When Ray Charles' musical director has the words "blues" and "soul" in large type on the covers of his own releases, there's a strong chance that's what the listener will find inside. They're definitely there in this compilation that reissues two of altoist Hank Crawford's Atlantic albums from the late '60s. The Mr. Blues set from 1968 is Crawford and a small horn section playing rocking blues riffs with a crack rhythm section. Instrumental R&B doesn't get much hipper. Crawford's tough but lyrical sound – informed by a bebopper's command and facility – is tailor-made for this blues-charged music.

What a joy it is to watch Peter Cincotti and his band on this great DVD "Live in New York"! Peter breathes new life into the songs from both his debut album as well as his most recent release, "On The Moon" which is included with the DVD. You can hear the Ray Charles influence on "The Girl I Knew". So much so that I was certain it was one of "The Genius"'s songs! What a pleasant surprise to learn that the song was written by Peter himself! The performances are nothing short of excellent. I guarantee, "A Night in Tunisia" will leave you speechless! In this world of lip sync and lackluster deliveries of songs, Peter Cincotti is like a fine glass of Cabernet after far too many years of grape juice. And like Caberbet, he will contiue to grow better with time.

Bob Mintzer composes great contemporary jazz. He's got everything from the laid-back swing of Tribute to the funky-bop of Computer. Truly a classic album!

The legendary Screamin' Jay Hawkins was a great influence on many musicians and his performances were so highly provocative in their originality that even today they can be considered 'revolutionary'.

Check out the picture of Sonny Rhodes on the front cover; he's one snappy dresser who looks like he's in total control. Love that turban with matching red patent leather shoes and kerchief! The music inside is as classy and eloquent as Mr. Rhodes himself, a bluesman in control of all variations of blues beats, along with the unique lap steel guitar as an instrumental voice to accompany his own gruff, hoarse and knowing vocalizing.The lap steel works especially well on the title track, a song bemoaning a society corrupted by family abuse and drugs. Rhodes gets off some appropriately chaotic and screaming leads. He waxes eloquent with a sweeping, sustained sound on his duet with guest star Kenny Neal on "Drink Muddy Water," with a great vocal to boot…..

Way-kool new studio disc by the BLINDSIDE BLUES BAND featuring Mike Onesko & Co. rockin' the blues on this excellent follow-up to the first volume of "Smokehouse Sessions". Includes 10 awesome tracks of raw, hard-edged, bad-ass, dirty, blues-based, heavy guitar BBB jams. Includes Special Guest and Axeripper Supreme - JAY JESSE JOHNSON jammin' on three killer, BBB heavy guitar rockers that are guaranteed to kick your ass & rock your low-down "Evil Blues" away.

Ostensibly a jam session with ABA head-solos-tail formatting, Hawkins proves again and again why his sound is not only the epitome of jazz, but forever timeless. Trumpeter Joe Thomas and trombonist Vic Dickenson are by no means showboats, and they cannot steal the spotlight from Bean. But Tommy Flanagan threatens to on occasion, as he asserts himself on solos with a fervor that goes beyond Hawkins. Bubbling under all this virtuosity, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Osie Johnson do their swinging thing with open ears and instruments always at the ready to fire.