Women Of The Blues Records artist: Mary Lane - Travelin' Woman - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Travelin' Woman, from South Side Chicago's Mary Lane and its real nice. Opening with title track, Travelin' Woman, Lane shows why her reputation precedes her large as life. Joined by Travis T. Bernard on drums, Chris Cameron on keys, Jim Trullio on guitar and bass, Terry Ogolini and Gene Barge on sax, Don Tenuto on trumpet and with flaming hot slide work by Louie Zagoras this is a super opener. Up tempo blues track, Leave That Wine Alone, has a great tempo and Lanes vocals are sassy. Johnny Grey on B3, Phil Miller on slide and Paul Mertens bass harmonica work is solid and backing vocals by Simbryt Dortch and Yvonne Gage really add nicely to the bottom. Corky Siegel sits in on harmonica on shuffle track, Some People Say I'm Crazy and with solid piano work by Grey, a very cool track. One of my favorite tracks on the release is soul soaked, Let Me Into Your Heart with it's gripping vocal feel and gospel like piano and B3 reinforcement by Cameron. Lanes phrasing and vocal tension are perfect. Bad Luck And Trouble has a driving shuffle pace with Trullio's bass line leading the way. Cameron on piano and Lane on lead vocal really mesh nicely on this track with a solid guitar solo by Dave Specter. Wrapping the release is acoustic blues, Make Up Your Mind featuring Lane alone with Colin Linden on acoustic slide / dobro. This track is a strong closer for a really cool release.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Dawnserly Records artist: Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues - Different Voices - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (April 7, 2017), Different Voices from Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues and it's quite different. Corky Siegel, once member of the famed Siegel-Schwall Band, is back with an interesting concept. Orchestral blues. Opening with Missing Persons Blues - Op 25 forms around a traditional Chicago blues theme but featuring the strong sax work of Ernie Watts with Siegel on harp, Jamie Gorgojo on violin, Chihsuan Yang on violin, Dave Moss on viola, Jocelyn Butler Shoulders on cello and Frankie Donaldson on tabla.  One features lush harp work by Siegel and crystal clear vocals by Matthew Santos on vocal, this track having more of a euro, show sound. Time Will Tell Overature - Op. 25 features Sandeep Das on tabla balanced with Siegel and enriched by nicely orchestrated violin accompaniment. On pop track, Lay Down Sally, an Eric Clapton and Marcy Levy composition, Marcy levy takes the lead on vocal, maintaining it's pop roots but with a critical orchestral spin. Siegel layers harp soloing over cello and viola giving the track a bluesy feel. Angel Food Cake features Siegel on lead vocal and fuses the styling of the original SSB with orchestral accompaniment. Cool. Shadows In A Shoe Box is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a more classical stance. Santos and Yang share the vocal floor with a light jazzy flavor and Siegel layers in rich harp work. Very nice. Albert Brumley's I'll Fly Away maintains a lot of it's original structure and builds in a gospel manner with Bruce Roper, Deb Lader and Sue Demel on vocal and guitar/Mandolin nicely laid on a string backing. Very nice. Italian Shuffle/Flip Flop & Fly opens with a light, airy orchestral piece over a 12 bar bottom, evolving into a blues standard featuring the great Sam Lay on vocal. A more deliberate classical composition, Galloping Horses, features Chihsuan Yang on erhu and Matthew Santos on beat box. Nicely done.   Another nicely fused classical blues track, Counter Intuitive Op. 24 Part One has a deliberate walking bass line performed on strings and plucked violin strings with Siegel playing classic blues harp riffs but dressed with classical violin dressing. On Part 2 Siegel takes a more adventurous lead harp role and with violin supported melody and classical structure. Wrapping the release is The Sky Will Fall, with a solid Americana feel. Siegel is front and center on lead vocal and harp. Santos adds contrasting vocals over a passionate violin bridge and Siegel is showcased on harp to close out the release. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE MY GIRL - Siegel - Schwall Band

The Siegel–Schwall Band is an American electric blues band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1964 by Corky Siegel (harmonica and piano) and Jim Schwall (guitar), and still tours occasionally. Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall met each other when both were music students at Roosevelt University. Siegel, originally a saxophonist, was interested in blues, while Schwall's background was mostly in country music. They combined these two genres, producing a lighter sounding blues as compared to Butterfield Blues Band or John Mayall. The Siegel–Schwall Band included Shelly Plotkin on drums and Rollo Radford on bass. Radford had previously played with Martha and the Vandellas and Sun Ra. They were the house band at Pepper's Lounge on Chicago's South Side. Every important Chicago blues musician sat in with Corky and Jim at Pepper's, including Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Billy Boy Arnold, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Otis Spann, Bo Diddley, Lazy Lester and Sam Lay, just to name a few. The band moved to Big John's in Old Town after the Butterfield Blues Band began touring and left a vacancy. In 1965, Sam Charters signed the band to Vanguard Records. In 1966, the band released their first eponymous album, and began a national tour in 1969. While they weren't as commercially successful as Butterfield or Mayall, the band was still able to perform at large venues such as Fillmore West. Also around that time, the Siegel–Schwall Band became the first blues band to ever perform with a symphony. They performed "Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra" with the San Francisco Symphony. The piece was written by William Russo and conducted by Seiji Ozawa. After four albums with Vanguard, the band signed with Wooden Nickel, a Chicago label distributed by RCA. Their first release on the label won a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover in 1973. The band broke up in 1974 after releasing the album R.I.P. Siegel/Schwall, and reunited in 1987. Alligator Records signed them and released a live reunion album in 1988. The band continues to tour occasionally, usually during summer because Jim Schwall is now a professor of music. Schwall also ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. The Siegel–Schwall Band released a second album on Alligator Records in 2005, entitled Flash Forward, which was a top 15 hit on the Billboard Blues Albums chart. In 1975, Siegel formed the Happy Year Band with Sam Lay, Albert Joseph on guitar and Rollo Radford on bass. Siegel later formed the ensemble Chamber Blues with a string quartet, tabla and harmonica/piano. This unusual group features Frank Donaldson, a 20-year veteran drummer with jazz musician Ramsey Lewis. Siegel continues to record, has earned several composing honors and is a regular performer and lecturer in the Chicago Public Schools. In 2007 he wrote a book, Let Your Music Soar: The Emotional Connection. “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

GM Boogie - Barry Goldberg & Harvey Mandel & Corky Siegel

Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, USA)[1] is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career. Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping.
Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and his first record was the album Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band in 1966 with Charlie Musselwhite. Described in 1997's Legends of Rock Guitar as a "legendary" album, it was influential in bridging the gap between blues and rock and roll, with Mandel's "relentless fuzztone, feedback-edged solos, and unusual syncopated phrasing."[3] He relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, performing often at a club called The Matrix, where local favorites like Jerry Garcia or Elvin Bishop would sit in and jam. He then met up with pioneering San Francisco disc jockey and producer Abe 'Voco' Kesh (Abe Keshishian), who signed Mandel to Philips Records and produced his first solo album, Cristo Redentor in 1968. In retrospect , Cristo Redentor bears some resemblance to cuts and songs that were on Wes Montgomery's albums. Mandel recorded with Barry Goldberg on a bootleg from Cherry Records and recorded with Graham Bond. He cut two more solo LPs for Philips, Righteous (1969) and Games Guitars Play (1970), followed by three more solo albums for independent label Janus in the early '70s which include Baby Batter.
Chicago Blues Reunion - Buried Alive In The Blues (10/15/04)
- GM Boogie (Goldberg/Mandel)
* Corky Siegel : harp
* Harvey Mandel : guitar
* Barry Goldberg : keyboards
* R.Zach Wagner : rhythm gutar
* Rick Reed : bass
* Gary Mallaber : drums
Like my Facebook Page, Post your video on my Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! Share your favorite posting and get more exposure for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”