Valle who have only ever had tenuous connections with jazz. Even those Jazz Is Dead albums by heavyweights such as Gary Bartz and Brian Jackson are underwhelming. Bartz’s had poor sonics, Jackson’s noodled aimlessly and, given his centrality in Gil Scott-Heron’s career, had embarassingly bland lyrics. Broadly speaking, Jazz Is Dead albums seem to be aimed at the descendants of the demographic who in the 1980s thought George Benson, Tom Browne and Grover Washington’s lightweight confections were as good as jazz got.
Jazz Is Dead’s publicity seeks to position Los Angeles’ Katalyst, who backed up Bartz and Roy Ayers on their Jazz Is Dead albums and who sound like a fun live band (check the YouTube below), as inheritors of the spiritual jazz of Lonnie Liston Smith and Norman Connors. The comparison comes with a downside. While Smith and Connors came of age in Pharoah Sanders’ boundary-stretching bands of the early 1970s, both left to pursue more saleable variations, the jazz equivalent of contemporaneous Southern Californian yacht rock. To be fair, 13 gets deeper as it progresses, and “Summer Solstice,” “Juneteenth” and “Dogon Cypher” are solid. There is no risk taking to speak of, and (it sounds like) more overdubbing than you could shake a stick at, but there is energy and a good vibe. Like the fabled curate’s egg, the album is excellent in parts.” (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-is-dead-13-katalyst-jazz-is-dead) Click here for a live performance “The Avenues” by the group.

Frank Kimbrough – 2003 – 2006 (Volume 1: Lullabluebye; Volume 2: Play): “Frank Kimbrough has been a brilliant and often-overlooked pianist on the scene for more than 30 years. His brilliance is right there in the music, no great mystery. His overlooked-ness is a bit more puzzling, but also less of an issue now than it was earlier in his career. For his 2004 album Lullabluebye, Kimbrough enlisted two fellow members of the JCC, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Matt Wilson. It’s a program of evocative originals, and to my ear a creative breakthrough for Kimbrough as an artist and bandleader. He has released several excellent albums since then, including a gem of a solo piano recital titled Air. But I picked Lullabluebye because of its pivotal quality — the way in which it encapsulates a state of elegant imperfection that Kimbrough sees as critical.
“Frank Kimbrough has been a valuable pianist based in the New York area ever since the early ’80s. On this album he is teamed with bassist Ben Allison (who along with Kimbrough co-founded the Jazz Composers Collective and the Herbie Nichols Project) and drummer Matt Wilson. They perform six of the pianist’s originals plus “You Only Live Twice” from a James Bond movie and Allison’s “Ben’s Tune.” The music is unpredictable post-bop jazz and it includes “Centering” (which is influenced a little by Thelonious Monk), a piece dedicated to Andrew Hill (“Ode”), the well-titled “Whirl,” and “Ghost Dance,” which is inspired by the unusual avant-garde music of Annette Peacock. The music on Lullabluebye often sounds simpler than it is, setting impressionistic and sometimes introspective moods and swinging in its own fashion without being overly tied to earlier jazz styles. The three musicians often play as one, although Kimbrough is clearly the leader; it is just that he seems open to the musical suggestions of Allison and Wilson. This is an excellent program of modern jazz that grows in interest with each listen due to its subtlety and quiet surprises.” (Scott Yanow, AMG) Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Ben Patterson – The Way Of The Groove (Origin): “A note from Ben: Thank you for your support! Recordings are quite expensive to make and your purchase really, REALLY helps. For this project, I wanted to combine my quest for memorable, sing-able melodies and interesting harmonies with my love of music that grooves. But what is groove? It’s more than merely a collection of great musicians. Groove is, in and of itself, a study, a discipline, and an art that transcends style. It’s the fitting together of all the pieces–every rhythm and styling–through thoughtful arranging and intensive listening. It’s a way of communicating and existing harmoniously with others. These have been my thoughts while putting this music together. The styles are varied, funk, rock, Reggae, go-go, hip hop, blues-style shuffle, and more. I drew inspiration from the likes of Tower of Power, James Brown, John Scofield, The Brecker Brothers, and Herbie Hancock. Most of all, I hope it’s fun to listen to and gets people bobbing their heads.” (https://benpatterson.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-the-groove) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Lynn Riley – Head To The Sky (Ru Ba Groov Records): “Lynn Riley, saxophonist, flutist, composer, educator. Known as the “Superwoman” of the saxophone and the leader of her group Lynn Riley & The World-Mix, saxophonist and flutist Lynn Riley continues to expand the musical horizons that inform her infectious music. A gifted instrumentalist and composer, Riley has impressed critics and audiences alike with her funky and accessible sound that is firmly rooted in the mainstream jazz tradition while suffused with influences from a host of world music and the blues. Based in Philadelphia, she has performed with David Murray, Johnny Pacheco, Grover Washington Jr., Philly Joe Jones, David Bromberg, Peter White, Rachelle Farrell, and Charles Earland, among others. She has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised outside of Philadelphia, Pa., Lynn received a B. A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaii and an MLA in Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Her background in ethnomusicology, combined with a passion for sharing musical experiences propelled her studies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Ghana, Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Bali. In addition to performing, Riley has been on the faculty at Drexel University since 1999. Head To The Sky (2022), her third release follows the trajectory of her previous two recordings, Too Cool (2009) and Lynn Riley and The World Mix Say What (2014), which were both released to critical acclaim.” (https://www.lynnriley.com/about) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this set. 

Mark Saltman (SaltmanKnowles) – Native Speaker (Odradek): “Native Speaker’ is the eighth album by bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles, who together compose and arrange new music for their jazz quintet SaltmanKnowles.
The concept of ‘Native Speaker’ is to celebrate the African American artform of jazz and to present a manifesto of inclusion that is needed more urgently than ever. As the duo puts it in the album booklet: “whether you are a ‘Native Speaker’ of my language or not, you’re welcome here. You’re welcome in my country, my land, my music, my clothes, my home, our dreams and in our art. We wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Based in Washington, DC, the SaltmanKnowles ensemble plays a combination of primarily original music and standards, as well as original arrangements of a few pop tunes. On ‘Native Speaker’ we hear their interpretations of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Eurythmics and ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ by Tears for Fears. These are heard alongside original numbers by Saltman and Knowles. From Saltman we hear ‘Dororo’, inspired by Japanese animé; ‘Lotus’ and ‘Frog’ based on the lotus, the Chinese symbol for renewal, and the observant frog that sits nearby; and ‘The Gentle Art of Compassion’, a call for sensitivity to others. Knowles offers tributes to two of his favourite people: ‘Nate’s Advice’ was given over leisurely drinks at a cabaret bar, and ‘Ruben’ is about one of Knowles’s most admired Black heroes, his brother. The album’s eponymous track is also by Knowles and is a blues number that presents a philosophical pathway through life’s many ups and downs. Saltman and Knowles have recorded and released seven original jazz albums together over the past 20 years. Originally known as Soulservice, they now record as SaltmanKnowles. Their most recent release ‘Almost’ peaked at No. 23 on the jazz charts. Together they have spent time as Artists-in-Residence for the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, received two grants from the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, and won the Best International Jazz Song Award in 2007 from Toronto Exclusive Magazine. Their fifth release, ‘Return of the Composer’, was in the top ten on the Jazz World Week Radio Chart. Knowles and Saltman met while attending the composition programme at the University of Massachusetts, and their shared affection for the music of Billy Strayhorn, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton and Charles Mingus led to their musical relationship. Musicians include: Mark Saltman (double bass), William Knowles (piano), and Keith Butler Jr., (drums) and Michael Fitzhugh (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Deandre Schaifer (trumpet, flugelhorn), with Lori Williams and Yvette Spears (vocals) and Leonard Brown (violin, guitar).” (https://www.isrbx.net/3137977444-mark-saltman-amp-william-knowles-native-speaker-2022-hi-res.html) Click here to listen to songs on this release.

Steve Tibbetts – Hellbound Train – An Anthology (ECM): “The Best Steve Could Do” is how Steve Tibbetts describes Hellbound Train, a sweeping anthology of works drawn from his decades-long trek across internal and external terrains. The Minnesota-based guitarist and composer selected tracks for this double-disc effort in terms of how well their beginnings and endings suggested connections in an emerging (if malleable) whole. Holding it all together is the trust he shares with his musicians, including percussionists Marc Anderson and Tim Weinhold, tabla player Marcus Wise, bassists Jim Anton, Eric Anderson, and Bob Huges, and cellist Michelle Kinney, among others. In sampling his ECM traversal through Northern Song (1982), Safe Journey (1984), Exploded View (1986), Big Map Idea(1989), The Fall Of Us All (1994), A Man About A Horse (2002), Natural Causes (2010), and Life Of (2018), we are privy to an artist whose instruments are as fleshy as his flesh is instrumental.
Disc I begins with light, as such experiences often do: the glow of an ember, the first twinkle at dusk, the glint in a child’s eye. In search of roadside rest, the itinerant Tibbetts coaxes an all-out percussive mantra from the thickets flanking his path. This is the setting of “Full Moon Dogs,” one of four vital organs transplanted from The Fall Of Us All. An electric guitar courses over this landscape with the charge of a meteor shower. As in “Nyemma” (a lunar spotlight on the voice of Claudia Schmidt) and “Roam And Spy,” he makes his choice—and a fire—to settle in for the night. What follows is not a peaceful slumber, though tranquility is never far away, sharing one image after another until a story takes shape.
Five signposts from A Man About A Horse rise like telephone poles against the Milky Way, strung with trajectories of communication to take upon waking. Whether through the clopping rhythms of “Chandoha” or the sputtering lantern light of “Lochana,” a sense of unease builds to the dyad of “Black Temple” and “Burning Temple,” wherein smoke rules the day. In the aftermath of “Glass Everywhere,” hints of violence dissolve into a brief exchange of voices and laughter.
Despite its destructive qualities, fire is a constant companion, fueled at every turn by the gristle of truth. Tibbetts survives by flinging his 12-string bola at the agile game embodied by hands on drums. The sunlight grows stronger in the elastic nostalgia of “Your Cat” (our sole dip into Exploded View), intersecting the ecliptic of “Vision.” The latter encounter foreshadows the standout selections from Safe Journey on Disc II, including the sacred congregation of kalimba, steel drum, and reverberant picking that is “Climbing” and the masterful “Night Again” and “My Last Chance.” With so much scintillation to chew on, it’s a wonder we don’t turn into comets in the process of listening to them. Big Map Idea compels five entries in this sonic diary, including a nod to Jimmy Page (“Black Mountain Side”) and an excerpt from “Mile 234,” an excursion marking time more than distance. Grander biomes await us in two tracks from Northern Song. Whereas “The Big Wind” is a winged groove, “Aerial View” feels somehow connected to the earth—so much so that their titles could be reversed and still feel accurate. Life Of sends out four of its offspring, reared in the shadows of Natural Causes, of which “Chandogra” is the epitome of renewal. As if first setting out, our feet no longer have callouses, our muscles are strong, and our packs are heavy. We look upon the open road not as a burden but as an invitation. The only answer to our call resounds in the final “Threnody,” a guitar without a need beyond the hymn it holds against the sun as a compass for all who might come after. An ethereal souvenir from places we will never visit, Hellbound Train struggles against the current of any vocabulary. This is the best I can do to tell its story. A must-have for Tibbetts fans and an ideal place to start for those fortunate to hear any of this music for the first time. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this set.

New Blues:

Chris Antonik – Morningstar (Moondog): “From his nomination as Best New Artist at Canada’s Maple Blues Awards following the release of his 2011 debut album, Toronto-based Chris Antonik’s star has been on the rise – wowing live audiences with his passionate guitar virtuosity, delivering innovative and thoughtfully-crafted songs that transcend limitations or expectations of genre, and assembling an impressive forward-looking body of recorded works that pay deep respect to diverse musical influences while seamlessly forging ahead in exploring new sonic and artistic territory.
Not to be stopped by any pandemic, Chris has developed a wealth of powerful, captivating material for his highly anticipated fourth album. His February 2021 crowdsourcing video for the project received an incredible response from fans, supporters and followers. These themes of community, re-engagement, rebuilding and self-compassion resonate throughout the album. To be released in August 2022, Morningstar is Chris Antonik’s most ambitious and fully-realized musical vision to date, building on nuanced songwriting, an amazing assemblage of musicians (including guest appearances by award-winning blues guitarists Jarekus Singleton and Paul Deslauriers, and Tedeschi-Trucks’ Mike Mattison), and of course Chris’s own sophisticated, mesmerizing guitar work complimented by stellar vocals. Morningstar is a cohesive collection of songs and musical experiences reminiscent of the best albums of the 1970s, in the ways in which the elements fit together to generate a transcendent experience for the listener.” You can listen to the first songs by listening there.

Bob Corritore & Friends – You Shocked Me (VizzTone): “Harmonica ace Bob Corritore once again puts together an all-star blues showcase of his amazing friends. The cream of today’s current crop of blues artists deliver 16 killer songs and electrifying performances on the VizzTone release You Shocked Me. Captured during 12 recording sessions between 2018 and 2022, these 16 hard-hitting tracks deliver pure, unvarnished blues of the highest order. Recorded at Tempest Recording in Tempe Arizona, Corritore’s masterfully understated production captures the urgency of a live performance and the finishing touch to make complete, memorable songs. The glue that holds it all together is the combination of Bob’s focused production work and his expressive “serve the song” harmonica style.
Featured vocalists on this set include longtime collaborators Alabama Mike (who contributes four powerful songs), soul/blues/gospel icon Johnny Rawls, salt of the earth Southern bluesman Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry, Sugaray Rayford, Diunna Greenleaf, Jimi “Primetime” Smith, Oscar Wilson, Bob Stroger, Francine Reed, and Willie Buck.
Corritore was born in Chicago in 1956, and heard Muddy Waters on the radio at age 12, an event which changed his life forever. Within a year he was playing harmonica and collecting blues albums. He saw blues shows in his early teens, and cut his teeth sitting in on Maxwell Street until he was old enough to get in the clubs. He hung around great harp players such as Big Walter Horton, Little Mack Simmons, Louis Myers and Junior Wells, and received harmonica tips and encouragement from many of them. Bob became friends with many blues veterans, working with them in the late 70s and 80s, and going into the studio to produce some classic albums. In 1981 Bob ventured southwest to live in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was soon joined by Chicagoland friend Louisiana Red. Bob started his still-running Blues radio show in 1984, and in 1991 opened the now famous Blues and Roots Concert club, The Rhythm Room. In 1999 Bob released his first CD as a national recording artist. His many albums have now been released on Hightone, Blue Witch, and Delta Groove, and digging into his vast vault of recordings, Bob has released 10 albums since 2018 through his own Southwest Musical Arts Foundation in affiliation with VizzTone.” https://bobcorritore.com/music/recordings/  I regret I am able to find any samples for this release.

Smoky Greenwell – smokin` (Greenwell Records): “Smoky Greenwell was born in Michigan on the 4th of July 1951, reared in Delaware, and schooled in Spain and Tennessee. Smoky learned harmonica in earnest in the mid-1970’s and began sitting in with the venerable blues masters Furry Lewis, Piano Red and Mose Vincent. His career as a first-call sessions player began at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios. This led him to take up residence in Nashville, and playing saxophone, in the mid-1980’s. Smoky came to national attention in the band Blues Co-Op (with Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes). It was in Nashville that Smoky began a long association with Allman Brothers keyboardist, singer and producer Johnny Neel, a partnership that continues to this day.
Smoky came to New Orleans in 1989 for an engagement at the now legendary (and defunct) Old Absinthe Bar and decided to stay. In New Orleans, he has played with Snooks Eaglin, Eddie Bo, “Big” Al Carson, Coco Robicheaux, Willie Lockett, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, Bryan Lee, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Spencer Bohren, George Porter, Jr., Waylon Thibodeaux, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr., Chubby Carrier, Tommy Malone, Jimmy Page, Willie Weeks, Trombone Shorty, and many others in the areas of blues, New Orleans jazz, Zydeco, and funk. In addition to fronting his own band, Smoky was the 1990’s replacement for Lee Oskar in the seminal band WAR with Harold Brown, BB Dickerson, and Howard Scott. More recently, Smoky appeared in The Last Waltz Tribute Band with Warren Haynes, Bob Margolin, Michael McDonald, and Don Was. The Smoky Greenwell Band has been performing weekly shows in New Orleans for the past two decades, generating a sizeable and loyal fan base. He has produced and hosted numerous blues events at the Carver Theatre and at the Frenchmen Theatre in New Orleans. He serves as the producer and host of the annual Harmonica Extravaganza in New Orleans during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Smoky is frequently sought out by blues harmonica aficionados seeking private lessons. He spends his time performing in New Orleans while not on the road, doing sessions work and giving private lessons on saxophone and harmonica as schedule permits. Smoky has appeared as a sessions player on numerous sides over the years.” (https://smokygreenwellmusic.com/about/) I regret I can’t find a sample of any performances from this release.

Derrick Procell – Hello Mojo! (Catfood Records): “This is a powerful blues triumvirate – blues singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Derrick Procell, BMA winner and producer Zac Harmon, and label owner/bandleader Bob Trenchard collaborating on Procell’s Catfood Records debut, Hello Mojo.  As you likely realize, given those names, the album was recorded at Trenchard’s go-to studio, Sonic Ranch in Tornillo Texas outside of El Paso and features The Rays as the backing band. All tunes were written or co-written by Procell, who teamed with his writing partner, Terry Abramson, on four of the ten tunes and with Trenchard on three others. This is only Procell’s second solo recording and follows his acclaimed Why I Choose to Sing the Blues. Yet, Procell has been writing songs for over 40 years and his songs have been recorded by such diverse artist as The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Melissa Manchester, and notably by blues artists The Cashbox Kings and Shemekia Copeland. Originally from Milwaukee, he performed for years with the award-winning band, Arroyo. As this writer described him in another outlet, “Procell’s stuff is smart, creative and yet as deeply soulful as any.”  That certainly holds true with these cats (couldn’t help it) in tow. These cats, or rather The Rays are guitarist Johnny McGhee, keyboardist Dan Ferguson, bassist Bob Trenchard, drummer Richy Puga, trombonist Frank Otero, saxophonist Andy Roman, saxophonist Nick Flood, trumpeter Mike Middleton, and the background vocalists SueAnn Carwell. Meredith Colby and Jessica Ivey. Zac Harmon guests on guitar on three tracks including the opening “Skin in the Game,” a powerhouse soul-blues. The title track has is it all, an infectious groove, witty lyrics, punchy horns with Peter Neumer on sax and Steve Duncan on trombone soloing, swirling B3, energetic backgrounds especially in the call and response with Procell, and the only one with Procell on piano. “A Tall Glass of You” is a soulful shuffle with perky horn jabs, nifty clavinet from Ferguson, and another terrific lead vocal supported by the backing Rays vocalists. “Color of an Angel” is a sweet soul ballad, the kind only a veteran like Procell could deliver. These four represent the co-writes with Abramson. The collaborations with Trenchard begin with one that could become the soundtrack for the next boxing movie, “The Contender,” the other track with Zac Harmon is the featured guitarist. As he does so often, Ferguson underpins with strong B3 and the backing vocalists jump in to add a soulful touch to what is primarily a blues rocker. “Broken Promise” begins with Procell on blues harp for this syncopated blues, imbued by Munyungo Jackson’s percussion amongst the horns and background vocalists. Procell wields his blues harp again for “Baby I’m Lost,” a mid-tempo soul ballad.
Two of these are completely Procell originals. “I Can’t Say No” has one of the strongest horn charts on the disc and another of Procell’s indelible singalong choruses, perfect for the backing singers. The closer, “Bittersweet Memories,” is a slow soul burner where he mourns a lost loved one, with contributions from Ferguson on piano, a gutty tenor solo from Roman, and the usual potent mix of the full breadth of The Rays. Interestingly, he also delivers a funky cover of a Kinks tune, “Who’ll Be the Next in Line,” featuring more outstanding horn charts and burning guitar from Johnny McGhee. One more time – these ingredients and this triumvirate can’t help but knock this one over the fence. As a good friend once said, “everything sounds better with horns,” made even that much more potent when combined with great songwriting. (Jim Hynes) Click here to listen to short bits across the music “Hello Mojo”.

Too Slim & The Taildraggers – Brace Yourself Live! (VizzTone): “Brace Yourself, the new live album from Too Slim and the Taildraggers, is a blistering, high energy live set that captures the unique raw power this band exudes in a live performance setting. Recorded at Ohme Gardens in Wenatchee WA, Brace Yourself shows the band’s true force and versatility as they incorporate their many influences into their all-original compositions.The first single, “Cowboy Boot”, dropping July 8, 2022, shows Too Slim and the Taildraggers at their Blues-Rocking best, giving a nod to Classic Rock influences as Slim sings of being “way past thrity. The with nothin’ to show for my ramblin’ life but a bunch of grey hairs and an achin’ liver, and a million promises I couldn’t deliver” as the stash of money he keeps in his cowboy boot has finally run out. Songs like “Mississippi Moon”, “Fortune Teller”, “Cowboy Boot” and “Devil in a Doublewide” display a mix of Classic Rock, Blues Rock and Americana influences. “Blood Moon” and “Twisted Rail” conjure up images of Robin Trower and Jimi Hendrix. “When Whiskey Was My Friend” could easily have been a track on a ZZ Top album circa 1976. “Letter” and “Good Guys Win” are modern nods to Chuck Berry with a hint of Psychobilly. “Free Your Mind” has a feel of early electric Bob Dylan and “My Body” and “Givers and Takers” have an ethereal quality of late 60’s rock. All the songs also have an obvious tip of the hat to early electric Blues and Blues Rock. Brace yourself for a hell of a ride!!!! Onstage, Tim “Too Slim” Langford leaps into action, backed up by Zach Kasik on bass and Jeff “Shakey” Fowlkes on the drums. Needless to say, the amped-up festival audience goes wild! According to Tim, playing for a huge crowd is the “F’ing best feeling ever!! Very exhilarating! Personally, I’m at my best when you get the feeling back from the crowd.” Onstage, Tim “Too Slim” Langford leaps into action, backed up by Zach Kasik on bass and Jeff “Shakey” Fowlkes on the drums. Needless to say, the amped-up festival audience goes wild! According to Tim, playing for a huge crowd is the “F’ing best feeling ever!! Very exhilarating! Personally, I’m at my best when you get the feeling back from the crowd.” (https://www.rockandbluesmuse.com/2022/07/11/too-slim-the-taildraggers-announce-brace-yourself-live/) Click here to listen to “Cowboy Boot”!

The Matt Woods Band – almost made it… (MattWoodsMusic): “Matt Woods is both a native of Iowa, and a longstanding purveyor of its diverse music scene.  As a seasoned performer of many local, regional and national venues, Matt has developed a distinct style while staying true to his love of traditional American music.  Woods is well versed in the many shapes this music can take; from traditional delta, hill country and urban electric blues, to gospel, country and folk music. In addition to performing 100+ shows per year as a solo act, playing with several roots oriented bands and backing up some of the finest songwriters in the Midwest, Matt can often be found in the studio, adding guitar parts to a diverse array of recordings. Woods has been performing regularly since 2002 and to date has released 5 independent albums (3 solo albums, and 2 albums backed by his unparalleled band, The Thunderbolts).  He has also won the Iowa Blues Challenge and gone on to represent the state in the International Blues Challenge an unprecedented 3 times.  Matt’s first solo album, “If I Was a Fish”, finished in the top 5 of The Blues Foundation’s “best self-produced CD” category in 2006.  His two subsequent albums with The Thunderbolts, have also gained national attention.  2007’s “Be My Friend”, was referred to as “blistering” by Dirty Linen magazine, and Living Blues magazine called 2010’s “Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts”, “a smoking amalgam of Hound Dog Taylor and Freddy King”. Additionally, Blues Revue called the album; “raw, hypnotic and very appealing”.  In 2015 Matt released “Sawdust and Gasoline”, his first solo album comprised completely of original material.  It went on to receive extensive airplay in the U.S. and Europe and also finished in the top 5 of The Blues Foundation’s “best self-produced CD” category for 2015. “Sawdust and Gasoline” was also nominated by Blues Blast Magazine for album of the year in the “Acoustic Blues” category! In 2018 Matt Woods released his fifth studio album, “Tired and Dirty” to critical acclaim.  Like its predecessor, “Tired and Dirty” is comprised completely of original material in an age old tradition, featuring slashing slide guitar, deft songwriting and powerful vocals. Over the course of his career, Matt has shared the stage with many notable acts, including; Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Louisiana Red, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, John Primer, Rj Mischo, James Harman, Nathan James, Delbert McClinton, The Arc Angels, Dr. John, Kelly Hunt, Joe Price and many more.  In 2010, Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts opened for Pat Benetar and REO Speedwagon at the famed Iowa State Fair Grandstand to a crowd of 10,000+!  As a point of pride, Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts are the only local band, before or since, to play the Iowa State Fair Grandstand.” (https://mattwoodsmusic.com/bio/)   Click here to listen to all of the songs on this release.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop