KRISTEN R. BROMLEY QUARTET

WES 101

Kristen R. Bromley Music

Kristen R. Bromley, guitar/composer; Melanie Shore, organ; David Ian Baker, bass; Matt Coleman, drums.

“Wes 101” is Kristen’s fifth jazz album as a bandleader and gifted guitarist. In total, she’s released seven albums on her own independent label, two releases being solo guitar and including a collection of hymns and another solo guitar recording of Christmas songs. This recent release is a tribute to one of her inspirations, the iconic Wes Montgomery.

The quartet’s opening tune titled “Bring it On” is one of those blues productions where you can sing a number of familiar songs to the chord changes.  Various melodies fit comfortably inside these standard blues chords. Matt Coleman shuffles his drums, and Melanie Shore digs into her organ blues bag. This tune swings hard, with Kristen out-front playing her soulful guitar solo. Bassist, David Ian Baker steps stage center to offer a funky bass blues solo.  Both the beginning guitar introduction, and the way Kristen Bromley comes back into the tune (after the solos) remind me of an unforgettable Chuck Berry guitar lick.

Bromley has borrowed from several established compositions, to create her own.  For example, on “Wes 101” (her title tune) the chord progressions and melodic ideas were inspired by the Wes original tune, “Four on Six.”

Then comes “Cherished Moments” which sounds very much like the Erroll Garner standard, “Misty.”  On her composition “House of Fire” Bromley once again borrowed the formal structure and chord progressions from the Wes Montgomery tune, “Full House.”

Threaded through all the tunes is Bromley’s love affair with ‘the blues.’  She stiches the blues into each tune with her guitar strings. The talented guitarist has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Education from Boston University, a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies, with an additional BA major in Family History and Genealogy from Brigham Young University.

Kristen B. Bromley loves life and believes in the power of music to uplift and edify the soul. I was thoroughly entertained and inspired by her music.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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