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.
Lyle Odjick & The Northern Steam Through the Rain Tone King Here’s a new blues artist from the Great White North. Lyle Odjick hails from the Algonquin reservation of Kitigan Zibi, QC, now based in Ottawa, ON. As you might guess, he went from living in a small town with little exposure to blues or […]
Eyal Vilner Big Band The Jam! Self-released Multi-instrumentalist Eyal Vilner follows up his 2019 swing dancing effort, Swing Out where the band recorded live with swing dancers in the studio with The Jam! continuing to celebrate the renaissance of swing dancing and serve as one of its leading voices on the modern-day big band scene. Born in Tel […]
Dana Fitzsimmons with Bill Graham and Brandon Boone Fault Lines Self-released Jazz trio albums come in many shapes, colors, and configurations with this one, Fault Lines, in the standard piano-bass-drums lineup, anything but standard in its delivery of the music which, for lack of a better term, is free jazz. Drummer and leader Dana Fitzsimmons […]
Julius Rodriguez Let Sound Tell All Verve We almost got caught not paying attention. Much has been said of the so-called new vanguard of jazz whether that means cross-genre types such as Derrick Hodge, Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin and their godfather of sorts, Robert Glasper, yet 23-year-old New York-based keyboards player and drummer Julius Rodriguez […]
Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra In the Valley Stricker Street Recently we’ve seen projects blending the music of Africa and the Middle East. Bandleader and bass clarinetist Todd Marcus takes a slightly different tact in blending Arab (specifically Egyptian music with American jazz on this stimulating project featuring a nonet. Marcus’ dad is an Egyptian and […]
Dylan Triplett Who is He Vizztone Label Group Produced by bassist Larry Fulcher Triplett’s debut includes contributions from guitarist Johnny Lee Schell and on organ the late Mike Finnigan. The album was recorded at the Blue Lotus Studio in St. Louis. Other guitarists include Dr. Wayne Goins and special guests Chris-tone Kingfish Ingram, Sean McDonald, […]
The Harpoonist and the Axe Murder Live at the King Eddy It’s a rare occasion where a live album is my first experience with a band’s music, and it turns me into an instant fan. Live at the King Eddy, the latest release from The Harpoonist and the Axe Murder is definitely the center point of one of […]
Evan Drybread Tiger Tail Self-released Evan Drybread is a freelance saxophonist from Indianapolis, Indiana and performs with the finest musicians in the Midwest. Although performing mostly in Central Indiana, Evan has performed around the globe including time as a show band musician for Royal Caribbean International. Drybread’s debut album Tiger Tail highlights his tenor and soprano sax […]
Kat Riggins Progeny Gulf Coast Diminutive, powerhouse blues vocalist Kat Riggins has a trademark slogan – “Reviving the Blues One Song at a Time.” On her fourth full-length album and first for Gulf Coast Records, Progeny, brings more than just a blues revival, she brings a mix of Black music ranging form soul to funk […]
Clemens Grassmann Grass Machine Self-released Drummer and composer Clemens Grassmann is obviously elated to record this album, Grass Machine, as he says in this quote, “‘We left the drums the way Billy Hart had set them up,’ they told me as I entered the drum booth,” recalls Grassmann. “I had never felt such a sensation, […]
Vadim Neselovskyi Odesa: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary City Sunnyside The images of Ukraine that we see today are of war-torn cities while press reports and video clips praise the resilience of its people. Pianist and composer Vadim Neselovskyi gives us an artful, insightful musical tour of one the countries most famous cities, Odesa, […]
John Lee The Artist Cellar Music Group Okay, this writer confesses to a bias toward Cory Weeds’ Cellar Music Group. (see Grant Stewart Quartet) They just continue to issue great recordings as exemplified here by the debut as a leader for 28-year-old bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Lee from Vancouver. The Artist is a straight-ahead, swinging […]
Brian Landrus Red List: Music Dedicated to the Preservation of Our Endangered Species Palmetto Brian Landrus works the low end but has a high-minded mission. The poll winner on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet delivers his eleventh album as a leader with a fervent cause – Red List: Music Dedicated to the Preservation of Our […]
Grant Stewart Quartet with Bruce Harris The Lighting of the Lamps Cellar Music Aside from the alluring title, which in terms of words alone, not music, recalls Jim Hendrix’s “Burning of the Midnight Lamp,” we have a straight-ahead, inspired session led by Toronto-born, NYC-based tenorist Grant Stewart and his usual contingent plus rising NYC-based trumpeter […]
Gary Cain Next Stop Next Stop, the latest release from Canadian blues-rocker Gary Cain, takes off like a rocket, and soars to the heavens. His guitar prowess is extraordinary and an absolute treat to hear. Cain, a 2018 semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, has talents which run much deeper though. This ten-track album reveals just how much. Written […]
Bennett Matteo Band Shake the Roots Gulf Coast Okay, you may not be familiar with the names Jade Bennett and Gino Matteo but there are lots of familiar names and reference points around their eclectic debut, Shake the Roots. Kid Andersen, plays guitar, is a co-producer, and hosted the recording sessions at his famed Greaseland […]
Caili O’Doherty Quarantine Dream Posi-Tone Here’s a fresh name for most of us and a different band than the usual Posi-Tone rhythm section. Caili O’Doherty is a pianist originally from Portland, OR but based in NYC for over the last decade. She is an award-winning performer as well as an educator, holding a Bachelor of […]
Billy Mohler Anatomy Contagious Music The leader, bassist Billy Mohler has worked as a sideman, producer, and songwriter for Dolly Parton. Macy Gray. Lady Gaga, Mavis Staples, Nile Rogers and others. The tenor saxophonist Chris Speed recently joined the revamped Bad Plus. The trumpeter Shane Endsley and drummer Nate Wood play in the Grammy-nominated jazz=-funk […]
Dave Specter Six String Soul: 30 Years on Delmark Delmark Records Dave Specter opens Disc one with the song “Buzz Me Baby” and the line “buzz me baby, I’ll be waiting for your call, if you forgot the number you don’t have to call at all. Specter is always evolving utilizing tempo changes as on […]
Bob Margolin and Bob Corritore So Far Vizztone Lable Group Bob Margolin vocals and guitar, and Bob Corritore harmonica are both previous Blues Music Award winners. Corritore who holds eight nominations overall, won a BMA for “Historical Album of the Year” in 2011. Bob Margolin has 13 nominations overall and has won five which is […]
Will Bernard Pond Life Dreck to Disk So, as we learned from Grammy-nominated guitarist Will Bernard’s 2021 trio recording Ancient Grains, basically a soul-jazz outing on Posi-Tone covered on these pages, Bernard is a very versatile cat. Here is the opening to the previous review, just to set us up. Bernard, a Berkeley CA native […]
Alan Pasqua, Peter Erskine, Derek Oles Live in Italy Fuzzy Music If you’re not up on the whereabouts of former Weather Report drummer Peter Erskine, he continues to play both in fusion and acoustic formats. On this date, recorded live in Camogli, Italy in November 2021, Erskine shies away from titling the effort under his […]
Martin Bejerano CubanAmerican FR Miami-born pianist and composer Martin Bejerano straddles the lines between post-bop jazz and Latin music. With humility he claims not be a great Latin player, summing up his latest effort, #CubanAmerican, by saying, “It’s not Cuban music and not American music. It’s Cuban American music.” Take his humility lightly. He is […]
Brad “Guitar” Wilson Brad “Guitar” Wilson Not to be confused with another Brad Wilson, Brad “Guitar” Wilson is an exciting entertainer. Considered more than a talented guitarist he is also a talented entertainer having toured with the legendary group “Chicago”. Wilson has opened for Buddy Guy, Cheap Trick, “.38 Special”, Marshall Tucker, and Tommy Castro. […]
Drive-by Truckers Welcome 2 Club XIII ATO America’s preeminent rock band, The Drive-by Truckers, deliver a different, more personal, and nostalgic album with Welcome 2 Club XIII, a major departure from the politically charged The Unraveling and the New OK from 2020. The album takes its name from the Muscle Shoals honky-tonk where founding members […]
Sass Jordan Bitches Blues Stony Plain Records Sass Jordan starred in the off-broadway Janis Joplin show “Love Janis”. She also toured the world with “A Bowie Celebration”. She started her solo career with a single “Tell Somebody” in 1988 and won a JUNO award, Canada’s equivalent of our Blues Music Awards. She earned three more […]
Christopher Lockett At the Station Gritbiscuit At the Station is the fourth album for rootsy-blues singer-songwriter Christopher Lockett. He’s a storyteller whose music lies somewhere between hard outlaw country and blues rock. He may be hard to categorize but is undoubtedly a gifted songwriter with insightful and provocative lyrics. Lockett has more than a few […]
Ryan Lee Crosby Winter Hill Blues It was two years ago I first heard Ryan Lee Crosby play at the virtual Juke Joint Fest in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The annual event was thrown for a spin in 2020 due to Covid 19, so organizers cleverly decided to take the festival online in a virtual sense with free live Facebook streams, and […]
John Minnock Simplicity Dot Time Singer and song interpreter John Minnock returns with Simplicity, reprising his artistic partnership with saxophonist-composer and NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman and following Minnock’s acclaimed 2020 release Herring Cove, which we covered on these pages. Minnock continues to evolve his sound, but fans of Kurt Elling and Mark Winkler will find that Minnock has a […]
Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead Poetic Vision Ahead Music Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead are releasing their third album, Poetic, as this group of five musicians that have played together for over a decade, many of whom are band leaders themselves, forge a dynamic, fresh sound. Maintaining the original lineup, the cast features acclaimed drummer Jonathan Barber at […]
Steve Forbert Moving Through America Blue Rose Admittedly this writer was smitten with singer-songwriter Steve Forbert’s 1978 debut, Alive on Arrival and its 1979 follow-up Jackrabbit Slim. He’s made close to twenty records since with a few worthy gems such as 1997’s Here’s Your Pizza and 2012’s Over With You, continually maintaining his signature folk-rock […]
Dionna Greenleaf I Ain’t Playing’ Little Village Readers of these page likely realize that blues vocalist/shouter Diunna Greenleaf is one of the best belting it out today, but she sadly remains criminally under the radar. We’d be remiss not to mention that Greenleaf has already won three Blues Music Awards and countless nominations, but yet […]
Oded Tzur Isabela ECM Israeli-born and raised New York City based saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator Oded Tzur issues his fourth album and second for the ECM label with Isabela, his follow-up to Here Be Dragons. Tzur’s sound on the saxophone is unlike anyone else. That’s because he marries Indian Classical music with jazz and developed a […]
Zero Naught Again Omnivore Not being familiar with the band Zero, a quick scan of the personnel revealed all one needs to know. Surely Deadheads and Jerry Garcia fans know Robert Hunter, Vince Welnick, and John Kahn. The names of the co-founders, guitarist Steve Kimock and drummer Greg Anton should be familiar too as well […]
Big Jack Johnson Stripped Down in Memphis M.C. Big Jack Johnson, guitarist/songwriter/vocalist was one of the few bluesmen from Clarksdale, MS who stayed home. He never migrated north like Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, and John Lee Hooker. Stripped Down in Memphis is a posthumous release of acoustic blues, pairing the legendary bluesman with harmonica master […]
Hendrik Meurkens and the WDR Big Band Samba Jazz Odyssey Zoho Pairing the smallest instrument, a harmonica as the featured lead with a 17-piece big band is paradoxical to begin with. Throw in the notion that the harmonicist, the practically iconic Henrik Meurkens delivers his Latin jazz compositions, a genre that rarely features the instrument, […]
Diunna Greenleaf I Ain’t Playin’ Little Village I Ain’t Playin’, the latest release from Texas blues artist Diunna Greenleaf is a must-hear. This three-time Blues Music Award winner, dishes out thirteen wonderful tracks, incorporating blues, soul, funk, and southern gospel. Her amazing vocals are backed by a stellar lineup of musicians which include producer Kid Andersen on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, and Derrick […]
Nick Daniels and The Groove Krewe Run to Daylight Sound Business Services On Ivan Neville’s “Dumpstaphunk: Where Do We Go from Here” Nick Daniels III plays bass and is one of three featured vocalists. In the Groove Krewe Daniels steps upfront. The songs are written by Dale Murray and guitarists Rex Pierce and Nelson Blanchard. […]
Joey Alexander Origin Mack Avenue Rising jazz pianist, the Indonesian, Joey Alexander has already achieved three GRAMMY® nominations, performed from the Obama White House to the Grand Ole Opry to most recently, the floor of the United Nations and the child prodigy is still three years shy of legal drinking age. Origin, his debut for […]
Christina Vane Make Myself Me Again Red Parlor Make Myself Me Again is the follow-up for resonator-playing, foot-stomping Cristina Vane who made her auspicious debut in 2021 with Nowhere Sounds Lovely. While blues was an essential focus of the debut, Vane revealed her affection for mountain music, folk music, and even western waltzes. Having moved […]
Specky Cult Jumping on our own bandwagon Long awaited and finally here! The debut album from “Specky Cult”. Specky Cult is Andy McGrevy Rob Glover and Carol Stephen. Coming from the north east of England, they bring a breath of fresh air to the music scene with ultra-cool sound and lyrics that are as endearing as they are original. Funny, […]
Dave Weld Nightwalk Delmark Records Dave Weld was born in Chicago in 1952 and his interest in the Stones, Clapton and Mayall started changing in high school when he heard Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin Hopkins, and B.B. King. After high school Weld moved to New Mexico and studied jazz and met and jammed with Gatemouth Brown. […]
Vaneese Thomas Fight the Good Fight Blue Heart Records There was a definite magic in the air when Vaneese Thomas recorded Fight the Good Fight at the famed Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, a place once home to Hi Records and the Hi Rhythm Section. The album represents all which I love about Memphis music: the soulful melodies, the funky intoxicating rhythms, the horns, […]
Jarkka Rissanen Tonal Box feat. Kalle Fält Bones Humu Records Having reviewed Finnish guitarist Jarkka Rissanen’s 2021 album Cargo last year, I was quite anxious to hear his latest release Bones with his band Tonal Box featuring Kalle Fält. Like his previous album, this one is comprised entirely of instrumentals divinely steeped in jazz fusion leaning into funk and blues. Tonal Box is comprised of Rissanen on guitars, lap […]
Charlie Musselwhite Mississippi Son Alligator Records Charlie Musselwhite’s last Alligator recording “100 Years of Blues” was recorded with Elvin Bishop and the album resulted in Blues Music Awards for both Album of The Year and Traditional Blues Album. Musselwhite has also been the winner of the Traditional Blues Male Artist and he continues to display […]
Brad Absher and the Superials Tulsa Tea Horton Records Brad Absher was one of several guitarists who played on Annika Chambers debut album released in 2014. Later that same year Absher released his own debut album combining original songs with selected covers including William Bell’s “You Don’t Miss Your Water Until Your Well Runs Dry” […]
Erik Friedlander A Queen’s Firefly Skiptone If the instrumental configuration of cello, piano, bass, and drums doesn’t wow you from the outset, you will feel quite differently after hearing this inventive, often exhilarating music led by cellist Erik Friedlander and his quartet named The Throw comprised of elite Downtown players who are all bandleaders– Uri […]
Peter Manning Robinson Celestial Candy Owl Walk So, you haven’t heard anything new in music lately? Welcome to a totally unique sound from multiple award-winning composer and pianist Peter Manning Robinson. In fact, we’ll have to expand his job title once we mention that he is the inventor of The Refractor Piano™ a new way […]
Delbert McClinton Outdated Emotion Hot Shot Records “Outdated Emotion” is Delbert McClinton’s 30th album. It’s difficult to know where to begin when reviewing such a prolific artist. McClinton combines elements of jazz, rock and blues into his own homemade stew. In 2013 Delbert reunited with Glen Clark. The pair had recorded “Delbert and Glen” in […]
The Hogtown Allstars Hog Wild “The Hog Town Allstars” debut album is appropriately named “Hog Wild”. It consists of some truly dynamic and experienced players. Collectively they have earned more than 20 Maple Blues Awards, five JUNO awards, two Lifetime Achievement Awards and countless other blues and jazz awards. The band features former DownChild Blues […]
