Ed Alstrom

This Idea Of Humanity

Haywire Records

Ed Alstrom has enjoyed a rich and remarkably diverse musical career. He began playing music at the age of five on his family’s Hammond M-3 organ. While he is best known as a bluesman, his background extends far beyond that label. Alstrom has worked as a church organist and choir director, a guitarist at a temple, a conductor of a mandolin orchestra, a Broadway pit musician, a radio DJ, and even a keyboard designer for Casio. He is a Backstage Bistro Award winner and a MAC Award nominee on the New York cabaret circuit.

His performance résumé is equally expansive, including work with Bette Midler, Chuck Berry, Leonard Bernstein, Herbie Hancock, Odetta, Dion, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, Steely Dan, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jimmy Vivino, Rob Paparozzi, Hubert Sumlin, John Sebastian, and many others. Alstrom has also served as the organist for New York Yankees weekend home games and represented the North Jersey Blues Society in the solo/duo category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. His first solo release was Flee Though None Pursue. This Idea of Humanity is his follow-up recording.

On this album, Alstrom handles all lead vocals and plays organ, piano, melodica, clavinet, synthesizer, Suzuki Andes, bass, guitars, percussion, and drums. He is joined by Jimmy Vivino, who sings on one track and plays guitar on another. Backing vocals are provided by Ula Hedwig and Maxine Alstrom, with Meredith Greenberg contributing ethereal vocals and djembe, and Don Guinta on drums.

The album opens with “Put You First,” a soaring, Ray Charles–inspired love song driven by a furious Hammond organ solo and Alstrom’s fervent vocal. He proclaims, “My love is deep and wide, a love that’s strong and vast. I’m gonna put you first, and I’m gonna make it last.” The defiant blues anthem “All I’m Gonna Do” follows, with Alstrom declaring, “We’ve only so much time on this mortal coil… all I’m gonna do is play the blues,” supported by a melodic solo that effectively replaces a harmonica.

The philosophical groove of “Human” cuts to the heart of the album’s title as Alstrom sings, “I love this idea of humanity, it’s these humans I just can’t tolerate.” “Nothing Good to Say” rolls along as a blues shuffle, rooted in a childhood lesson that still echoes in his mind: “If you got nothing good to say, don’t say nothing at all.”

“Bridesmaid” opens with a sanctified church organ introduction before evolving into a bluesy update of the familiar “always a bridesmaid, never the bride” theme. Alstrom’s longtime friend Jimmy Vivino joins him on vocals for “Party Planner,” reviving their Sam & Dave–style chemistry as Alstrom tears into a Hammond solo and sings, “I say hey party planner, plan a party for me. I’m rid of this woman and I’m as happy as I can be.”

“Understanding” is a slow blues that finds Alstrom in reflective mode, wrestling with miscommunication and emotional distance. “Blues Keep Coming Back” serves as his ode to the resilience of the genre itself, asserting that the blues is eternal and ever-renewing.

On the upbeat “Go Ahead,” Alstrom explores the freedom of letting others speak their piece without wasting energy in response. The jazzy “Inquiring Minds” updates a familiar slogan into a plea for unity and reason, urging an end to division, hatred, and war.

“The Way Back” is a primal slow blues featuring Vivino on slide guitar, as Alstrom confronts personal reckoning and the long road toward redemption. “So Hard” is a driving tribute to the unsung workers of the world, reminding listeners to recognize the labor that supports everyday life.

The album closes with “Worry,” enriched by Meredith Greenberg’s ethereal backing vocals, as Alstrom offers a hard-earned perspective on peace of mind: “Don’t worry about the world, ’cause each spin might be its last.”

Organ music traces its origins back to ancient Greece, but Ed Alstrom’s modern approach has roots all its own. This Idea of Humanity stands as both a personal statement and a thoughtful message to the world.

Richard Ludmerer

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