WTJU 91.1 FM

New Jazz & Blues News  – 5/31/2022

New Jazz:

Martin Bejerano – #CUBANAMERICAN (Figgland): “”Add Martin Bejerano to the expanding roster of hot young pianists that stretches from Hiromi Uhara and EldarDjangirov to Robert Glasper and Taylor Eigsti…”(Jazz Times)…. “Bejerano’s trio is so accomplished and is so like-minded in their pursuit of the essence of the music that without information about the members, one would expect it to have the maturity of musicians twice their age…Bejerano, while informed of the jazz tradition, creates his own rhythmic and harmonic pathways for an original and delightful musical journey. Martin Bejerano, thankfully, reminds us once again that jazz and the piano trio format are alive and thriving with freshness and creative vitality.”   Don Wiliiamson (Jazzreview.com) “Cuban American is how I would describe many aspects of Miami, and South Florida in general. A true melting pot deeply influenced by Cuban culture, due to Florida’s proximity to the island and the waves of immigration that have occurred from the 1980s onwards. Pianist Martin Bejerano has been a staple on the Miami music scene for decades now – born and raised in the Magic City – possessing an impressive résumé from a career that has taken him across the US and abroad. Bejerano’s fourth album #CubanAmerican is an eclectic yet unified collection of compositions and sounds. I was shocked to read that the veteran musician “insists he is not a great Latin piano player.” But this statement may come from a combo of modesty and a desire for authenticity. Jazz and improvised music tend to be broad umbrella terms, and much of the “Latin jazz” one hears on the radio would sound foreign to someone who inhabits the lands this music borrows rhythmic content from. After listening to #CubanAmerican, it seems Bejerano has chosen a very wise path by collecting ample influences and creating something original. The results are exciting! The group performs Cuban rhythmic material at a level that is surgically accurate, without losing their sense of heart or vulnerability. Improvised solos are all on par with the cutting edge of modern jazz music, and the album is recorded beautifully at North Miami’s Criteria Studios. #CubanAmerican offers something for everyone, whether your tastes are rooted in traditional jazz, fusion or Latin-based music.” (https://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/jazzaimprovised/31926-cuban-american-martin-berjerano) Amazing!! Click here to listen to #CubanAmerican.

XWill Bernard – Pond Life (Self-produced): “Guitarist/Composer, Will Bernard’s 11th album POND LIFE highlights a more adventurous side of his many musical endeavors. In this recording, he investigates “The inner workings of swampy musical ecosystems and the dreamy afternoon of sun-drenched water lilies”. Bernard’s original compositions explore the use of improvisational space and tight ensemble passages that expand upon a core trio sound with New York “downtown” notables Chris Lightcap on bass (Regina Carter, Craig Taborn) and Ches Smith (Marc Ribot, John Zorn) on drums. Luminaries, Tim Berne on alto sax, and John Medeski on keyboards fill out the textures with their remarkable capabilities. POND LIFE reflects Bernard’s lengthy musical development from his training in classical composition and jazz through his forays into funk, rock avant-garde, and world music. Bernard expands on his guitaristic sonic explorations that range from bluesy panchromatic slide to dense electronic textures and disjointed bebop lines that interact with Smith’s symphonic drumming styles, Lightcap’s full rounded bass, Berne’s driving sax, and Medeski’s technicolor keyboards. POND LIFE can be seen as a return to the sound of an earlier trio with Ches Smith featured on Will’s 2004 record “Directions to my house”. “…a player who clearly deserves a wider audience for his imaginative genre-busting aesthetic” (John Kelman, All About Jazz) credits: Will Bernard (guitar), Chris Lightcap (bass), and Ches Smith (drums) with guests Tim Berne  (alto sax) and John Medeski (piano, Hammond B3).  All songs written by Will Bernard 2022.” (https://willbernard.bandcamp.com/album/pond-life) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Tia Brazda – When I Get Low (Flatcar Records): “One of Canada’s most recognizable voices in jazz, TIA BRAZDA delves into the past with her new album WHEN I GET LOW. It’s officially out May 27th on Flatcar Records, with European and Canadian dates in support and finds Brazda rediscovering songs largely from the 1930s, in the Great American songbook. Thematically, the album is at first dystopian but ultimately uplifting; dreamy and nostalgic with a dash of grit. Brazda’s effortless vocals are supported by a cast of players from her live touring band that features Grammy and JUNO award winners. The entire album was recorded remotely, with all the players tracking their parts in home studios, ranging from Northern Ontario to New Orleans, due to the pandemic.” (https://tiabrazda.bandcamp.com/album/when-i-get-low) This release resides overwhelming in the thirties, but she tackles the old days wonderfully as well! Click here to hear the first song on this set – “Into Each Life Rain Must Fall”!

Steve Davis – Bluesthetic (Smoke Sessions): “Master trombonist Steve Davis assembled a remarkable sextet with a three-decade shared history for his latest album, BLUESTHETIC–guitarist Peter Bernstein, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Willie Jones III. On each of his three previous releases for Smoke Sessions, trombonist Steve Davis assembled a stellar sextet featuring some of modern jazz’s most vaunted players. With BLUESTHETIC, Davis has done it again, but this time with a twist – instead of enlisting fellow horn players, he’s expanded the ensemble’s harmonic possibilities with guitarist Peter Bernstein and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. In the process he’s reunited the frontline from his 1998 album VIBE UP! for the first time in more than twenty years. A frontline that stellar needs an equally gifted rhythm section, and Davis has surpassed himself in putting together a powerhouse one: pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Willie Jones III. Beyond simply gathering six of the most acclaimed jazz voices of their generation, however, the band represents a web of musical relationships stretching back decades – which only makes already vibrant music that much more compelling. “Recording this album was kind of like a family reunion,” Davis says. “It was an absolute joy to have this whole group together.” The hybrid title of BLUESTHETIC captures something essential about Davis’ music, a combination of the appreciation of artful beauty suggested by “aesthetic” combined with the foundational influence of the blues. “With my music, the blues is always going to find its way in there,” Davis explains. “I’m never going to stray too far from having some element of that language. I can’t help it; it’s what I love. And it definitely represents how this particular band approaches jazz music.” (https://stevedavissmoke.bandcamp.com/album/bluesthetic) Click here to listen to “Bluesthetic”.

Peter Erskine – Live In Italy (Fuzzy Music): “Alan Pasqua, (piano); Darek Oles, (bass); Peter Erskine, (drums) . Recorded “live” in concert at the culmination of the trio’s first tour since the lockdown began, this set reflects the exhilaration found in playing before a hungry audience in a beautiful concert hall. Featuring eight originals and 2 standards, this audiophile-quality album is destined to become a go-to in your music library. Good pasta, great acoustics, a wonderful piano with equally-great drums and bass to play on … “Live In Italy,” the Erskine Trio at its best.” (https://petererskine.com/featured-album/live-in-italy/) “Peter Erskine has played drums since the age of 4 and is known for his versatility and love of working in different musical contexts. He appears on 700 albums and film scores, and has won 2 Grammy Awards plus an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee School of Music. Fifty albums have been released under his own name or as co-leader. He has played with the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson big bands, Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, Kenny Wheeler, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Brecker Brothers, The Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny & Gary Burton, John Scofield, et al, and has appeared as a soloist with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, plus the London, Los Angeles, Chicago, BBC Symphony, Bochum, Tokyo Metropolitan, Yomiuri Nippon, Oslo and Berlin Philharmonic orchestras. He premiered Mark-Anthony Turnage’s “Erskine — Concerto for Drumset & Orchestra” with Beethoven Orchester Bonn and performed it at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Peter has been voted ’Best Jazz Drummer of the Year’ ten times by the readers of Modern Drummer magazine and was elected into its Hall of Fame in 2017.” (https://petererskine.com/press-kit/) Click here to listen to “The Honeymoon” from this set. 

XGroove Krewe Featuring Nick Daniels III – Run To Daylight – (digital only) ??? “Before I hit the road to my first Bear Creek Music Festival, I have to unleash my videos of Dr. Klaw on the Creole Queen Riverboat during New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011. The full video is on youtube in six parts, listed below. I recommend watching in HD in 1080p or 720p. Also, if you are so inclined, the DVD is available to download at The Trader’s Den. I’ve posted about Dr. Klaw before. For those that don’t know, Dr. Klaw is a supergroup featuring Nick Daniels III and Ian Neville (both of Dumpstaphunk), along with Adam Deitch, Eric Krasno & Nigel Hall (of Lettuce, Soulive, Chapter Two, etc.). Basically, Dr. Klaw is a special conglomeration that only plays shows at Jazz Fest and Bear Creek (and sometimes Jam Cruise). Word is that they’ve been in the studio and will be releasing their new album at Bear Creek next week.” The question is “Is this also Groove Krewe? Or an off-shoot? I can’t find any info! Click here and decide for yourself if it’s also both! 

Hard Bop Messengers – Live At The Last Hotel (Pacific Coast Jazz): “Live At The Last Hotel”, the latest release from John Covelli’s Hard Bop Messengers, is a jazz album that literally tells a story. The visionary, original, genre-defying musical journey that reminds you of what jazz can be, was born from a residency at the REAL Last Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Each song paints a picture with bounce and bustle, that takes you to a place and time that somehow feels both nostalgic and modern. The lyrics tell the story of the trials and tribulations of a fictional hotel through the eyes of its employees. Covelli knew he had something special when he assembled this group and he gives them all room to shine. Nick Savage, Chris Meschede, Luke Sailor, and Ben Shafer are, like himself, of the esteemed Webster University jazz program. Matt Krieg, originally from St Louis, puts the vocals where they need to be to tell Covelli’s lyrical tale. Covelli has played in dozens of bands over the years and learned just as many styles. His compositions are infused with such influences, including Latin, funk, chamber-classical, soul, blues and rock, and he hopes the result will have the audience tapping toes and bobbing heads along with every tune.” (https://epiphanychi.com/events/hard-bop-messengers-live-at-the-last-hotel/) … “The latest release from John Covelli & The Hard Bop Messengers is a jazzy getaway that takes you to a time and place where everyone is hip, and everything is happening. It’s an ambitious concept-a jazz album that literally tells a story. A visionary, original, genre-defying musical journey that reminds you of what jazz can be. Covelli uses his own musical journey as a basis for this experience. As a graduate of the esteemed jazz program at Webster University (where the album was recorded), he sets his foundation on the classic bop styles of the late 50’s and early 60’s – but there’s much more here. Covelli has played in dozens of bands over the years and learned just as many styles. He infuses the album with those influences and the result will have you tapping your toes and bobbing your head along with every tune. Born from a residency at the REAL Last Hotel in downtown St. Louis, each song paints a picture with bounce and bustle. The lyrics tell the story of the trials and tribulations of a fictional hotel through the eyes of its employees. Vocalist Matt Krieg really brings these characters to life. The album tries to conjure the band’s live performances and Krieg’s loose and inviting style captures that feeling perfectly.
Each song is bursting with first-rate musicianship. Covelli knew he had something special when he assembled this group and he gives them all room to shine. Each solo is so good it makes you want to applaud. Ben Shafer deftly handles the sax and even mixes in a wonderful flute performance on Roof Top. Drummer Nick Savage and bassist Chris Meschede provide the backbone for the album and Luke Sailor on piano delivers exceptional performances throughout. Slide in Covelli’s well-worn trombone and the Hard Bop Messengers really live up to their name. So, kick back and relax at Live at The Last Hotel. It’s the place to be. You might even want to extend your stay.” (The latest release from John Covelli & The Hard Bop Messengers is a jazzy getaway that takes you to a time and place where everyone is hip, and everything is happening. It’s an ambitious concept-a jazz album that literally tells a story. A visionary, original, genre-defying musical journey that reminds you of what jazz can be.Covelli uses his own musical journey as a basis for this experience. As a graduate of the esteemed jazz program at Webster University (where the album was recorded), he sets his foundation on the classic bop styles of the late 50’s and early 60’s – but there’s much more here. Covelli has played in dozens of bands over the years and learned just as many styles. He infuses the album with those influences and the result will have you tapping your toes and bobbing your head along with every tune.
Born from a residency at the REAL Last Hotel in downtown St. Louis, each song paints a picture with bounce and bustle. The lyrics tell the story of the trials and tribulations of a fictional hotel through the eyes of its employees. Vocalist Matt Krieg really brings these characters to life. The album tries to conjure the band’s live performances and Krieg’s loose and inviting style captures that feeling perfectly. Each song is bursting with first-rate musicianship. Covelli knew he had something special when he assembled this group and he gives them all room to shine. Each solo is so good it makes you want to applaud. Ben Shafer deftly handles the sax and even mixes in a wonderful flute performance on Roof Top. Drummer Nick Savage and bassist Chris Meschede provide the backbone for the album and Luke Sailor on piano delivers exceptional performances throughout. Slide in Covelli’s well-worn trombone and the Hard Bop Messengers really live up to their name. So, kick back and relax at Live at The Last Hotel. It’s the place to be. You might even want to extend your stay.” (https://mvdb2b.com/s/HardBopMessengersLiveAtTheLastHotel/PJ22126) Click here for an introduction from John Covelli and a set from the entire gang.

Nduduzo Makhathini – In The Spirit Of HTU (Blue Note): “Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in the lush and rugged hillscapes of umGungundlovu in South Africa, a peri-urban landscape in which music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. The area is significant historically as the site of the Zulu king Dingane kingdom between 1828 and 1840. It’s important to note that the Zulu, in fact the African warrior code, is deeply reliant on music for motivation and healing. This deeply embedded symbiosis is key to understanding Makhathini’s vision. The church also played a role in Makhathini’s musical understanding, as he hopped from church to church in his younger days in search of only the music. The legends of South African jazz are deep influences as well, in particular Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa, and Abdullah Ibrahim. “The earlier musicians put a lot of emotions in the music they played,” he says. “I think it may also be linked to the political climate of those days. I also feel there is a uniqueness about South African jazz that created an interest all around the world and we are slowly losing that too in our music today. I personally feel that our generation has to be very conscious about retaining these nuances in the music we play today.” Through his mentor Mseleku, Makhathini was also introduced to the music of John Coltrane’s classic quartet with McCoy Tyner. “I came to understand my voice as a pianist through John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme,” he says. “As someone who started playing jazz very late, I had always been looking for a kind of playing that could mirror or evoke the way my people danced, sung, and spoke. Tyner provided that and still does in meaningful ways.” Makhathini also cites American jazz pianists including Andrew Hill, Randy Weston, and Don Pullen as significant influences. Active as an educator and researcher, Makhathini is the head of the music department at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape. He has performed at renowned festivals including the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and the Essence Festival (in both New Orleans and South Africa), and in 2019 made his debut appearances the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center where he was a featured guest with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on their 3-night musical celebration The South African Songbook in Rose Theater. He is a member of Shabaka Hutchings’ band Shabaka and the Ancestors appearing on their 2016 album Wisdom of Elders, and has also collaborated with artists including Logan Richardson, Nasheet Waits, Tarus Mateen, Stefon Harris, Billy Harper, Azar Lawrence, and Ernest Dawkins.” (https://www.bluenote.com/artist/nduduzo-makhathini/) Click here to listen to Emlilweni from this release. 

Dan Schnelle – Shine Thru (Outside In Music): “Dan Schnelle is one of the most talented, in-demand drummers in the Los Angeles area. He understands how to make other musicians comfortable, while bringing enough of the unexpected to his playing to keep it consistently exciting. Unsatisfied with the idea that the drum set is merely a time-keeping device, Schnelle is thoughtful about how this unique instrument, with its nearly limitless variety of sounds, can be tastefully and effectively deployed in a wide variety of musical situations. Schnelle promised himself that he wouldn’t record his first full-length album until he felt sure that he had a musical vision unique to him – one that was reflective of his musical instincts, his design, and his concept. The results go beyond any reckoning one may have previously had about this artist. Shine Thru is nothing short of captivating and thrilling, and most importantly, Schnelle has achieved his goal of creating a musical world all his own.” (https://outsideinmusic.bandcamp.com/album/shine-thru) The performers include Dan Schnelle (Drums, Cymbals, Electronics), Jeff Babko (Piano 4, 5), Keyboards (1, 2, 8, 10), Josh Nelson (Piano 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10), Alex Boneham (Bass), Anthony Wilson (Guitar) and David Binney (Alto Saxophone, Effects). Click here to listen to “Shine Thru” from this disc.

Take Me To the River: New Orleans  (digital only): “Take Me to the River New Orleans,” the second film, celebrates the rich musical history, the heritage, legacy, and influence of New Orleans and Louisiana. A true collaboration and melting pot of influences from around the World, that came together and formed one of the world’s most unique cultural jewels. Our adventure shows the resiliency of surviving disaster to a formidable rebirth. Pairing legacy musicians with stars of today. There is nothing like the music of New Orleans. It is a wholly unique, worldwide collaboration that has resulted in an exceptional musical genre never before heard. This film will give the viewer an insightful historical perspective of how global influences shaped, and continue to shape, a musical quilt that formed the music of this extraordinary city. Influences came from many places: Cuba, South America, Africa, Europe, Canada, America. All contributed to the blending and shaping of a musical genre that is rich in culture and heritage. We, as Americans, are the conservators of this unique cultural phenomenon. The film will highlight 20 to 25 new songs, combining multiple generations of New Orleans musicians. Legacy musicians will collaborate with stars of today and students from the Tipitina’s foundation, under the guidance and tutelage of Donald Harrison. This film shows that New Orleans music has always been a collaboration of intergenerational, interracial, intercontinental and genderless effort. New Orleans music includes the creation and influences of American jazz and jazz musicians and the introduction of unique instruments, story songs and life’s hardships from around the world. Featured collaborations will include some of the following artists, all of whom are from within a 100-mile radius to New Orleans including: The Neville Brothers, The Meters, Jon Batiste, Mystikal, Ani Difranco, Davell Crawford, Dr. John, Galactic, Anders Osborne, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Dumpstaphunk, Snoop Dogg, LG, Lost Bayou Ramblers, G-Eazy, Rebirth Brass Band, Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, Walter Wolfman Washington, Mannie Fresh, Pretty Lights and many more.” (https://takemetotheriver.org/new-orleans/) Click here for an introduction to this film and performers.

David Virelles – Nuna (Pi Recordings): “Genius pianist David Virelles has enjoyed most of his popular notoriety as a sideperson for jazz giants both traditional and avant-garde. But dig deeper and he has a fascinatingly adventurous series of solo albums in his pantheon, of which Nuna is the sixth. The record is a sprawling, diverse, frequently magnificent suite of solo piano pieces that traverse everything from classical harmony and Latin rhythm to postbop melody and multicultural sonority. Occasionally joined by percussionist Julio Barreto, Virelles sounds like he’s having a blast putting himself through his own paces, dancing around the melodies, focusing on the rhythm, coaxing sounds from his keyboard that simulate other countries’ instruments, and generally just reveling in his own musicality. By turns playful and brooding, raucous and gentle, and everything in between, the songs on Nuna encompass a State of the Piano recital, with Virelles easily able to handle anything he tosses in his own way.” (Michael Toland) Click here to listen to a few songs from this set.

New Blues News:

Doctor Blake – Magic Soul Elixir No. 2 (Soul Sanctuary): Doctor Blake sings and plays guitar and harmonica with Freddy Kaplan on piano and Kirk Fletcher adding guitar on one song. Click here to listen to songs on this release.

Early Times & The High Rollers – Electric City (Dealer’s Choice): Early Times (singer, guitarist, percussion) leads Anton Fig (drums), Brian Mitchell (keys) and Conrad Korsch (bass) with Jay Messina (percussion), Eliza Neals (vocals), Bobby Rush (vocal, harmonica) David Halliday (sax) and Tom Young (trumpet). The songs are all written by the band and the style is somewhat heavy blues but always straight-ahead. Click here to listen to “Heartbreak Insurance”.   

Tony Hightower – Legacy (Hightower Legacy): “Singer/Songwriter Tony Hightower is taking up the mantle to be a bridge that ushers R&B audiences into Jazz…Real Jazz. With years of experience as a musical performer and actor with familiar roots that place him firmly within the music’s firmament, Atlanta-native Hightower is still just getting started on this benevolent turn in his journey. And he is bringing a lot of young people with him. His sophomore project, LEGACY, finds Hightower exploring Jazz vocal stylings from a dazzling prism of angles. The 10-song album moves confidently and assuredly from original compositions such as the soulful scat-laced “All to the Good,” the seductive Brazilian bossa nova of “Rendezvous” and the tender carnal Jarreau-esque love beg “I Need You” to swingin’ covers of Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic Skip Scarborough-penned “Can’t Hide Love,” a mean shuffle boogie groove through Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” and a smoldering upright bass accompanied tiptoe through the 1929 Andy Razaf standard “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good To You” made further famous in 1944 by one of Hightower’s greatest and earliest Jazz vocal heroes, Nat “King” Cole. That one’ll make the women wiggle.
“I didn’t have a choice about doing this music,” Hightower confesses. “My mother, Theresa Hightower, lived her life onstage. She was a fiery and versatile vocal pro by age 16 and had me when she was 19. So, you could say I’ve been performing since the womb.” And though he did not know his father, Ralph Baker, well, the man’s DNA pulsed within his being as Hightower inherited the percussionist’s keen sense of fascinating rhythm, which led to Tony’s first pro gig at age 14 playing drums in the stage band for “The Dinah Washington Story”…. Growing up in Atlanta with a local legend mother who was a Funk-Rock singer but could sing anything and mentored many singers coming behind her, Tony learned music first-hand from Bobby Blue Bland and the Platters to Mother’s Finest, S.O.S. Band and Brick….” (https://www.thetonyhightower.com/bio.html) The Legacy is growing far and wide. Here’s one from the newest release. Click here for yourself. 

Eliza Neals – Badder To The Bone (E-H): “Eliza Neals the Detroit born, blues-rocker is back with her second eye popping blues album in the era of covid. Discovered by Motown legend, SongHall, Grammy winner Barrett Strong; he was her iconic mentor in songwriting & production. Operatically trained, Wayne State alumni who shines on her own label & has gained national attention since 2015 on international radio, publications, music festivals, touring and SiriusXM BB Kings Bluesville. The results you can hear. Standing tall in sandy grass and Spanish Moss you will find Eliza Neals with her fresh modern Blues-rock album “Badder to the Bone,” [out April 23rd, 2022.] A whole two years after releasing “Black Crow Moan” her critically acclaimed, ‘psychic’ blues album due to a global viral pandemic shut-down. Eliza Neals returns with a riptide of Blues-rock on “Badder to the Bone.” Texas hot sauce guitarist extraordinaire Lance Lopez (SuperSonic Blues Machine, Lucky Peterson) with Detroit Rock-N-Roll Hall of Famer Billy “JC” Davis (Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Jimi Hendrix) and co-producer Michael Puwal (ICP, Kenny Wayne Shepard) present a searing guitar. Drum skins trounced by Detroit natives best Skeeto Valdez (King Konga, Johnnie Bassett) and Jeffery ‘Shakey’ Fowlkes (Too Slim) along with Nashville’s Tim Grogan (Desert Rose Band) plus Brian Clune, leaves the sand shifted. Flexing the muscle on Bass is Detroit’s own Paul Randolph (Alice Cooper, Mudpuppy), motor-city studio man Jason Kott (Robert Randolph) and Michael Puwal. Ivory bone strikes hammer on Hammond B3, grand piano and Wurlitzer by Detroit Rock City’s finest Peter Keys (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and John Galvin (Molly Hatchet) with Eliza Neals laying down the skeleton. Michigan soul singer Kymberli Wright’s (Straight Ahead), back up vocal is supreme. Synthesizing a body from the pandemonium wreckage key by key, bone by bone, up from below, kneeling now standing, Eliza Neals proves she’s a powerful voice in modern Blues-rock. Touring and constant songwriting in American roots, blues music puts all systems go on “Badder to the Bone.” (https://elizaneals.bandcamp.com/) Click here to listen to the songs on this disc. 

Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames – Nightwalk (Delmark): “Chicago blues is Dave Weld’s lifeblood. From his beginnings mentored by JB Hutto to his decades with Lil Ed Williams and his Blues Imperials, he has taken the blues around the world. Weld and his Imperial Flames have a brand new album titled “Nightwalk,” their third for Chicago’s Delmark Records, out May 27th. “Nightwalk” deepens the forward-thinking sound and energy of their contemporary blues albums past, weaving an original tapestry of old and new traditions. Highlights include “Mary Who”, an authentic musical tour de force and vivid portrait of urban life and his tribute to Hutto, “Don’t Ever Change Your Ways”. Weld told Blues Blast Magazine that, “It’s about how he schooled me, and prepared me, for the good parts of this industry as well as the bitterness. His advice was don’t let anybody tell you you can’t make it, not your job, your girlfriend, your mother or father, your friends, nobody! That has stuck with me. The song is about him leaving Georgia and coming to Chicago to be a bluesman, and meeting him when I was a young man. That is when he told me to never change my ways.” The Imperial Flames are a big, horn-driven band and Weld shares vocal duties with his partner Monica Myhre and drummer Jeff Taylor. Longtime friend Billy Branch contributes harp on the Hutto original, “Now She’s Gone” as well. Weld brought Tom Hambridge in to produce. Hambridge is Buddy Guy’s longtime drummer and has won two Grammy Awards along with multiple nominations for his work with Guy, Susan Tedeschi, James Cotton and Kenny Neal.
A native of Lake Forest, Weld studied history and journalism at New Mexico State University before returning home for the blues life. He initially earned his keep playing with ex-Hound Dog Taylor sidemen Brewer Phillips and Ted Harvey at Sweet Peas, then joining up with several former bandmates of Howlin’ Wolf in the house band at the 1815 Club. Weld’s affinity for the blues was apparent to those wary, seasoned veterans. An early supporter was Hutto, a highly regarded slide guitarist. Weld’s comfort with urban blues was further illustrated when he took on rhythm guitar duties in the fast company of his slide guitar-playing friend Lil Ed Williams in the raw-and-rowdy band they called the Blues Imperials. The acclaimed 1986 album ROUGHHOUSIN’ captured their incandescent spirit. Weld was with the Blues Imperials for about ten years before branching off in the late-1980s to lead his own outfit. To date, the Imperial Flames have performed in 26 states, 11 countries, and at about three dozen festivals, among them the Montreal Jazz Festival and, naturally, the Chicago Blues Festival. (https://www.davidweld.com/) Click here to check out on “Don’t Ever Change Your Ways” from this new release.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop