Every week our staff of CD Reviewers bring you the best in Independent CD releases. Making a Scene is considered the number 1 resource for the independent musician and the fans that love them.
José Rizo’s Mongorama Mariposas Cantan Saungu Jose Rizo’s Mongorama, founded in 2011, is a nonet consisting of four percussionists and other musicians performing high spirited Latin jazz. As the band name implies, their music is inspired by conquero Mongo Santamaria’s early 1960s band, one that paved the way for popularity of Latin jazz worldwide. This […]
Pete Kronowitt Do Something Now Self-released San Francisco-based, New Jersey born, Florida raised singer/songwriter and activist Pete Kronowitt is out with his latest set of rallying cry songs, Do Something Now. Kronowitt is the founder of the Face the Music Collective, a grassroots organization driving social and political change. However, what may be more notable […]
John Nemeth Stronger Than Strong Nola Blue Records The Boise, Idaho born John Nemeth was a rock fan until a friend turned him on to Junior Wells’ classic “Hoodoo Man Blues”. He joined a local blues band and would sing and play harp often opening for national touring acts. He released his own debut album […]
Orlando Le Fleming Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar Whirlwind Renowned bassist Orlando le Fleming makes his debut with Whirlwind Recordings with Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar, paying tribute to the high-intensity fusion of the 1980’s with an impressive team of elite players including Philip Dizack on trumpet and fellow Londoner and OWL trio mate, alto saxophonist Will Vinson , Sean Wayland on keys, and […]
Bette Smith The Good, The Bad and The Bette Ruf Records Bette Smith grew up in the rough Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. “My father was a church choir director. I was singing since I was five years old. My mother listened to nothing but gospel, every Sunday morning, she would get up and put on […]
Miki Yamanaka Human Dust Suite Outside In Music You could say the centerpiece for this album by New York-based musician and composer Miki Yamanaka is based on a rather strange and alarming subject but then again, you’ve probably had your own experience of wandering through an art museum, only to be totally stunned by a particular […]
Igor Kogan In a Big City Self-released In a Big City is the debut studio album as a bandleader for bassist /composer Igor Kogan for this quintet setting, He features 9-time Grammy Award nominee vocalist Tierney Sutton on “Vocalise.” The members of his fiery, versatile, contemporary sounding quintet are Jeremy Lappitt (tenor saxophone), Joshua Aguiar […]
Al Basile Last Hand Sweetspot Records Al Basile got his start as the first trumpet player in “Roomful of Blues” when it was formed by Duke Robillard in 1973. Basile’s solo debut “Down on Providence Plantation” was produced by Robillard in 1998. Since then, each of Basile’s studio recordings were produced by Robillard. Between 2010 […]
Matt DeMerritt Fool’s Journey Self-released Woodwind master Matt DeMerritt (MD) has appeared on 75 albums in his 25 years as a sideman. Now he finally steps forward with his own, Fool’s Journey. Yes, it’s primarily a jazz album but he taps into a few other genres that he’s played in during his wide spanning career. […]
Lisa Mann Old Girl JayRay Records As a child West Virginia born Lisa Mann relocated to Portland. Originally inspired by rock bands she gravitated to the Blues when she began her professional career at the age of nineteen. Early influences included Etta James, Koko Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Little Milton. Mann has shared the stage […]
Joan Osborne Trouble and Strife Womanly Hips Music Trouble and Strife, self-produced on her own label, is her tenth solo studio album and the first album of Joan Osborne’s original material in six years, since 2014’s Love and Hate. It’s Osborne, one of the best and certainly most versatile singers of our time, responding to […]
Hazar Reincarnated (featuring Al DiMeola) IAN Productions Any time there’s a chance to a great guitarist play Luiz Bonfa’s iconic “Black Orpheus,” that’s reason enough to investigate an album from a new artist, at least to this writer. Hazar is a superb acoustic guitarist who teams with luminary guitarist Al DiMeola, percussionist Mehmet Katay, pianist […]
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters Rise Up Stony Plain Records Ronnie Earl believes in the power of music to heal the mind and spirit, and continues to derive inspiration from personal experiences and observations. This is his twenty-seventh recording. We are the benefactors of his “flow”. Earl is the most soulful blues/jazz guitarist working today. […]
Jim Waller Big Band Bucket List Self-released Have you ever noticed that the word ‘debut” appears often on these pages for upstart and veteran jazz artists alike? Yes, we now bring you yet another from veteran multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and educator Jim Waller. As the title indirectly suggests, this is Waller’s fulfillment of a dream […]
Various Artists Put Down That Weapon (Make Music Not War) Y & T Music By Jim Hynes The social unrest we are experiencing now inevitably brings comparisons to the sixties and its wealth of protest songs. For example, “For What It’s Worth” has this line “What a field day for the heat, a thousand people […]
Sugar Ray and The Bluetones featuring Little Charlie Too Far from the Bar Severn Records Sugar Ray Norcia formed the original Bluetones in 1979. They released their first full length album, “Knockout”, ten years later. This is the Bluetones eighth album for Severn Records and eleventh overall, their last being 2016’s “Seeing Is Believing”. The […]
John Daversa Quintet Cuarentena: With Family at Home Tiger Turn John Daversa has been amazingly impressive in his career by especially in the past couple of years. His 2018 American dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom earned him three Grammys, Including Best Large Jazz Ensemble, Best Improvised Solo and Best Instrumental Arrangement of A […]
San Gabriel 7 Red Dress – Featuring Vocalist Songwriter Femi Knight JRL-SGS This is yet another new discovery not only for this writer but likely for most folks outside of California. Even though San Gabriel 7 was formed 14 years ago and have issued nine albums prior to this, Red Dress, they have carried on […]
David Sills Natural Lines Gut String Here’s another rather unique jazz configuration as prolific reedist David Sills forms his David Sills Double Guitar Quintet for the generous 70 plus minutes Natural Lines. At times, you’d think this was primarily a guitar album as Sills gives plenty of solo room to guitarists Mike Scott and Larry […]
New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Volume 1 Stony Plain Records Luther Dickinson explains how this 2007 recording came to be. “The Dickinson crew doesn’t enjoy parties, but we dig potluck recording sessions… we invite a cast of characters to the session and ask each player to bring a couple of songs. Musicians take turns […]
Peter Parcek Mississippi Suitcase Lightnin’ Records Peter Parcek was born in New Britain, Connecticut. After graduating from high school Parcek relocated to London where the aspiring guitarist developed an appreciation for British Blues, especially the music of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Peter Green. Once back in Connecticut Parcek began to appreciate American blues artists […]
Yana Distant Shore Today I want to introduce you to a wonderful singer/songwriter from the Czech Republic…Yana. When you listen to her music you realize very quickly that she has a strong connection to Ireland and she says about herself that she may have lived there in a previous life. Yana released her debut EP […]
Vanessa Collier Heart on the Line Phenix Fire Records Vanessa Collier hails from Clarksville, Maryland. Collier attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston where she graduated with degrees in Performance, Music Production and Engineering. In 2012, after graduation, she spent eighteen months touring the US and Turkey with the Grammy winning Joe Louis Walker. […]
John Warwick Mur Mur Fountain “I’m Down in the Basement In my Imaginary World I can’t Live in Your one Too Much Violence Everywhere” John Warwick Today I have the honor of reviewing John Warwick’s second album “Mur Mur Fountain” John is a brilliant singer songwriter from Poplar, London and he has already showed with […]
Jon Strahl Band Heartache and Toil Independent As a teenager Jon Strahl’s musical experience was similar to our own. “I grew up in a house with music, there was always something new on the turntable and it was almost always rock and roll…but what really hit me…was this Sunday night radio show on WTTS called […]
The Flying Horse Big Band Florida Rays – featuring songs of Ray Charles Flying Horse Orlando’s own Flying Horse Big Band, on their seventh release, pay] tribute to perhaps the city’s biggest musical icon, Ray Charles on this expansive outing directed by Jeff Rupert, a tenor saxophonist who doesn’t play on the album, but conducts […]
Dianne Davidson Perigon: Full Circle Independent Born in West Tennessee, Dianne Davidson was singing and writing songs when she was just a child. She formed her first band when she was eleven. She completed her musical education by performing in bars, nightclubs and listening rooms from Tennessee to Greenwich Village. She recorded her debut album […]
Eleesha Prothero Electric Princess The world of music can be compared to a massive gold mine. There are lots of riches to found if you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Now I know that Facebook gets a lot of negative press and maybe on occasion the criticism […]
Friends & Legends of Louisiana Various Artists L & M Star Productions Producer Lucas Spinosa is a songwriter, keyboardist and former bandleader of the Baton Rouge based “Southern Star”, a band popular in the 1990’s. Their albums include “Magic”, “Evangeline” and “From The Heart”. Way back in 1966 Spinosa was a member of the band […]
Willie Nile Uncovered Paradiddle Records Willie Nile was born Robert Noonan in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1948. He attended the University of Buffalo; and afterwards relocated to Greenwich Village to pursue a music career. Nile frequented New York’s punk rock club CBGB’s were he was influenced by the music of the Ramones, the Patti Smith Group, […]
John Beasley and MONK’estra Plays John Beasley Mack Avenue This year seems to especially have many jazz artists turning to the music of Thelonious Monk but this is nothing new for John Beasley and his MONK ‘estra who have plied their first two volumes of Monk material into two GRAMMY nominations. Over the course of […]
A Band Called Sam Legacy Highlander Records Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader Samuel Willis Taylor, Jr. a.k.a. Sam “Bluzman” Taylor was born in 1934 in Crichton, a suburb of Mobile, Alabama. He was the son of jazz and blues saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor, but was raised by his mother a vaudevillian. They moved to […]
R.B. Morris Going Back to the Sky Singular Recordings and songwriter, solo and band leader, and a sometimes playwright and actor Admittedly, the initial draw here is that RB Morris’ album is produced by Bo Ramsey. Yet, a small bit of research combined with listening to just the first full song, “Red Sky,” proves that […]
Eric Johanson Below Sea Level Nola Blue Records While still in high school Louisiana native Eric Johanson was already a soulful blues guitarist appearing on stages throughout the state. When heard by Tab Benoit, the young Johanson became the first guitarist/singer signed to his then new Whiskey Bayou Records. In 2017 Johanson released his debut […]
Ron Thompson From the Patio, Live at Poor House Bistro, Vol 1 Little Village Foundation From the Patio – Live at Poor House Bistro, Vol 1 dates to two sessions in the summer of 2014 at the famed venue in San Jose, CA where the recently passed Bay Area Blues legend Ron Thompson often gigged. […]
Allman-Betts Band Bless Your Heart BMG Last year’s debut from the Allman-Betts Band, Down to the River, marked the first time the seven-piece ensemble played together, let alone record together. But even that is not entirely accurate as keyboardist John Ginty joined the band for the tour, after the recording was done. So, if that […]
Laura Green Green Eyed Blues Independent St. Louis’ Laura Green has been performing her own brand of rock, folk and jazz. Influenced by legendary blues women like Big Mama Thornton; and skilled contemporaries such as Bonnie Raitt, Lou Ann Barton and Janiva Magness, Green has spent the last ten years honing her craft. Inspired she […]
Bobby Rush Rawer Than Raw Deep Rush Records/Thirty Tigers Emmit Ellis Jr. a.k.a. Bobby Rush was born in Homer, La. in 1933. As a youngster, in the late 1940’s, he befriended and played with Elmore James. He formed his first band before relocating to Chicago where he worked with Freddie King, Luther Allison and Jimmy […]
Various Artists Back to Paradise – A Tribute to Okie Music Horton Think Tulsa and inevitably the names of J.J. Cale, Leon Russell, The Gap Band, Jesse Ed Davis, and others come to mind. Today, it’ likely John Fullbright, John Moreland, Paul Benjamin, Jesse Aycock, and others. Fullbright, Benjamin, Aycock and six more pay tribute […]
Dan Penn Living On Mercy The Last Music Co. The seventy-eight-year-old Dan Penn was born Wallace Daniel Pennington in Vernon, Alabama. Penn found work at the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. He first recorded in 1960, and that same year wrote his first hit for Conway Twitty. He is among our most soulful songwriters. His […]
Champian Fulton Birdsong Self-released New York-based pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton celebrates Charlie Parker’s centennial with her latest, Birdsong., featuring her friend and saxophone luminary Scott Hamilton (who of course plays tenor, not alto liker Parker did). Hamilton appears along with Fulton’s long-standing quartet made up of bassist Hide Tanaka, drummer Fukushi Tainaka and her […]
Kirsten Thien Two Sides Screen Door Records Born in Germany, and educated at Georgetown University, Kirsten Thien writes and sings her own songs. She released her debut album “She Really Is” in 2002 and her follow-up “You’ve Got Me” in 2005. After relocating to New York City Thien released 2012’s “Delicious” with bassist/producer Erik Boyd. […]
Matt Wilson Hug Palmetto A few weeks ago, fellow drummer Jeff Cosgrove brought us a trio album, History Gets Ahead of Itself, from one of his main inspirers, Matt Wilson. Saxophonist Jeff Lederer, a mainstay of Wilson’s quartet appeared on that album as he does here, along with Wilson’s other long-running bandmates, cornetist Kirk Knuffle […]
Crooked Eye Tommy Hot Coffee and Pain Blue Heart (Nola Blue) Crooked Eye Tommy is the brother guitar duo of Tommy and Paddy Marsh, hailing from Ventura County in California. The duo has placed as semi-finalists in the IBC in 2014 and 2019, reaching the finals earlier this year. They leverage that respect with this […]
Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet Quarto Valley Records The British blues band Savoy Brown was formed by Kim Simmonds in 1965. Their U.K. debut was 1967’s “Shake Down” featuring originals mixed with extended length covers of songs by Willie Dixon; B.B. King; Albert King, and John Lee Hooker. Savoy Brown began to achieve success in […]
Eli Winter Unbecoming American Dreams Chicago-based guitarist Eli Winter, who is still in college, delivers Unbecoming, is first album as a leader and second overall. and one that explores many aspects of instrumental guitar from acoustic to electric and even baritone electric. On two of the three tracks (yes, these are lengthy ones) Winter plays […]
Johnny & The Mongrels Creole Skies Independent This is the full length debut recording by Johnny & The Mongrels. The band was founded by Fort Collins, Colorado residents Johnny Ryan and Jeffrey Bostic. The two singer-songwriters, vocalist Ryan, and bassist Bostic first met in April of 2015. The seasoned bassist had already toured with his […]
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol The Rise Up: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration Dunya Prolific composer and multi-instrumentalist Mehmet Ali Sanlikol delivers his ambitious project: THE RISE UP: Stories of Strife, Struggle and Inspiration with his dynamic jazz orchestra Whatsnext, written for and featuring NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman as soloist, The Rise Up is an epic three-part artistic masterpiece that combines traditional Middle […]
Raphael Pannier Quartet Faune French Paradox/L’Autre In May we brought you the masterful work of alto saxophonist/composer and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenon’s Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera. Zenon is the lead voice and musical director of the quartet on this brilliant debut from French drummer Raphael Pannier. Zenon is a mentor of Pannier’s and […]
Adam Miller Unify Emtechnik Australian guitarist Adam Miller has released his latest album, Unify. Recorded in Los Angeles, Miller’s trio features prominent LA musicians – bassist Joel Gottschalk and drummer Justin Glasco. All Miller originals, these songs are born from settling not only into a new city, but a new country, all the conflicting emotions associated with such. The album is equally […]