Bierman, Ben: Some Takes On The Blues

Brooklyn-based Ben Bierman is a multi-instrumentalist/composer/arrange and band leader with a couple of albums to his credit; Beyond Romance (2013) and his latest titled Some Takes On The Blues (2018).

This is a very good blues album which is slightly different than your typical blues affair. Perhaps its Bierman’s trumpet work that sets it apart from others in the genre. The disc contains nine tracks and a relatively short running time of just over thirty-three minutes.

The Latin infused “Bolero Blues� begins the disc with an energetic boogie highlighting excellent drumming from Willie Martinez. This is certainly one you could play at your next party as it’s a real toe tapper. With “Carmel Meets Shrader�, Bierman’s trumpet and Andy Reiss’ acoustic guitar trade some great licks. The trumpet has a different tone, presumably from a mute and it suits the bare bones blues approach rather well. “Pretty Blues� is just that, a lovely little blues ballad, very laid back and chill. The expressive trumpet work and Bierman’s tasteful keyboards percolating at a leisurely pace make this one of my favourite tracks. Another highlight is the fantastic finger picked guitar in “Leo’s Rag�, reminding me a little of some of Mark Knopfler’s solo work. Bierman’s guitar skills are certainly noticed here. The traditional sounding “Valeria Street Blues� again features Reiss’ excellent guitar work along with Bierman’s ever present trumpet blasts.

Some Take On The Blues is an excellent, you guessed it, blues album. One that I will be playing for some time to come.

Track Listing:
1. Bolero Blues (4:24)
2. Carmel Meets Shrader (4:05)
3. Pretty Blues (3:54)
4. Leo’s Rag (2:08)
5. Valeria Street Blues (3:15)
6. Let’s Chill One (5:00)
7. AC Shuffle (3:26)
8. Blues For WC (2:59)
9. Dum Dee Dim (3:47)

Added: April 25th 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1040
Language: english

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