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New Jazz & Blues Releases – 3/8/2022

New Jazz Releases:

Melissa Aldana – 12 Stars (Blue Note): “Saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana was born in Santiago, Chile and grew up in a musical family. Both her father and grandfather were saxophonists and she took up the instrument at age six under her father Marcos’ tutelage. Aldana began on alto, influenced by artists such as Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley, but switched to tenor upon first hearing the music of Sonny Rollins. She performed in Santiago jazz clubs in her early teens and was invited by pianist Danilo Pérez to play at the Panama Jazz Festival in 2005. Aldana moved to the U.S. to attend the Berklee College of Music, and the year after graduating she released her first album Free Fall on Greg Osby’s Inner Circle label in 2010, followed by Second Cycle in 2012. In 2013, at 24, she became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, in which her father had been a semi-finalist in 1991. After her win, she released her third album Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio (Concord). Aldana’s celebrated 2019 album Visions (Motéma) earned the saxophonist her first-ever GRAMMY nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo. In naming Visions among the best albums of 2019 for NPR Music, critic Nate Chinen wrote that Aldana “has the elusive ability to balance technical achievement against a rich emotional palette.”Aldana was one of the founding members of ARTEMIS, the all-star collective that released their debut album Artemis on Blue Note in the Fall of 2020. The album featured Aldana’s simmering composition “Frida,” which was dedicated to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who inspired the musician through “her own process of finding self-identity through art.” (https://www.bluenote.com/artist/melissa-aldana/) “Melissa Aldana will make her Blue Note debut with the March 4 release of 12 Stars, her remarkable first album as a leader for the legendary Jazz label, which was produced by Lage Lund and features the Santiago-born, Brooklyn-based artist’s quintet with Lund on guitar, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Pablo Menares on bass, and Kush Abadey on drums.” (https://www.bluenote.com/melissa-aldana-releases-new-single-12-stars/) Click here to listen to the title song.

Gabor Bolla Quartet – On The Move (Stunt Records): “In the 1960s, at one of the pinnacles of jazz music’s international popularity, many American stars of the genre landed in Copenhagen to play at the legendary Jazz House Montmartre – with several of the most prominent instrumentalists settling in the Danish capital and subsequently enriching the local music scene there with their presence and playing. For the listeners who were in the audience at that time, it’s impossible to talk about jazz today for very long before they mention first-hand concert experiences with Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Ed Thigpen, Brew Moore, Duke Jordan, Bud Powell, and Oscar Pettiford. The steady flow of elite jazz immigrants to Denmark has somewhat waned in recent years but every so often a fully developed foreign phenomenon relocates to the Nordic jazz haven. And when present day jazz fans hear Hungarian saxophonist Gábor Bolla play in venues around Copenhagen, it harkens back to a lush, joyous time in Danish jazz. Like the aforementioned American expats did in the 60s, Gábor Bolla carefully and confidently assembles bands of local talent combined with stars from abroad. On this new album, the saxophonist has put together a stellar lineup and presents a program of his own compositions and jazz standards. As a saxophonist, Bolla is known for his powerful tone, razor-sharp phrasing, and unique understanding of music – and it will come as no surprise to learn that he’s a student of the great jazz tenor saxophone tradition, especially the playing of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Credit for this album swinging so hard goes to all the musicians heard on it, but especially the quartet’s American drummer and historical heavyweight, Billy Drummond. Drummond has a rich history, to put it mildly, as a bandmate and contributor to the musical legacies of the biggest names in jazz, including Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, and Chris Potter, and he continues to make his own unique contribution to the royal lineage of jazz drumming. On The Move features Bolla’s own compositions as well as four jazz standards he chose for the session: Monk’s We See, Ellis Marsalis’s Swingin’ At The Haven, Billy Staryhorn’s ballad Chelsea Bridge, and Lament by J. J. Johnson. The saxophonist and composer’s original, entitled Monky Donkey, is a tribute to the great Thelonious Monk and Kirk Lightsey (Gábor has been working with the latter for the past ten years) and features a captivating melody that will linger in listeners’ ears. Love Is Love is another original, this one inspired by universal love, with a romantic melody that develops into a hard-swinging conversation. Blue Tarif is a powerful, thrilling waltz, thick with exciting interplay and featuring the bandleader on soprano. Blues On The Move completes the album and takes listeners on a blues-oriented journey… a composition that moves like Gábor Bolla himself.” (https://www.israbox-music.net/year/2022/3137936639-gabor-bolla-on-the-move-2022.html) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Daggerboard – Daggerboard & The Skipper (Wide Hive): “Daggerboard picks up where Throttle Elevator Music left off with musician and writer Gregory Howe, drummer Mike Hughes guitarist Ross Howe, vibraphonist Roger Glenn, and the great Henry “The Skipper” Franklin (Blackjazz Records) on stand-up bass. Also featured is a string section featuring Mads Tolling. For their third release Mike Clark and Babatunde Lea join to form an all time great rhythm section below Matt Clark’s brilliant Rhodes and Erik Jekabson’s soaring trumpet.” Taking off from Daggerboard’s Last Days of Studio A, Daggerboard and The Skipper lands solidly in a jazz with amazing strings, vibes, and Erik’s soaring trumpet all atop Henry’s driving stand-up bass and Mike Hughes rock solid beat. Also Featured are two compositions and outstanding guitar work by Ross Howe (Throttle Elevator Music Final Floor), Roger Glenn on Vibes (Donald Byrd) and a string section featuring Mads Tolling on first violin.” (https://www.widehive.com/discography/daggerboardskipper) Click here to listen to music of this release.

Bob James Trio – Feel Like Making LIVE! (Evosound): “Bob James made his name in fusion and smooth jazz, but some of us believe the pianist’s acoustic trio records represent his highest art. His 1996 album Straight Up, with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, and 2004’s Take It from the Top, with bassist James Genus and drummer Billy Kilson, are career highlights and gems of their genre. Those records will never escape the shadow of 1978’s Touchdown or 1975’s One, but now James gives us the best of both worlds, revisiting his biggest hits in a trio format and tossing in other tunes. Despite its title, Feel Like Making LIVE! isn’t a concert recording. It was recorded “live in the studio” with old pal Kilson and young bassist Michael Palazzolo, who’s been in James’ bands for several years now. Rather than swing like a bop trio, they play classy, R&B- and pop-tinged jazz that’s both accessible and adventurous. “Angela,” known as the theme to TV’s Taxi, is here in all its glory, Fender Rhodes and upright bass trading off that signature flute line. “Nautilus,” a hip-hop sampler’s delight, is stripped to its funky basics, with James delivering melody on a concert grand. The medley of Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Making Love” and his own “Night Crawler” works wonderfully, the R&B of the former bleeding into the funk of the latter. James reshapes Elton John’s “Rocket Man” into a mysterious, slithering number and Petula Clark’s “Downtown” into a jaunty, hesitating blues with classical flourishes. The trio couldn’t have made a better pick for their one jazz standard either: Their take on “Misty” is as classy as Erroll Garner’s, with James keeping it simple, Palazzolo plucking discriminately, and Kilson brushing slowly. Something must be said about the recording quality, because it’s a hallmark of James’ work, and it’s beautiful here—everything mic’d perfectly, with precisely the right amount of reverb to make the snare crisp, the bass extra woody, and the piano crystal-clean.” (https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/bob-james-trio-feel-like-making-live-evosound/) Click here to listen to a selection from this performance.

Darren Johnston – Life In Time (Origin): “During the seemingly endless shutdown of 2020, I began to think a lot about Colonel Aureliano Buendia, the character from Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s brilliant novel One Hundred Years Of Solitude, who had at one time supported his family by making and selling little tiny fish out of gold. As an old man, after many years of being away fighting wars, he returned to his shop to resume making his little gold fish. At first they sold simply because they had been made by the now famous colonel, but eventually no one left was interested. Nonetheless, every day the colonel continued his work of making his little gold fish. Because he had only a little gold left, he would melt down the fish from the day before in order to continue his work. The shutdown really drove home for me the fact that those of us with the impulse to create, or dedication to a practice, will do what we do even if we were to never again have a chance to share our work. It is our practice, our way of processing the world, and for me at least, the way I keep it moderately together during challenging times. I dearly love connecting with other musicians and playing for my fellow humans, but I now know that as long as I have some kind of practice, I’ll be ok. Thankfully, at the time of this writing performances are happening again, and recordings are being made. I’m grateful to be able to share some of my little gold fish with you now. It’s a project that had been put on hold by the pandemic, but as things began to open up in May of 2021 I was finally able to record with this amazing group of some of Chicago’s most creative, swinging, and in demand musicians. We recorded four of Geof’s tunes, and six of mine, and I hope you enjoy listening as much as we did preparing and playing.” (https://darrenjohnston.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-time-2) Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Tom Keenlyside – A Night At The Espresso (Cellar 20): “I was lucky. The idea that music was to be gradually embraced as a profession with which to make a living while working a day job just didn’t happen. It was immediate and, for me, electrifying. This is how it happened. Every morning during the week in 1964, when I was thirteen, I walked by my friend Tony’s house on the way to our first year in high school. We’d amble to school chatting about the usual…cars, girls, and the rest. One particular morning in late fall as I came up to his steps, the front door was open and his mother was playing a record…”Time Out” the American masterpiece by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. As Dave finished up his lovely intro to the gorgeous “Strange Meadowlark” Paul Desmond’s poetic saxophone played its first notes, and I was instantly hooked. I knew, in that moment, that music was what I was going to do for the rest of my life, even though I had no idea if it could generate an income. The sounds I was hearing coming from that hi-fi were new, startling and transformative for me. The music filled me to the brim, those notes cascading from Desmond’s horn, and I just knew…this is what I do.” (https://tomkeenlyside.com/about/)
“One of Canada’s great jazz flute and saxophone legends, Tom Keenlyside has been a part of the BC music scene for over 50 years. Tom has lent his talents to numerous legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Mel Torme, as well as rock legends like Aerosmith and Van Halen. This new release features new compositions from Tom and his longtime musical partner Miles Black, as well as a great selection of standards. The idea behind this new release was to pay tribute to the Espresso Coffee House, a major venue in Tom’s musical upbringing in Vancouver. Even more importantly, the Espresso represented one of the places where artists would hang out in the early years as they grew up learning the art form. The ability to hang with your ‘elders’ and develop more knowledge of the craft, play with musicians better than you, and learn the ‘art of the hang’ are all parts of the jazz lexicon. The album celebrates that tradition and allows this fantastic musician the opportunity to work with some of Canada’s finest artists – all soloists in their own regard. Although the album is called ‘A Night At The Espresso’, this is a studio album recorded beautifully at Pineapple Sound. The albums pays tribute to many nights at the espresso, but gives listeners a fantastic studio album from a fantastic cast of musicians including Brad Turner, Melody Diachun, long-time collaborator Miles Black, and Bernie Arai. (https://tomkeenlysidequartet.bandcamp.com/album/night-at-the-espresso) Click here to listen to two samples.

Sam Kirmayer – In This Moment (Cellar 20): “This recording, coalescing around Kirmayer’s marvelous guitar playing, band leading abilities with a medium-sized jazz aggregation, as well as his well-developed compositional prowess makes a powerful artistic statement indeed. “I really love the sextet sound,” states Kirmayer, “particularly the playing and writing of Benny Golson, Woody Shaw, and such recent manifestations as the ‘One for All’ band. That said, there is not a lot of guitar present within many of the bands working in this style and so,” in a nod to the adage ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ continues Kirmayer, “I realized that if I was going to hear my guitar within this context, I’d have to write myself in.” Which is exactly what he did! Of note throughout is how expressively Kirmayer conveys his deep and thorough knowledge of what musicians often refer to as “the tradition,” while simultaneously putting across forward thinking modernity. For me it is this: Kirmayer’s ability to reside, play with and put into flux the liminal space that exists between the present and some upcoming and inevitable, yet undefined, future musical direction that situates this young guitar and compositional talent both in this moment, and beyond.” (Andrew Scott) (https://samkirkmayer.bandcamp.com/album/in-this-moment) Sam Kirmayer (guitar),  Al McLean (tenor sax), Muhammad Abdul Al-Khabyyr (trombone), Sean Fyfe (piano), Alec Walkington (bass) and André White (drums).  All tracks composed by Sam Kirmayer. Exquisite! Click here to listen to “Lost In The City”.

Le Coq Jazz All Stars – The Jazz All Stars, Vol. 2 (Le Coq Records): “Le Coq Records Kicks Off its Second Star-studded Year with an Amazing Ensemble of Virtuoso Musicians on “Le Coq Records Presents: The Jazz All Stars Vol. 2. The Follow-up to the Imprint’s Inaugural Release features “The Jazz All Stars Vol. 2 shows a little of everything Le Coq is about, from its compositional temperament to the high sonic quality,” says label founder Piero Pata. “, “There’s quite a mix of sounds and styles, and I feel that the album really shows off the talents of our wonderful artists. John Patitucci holds everything together magnificently so that Andy James’ gorgeous vocals and the dazzling solos of Chris Potter, Rick Margitza and Terell Stafford – just to name a few – can shine.”
Much of the roster on the new release has returned from Volume 1, including Cunliffe and Beasley; bassists Patitucci and Chris Colangelo; drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Marvin “Smitty” Smith; percussionist Alex Acuña; trumpeter Terell Stafford; saxophonist Margitza; guitarist Jake Langley and vocalist James, among others. Volume 2 bolsters the line-up with such heavy hitters as saxophonists Chris Potter and Bob Sheppard; bassist Ben Williams; drummers Marcus Gilmore and Terreon Gully; trombonist Michael Dease; keyboardist Jon Cowherd; guitarists Russell Malone and Paul Jackson Jr.; and trumpeter Rashawn Ross.” (https://dlmediamusic.com/press-releases/the-jazz-all-stars-vol-2-le-coq-records/) Click here for a sample song from this release.

Alvin Queen Trio – Night Train To Copenhagen (Stunt Records):“American drummer Alvin Queen has the distinction of being Oscar Peterson’s drummer on the final tours of the maestro pianists illustrious career. Having, like many of his fellow musician’s, found in Europe a more fertile market for straight ahead jazz than existed in seventies America, Queen emigrated in 1979 finding particularly appreciative audiences in cities like Copenhagen. Hence the title of his latest release as leader which combines a homage to his former employer with his veneration of the Danish capital and its vibrant scene.”  Produced by Danish pianist Niels Lan Doky and featuring thirty something Swedish pianist, Brickman and Dane, Tobias Dall on bass this is Queen’s second Stunt album to capitalise on the Peterson connection, `O.P` -A Tribute to Oscar Peterson` having been released in 2018 but with different collaborators… The playlist features tunes drawn from two of Oscar’s most celebrated albums namely `Night Train` of 1963 and `We Get Requests` of the following year, adding an original piece by Lan Doky and a Danish folk tune – which sounds remarkably like a close relation of `Oh Susanna`. These like the plaintive rendition of `Some Other Time`, which closes the session, are all solo piano performances and serve as a pleasant diversion from the trio tracks. Unlike Queen’s previous pianist, Zikr Romme Larsen, Brickman doesn’t attempt to emulate Peterson’s bravura style, taking a more measured, gentler approach to the music but retaining sufficient dynamism to impart the necessary fizz required of burners like `Night Train`, `C Jam Blues ‘and `Moten Swing` whilst his take on `Days of Wine and Roses` is shorn of its usually lachrymose sentimentality and given a sparkly makeover. Dall’s bass is warm, pliant and elegant in solos whilst Queen strokes, stokes and provokes with silky brushwork, snappy accents and shimmering cymbals, his session honed excellence always evident but never overwhelming. Some may feel that it’s unnecessary to have further versions of these familiar tunes but just as the gourmand will never pass up another tasty morsel the dedicated jazz fan never tires of a further encounter with the standard repertoire especially when it is interpreted and performed as brilliantly as it is here. Calle Brickman (piano), Tobias Dall (acoustic bass), Alvin Queen (drums). (https://www.jazzviews.net/alvin-queen-trio—night-train-to-copenhagen.html) Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Kenny Shanker – Vortex (Wise Cat Records): “The alto saxophone appears to be a way of life for Kenny Shanker. It lives and breathes as if an extension of him; and the notes flow out of Mr Shanker as if he was made almost completely of music himself. It’s the reason why Mr Shanker is so much in demand by some of the – well – most demanding band leaders in music; from The New World Symphony, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Lage Lund, Richard Bona and Taylor Eigsti [to name but a few]. The fact that he can be part of a big band means that he is fluent reader. Playing in smaller ensembles – especially in those with Mr Bona, Mr Eigsti, who are among the more daring inventors and improvisers will tell you that Mr Shanker can create music those who jump without a net too. On his 2022 recording Vortex the repertoire is representative of all of Mr Shanker’s gifts; his highly musical intellect is clear from the original compositions and if you are looking to see how far he will go then look no further than “Vortex” a deep, spiraling song with mighty melodic and harmonic inventions. And then there is “Midnight snack” which is comprised of much more of the same, with a palpitating rhythmic pulse added to the song structure. Moreover, Mr Shanker employs a magnificent aesthetic to this piece in terms of the colours and tone=-textures – overlaid by using the soprano saxophone. It is a song on which – with masterful performances – drummer Brian Fishler and bassist Yoshi Waki shine bright. Mr Shanker not only sees himself as part of the music continuum, but also pays homage to Jazz and other standards. On “Lulu’s back in town” he doffs his proverbial hat in reverence to the great Thelonious Monk and even invokes Mr Monk’s daunting harmonic and rhythmic conceptions while performing this interpretation. His set closes with a bittersweet interpretation of “Autumn Leaves”, wherein the “crying” melodic lines of the song are accentuated by his own dolorous “weeping” on the alto horn. On “The Duke” he pays handsome tribute to the incomparable Dave Brubeck, whose composition is beautifully crafted to capture the spare virtuosity of Duke Ellington. Naturally Mr Shanker also basks in the glory of his musical retinue, which also includes the inimitable Mike Eckroth a pianist of unparalleled character. Mr Eckroth is one of the finest pedagogues in music, whose breadth of knowledge is vast and so much in demand today that he is sought after by Afro-Cuban musicians for his deep knowledge of traditional Afro-Cuban forms of music – something he has brought to the fore with his writing [and arrangements] for the magnificent ensemble Orquesta Akokan. On this disc, however, it is Mr Eckroth dazzles with his “Jazz” chops with touching and dramatic intensity. Mr Eckroth, together with the fluid harmonics of guitarist Diasuke Abe, as well as with the performances of the rest of the musicians, – including trumpeter Bill Mobley, Mr Shanker has crafted an album full of music of incredible beauty.” Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.

Jared Sims – Against All Odds (Origin): “Though reflecting on the wide-ranging, cascading emotions and endless complications created by the pandemic, saxophonist Jared Sims somehow manages to find an optimistic voice that weaves its way through the narrative of Against All Odds, his tenth solo recording. Guitarist Steve Fell, bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa, and drummer Luther Gray have been in Sims’s musical life for years, the shared experiences adding easily accessed emotional depth to his stories. “Angst” explores the dread of seclusion. The title track is about Sims’s father surviving after 3 months on a ventilator, while “Dear Gaia” reflects on the Earth goddess through the poetry of his wife, Amy M. Alvarez. Against All Odds reveals an honest recollection of truth while remembering to celebrate all that is and will be great in our lives.” (https://originarts.com/recordings/recording.php?TitleID=82840) Sims original compositions reflect on the wide-ranging, cascading emotions and endless complications created by the global pandemic. This is Sims tenth solo recording. “I think the best way to describe the album is that it is a suite of works that are all connected,” Sims said. “The themes all represent the various moods that we’ve all felt during the pandemic, which include loss but also beauty. “This music is meant to represent the time that we’re in right now and all in all in it’s an attempt to find beauty in our current situation.” (https://arts.wvu.edu/news/2022/02/25/jared-sims-releases-against-all-odds) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.

TriTone Asylum – The Hideaway Sessions (Blue Canoe Records): “When trumpeter Philip Topping and guitarist Andy Waddell started jamming in the mid-2000s – soon to be joined by bassist Peter Sepsis and a keyboardist named Aubrey Scarbrough – it didn’t take long for them to realize how many heroes they shared. And when they decided to work together as a trio (after Scarbrough moved away), those mutual heroes provided the blueprint. What is it that gives such icons, and their stylistic innovations, their staying power? “Originality” tops the list: that startling mixture of musical elements that draws us to listen again and again, and a little more deeply each time. But when it comes to the legacy of such figures, don’t ignore the subsequent artists who receive this new information and build upon it. While Charlie Parker sent the message, its import was amplified by the generations of musicians who at first copied his language, then absorbed and adapted it, and then wrote their own essays that underscored the lasting impact of the original.
So when you hear echoes of Pat Metheny’s mid-80s bands in Topping’s “First Days of Summer,” or of Weather Report in Sepsis’s “Malawi”; of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters or the Brecker Brothers on “Schizo,” or Eddie Harris in “Simple,” or the 1970s ECM Records soundprint on “Road to Hue” – in each case, it’s neither an accident nor a rip-off. In each case, those touchstones have inspired Sepsis and Topping to mine this still rich material, using tools and methods and experiences unique to them. For one example, Sepsis wrote “Road to Hue” on a visit to Vietnam with his wife, where “One day we took a road trip to the city of Hue. While I wasn’t a combatant during the Vietnam War, I woke up one morning having an incredibly powerful dream about loss.” This composition is the result. Adds co-leader Topping, “When we started this group, we played mainly covers” – new versions of fusion-era classics by Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard, and several tunes by Metheny, whose music had left an especially strong mark on them both. In fact, the impetus to form the band came when Topping started playing the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), allowing him to create the timbres and attack and textures of Metheny’s synth-guitar – and to face the challenge of “integrating these sounds in an organic way” with such analog instruments as Waddell’s guitar and Mitch Forman’s piano. The tritone – the note that precisely bisects the 12-tone scale and caused some consternation when it first came into use – was long known as “the devil’s interval.” Here, the devil’s in the details that allow Sepsis, Topping and company to redefine the music that influenced them, and then to open a gateway into a sonic world distinctive in its own right.” (Neil Tesser) Click here to listen to songs on this release.

New Blues:

Bad Daddy – It’s A Mad Mad Bad Dad World (PieHole Records): “Bad Daddy’s musical perspective is a geographical brew of Chicago and coastal Maine where he’s a celebrated yacht designer. His style is a gritty, crunchy compression of classic blues and dank, sticky roots rock. That sound anchors the themes in his new record, “It’s a Mad, Mad Bad Dad World” —including its kickoff single, “Pork Pie Hat.” Shaken together it’s a modern cocktail of feel good, soul-filled tunes that groove and move. “My music comes right outta my soul,” Waring says. “It’s like I’m trying to get something off my chest –like I’m gonna tell the rest of the world what I think and how I feel.” In 2005, Paul Waring put a band together and called it The Bad Daddys. Their 2008 self-titled debut contained nine original tracks written and arranged by Waring and Maine brewer, Al Strong. After more than a decade of collaborations in Maine, and playing venues and festivals around the northeast, Bad Daddy released Beautiful Thing, a single and eulogy for a long-loved friend who died of cancer at age 56. Bad Daddy’s 2022 release is Waring’s strongest work to date. The nine original songs on “It’s a Mad, Mad Bad Dad World” were honed over the last four years and the culmination of collaborations with Chicago friends and musicians the project was recorded during the pandemic. The record also contains a cover of Mighty Sam McClain’s “Where You Been So Long.” (https://www.badaddy.com/epk) Click here to listen to “Pork Pie Hat”, a Bad Daddy original.

Richard Ray Farrell & The Leisure Men – Life of Leisure (Nuba Records / Karonte / Cambaya): “Bad Daddy’s musical perspective is a geographical brew of Chicago and coastal Maine where he’s a celebrated yacht designer. His style is a gritty, crunchy compression of classic blues and dank, sticky roots rock. That sound anchors the themes in his new record, “It’s a Mad, Mad Bad Dad World” — including its kickoff single, “Pork Pie Hat.” Shaken together it’s a modern cocktail of feel good, soul-filled tunes that groove and move.
certified “My music comes right outta my soul,” Waring says. “It’s like I’m trying to get something off my chest –like I’m gonna tell the rest of the world what I think and how I feel.” In 2005, Paul Waring put a band together and called it The Bad Daddys. Their 2008 self-titled debut contained nine original tracks written and arranged by Waring and Maine brewer, Al Strong. After more than a decade of collaborations in Maine, and playing venues and festivals around the northeast, Bad Daddy released Beautiful Thing, a single and eulogy for a long-loved friend who died of cancer at age 56.Bad Daddy’s 2022 release is Waring’s strongest work to date. The nine original songs on “It’s a Mad, Mad Bad Dad World” were honed over the last four years and the culmination of collaborations with Chicago friends and musicians the project was recorded during the pandemic. The record also contains a cover of Mighty Sam McClain’s “Where You Been So Long.” It’s appropriate that Waring’s lead track on the new record is named “Blues at Home.” His new album is about home in a couple different ways. First, it’s the sweet home of the blues itself: Chicago. It’s also about Waring’s heart and his love for his wife and all the efforts they go to for bringing their previous families together with kids both in Chicago and Maine. But most of all it’s from his soul, the place where home is. It’s how Bad Daddy has chiseled his unique place in the blues.” (https://www.badaddy.com/_files/ugd/3f03db_ecc7f37a231c485b9b66638c111daa41.pdf) This is old style blues with heart and soul of the classic electric blues and it is a certified Professor Bebop “Wax Devoid of Cracks!” Click here to listen to samples of all the songs on this disc.

Diunna Greenleaf – I Ain’t Playin’ (Little Village): “Diunna has one of those distinctive, powerfully emotive voices that just stops you in your tracks the first time you hear her. This dynamic and gifted singer from Houston has an absolutely amazing voice, full of soul, emotion, feeling, finesse, and strength! This winning team of Noel with co-producer Jim Pugh and his Little Village record label and co-producer Kid Andersen and his Greaseland studio have helped to create magic again in the studio and unearthed a batch of buried treasure blues, soul, R&B, and gospel songs that perfectly match Diunna’s distinctive and expressive vocals. In addition to the four outstanding originals from Diunna, many of these fascinating songs are from singers from her own home state of Texas, which she has transformed to make them all her own. Lone star state standouts are the funky “I Don’t Care” from Long John Hunter, the deep blues of “Let Me Cry” from Johnny Copeland, and “Damned If I Do” from the vastly underrated singer/songwriter Joe Medwick. Diunna, with the help of Alabama Mike (one of our other favorite real deal blues singers of today) created a new version of a classic gospel song done by The Staples Singers, “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” and they also killed it on a soulful country gospel duet, “When I Call Your Name” from Vince Gill. The head turning opening Koko Taylor track, “Never Trust A Man” is also available on YouTube where you can see how it was masterfully done at Greaseland with this all-star band of Kid, keyboardist Jim Pugh, drummer D’Mar and the legendary bassist, Jerry Jemmott, who “lays down the groove that could anchor the solar system!” “If It Wasn’t For the Blues” was one of Mighty Sam McClain’s favorite songs and it really says how Diunna feels, too, and “Answer To The Hard Working Woman” is a twist on Otis Clay’s hard funk soul song, where she flips the script. Be sure to check out one of the most meaningful, powerful songs that still resonates today, “Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” where she eerily channels Nina Simone; I don’t know anyone else but Diunna who can pull this off so well.” (https://www.bluestownmusic.nl/diunna-greenleaf-i-aint-playin/) I regret I am unable to find a sample from this release.

Sugaray Rayford – In Too Deep (Forty Below Records): “Sugaray Rayford is back with In Too Deep, a modern take on retro-soul that explores the themes of love, loneliness & pertinent social issues of today…. A chance meeting in Memphis in 2018 laid the groundwork for a unique musical partnership between soul-blues powerhouse Sugaray Rayford and producer, songwriter Eric Corne. Combining classic soul melodies with funky R & B grooves, raw blues power, and mashed-up with modern sensibilities, the pair’s first collaboration, Somebody Save Me, earned Rayford a 2020 Grammy nomination. Later that year, Rayford took home Blues Music Awards for ‘Soul Blues Male Artist’ and ‘B.B. King Entertainer of the Year.’ The summer of 2021 took things further, with the release of the adventurous new single “Homemade Disaster.” The song found its home on multiple retro-soul and new blues playlists on Spotify, with PopMatters declaring that the track “will appeal to fans of Gary Clark Jr. and Chicano Batman.” A chance meeting in Memphis in 2018 laid the groundwork for a unique musical partnership between soul-blues powerhouse Sugaray Rayford and producer, songwriter Eric Corne. Combining classic soul melodies with funky R & B grooves, raw blues power, and mashed-up with modern sensibilities, the pair’s first collaboration, Somebody Save Me, earned Rayford a 2020 Grammy nomination. Later that year, Rayford took home Blues Music Awards for ‘Soul Blues Male Artist’ and ‘B.B. King Entertainer of the Year.’ The summer of 2021 took things further, with the release of the adventurous new single “Homemade Disaster.” The song found its home on multiple retro-soul and new blues playlists on Spotify, with PopMatters declaring that the track “will appeal to fans of Gary Clark Jr. and Chicano Batman…. At his core, Sugaray Rayford is a galvanizing uniter. His live shows are wild dance parties. Some conversations may be had, and some self-reflection may occur, but people leave feeling a sense of joy and togetherness at the end of the day. This shines through on the album’s closer, the slinky, funky “United We Stand.” Then, as the album fades, Rayford takes us home with concert banter and good vibes, a feeling that lingers, tempting the listener to hit play again.” (https://www.bluesmagazine.nl/sugaray-rayford-in-too-deep/) A fine performance from beginning to end! A certified Professor Bebop “Wax Devoid of Cracks”! Click here to listen “In Too Deep” from this release.

The Sully Band – Let’s Straighten It Out! (Belly Up / Blue Elan): “On March 11, 2022, The Sully Band, voted Best Live Band at the 2020 San Diego Music Awards, will release their debut LP, Let’s Straighten It Out, conceived in the hallowed halls of Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California (formerly A&M Studios). With Let’s Straighten It Out, Sully and his bluesy, nine-piece beast of a band take us on a journey through the ups, downs, and all-arounds of love by way of 10 classic ‘60s and ‘70s soul, blues, and R&B tunes. The album will be released via Belly Up Records, and marketed and distributed by Blue Élan Records…. Sully himself is an enigma. He caught the music bug at age six after picking up a nylon-string guitar and playing the first few chords of “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” with his dad. In high school, the barrel-chested, all-American football player rocked out to Boston and Foreigner with his buddies, starred in every show-tune-laden musical theatre production through college, and ended each day with James Brown or Stevie Wonder on his Pioneer receiver.  In his 20’s, after pounding the unforgiving Los Angeles pavement trying to cut a record deal, he embarked on a 35-year detour, traveling a storied path from Price Club cashier to self-made entrepreneur and local radio/TV personality, ultimately finding his way back to his first true love: music. Now, after years away from the stage, he is back in full force. He and the band have been playing regional and national shows to small but mighty crowds, from Southern California’s legendary Belly Up Tavern to Austin’s illustrious Antone’s Nightclub, making his mark as a compelling musician and live performer ready to “Straighten it Out.” (https://www.sideways-media.com/news-updates/sullyband-announcement) The players in the band are Sully Sullivan (vocals), James East (bass, backing vocal), Jon Harford (guitars), Mark Charles Hattersley (piano, B3, Wurlitzer), Tres Hodhens (drums, vocals), Ignacio “Nacho” Sobers (percussion), Tripp Sprague (tenor sax, flute), April Leslie (bari sax, bari clarinet flute), Took Nomura (alto sax, flute) and Steve Dillard (trumpet, flugelhorn). Ten oldies from Jesse Hill and Mac Rebennack’s “When The Battle Is Over” to Gary Jackson/Raymond Miner and Carl Smith’s “Higher  “Higher And Higher”. Fine performances! Click here to listen to three samples of songs on this release.

Kopasetically,
Professor Bebop