venerdì 10 ottobre 2014

THE RIGHTEOUS BLUES BAND "THE RIGHTEOUS BLUES BAND"

Christian Blues Band formed in Jan 2012. We plan to use our music to help spread the message of The Gospel of Jesus and bring glory to God while having a great time playing some good music.“Thought I would take a minute to review the CD I recently purchased from The Righteous Blues Band. I won’t lie, I am a die hard rock fan, but I like a smattering of all genres of music. I really liked the praise music on this CD. Having been raised catholic with a father who loved old time gospel music I am familiar with many hymns, but my favorite (and my father’s) has always been “Amazing Grace”. The Righteous Blues Band’s rendition of this song is hauntingly beautiful. Other favorites of mine from the CD are the “Righteous Shuffle” and “Water Grave”. All of the music is great, and I can’t wait to see what the band will put out next time. Great job guys!” “This is an absolutely EXCELLENT Believer’s Blues album! I’ve heard a lot of Christian Blues music that had the title but only a couple of songs that really had the substance. These guys got it NAILED! Very Good Christ-centered messages, excellent guitar playing, good vocal work, rockin’ rhythm section, and NO cheesy electronic keyboards like what most Christian music is dominated by! I find it difficult to choose a favorite….Go Straightway to their site & order your copy, I Highly recommend it!”  THE RIGHTEOUS BLUES BAND
 

G'S WAY "PATCHWORK"

Almost 3 years after the release of his first album "Seventy Seven" G's Way is back with his new album entitled "Patchwork". It is with the same ingredients that G's Way comes to light: a powerful rhythm section, served by a heavy brass section and talented soloists from the international scene. Always influenced by his mentors like Fania all stars, Deodato, or Fela Kuti and Grover Wahington Junior, "Patchwork" offers us a journey from funk to Latin music, through jazz and afro-beat. But this time, "G's Way" has invited 3 rappers to complete this musical revolution, marking a major change compared to Seventy Seven .. With this touch of Hip-hop, "Patchwork" finally lives up to its name, and bring G's Way in another dimension ... I hope you like it! G'S WAY
 

sabato 4 ottobre 2014

THE HEAVY CHEVY BAND "OPEN UP"

MUD MORGANFIELD & KIM WILSON "FOR POPS" "A TRIBUTE TO MUDDY WATERS"

The son of legendary bluesman Muddy Waters, Mud Morganfield and Fabulous Thunderbird frontman Kim Wilson come together for this tribute release. FOR POPS (A TRIBUTE TO MUDDY WATERS) represents some of Mud’s favorite songs from his father including the iconic “I Just Want to Make Love to You” plus “Blow Wind Blow” and “Just to Be With You”. When you hear Mud belt out his version of the classic “My Dog Can't Bark” it’s clear that the apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree. Kim Wilson lives up to his reputation as the finest purveyor of the "Little Walter" harmonica style by laying down some of his best work to date. Backing them is the crack team of Billy Flynn and Rusty Zinn (guitars), Barrelhouse Chuck (Piano), Steve Gomes (bass) and Robb Stupka (drums). FOR POPS only scratches the surface of the impressive catalog left by the master bluesman, but this collection is a must for Blues fans everywhere. We’re certain “Pops” is proud of his boy. MUD MORGANFIELD
 

giovedì 2 ottobre 2014

ADAM MECKLER ORCHESTRA "WHEN THE CLOUDS LOOK LIKE THIS"

Adam Meckler is a trumpet player, composer and educator living in Saint Paul, MN. He holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Lawrence University, and a M.M in Trumpet Performance from the University of Minnesota. Adam has toured with Youngblood Brass Band, The Jana Nyberg Group, Lulu's Playground, the Jack Brass Band, and Todd Clouser's A Love Electric. He also plays regularly with Nooky Jones, The Graydon Peterson Quartet, The Brass Barn Polka Band, The Good The Bad The Funky and The Pete Whitman X-Tet.Meckler was the 2014 recipient of MacPhail Center for Music's Artist Development Grant resulting in When the Clouds Look Like This, a full length album of original music for Jazz Orchestra composed and directed by Meckler.Meckler holds Faculty positions in trumpet and Jazz at McNally Smith College of Music, and MacPhail Center for Music. He is also one of three founders of SoKillingMan.com, a site dedicated to transcription and analysis of jazz solos. He is an active educator/clinician maintaining a trumpet studio in the Twin Cities and performing clinics and workshops all over the US. ADAM MECKLER 
 

mercoledì 1 ottobre 2014

KELLEY HUNT "THE BEAUTIFUL BONES"

In some ways Roots R&B/Americana singer/songwriter/piano player/guitarist KELLEY HUNT is a rarity and a challenge to the music industry's penchant for easy artist definitions -- a woman who has muscled her way onto the scene on her own terms with an identity steeped in blues/roots/gospel traditions and a refreshing originality. She makes music with it's righteous roots intact that also crosses boundaries, has an open-minded, exploratory attitude and takes on social and political issues. Together with a commanding, passionate stage presence and superior vocal, keyboard and songwriting skills she has earned the respect of critics and fans across North America and Europe.Born in Kansas City, Hunt’s love for her craft was ignited listening to early blues, R&B, roots rock, jazz and Gospel influences -- artists like Ruth Brown, Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, Ann Peebles, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, Charles Brown, Wanda Jackson and a crossection of the New Orleans/St. Louis/KC piano traditions of Professor Longhair, Toots Washington, Johnnie Johnson and Kansas City masters Jay McShann and Mary Lou Williams among others. Before that came the sound of her mother singing jazz and blues - her first musical memories - and the influence of her New Orleans Gospel singer grandmother. Reminders of these very traditional influences are evident in Kelley’s live performances and recordings but the lyrics, soul and passion are all her own. Her career path so far has been a story of fierce independence, incredible will, unassailable cred as a blistering live performer and hard-won accomplishment. That narrative includes 1500+ performances with appearances on a long list of premier North American and International festival stages, six times on American Public Media's 'A Prairie Home Companion', nearly 150,000 indie units sold on her own label and critical praise reflecting her conviction from the outset to make her path in the roots music world not just as a performer, but as a forward-thinking songwriter as well.Hunt's world has not been short on substantive, impressive critical praise, including a fresh swell of kudos for the new generation of music first unveiled on her 2008 88 RECORDS release MERCY (EER0804, her 4th commercial release): "Kelley Hunt resides among those bluesy, soulful piano players who write great songs." "...the main attraction here is Hunt, whose rich, soulful voice is an instrument in and of itself, with a toughness that shines on cuts like "You Got To Be The Vessel." "Her piano playing and songwriting also function at the highest levels." "Emerald City" is a brilliant political statement…” -VINTAGE GUITAR. “… Her fourth release "MERCY" shifts the focus to her songwriting skills and immense voice." "...a superb live performer, immediately drawing you to the power of her music and her voice... " -ELMORE. "Surprises don't often crop up on the well-trodden blues circuit. So welcome Kelley Hunt. This Kansan is a full-blown phenomenon: Powerhouse singer, hardboogieing pianist, polished songwriter…” -MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE. “…the freshest slant on classic R&B you're likely to hear these days. She's a tough woman who makes a hip and burly sound." - WESTWORD Denver. KELLEY HUNT
 

martedì 30 settembre 2014

LITTLE MIKE AND THE TORNADOES "ALL THE RIGHT MOVES"

Queens native Little Mike grew up on the very competitive New York City music scene. He started playing harp at age 14 and took up piano two years later. His first brush with the blues came while hearing John Lee Hooker at Carnegie Hall and later listening to a Paul Butterfield record.After that Little Mike couldn't get enough. If a blues show was in New York City, Mike was there, especially when the Chicago players came to town. His favorite was Muddy Waters. "I used to go and see Muddy anytime he was within 150 miles of New York," he said. "He is easily the biggest influence on the band and my playing. And if it's not Muddy himself then it's the great guys he always picked to play with him, like Pinetop Perkins and Otis Spann on the piano or Little Walter and James Cotton on harp."Another musician Mike greatly admired was Paul Butterfield, who would regularly come and see Mike's band perform. He liked their old "Chess sound" and took Mike under his wing. Mike says, "He helped me become less of a blues purist, and more of a music purist. Paul opened up my playing and taught me to put my blues in other music forms, to make it very personal." Other influences cited include Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Reed, Eddie Taylor, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Walter Horton.After leading a series of bands as a teenager, Mike formed the Tornadoes in 1978. At age 22, Mike was leading one of the busiest and toughest blues bands in New York City. Whenever a visiting blues artist came to town and needed a band, Little Mike and the Tornadoes usually got the call, backing artists such as Walter Horton, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Lightning Hopkins, and Big Mama Thornton. Mike's reputation led to the band's touring as the backing unit for blues legends such as Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, and Jimmy Rogers.Little Mike and the Tornadoes proudly describe themselves as a "working class band" that plays blues with a rock 'n' roll edge. "We all come from working class families and tough, working class neighborhoods," says Mike. "Working class people have always been our biggest supporters." Music luminaries who have sat in with the band include Robert Cray, Jaco Pastorius, Kim Wilson, Jorma Kaukonen, James Cotton, Los Lobos' Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Taj Majal.In 1988, Mike played on and produced Pinetop Perkin's first domestic release, After Hours. The following year he did the same for Hubert Sumlin's Heart & Soul. Both recordings are available on Blind Pig.In 1990, Blind Pig released the first solo album by Little Mike and the Tornadoes, Heart Attack, which Mike also produced. It features all original songs and guest appearances by Perkins, Sumlin, Butterfield, Ronnie Earl, and Big Daddy Kinsey. The album thrust the band out into the spotlight, where they began to tour almost non-stop across North America and Europe, establishing themselves as true road warriors.Little Mike's success led to a 1992 follow-up release entitled Payday. The material is once again all original and draws upon Mike's blue-collar upbringing and experience. Says Little Mike, "It's the best thing I've ever done. Best writing, best playing, and best producing. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this." LITTLE MIKE AND THE TORNADOES
 

TUBA SKYNNY "OWL CALL BLUES"

Formed in in 2009, Tuba Skinny has steadily evolved from a loose collection of street musicians into a solid ensemble dedicated to bringing the traditional New Orleans sound to audiences around the world. Drawing on a wide range of musical influences—from spirituals to Depression-era blues, from ragtime to traditional jazz—their sound evokes the rich musical heritage of their New Orleans home. The band has gained a loyal following through their distinctive sound, their commitment to reviving long-lost songs, and their barnstorming live performances. We are happy to announce that our newest album "Owl Call Blues" is hot off the press and available to all. Recorded this past January at home in New Orleans, it has 15 previously unrecorded songs, and beautiful artwork by Shaye Cohn.  Hard copies are available here from The Louisiana Music Factory or at any of our shows. TUBA SKYNNY
 

giovedì 25 settembre 2014

THELONIUS "CROWS ON THE BEELINE"

Thelonius is a five piece urban jazz band based in Bristol UK performing a mix of originals, classics from the golden age of hip-hop and some nasty jazz tunes.Imagine if Mr Monk and A Tribe Called Quest - with J Dilla in tow - all ended up in a small smokey jazz club in Prague. SECOND ALBUM – “Crows on the Beeline” is the title of Thelonius’ new album which has been released worldwide and is available from iTunes. “On behalf of Music Resource Group and our distinguished judging panelists, it is our pleasure to congratulate Thelonius on winning top honors in the Jazz EP category for Reminisce in The 12th annual Independent Music Awards.” REMINISCE, the debut EP from urban-jazz band Thelonius, as featured on the BBC6 Gilles Peterson show and Tom Robinson’s Fresh On The Net, is now available from a variety of sources including iTunes and Amazon. Bristol-based Thelonius cement the relationship between jazz and hip-hop through their interpretations of classics from A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, The Roots, Common, De La Soul, Gang Starr, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, E.S.T and Robert Glasper as well as a host of originals that bear that unmistakable mix of strong and interesting beats and instrumental dexterity from the soloists. THELONIUS