DJ for The Blues Alley Show
OCEAN SHORES, Washington, United States
I started collecting music in 1962, at the age of 10. In 1973 I went to work at Budget Tapes and Records in Burien , Wa. I started as a clerk, in 6 months I was promoted to Mgr. In 1975 I became a multiple location mgr. In 1977 I became the Western Region Operations Manager over seeing 100+ stores in 10 states for the corporate office. In 1978 I added Blues buyer to my duties.
In 1983 I left the Record business and began a 12 year run in the HiFi store management... Read More
Latest Album Reviews
Review of Adagio for Strings and Soul (432 Hz) [feat. David Darling]
Album Info: Adagio for Strings and Soul (432 Hz) [feat. David Darling]
Steven Halpern Album: Adagio for Strings and Soul (432 Hz) [feat. David Darling] Label: Self-Release Genre(s): New Age Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Jan 7, 2025
Review
Steven Halpern is best known as a solo keyboard artist, yet he has also produced major albums featuring an array of New Age and jazz all-stars. Released in 2024, Adagio For Strings And Soul (432Hz) is a collaboration between Halpern and the late cellist David Darling, who first rose to fame with the Paul Winter Consort.
Adagio For Strings And Soul (432Hz) serves as a testament to both Steven Halpern’s and David Darling’s iconic careers as pioneers of New Age and contemporary instrumental music.
The album features a more sophisticated sound design and production values, complete with lush, orchestral arrangements, giving the album a more intricate and multi-dimensional sound than many of Halpern’s solo or duet recordings.
A good example of Halpern’s “Earthy to Ethereal” approach to recording
MOTU Album: Awareness or Illusion Label: Self-Release Genre(s): Blues Rock Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Jan 2, 2025
Review
Awareness Or Illusion is the 24th official album from Long Island’s MOTU. It’s a true blues / rock / pop masterpiece. A throwback to MOTU’s very early albums which had an unmistakable raw American-Roots Rock sound dominated by guitar. Dr Richard Michelson (MOTU®) once again plays a plethora of instruments on this album; keyboards, mandolin, harmonica, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, pedal steel guitar, and dobro. However, this is definitely a guitarist’s album. Dr Rich shreds with style at times sounding like Warren Haynes, Keith Richards, Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, and even Jeff Beck.
In fact the fourth song on the album, titled “For Jeff”, is an awesome instrumental fusion guitar tribute to the late guitar icon. MOTU’s performance channels Jeff Beck to the point of actually sounding like him. Ed Modzel joins in on drums sounding
Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra Album: Things Will Pass Label: Pacific Coast Jazz Genre(s): Jazz Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Jan 1, 2025
Review
Pacific Coast Jazz chalks up another winner with Things Will Pass, the 2024 release by the NYC-based Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra. The 9-track, 60 minute album is a fine example of modern day big band jazz. All instrumental, save for one vocal track, the album verifies Ms. Hong to be a gifted composer and producer and she receives able assistance from co-producer Matt Panayides, who also released his own jazz-guitar trio album in 2024 as well.
Start to finish Things Will Pass presents a good vehicle for Ms. Hong’s 19-piece jazz orchestra. Musically, while delving into the realm of American big band music, the album also bends in several influences from her native Korea, especially on track 2 “Memoirs Of Ladies”. Among the musicians featured here are sax master Rich Perry, a jazz veteran that played with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Perry is just one of the many
CW Ayon Album: Bounce Boogie & Bump Label: Self-Release Genre(s): Contemporary BluesUnknown Posted By: Duane Verh
Dec 29, 2024
Review
CW Ayon generates sufficient deep-blues mojo of a highly personal nature to drive this stack of tasty single-riff offerings to a consistently ear-pleasing conclusion. Piloting a classic street musician’s guitar-and-drum rig, the New Mexico-based Mr. Ayon scores big on tracks including “Southwest Mama”, “Wiggle & Shake” and the highlt infectious title track.
Ángel Ontalva Album: Persian Courtyard Label: OctoberXart Genre(s): Progressive Rock Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Dec 24, 2024
Review
In a fitting twist of musical fate, Madrid Spain based Ángel Ontalva has injected new life into the ancient progressive rock sound. In the spirit of the great 1970's Spanish instrumental prog-rock guitarist Gualberto Garcia, the 2024 album by Ángel, called Persian Courtyard, finds him in the studio with some fine musicians supporting his guitar and mellotron visions. His music is all-instrumental and combines a Spanish flair to the progressive rock tapestry.
It's quite interesting to hear newer artists featuring the fabled Mellotron keyboard sound made famous 60 years ago by the original Moody Blues founder Mike Pinder, who sadly passed away at age 82 just this past April of 2024. Later bands inspired by his introduction of the mellotron to the rock world, such as King Crimson YES and Genesis, took Pinder’s defining keyboard inovations to even more
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For fans of Beirut, Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor and Keren Ann. The lush bucolic folk of ‘Season to Season’ is the first... Read Full Article
Sep 12, 2024 -
Indiana based Singer Songwriter Abbie Thomas to release eagerly awaited second album Sept 27
The candid creative spark behind Abbie... Read Full Article
Jul 31, 2024 -
FOLK MUSICIANS CATHY FINK, MARCY MARXER, AND
CHAO TIAN ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM,
FROM CHINA TO APPALACHIA
THE GLOBAL MUSIC PROJECT... Read Full Article
Jun 12, 2024 -
Embark on a musical journey across Africa that celebrates the rich cultural tapestry of the continent with Putumayo's African... Read Full Article
Jun 3, 2024 -
Few musical compositions have so successfully tapped into that elusive formula of the enduring human spirit that is the recipe for timeless... Read Full Article
May 21, 2024 -
Released in mid-2024, It’s Worth It is the second solo album by Delay Tactics guitarist and keyboard player David Udell. It’s Worth It... Read Full Article
Mar 15, 2024 -
CMH RECORDS (Country. Music. Heritage.) maintains a rich history of classic country and bluegrass albums and is honoring several of these legacy... Read Full Article
