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.
Downchild 50th Anniversary CD: Live At The Toronto Jazz Festival Diesel Management Productions Donnie and Hock Walsh founded The Downchild Blues Band in 1969. The band’s name comes from the song “Mr. Downchild” by Sonny Boy Williamson II. The band is also known as Downchild as the name was shortened in the early 1980’s. Dan […]
Kenny Washington What’s the Hurry A-Train Entertainment Although What’s the Hurry is the debut studio album for Bay Area jazz and blues vocalist Kenny Washington, you may have heard him before. This writer became acquainted with his warm, professional, perfectly intoned, and well-articulated vocals on the two vocal albums from pianist David K. Mathews – […]
Dave Fields Force of Will FMI Records Dave Fields first came to national attention when he produced Roxy Perry’s “Back in Bluesville”. That cd won the Best Self-Produced CD award at the 2006 International Blues Challenge. Fields released his own debut recording “Times A Wastin’” in 2007. At the 2009 Blues Music Awards Fields played […]
Sam Joyner When u Need a Friend Sam Joyner Music Sam Joyner was born and raised in Chicago. His father, the Reverend Joyner, made sure that Sam spent his summers down South. So Joyner’s original music is a combination of urban Chicago blues and Louisiana styled R n’ B. Internationally known he spent twenty-three years […]
The Two Tracks Cheers to Solitude Cheers To Solitude, the newest album by Sheridan Wyoming’s Funky-Americana quartet, The TwoTracks, releases on August 14, 2020 amidst radio charting buzz. The Two Tracks have been making a name for themselves nationally since their self-titled debut was voted “Wyoming Best Album” by Wyoming Public Radio In 2016. The […]
Radam Schwartz Organ Big Band Message From Groove And GW Arabesque This is a year of some inventive organ releases and now one of the pacesetters for the jazz organ, Radam Schwartz, teams with drummer David F. Gibson and the Abel Mireles Jazz Exchange Big Band for a swinging trip through music inspired by Richard […]
Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowsky Please Leave Your Light On GawdAggie/Cooking Vinyl Australia’s greatest and most enduring songwriter, the exceptionally versatile Paul Kelly collaborates with perhaps the country’s best jazz pianist, and strong composer in his own right, Paul Grabowky – not “Me and Paul” but Paul and Paul. Yes, these are songs for just […]
JW-Jones Sonic Departures Solid Blues Records Canadian JW Jones released his debut album in 2000. Since then he has recorded with Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite, Little Charlie Baty, Hubert Sumlin, David “Fathead” Newman, and others. His eighth album, “High Temperature”, won the award for “Best Self-Produced CD” at the 2017 International Blues Challenge. His last […]
Chris Bevington Organisation Sand And Stone I remember a night in January of this year, I had made my annual trip to the fantastic “Skegness Blues And Rock Festival” over in the north east of England. Unmissable date in my musical calendar as far as I’m concerned. But that’s another story as they say over […]
Samoa Wilson with the Jim Kweskin Band I Just Want To Be Horizontal Kingswood Records During the early 1960’s there was a thriving folk music revival coming out of New York’s Greenwich Village. In 1963 the “Even Dozen Jug Band” released their album on Elektra Records. The music was fun, and among the band members […]
Cary Morin Dockside Saints Dockside Saints released August 7, 2020 and features an all-star cast of soulful players. Cary Morin releases the best album of his career at a time when promoting new music will take a higher power. There is something special at play here, perhaps something ancestral was captured, some ancient Native culture […]
Eliza Neals Black Crow Moan Eliza Neals has produced an album of soul stirring blues and rock n’ roll. You know that your in for a treat from the opening track “Don’t Judge The Blues” when it blast’s off with the meanest slide guitar that you are ever likely to hear, add in some hand […]
Jeff Fetterman Southern Son Self-released Hailing from western Pennsylvania, not exactly a blues hotbed, comes vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Jeff Fetterman, a self-taught bluesman, with his fourth album and one that may break his name out there beyond the regional success he’s had. Fetterman has placed highly in IBC in both 2017 and 2018 and won Rock Erie […]
Kat Riggins Cry Out Gulf Coast Records While growing up in Miami, Katriva Tabitha Riggins’ was instilled with a love for music. Her parent’s record collection included R n’ B, soul, gospel, hip-hop, country and rock n’ roll. Her primary influences soon became Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Etta James and Koko Taylor. Riggins landed a […]
Quinsin Nachoff Pivotal Arc Whirlwind Recordings Say the words “classical music” and it scares off plenty of would-be listeners, even the most fervent jazz listeners. Yet, we have so many examples of classical music in jazz from Miles to Mingus to Corea to Wayne Shorter and to the more contemporary Ambrose Akinmusire, to name a […]
The Lucky Losers (w/ Cathy Lemons & Phil Berkowitz) Godless Land Vizztone Label Group The Lucky Losers are a band fronted by vocalists Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz. Lemons is originally from the Dallas area where she used to run with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Anson Funderburgh. In 1987 she toured with John Lee Hooker. […]
Market Junction Burning Bridges Self-released Houston, Texas-based Market Junction grabs the listener right from the outset with lyrics to the opening “When Your Heart Begins to Break.” Try this line – “Love is not an anchor that steadies you at sea. It’s more like a shipwreck on a godforsaken beach.” As the album unfolds, it’s […]
Thundermother Heatwave Let’s get straight to the point, this album delivers in spade’s with song after song of red hot high voltage rock n’roll. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard songs of this quality. In fact if I’m being honest, it’s the Bon Scott era of AC/DC since I heard something this good. With songs […]
Slave To Sound Vol 5 The Muggs If proof was needed that honest, loud,driving rock n roll is still cutting it. You need look no further than the latest offering from Detroit rockers The Muggs. “Slave To Sound Vol 5”is a collection of songs designed to get your toes tapping and hands clapping. What’s called in […]
Scott Weis Band Simmer Me Down Sleepy Lodge Records Scott Weis began playing professionally in the 1990’s. Early on he worked with, or opened for, Jerry Garcia, Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy. He formed the Scott Weis Band in 2005; and recorded their well-received 2006 debut “Have A Lil Faith” with co-producer […]
Family Album Stephen Simmons Introducing new music from Stephen Simmons as he releases his Family Album on his indie Locke Creek label. These are uncertain times but perhaps one saving grace during the pandemic is that people are slowing down and reconnecting with family. The songs on Family Album are exactly that, a connection to […]
JD Taylor The Coldwater Sessions Vizztone Label Group JD Taylor is the harmonica ace, vocalist and front man for the Tennessee based blues band “Little Boys Blue”. Originally formed in 1993 they’re popularity continues to grow. In 2016 they released their fourth album, and first for Vizztone, “Tennissippi”, and followed up with 2018’s “Hard Blue […]
Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam Ain’t No Man A Good Man Mescal Canyon Records Wily Bo Walker is a Scottish born singer/songwriter who has had success in both Europe and the U.S. He combines Rock, Americana, Blues, Gospel and R n’ B into his own hallucinogenic stew. He performs his swamp and stomp “VoodooVille” […]
Susan Tobocman Touch & Go Soliterra Records Touch & Go could be the breakout album for vocalist/composer/arranger Susan Tobocman. This is her fourth album as a leader but here she steps forward with five originals of the dozen tunes, two of which are instrumentals, rare for one known mostly as a vocalist. Of course, Tobocman […]
Nicole Zuraitis All Wandering Hearts Dot Time All Wandering Hearts is Grammy® nominated vocalist, pianist, composer and arranger Nicole Zuraitis’ fourth album as a bandleader and it explores the raw emotions and tribulations of life on the road as a full-time musician. Listeners will take a journey through genre-bending jazz-adjacent soundscapes that are both complex and […]
Mark May Band Deep Dark Demon Gulf Coast Records Guitarist Mark May was born in Columbus, Ohio. As a young man he was already playing nightclubs before he turned fifteen. He relocated to Houston, Texas where he spent twenty years playing country music and rock in biker bars. Influenced by Albert Collins May turned to […]
Libby Rae Watson & Bert Deivert She Shimmy Hard Danger Studio Word is surely getting around in this ever smaller world of ours. In the past few months, this writer has been contacted by artists and/or producers in Russia, Cuba, and Sweden. We have covered some of the jazz artists on the Russian label, Rainy […]
Shawn Pittman Make It Right! Continental Blue Heaven Shawn Pittman was born in 1974, in Talihina Oklahoma, approximately 100 miles from Tulsa. His grandmother played boogie-woogie but instead of learning piano he picked up the guitar. He was influenced by the musicians he heard on the radio including Jimmy Reed, Elmore James and Hound Dog […]
Taylor Swift Folklore In a stroke of marketing genius,Taylor Swift dropped a surprise album with 17 hours notice on Friday. Swift’s 8th studio album titled Folklore proves that even as the world is in the midst of a pandemic, the music doesn’t have to stop. Fans went wild upon hearing the news of the lengthy […]
Orquesta Failde Failde Con Tumbao Egrem Word is surely getting around in this ever smaller world of ours. In the past few months, this writer has been contacted by artists and/or producers in Russia, Sweden, and Cuba. We have covered some of the jazz artists on the Russian label, Rainy Days and will be telling […]
Gravel & Grace Bringing The Blues Ava Grace Music Modesto California’s Big Earl Matthews is a twenty-year veteran of the local blues scene. He is bandleader of “Big Earl and the Cryin’ Shame” and an intense organizer of jams and events. He is also a member of the blues and roots band the “Poorhouse Millionaires”. […]
Home Page Making a Scene Reviews “InstaBand” The Movie The changes in the music industry and how music is consumed has forced the indie artist to adapt and look for new ways to navigate the world of Music Business. Streaming is now the delivery platform for music today and despite the fact that artists are […]
CD Woodbury World’s Gone Crazy Independent CD Woodbury developed a reputation as a sideman on the Pacific NW blues scene. He founded his own band in 2009 and released his debut Sunbanks Live! In 2010; resulting in winning the first of his eleven Washington Blues Society “Best of The Blues” awards and the moniker “The […]
Zen Zadravec Human Revolution Marmite (FACTOR) Two weeks ago, we brought you the outstanding big band debut from trumpeter and Canadian resident Derrick Gardner’s Big dig! Band in which Zen Zadravec was the pianist. Now the Canadian pianist, saxophonist, and composer Zadravec and his quintet Human Revolution, of which Gardner is a key member, brings […]
Mafalda Minnozzi Sensorial – Portraits in Bossa and Jazz Self-released Internationally acclaimed vocalist Mafalda Minnozzi presents Sensorial – Portraits in Bossa & Jazz. Under the musical direction of guitarist Paul Ricci and with the help of heavyweights like pianist Art Hirahara, bassists Essiet Okon Essiet and Harvie S, drummer Victor Jones and percussionists Will Calhoun and Rogério Boccato, Sensorial revisits and reimagines the Brazilian songbook, intersecting with NYC jazz. Pianist Hirahara just […]
Laura Cox Burning Bright “Burning Bright”the latest album by French blues rock sensation Laura Cox. Right from the opening track Fire Fire the pace is relentless, song after song of explosive high voltage rock n’ roll. The most difficult tasks for me, is to pick a favourite track, as the standard set is so high. But […]
Bill Kirchen The Proper Years The Last Music Co. Connecticut born Bill Kirchen attended high school in Ann Arbor. Later as a student at the University of Michigan he was a member of a country band with George Frayne and John Tichy. In 1967 they became the nucleus and co-founders of Commander Cody and the […]
Heathcote Hill The Stories We Are Told 311 Music Westchester County New York may not be a common base for many bands, but Heathcote Hill are proud to call Mamaroneck, NY home. Stories We Are Told is the band’s fifth album in less than four years. Produced and mixed by Timothy M. Hatfield (Keith Richards, […]
Too Slim And The Taildraggers The Remedy Vizztone Label Group Too Slim And The Taildraggers were first formed in 1986 by Spokane, Washington’s Timothy Lee “Too Slim” Langford. They released their debut recording “Swingin’ in the Underworld” in 1988. The prolific band received a 2012 Blues Music Award nomination in the category of “Blues Rock […]
Gregg Martinez Mac Daddy Mojeaux Nola Blue Records Gregg Martinez a.k.a. Mac Daddy was born in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1956, where he graduated from high school. His powerful tenor vocal style was inspired by soul icons Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Al Green; and contemporary Louisiana artists Johnny Adams and Luther Kent. His musical gumbo […]
Tony Davis Golden Year Posi-Tone Most jazz listeners are surely acquainted with one of the genre’s foremost trombonists, Steve Davis. The good news is his 25-year-old son, guitarist Tony Davis (hence referred to as Tony to avoid any confusion) has also picked up the mantle and is continuing the family’s musical legacy. Not only does […]
Benny Rubin Jr. Quartet Know Say or See Self-released This is the second release for emerging saxophonist Benny Rubin Jr., formerly from Flint, MI and now based in New York. Rubin leads a quarter, plays tenor and alto, and provided a mix of originals, some very edgy and free-form with a balance of standards that […]
The Addiction Formula Friedemann Findeisen Albino Publishing Kindle/Audio Book/Softcover If you are having trouble writing songs that pull the listener in from the first time they hear it, Friedemann Findeisen’s The Addiction Formula is the perfect guide not only for those just beginning, but established musicians as well. This easy to read book provides a […]
Bridget Kelly Band Dark Spaces Alpha Sun Records Bridget Kelly and Tim Fik met in May of 2007 and were married later that year. After producing two Americana albums for Bridget, Tim was convinced she should sing the blues. Thus the Bridget Kelly Band was formed. They recorded their debut album “Back in the Blues” […]
Ryan Cohan Originations Origin Acclaimed pianist, composer, producer, and Guggenheim Fellow Ryan Cohan brings his broad spectrum of musical influences and sensibilities across multiple genres into focus through a personal lens in this most ambitious work. Throughout his previous five critically acclaimed albums and as a collaborator with numerous leading jazz figures and world-class ensembles Cohan […]
Mick Hayes My Claim To Fame Move The Needle Music Upstate New York’s Mick Hayes was gifted his first guitar by his parents when he was only seven. By the time he was twenty he was a member, and songwriting contributor, to the Buffalo based band “Only Human” who opened for both Marshall Tucker and […]
Ten Penny Gypsy Fugitive Heart FUGITIVE HEART is the new full-length release from five-time Arkansas CMA nominee TEN PENNY GYPSY. The album releases July 10th, 2020 and is available on all streaming services and on TEN PENNY GYPSY’S official website. This is the Americana groups second album, and they again teamed up with renowned multi-instrumentalist […]
Billy Prine A Place I Used to Know Memphis International Records Billy Prine releases A Place I Used To Know on July 10 by Memphis International Records and is his first album release since 2013. It features two songs written by his legendary, late brother John Prine. Originally from Chicago and now living in Nashville, […]
Mandi Strachota Pictures Mandi Strachota is a very talented Atlanta singer/songwriter and musician. She was the winner of the Atlanta Blues Challenge and represented the city nobly in the International Blues Challenge 20220 in January. Her new album is called Pictures and it is a real treat, for the most part much lighter than her […]
Derrick Gardner Big dig! Band Still I Rise Impact Jazz This is the debut project for trumpeter, composer, and arranger Derrick Gardner. His Big dig! Band is a classic jazz orchestra – spectacular saxophone, trombone, and trumpet sections, studded with world-class musicians and anchored by a rock-solid rhythm section. For Still I Rise, Gardner has gathered musicians […]
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