Bman's Blues Report

Michael Dease is a total monster on the jazz trombone , a multi-Grammy winner , and a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow . Originally from Augusta, Georgia , he started playing at 17 and quickly made his way up to New York as part of Juilliard ’s very first jazz class. Since then, he's played on over 250 records, won the DownBeat Critics Poll multiple times, and now helps shape the next generation of players as a professor at Michigan State University. Dease has always had a deep love for big bands, having played with powerhouse ensembles like Jazz at Lincoln Center , the Christian McBride Big Band , and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band . He really locked in his skills as a large ensemble leader back in 2011 during a legendary two-year monthly residency lab in Greenwich Village . His brand new release, Return Trajectory , marks an exciting return to that big band format. It’s not just a trip down memory lane—it’s a fresh continuation of his big band journey. Backed by a high-energy lineu...

If you’re looking for the sonic equivalent of a late-night, sweat-soaked dive bar in Louisiana, you can always count on Doug Duffey and BADD to deliver. Doug’s been a staple of the Deep South's music scene for over half a century—he’s in the Blues Hall of Fame and has written for everyone from George Clinton to Marcia Ball—but he still sounds as hungry as ever. Together with his band BADD (Ben Ford, Adam Ryland, and Dan Sumner), they’ve cooked up a brand new record called Souvenirs . It’s their fifth time locking into a groove together, and it gives you exactly what they do best: raw, greasy, "swampedelic" rhythm and blues that doesn't care about modern radio polish.  🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM   Add this Record to Your Collection Available in Digital Formats. 🛒 Buy Album on Amazon Store As an Amazon Associate, Bman earns from qualifying purchases. The Deep Dive Opening with Broken Heart and Empty Hand,  Dan Sumner plays a...

Rafael Greco —the legendary Venezuelan saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, and long-time creative engine behind Guaco —is finally stepping completely out of the big-band shadow to do exactly what he wants. On his new album, Verses Under My Shadow , he skips the predictable jazz tropes to build something way cooler: a hypnotic, avant-garde sandbox where Central African polyrhythms , vocal loops , and literary vibes collide, backed by heavy hitters like Dave Weckl and Jimmy Haslip . It’s an ambitious, deeply personal masterclass in groove and texture, and it sets the perfect stage for the sonic trip we're about to dive into.   🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM   Add this Record to Your Collection Available in Digital Formats. 🛒 Buy Album on Amazon Store As an Amazon Associate, Bman earns from qualifying purchases. The Deep Dive Verses Under My Shadow is a solid entry into modern fusion that shows what happens when Rafael Greco is left to m...