WTJU 91.1 FM

New Jazz & Blues – 3/5/2022

New Jazz:

Airmen of Note – The 2022 Jazz Heritage Series (Department of the Air Force): This is the 2022 Heritage with special guests Sean Jones (trumpet), Ted Nash (saxophone) and Diane Schuur (vocals). The numbers offered spread from “Alright, Okay, You Win” to “Besame Mucho”and Chick Corea’s “Tones For Joan’s Bones” and Monk’s “Jackie-ing”. I regret I am not able to find a sample from this set or further information.

Whit Dickey Quartet – Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space (Tao Forms): “Drummer Whit Dickey emerged on the Avant Garde, free jazz scene in the early 1990’s, and kept busy playing behind David S. Ware, Matthew Shipp, Ivo Perelman, and Rob Brown. He began recording as a leader at the end of that decade…. The Quartet includes Rob Brown on alto sax, Matt Manieri on viola, and Brandon Lopez on bass. Much free jazz achieves maximum intensity by increasing the speed, volume, and density of the sound. That is no criticism, but it is not the only way to do it. On Astral Long Forms, Dickey and crew begin from a slow or even mournful pace. This allows them to achieve intensity without losing the articulation and texture of the various instruments. If you are looking for an abstract presentation that retains all the emotional tone of good jazz, this is a place to start…. The second cut “Space Quadrants” opens with a string duet, both producing viscous surfaces….“The Pendulum Turns” begin with a nice minute and a half drum solo. “Staircase in Space” is the most muted in both pace and sound, which makes the slow burn of horn and strings all the more searing. The last cut, “Signify” is hymn to the manipulation of signal. Brown, for one, really cuts loose on the range of chirps and scrapes that his horn can produce. Click here to listen to “The Pendulum Turns”.

Evan Drybread – Tiger Tail (Evan Drybread): “Evan is a freelance saxophonist from Indianapolis, Indiana and performs with many of the finest musicians in the Midwest. He frequently performs at the Jazz Kitchen, Chatterbox Jazz Club, and many other events in town including Indy Jazz Fest and Concerts on the Canal. Although performing mostly in Central Indiana, Evan has performed around the globe including time as a showband musician for Royal Caribbean International. Since returning to Indy, he has performed with Josh Kaufman, Emmet Cohen, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He frequently performs as a sideman performing on all saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute. His newest project, the Evan Drybread Quartet, features a mix of jazz standards and original compositions by himself and other members. Evan graduated from Ball State University where he studied improvisation and arranging with Mark Buselli. As a graduate student at Purdue University, he served as the Jazz Program Assistant Director and was the jazz saxophone instructor at nearby Wabash College. Evan continues to teach locally. THE TITLE for Tiger Tail is kind of embarrassing actually. It’s something from my childhood. I’d written the title track and didn’t have a name for it and was thinking about significant things in my life. With the 6/4 feel, bass line, and melody it seemed really appropriate. I had planned on making that the title track even going into the session. I had played it live once before and it just had the energy of a title track in my mind. The cover art was painted by my Aunt. She was in a Chinese Restaurant and painted the lanterns that were hanging there. She’s a retired professional, symphony violinist from Ontario and has taken up painting in her retirement. I thought it would be a nice fit since there are still Tigers in South China. Click here to listen to a live version “The Queen of Cups” and a Drybread original.

Ricky Ford – The Wailing Sounds Of Ricky Ford: Paul’s Scene (Whaling City Sound): “Ricky Ford, tenor sax legend, needs no introduction, but he’ll get one anyway because it’s important to hear his lineage before diving into his new recording. After getting his start filling the Paul Gonsalves chair in the Duke Ellington Orchestra (under Mercer Ellington’s leadership), Ford’s gone on to play with Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, and Abdullah Ibrahim, to name a few of his more illustrious stints. He is, quite simply, a national treasure. His latest recording, a tip of the hat to his early roots and a focused, fabulous blast of multi-hued bebop and traditional jazz, reflects tremendous taste and virtuosity, with nods to his heroes (Hawkins, Duke, Mingus, and others) and affirmation that the guy can still play with the best of them. While he may not have the same public profile as our present-day tenor heroes, he deserves every ounce of respect that they get and more. The Wailing Sounds of Ricky Ford: Paul’s Scene, made with his accompanist’s pianist Mark Soskin, bassist Jerome Harris, and drummer Barry Altschul, is wondrous and his playing sounds as fresh today as it did decades back, when he was a true legend in the making. (https://newworldnjazz.com/ricky-ford-the-wailing-sounds-of-ricky-ford-pauls-scene-wcs/) Click here to listen to slices of each song in this set.

Andy James – Rhythm In New York (le COQ): “While she grew up in Australia, traveled the world as a renowned Flamenco dancer, and now makes her home in Las Vegas, vocalist Andy James has always loved New York City – whether dreaming of the Big Apple from afar or exploring the always thriving jazz scene of the city as both listener and performer. “New York City – what a town!” James exults. “It has always held a special place in my heart. Even as a child growing up in Australia, I would see the great singers performing on the television from this special place and think, ‘If only that could be me!’” On her latest album for Le Coq Records, James captures the vibrant tempo and exhilarating thrills always unfolding in the thoroughfares of the city that never sleeps. Due out April 15, Rhythm in New York features a stunning mix of classic standards and original music inspired by life in Manhattan. As has become standard for Le Coq releases, the album boasts an unparalleled line-up of in-demand musicians, all of who have captivated audiences on the bandstands of New York and beyond. James’ key collaborator on Rhythm in New York is John Patitucci, who not only graces every track with his virtuosic bass playing but co-wrote several tunes with James and his daughter, singer-songwriter Greisun. They’re joined by pianist Jon Cowherd, drummers Nate Smith and Marcus Gilmore, saxophonists Chris Potter and Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Terell Stafford, flutist David Mann, guitarists Adam Rogers and Chico Pinheiro, and percussionists Alex Acuña and Rogerio Boccato. Additionally, Cowherd and Patitucci collectively arranged all 15 songs on the album. While Patitucci has been a key member of the Le Coq family since its launch, he and James furthered their collaboration last year with the collaborative outing An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, which inaugurated the singer’s venture into original compositions. “Although I’ve always loved the songs of the past – who wouldn’t? – I thought it was time to express myself more as a writer of music on this album,” James explains. “I feel it’s necessary to convey my sentiments in music so I can grow further as a singer and musician. My collaboration with John Patitucci and his daughter Greisun has been an enormous pleasure for me. They are so talented and always know what I’m looking for; which I’m sure is helped by their family bond.” (https://andyjamesjazz.bandcamp.com/album/rhythm-in-new-york) Click here to listen to the songs on this release and the style of Andy James.

Ben Markley Big Band w/ Ari Hoenig – Ari’s Funhouse (OA2): “Whether through his recordings with players like Terell Stafford, Greg Osby or Joel Frahm, or his big band recording honoring the music of Cedar Walton, pianist/composer/arranger Ben Markley always provides a platform where his guests can shine. Long appreciating the idiosyncratic rhythmic mastery of drummer Ari Hoenig, along with the equally personal melodic sense of his compositions, Markley was inspired to take on the daunting task of arranging a set of Hoenig’s music for big band. With roots in the traditional big band world, the music dives deeply into other modes of modern expression, which the Denver-based ensemble brought their A-game for. A session that demanded a high level musicianship and abundant sense of creative adventure, the results provide an aural ride that can best be described as Ari’s Funhouse.” (https://www.isrbx.net/3137959138-ben-markley-big-band-amp-ari-hoenig-aris-funhouse-2022.html) The players are Peter Olstad, Greg Gisbert, Dan Jonas and Alan Hood (trumpets), Adam Bartczak, Paul McKee, Rob Borger and Jon Gauer (trombones), Wil Swindler (Alto, Soprano, Flute), Scott Turpen (Alto sax), Peter Sommer and John Gunther (Tenor sax), Sam Williams (Bari sax), Steve Kovalcheck (Guitar), Ben Markley (Piano, Keys), Evan Gregor (Acoustic & Electric Bass) and Ari Hoenig (Drums). Click here to listen to “Bert’s Playground” a composition on this set.

Chris Mondak – Glass Spheres (Summit): “Born in Venezuela, raised in Illinois, and trained in Boston, Nashville composer and bassist Chris Mondak already has amassed vast experience in music. Chris studied at the renowned New England Conservatory (B.M., 2020), working with bass legends Cecil McBee and Dave Holland. Prior to that, Chris trained with Larry Gray, and he was active in the Champaign Central HS music program, where he was a three-time Illinois all-state musician, receiving commendations from Essentially Ellington, Music for All, the Brubeck Institute, YoungArts, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Chris has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Dave Douglas,  Wayne Escoffery, Melanie Charles, Shelly Berg, Marvin Stamm, Jesus Molina, Jeff Hamilton, and Matt Savage. With an aggressive bass style, Chris has toured in the U.S., and has played in  Australia, Mexico and Panama, and toured twice in China. Chris has performed at venues such as Birdland, Bop Stop, Jazz at Lincoln Center-Shanghai, Carnegie Hall, Rudy’s, and Breezy’s. Chris has written tracks for his CD Eternal Youth, and those of his jazz combos the Nextgen Jazz Quartet and West of Staley, and rock band NxT.  In 2019, Chris played with the Nextgen Jazz Quartet at the Hengqin Cup Jazz Competition in Zhuhai, China, and Chris’s composition “Always Smiling” received 1st place as the festival’s top original composition. Since arriving in Nashville in 2020, Chris has performed with Daniel LeClaire, Diana DeGarmo, Joe LoCasto, Troy Hanna, and his own jazz combos The Chris Mondak Band and Magnolia.” (https://chrismondak.com/bio) …Glass Spheres features seven of Chris’s original compositions, with dashes of swing, second line, and jazz-pop. In addition to Chris on bass, performers include Hunter Smith (sax), Gabe Feldman (piano), LIndon McCarty (guitar), and Chris Broomhead (Drums). Click here to listen and see “Hats Off” from this release.

Out To Dinner – Episodes of Grace (PosiTone): “This 2022 release in the exciting “Out To Dinner” series continues along an ambitious course. These volumes seek to enlist the ears of a new group of Posi-Tone listeners, while expanding the aesthetic sensibilities of their traditional audience. “Episodes of Grace,” which came together out of the label’s pandemic lockdown sessions in 2020, is an engaging and enjoyable album featuring the collective efforts of five capable composer bandleader virtuosos. This full menu of auditory delights is a movable feast featuring vibraphonist Behn Gillece, trombonist Ryan Keberle and saxophonist Patrick Cornelius moving freely over the solid harmonic foundation of bassist Boris Kozlov and the explosive metrics of drummer Rudy Royston. These focused and adventurous performances are sweet and savory enough to encourage jazz fans of all ages to “play on” with us, and increase their musical tastes for more of these “different flavors.” (https://outtodinner.bandcamp.com/album/episodes-of-grace) Click here to listen to songs on this release.

Aaron Seeber – First Move (CellarLive): “Although you may be less familiar with Aaron Seeber than with the other artists on this live recording, you will immediately recognize the tradition of jazz drumming in his steady and sure cymbal beat. A native of Washington D.C. whose visibility on the New York jazz scene continues to rise, Seeber is both studied in the recorded legacy of his instrument and equipped with over a decade of on-the-bandstand experience. Among his influences are the greats we evoke on a first-name basis—Roy, Max, Billy, to name a few—as well as lesser-known masters who are just as worthy of deep respect: Connie Kay, Mickey Roker, Otis “Candy” Finch. At first glance, Seeber’s quintet may look like an all-star assembly, but each of these established artists has a history with the young drummer. As a teenager, Seeber went to see saxophonist Tim Green throughout the D.C. metro area, and by the early 2010s Green started hiring him for gigs. Many of Seeber’s first major performances were with Green, including weekends at the legendary Bohemian Caverns club where Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and many others appeared. It was on a Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra date that Seeber first played with and met vibraphonist Warren Wolf, a native of Baltimore. Beyond the musical and professional experience, Seeber credits Wolf for his first opportunity to travel and perform abroad during a tour of Europe in 2015. Pianist Sullivan Fortner may be most widely known from his work with star vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, but musicians on the scene recognize him as an agile and unpredictable improviser who raises the stakes in any musical setting. Seeber first worked with him at New York City’s Fat Cat in the band of trumpeter Greg Glassman, and he has been calling Fortner for gigs ever since. Bassist Ugonna Ukegwo and Seeber began playing several years ago and are frequently heard together in pianist Pete Malinverni’s trio…. (https://aaronseeber.bandcamp.com/album/first-move) Click here to listen to “First Waltz” from this set. 

Harry Skoler – Living In Sound: The Music Of Charles Mingus (Sunnyside): “The righteous and bombastic nature of the great bassist/composer Charles Mingus made him a polarizing personality. His unique personality, combined with his groundbreaking music, were magnetic for open-minded listeners. Clarinetist Harry Skoler discovered Mingus and his music early in life. This discovery would change his entire trajectory as a person and musician, which Skoler celebrates on his new recording, Living In Sound: The Music Of Chrales Mingus. Skoler had a challenging adolescence while growing up in Syracuse, New York during the 1960s and early 1970s. While seeking solace from a traumatic event, he discovered the world of Charles Mingus, initially from the bassist’s Mingus Moves LP (Atlantic, 1974). The overwhelming impact on Skoler led him to investigate both Mingus’s legendary musical oeuvre and his autobiography, Beneath the Underdog. Mingus’s words and music resonated with the young musician. It is as though he had found truth in the work of one artist. It wasn’t long before Skoler was able to experience Mingus in the flesh at Syracuse University’s Jabberwocky student club. The experience was beyond anything that Skoler had experienced up until then. Mingus’s powerful presence and command were larger than life. The experience was imprinted deeply on Skoler and is represented in an original graphic story by Dave Chisholm included with Living In Sound.
Over forty years later, Skoler already had a wonderful career as a working musician and professor at the celebrated Berklee College of Music. In 2018, his life was saved from a ruptured artery; then depression set in. This is when Skoler met saxophonist Walter Smith III. Meeting Smith proved to be the catalyst and spark that Skoler needed. Skoler immediately felt that he needed to record again and asked Smith if he would be willing to produce a new album, to which Smith agreed. It was the collaborative effort of Skoler and Smith that proposed a project celebrating Mingus with strings. Skoler was excited by the possibilities and the project went forward with Smith suggesting the string quartet, jazz accompanists, and arrangers for the pieces. The producer was able to gather an all-star group, which included pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Johnathan Blake, trumpeter Nicolas Payton, and vocalist Jazzmeia Horn. A string quartet of violinists Megan Gould and Tomoko Omura, with violist Karen Waltuch and cellist Noah Hoffeld was also commissioned.The recording features arrangements by some of the brightest compositional minds in jazz, namely Darcy James Argue, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Fabian Almazan. The pieces to be performed were selected ad hoc by the arrangers or by Skoler and Smith. The arrangers were trusted to do whatever they wanted in the arrangements. The pieces were ready in August 2021, when Skoler met the band and string quartet at Sear Sound for two days of recording. The recording begins with Fabian Almazan’s arrangement of “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” bittersweet strings leading to Skoler’s laid back reading of one of Mingus’s most beloved tunes. Darcy James Argue twists “Peggy’s Blue Skylight” dramatically, as the rhythmic strings bounce intricately off one another and McBride and Barron stretch out on their individual solos. Argue created a perfect showcase for Skoler on “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love,” providing an at times lush, then spare, arrangement allowing the clarinetist to dial into the same wistful feelings of respect and love for Mingus’s hero, Duke Ellington, with the aid of McBride’s supportive bass. Mingus’s striking “Remember Rockefeller at Attica” is filled by Almazan’s pen with the chilling effect and violence that its namesake event inspired; Skoler’s pained screaming through his clarinet, and Payton’s thoughtful trumpet are highlights of the recording. Akinmusire’s arrangement of Don Pullen’s “Newcomer” is nuanced and deep, the tune being from the Mingus Moves LP that was the origin of Skoler’s Mingus appreciation. Brilliant vocalist Jazzmeia Horn brings Doug Hammond’s “Moves” to life, the subtlety and strength of her voice amplified by the meditative tone poem arranged by Almazan. Argue chose to tackle “Sue’s Changes” for a thrilling and inventive suite with ever changing emotions and transitions, played masterfully by the ensemble and providing Payton some true solo highlights. “Invisible Lady” is a gorgeous, mysterious piece loved by Skoler; Akinmusire’s arrangement provides languid, noirish tones. Skoler’s original, “Underdog,” was completed under the wire, although the conception was developed over months. The composer wrote the piece just prior to the final recording session as a sketch that provides freedom for all the musicians to express themselves without hindrance. The music that Harry Skoler, Walter Smith III, and their brilliant cast recorded on Living In Sound captures the many moods of the iconoclastic Charles Mingus. There are shades of tumult, harmonic depth, conceptual depth, and abandon. A perfect tribute to the legend to mark his centennial year.” (https://jazzbluesnews.com/2022/03/27/cd-review-harry-skoler-living-in-sound-the-music-of-charles-mingus-2022-video-cd-cover/) I regret I am unable to find a sample from this release.

Trombone Shorty – Lifted (Blue Note): “Take a listen to Lifted, Trombone Shorty’s second release for Blue Note Records, and you’ll hear that same ecstatic energy coursing through the entire collection. Recorded at Shorty’s own Buckjump Studio with producer Chris Seefried (Fitz and the Tantrums, Andra Day), the album finds the GRAMMY-nominated NOLA icon and his bandmates tapping into the raw power and exhilarating grooves of their legendary live show, channeling it all into a series of tight, explosive performances that blur the lines between funk, soul, R&B, and psychedelic rock. The writing is bold and self-assured, standing up to hard times and loss with grit and determination, and the playing is muscular to match, mixing pop gleam with hip-hop swagger and second line abandon. Wild as all that may sound, Lifted is still the work of a master craftsman, and the album’s nimble arrangements and judicious use of special guests—from Gary Clark Jr. and Lauren Daigle to the rhythm section from Shorty’s high school marching band—ultimately yields a collection that’s as refined as it is rapturous, one that balances technical virtuosity and emotional release in equal measure as it celebrates music’s primal power to bring us all together.
“I think this is the closest we’ve ever gotten to bottling up the live show and putting it on a record,” says Shorty, whose audiences have grown exponentially in recent years. “Normally when I’m in the studio, I’m trying to make the cleanest thing I can, but this time around, I told everybody to really cut loose, to perform like they were onstage at a festival.” If anybody knows their way around a festival, it’s Trombone Shorty. Born Troy Andrews, he got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Shorty’s proven he’s more than just a horn player, though. Catch a gig, open the pages of the New York Times or Vanity Fair, flip on any late-night TV show and you’ll see an undeniable star with utterly magnetic charisma, a natural born showman who can command an audience with the best of them. Since 2010, he’s released four chart topping studio albums; toured with everyone from Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more; played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, Newport Jazz, and nearly every other major festival; performed four times at the GRAMMY Awards, five times at the White House, on dozens of TV shows, and at the star-studded Sesame Street Gala, where he was honored with his own Muppet; launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to support youth music education; and received the prestigious Caldecott Honor for his first children’s book. Meanwhile in New Orleans, Shorty now leads his own Mardi Gras parade atop a giant float crafted in his likeness, hosts the annual Voodoo Threauxdown shows that have drawn guests including Usher, Nick Jonas, Dierks Bentley, Andra Day, and Leon Bridges to sit in with his band, and has taken over the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s hallowed final set, which has seen him closing out the internationally renowned gathering after performances by the likes of Neil Young, the Black Keys, and Kings of Leon. “I owe all that to my mother,” says Shorty. “She passed recently, but she continued to inspire me right up until she transitioned, and that’s why I put a picture of her holding me up at a second line on the cover of this album. She lifted me up my whole life.” (https://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/trombone-shorty-gets-lifted/) This wax is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING – a CERTIFIED “Professor Bebop Wax Devoid of Cracks! Click here to listen to Lifted the title song.

Jordan Vanhemert – Nomad (Origin): “For me, part of telling my story is writing it down… By writing the musical stories that we tell, we can contribute to the collective memory of our society and prevent the erasure of our unique communities.   My music has been described as “covering the full range of expressive energy” (All About Jazz) and “sophisticated yet accessible” (Sonograma Barcelona).
I have filled commissions for ensembles and musicians all over the United States, including the Friends University Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Zenith Saxophone Quartet, University of Wyoming Jazz Ensemble and bass trombonist Adam Graham. Here you can see some of my compositions and arrangements. I love working collaboratively with other performers and educators to bring new works to life.” (https://www.jordanvanhemert.com/composerbio) The players are Jordan VanHemert (sax), Rodney Whitaker (bass), David Alvarez III (drums), Sharon Cho (vocals 3,7),  Lisa Sung (piano 3,7), Nathan Borton (guitar 3),  John Webber (bass 3), Max Colley III (drums 3) and Jeff Shoup  (drums 7). Click here to listen to clips from two songs on this release.

New Blues:

Dana Fuchs – Borrowed Time (Ruf): “With her feet planted on both sides of the blues-rock divide, Dana Fuchs is one of the fiercest voices in modern-day roots music. She’s equal parts soul singer and bluesy belter, funneling her own story — a tale of small-town roots, family tragedy, trials, and triumph — into the amplified anthems and haunting ballads that fill albums like Bliss Avenue and Love Lives On. With her newest project, Borrowed Time, she digs deep into her southern rock upbringing, saluting the loud, guitar-driven sounds that sound-tracked her childhood years in rural Wildwood, Florida. Wildwood was a small place for someone with such big ideas. Raised by an outspoken family of Irish-Catholic New Yorkers, Fuchs didn’t fit in with the conservative culture of her hometown, and she developed a rebellious reputation at a young age. Music helped level her out. “My first-grade teacher took me under her wing,” she says of those early days in the Deep South. “I just loved music, so she took me to her Baptist church on the black side of town, where I was exposed to a lot of soul. That sound stuck with me.” Equally influential were the bands that her older siblings preferred, from British classic rockers like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to American acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd. This was music that sounded like home, full of gospel-sized grit and bluesy bombast. At the same time, it offered a glimpse of a larger universe that lay beyond Wildwood’s borders. At a young age, Dana learned that rock & roll wasn’t the story of the American South. It was the story of the modern world…. With her feet planted on both sides of the blues-rock divide, Dana Fuchs is one of the fiercest voices in modern-day roots music. She’s equal parts soul singer and bluesy belter, funneling her own story — a tale of small-town roots, family tragedy, trials, and triumph — into the amplified anthems and haunting ballads that fill albums like Bliss Avenue and Love Lives On. With her newest project, Borrowed Time, she digs deep into her southern rock upbringing, saluting the loud, guitar-driven sounds that sound-tracked her childhood years in rural Wildwood, Florida…. With songs that emphasize support and sisterhood during times of struggle, Borrowed Time is an album for the present, inspired by the incendiary music of the past.” (https://www.danafuchs.com/about) Click here to listen to “Hard Road” on this new release.

Mighty Mike Schermer – Just Gettin’ Good (Little Village): “Mighty Mike Schermer is probably the best blues guitarist, singer and songwriter you’ve never heard of” (Tommy Castro) “Every time I play with him my booty hurts afterwards from him kicking it all night!”  (Elvin Bishop) Funky and authentic!” (Bonnie Raitt) The opening cut of Mighty Mike Schermer’s 8th solo album describes the 55 year-old guitarist/singer/songwriter’s musical journey perfectly. “It ain’t getting’ old, it’s just getting’ good!” Recorded throughout the pandemic at Greaseland in San Jose, CA with the help of perennial Blues Award winner/Grammy nominee and multi-instrumentalist Kid Andersen, “Just Gettin’ Good” showcases Mighty Mike at his guitar-slinging, soul-singing and storytelling best.” Click here and scroll down to listen to samples of his new music. 

Robin Trower – No More Worlds To Conquer (Provogue): “Few would dispute that the title of Trower’s latest album – No More Worlds To Conquer – is a fair summary of the thumbprint he has left on the musical universe. But as he reminds us, it should not be misinterpreted as his mission being accomplished. “I definitely feel like I’m still reaching,” he considers, “with the guitar, and the songs, and everything else.” For more than six decades, Robin Trower’s career has known no bounds. At the age of 76, the British guitarist can reflect on a journey in which he has planted flags across the musical sphere and played every role imaginable. He’s been the driving force behind Sixties icons Procol Harum. The transatlantic solo star who filled US stadiums with 1974’s Bridge Of Sighs. The collaborator and occasional supergroup member. The elder-statesman songwriter whose late period still crackles with invention. Featuring vocals and bass from the late Jim Dewar – along with jaw-dropping guitar work from Trower that has influenced everyone from Steve Lukather to Opeth – the US-gold-selling Bridge Of Sighs is perhaps his flagship album. “With every album, it’s the best I can do at that particular time. I think that’s what it’s about. I set myself goals and each song has to live up to them,” he reflects . “What usually happens is that I’m playing the guitar for fun and an idea will suddenly appear,” he continues. “Then you’re looking for a lyric that grows out of the music and enhances the mood. it’s lovely when you’ve gone right the way through from the beginning of the first little guitar idea that grows into a song and eventually you get a track down and finished – and it’s something like how you heard it in your head.” Turning once again to his trusty toolkit of Fender Stratocaster and Marshall amp, Trower’s guitar work is ageless, whether that’s the tough chop of Ball Of Fire, Losing You and Cloud Across The Sun, or the slower-burn wah squalls of the title track and Deadly Kiss. “Each track has to work as a sound,” he says, “as well as music and everything else. I’m very particular over guitar tones. I drive people mad, but in the end, it’s worth all the aggravation…. ““This album is an evolution. I’m hoping that’s what is always happening with my music. There’s a huge step between Bridge Of Sighs and now. It’s like anything. The more you work on it, in theory, the better you should be at it. And I definitely feel like this album is one of the best things I’ve ever done.” (Source: Blues Magazine – https://www.bluesmagazine.nl/robin-trower-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) Click here to listen to “No More Worlds To Conquer”.

The Wildroots – Sessions, Vol. 2 (WildRoots Records): “Following the 2021 release of WildRoots Sessions Volume 1, the WildRoots roll out WildRoots Sessions Volume 2, once again spotlighting the great players and singers who have been a big part of their past and current collaborations.  Featuring: Victor Wainwright, Stephen Dees, Patricia Ann Dees, Reba Russell, Billy Livesay, Dyer Davis, Beth McKee, Mark Hodgson, Robert “Top” Thomas, Anthony “Packrat” Thompson, and Brianna Harris. The WildRoots understand the music and its traditions. They instinctively know how to interpret and perform the music with a freshness and a flair that breaks through all the clutter on the sonic landscape, steeped in a variety of Blues, Roots Rock ‘n’ Roll, Gospel, & Americana with exceptional songs and musicianship.” WildRoots Sessions Volume 2 is a mixed bag of Contemporary and Traditional Blues, Roots Rock, Gospel, and American Roots music. (https://www.wildrootsrecords.com/) Click here to listen to some samples of the songs on this set. 

Edgar Winter – Brother Johnny (Quarto Valley Records): “Rock immortal Edgar Winter and Quarto Valley Records have teamed up to release Brother Johnny, an absolutely blazing all-star tribute album dedicated to Edgar’s equally-immortal sibling, deceased blues guitar legend Johnny Winter. Set to come out April 15th, 2022, the record boasts a “who’s who” of A-List musicians who either knew or were inspired by Johnny performing new renditions of songs taken from Johnny’s large body of work. Two new Edgar Winter tunes are also part of the sequence. In addition to Edgar, the album contains appearances from the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Doyle Bramhall II, John McFee, Robben Ford, Billy Gibbons, David Grissom, Taylor Hawkins, Warren Haynes, Steve Lukather, Michael McDonald, Keb’ Mo’, Doug Rappoport, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ringo Starr, Derek Trucks, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Walsh, Phil X, and Gregg Bissonette. Producer Ross Hogarth did a fine job of capturing the many hot combinations that emerged from this talent pool and the set ended up being everything you’d want it to be and more. Though new to us, this record has actually been brewing for quite some time. Edgar was first approached about it shortly after his brother passed away on July 16, 2014 after playing what would be his final gig at the Cahors Blues Festival in France. “Many people immediately started trying to convince me to do a Johnny Winter tribute album,” Edgar explains, “But I was totally devastated, and the timing just didn’t feel right to me. It wasn’t until after I completed the Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest, a tour we were meant to do together with our respective bands, that the idea of a tribute record started to take form.”
The record that Edgar and Quarto brought to life is jam-packed with high-powered interpretations of some of Johnny Winter’s best-loved songs from the best musicians in the business. “Mean Town Blues” is a snarling blues/rocker with Joe Bonamassa ripping on slide guitar and the hard-hitting drums of Gregg Bissonette. Edgar’s vocals top the track off perfectly and push the band well past the boiling point. Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” long a staple of JW’s repertoire, gets positively lit up by Edgar and Joe Walsh on lead vocals, Bob Glaub on bass, and the always-combustible David Grissom on guitar. Grissom takes full control of this one, playing those licks we love with power and his own originality. It’s a big blast of true rock and roll that Johnny would have loved to hear done in his honor. “Highway 61 Revisited” rocks just as hard with guitarists Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Doobie Brother John McFee providing the six-stringed fuel. Edgar shines on piano and lead vocals, making Dylan’s quasi-biblical lyrics sound as apocalyptic as ever. His voice is still all there and he gives the impression that he’s ready to sing for another 50 years. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie Koo” is an instant transport to 70s rock heaven until super-guitarist Steve Lukather sends it into outer space with a solo that’s better experienced than explained. The performances on these tracks are uniformly superb and every player involved clearly did their best to honor one of the top blues artists to ever come out of Texas. Other outstanding cuts on Brother Johnny include “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Stormy Monday Blues,” and Edgar’s new song “End Of The Line.” A record like this is the ultimate tribute that could be expressed to an artist of Johnny Winter’s stature and every cut here sizzles with the same kind of intensity Winter put down every time he touched his guitar. Prepare to love it at first listen. Click here to listen to the opening song, “Mean Town Blues”.

Kopasetically,
Professor Bebop