STATION_MANAGER for Hambone's Blues Party
Long Grove, Illinois, United States
Scott "Hambone" Hammer, a Chicago-based attorney, went on-air with Hambone's Blues Party in November 1995, broadcasting from a small Arlington Heights radio station, WCBR 92.7FM. Thirteen years and 650 shows later, he currently can be found on listener-supported public radio, WDCB 90.9FM, simulcast on the web at www.wdcb.org, every Thursday, from 10 p.m. until midnight.
Hambone's Blues Party has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times and Daily... Read More
Latest Album Reviews
Review of Kallio
Album Info: Kallio
Paivi Hirvonen Album: Kallio Label: Nordic Notes Genre(s): World Posted By: Joe Ross
Sep 16, 2022
Review
Päivi Hirvonen is a Helsinki-based composer and musician who uses violin, voice and Finnish bowed lyre (jouhikko) as her instruments. With one foot firmly planted in tradition, she also has another boldly going in the direction of new traditions. A 2011 Master of Music graduate from Sibelius Academy, Hirvonen is currently pursuing a doctoral degree with her research in solo performance and storytelling. While involved with the bands, Okra Playground and The LempiLempi Duo, she also released a solo album in 2018 called Alku – The Beginning that received great feedback for its artistry, sensitivity and strength.
On Kallio, Hirvonen arranges her original music with both traditional folk sensibilities and pop aesthetics. Besides her impressive ability to simultaneously play fiddle and sing, Kallio incorporates multi-tracked vocal harmonies and programming to deliver
The Webasto Album: Second Round Label: Self-Release Genre(s): Surf Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Sep 15, 2022
Review
Hailing from the Northern European country of Finland, The Webasto carries on the surf-rock instrumental sound in style on their 2022 comeback album simply titled Second Round and, overall the album is a welcome return to form for the band nearly 18 years after their 2004 album Cold And Hunger. The 13-track album features a heavy accent on the Finnish “Rautalanka” guitar style that blends a reverb-heavy Ventures / Shadows instro guitar style with even more refined European melodic edges.
There’s even a surf-rock arrangement of the theme song from the mid-1960s TV show The Munsters. With no heavy Finnish vocals in the way, that Rautalanka style of guitar instrumental music has stayed extremely popular throughout Finland and much of Scandinavia since the 1960s. Featuring a very clean electric guitar sound and haunting melodies to suit their sound, The Webasto breathes
Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues Album: More Different Voices Label: Dawnserly Genre(s): Contemporary Blues Posted By: Duane Verh
Sep 11, 2022
Review
The cross-weaving of Corky Siegel’s masterful blues harp with a classical string ensemble, and with a tabla underneath for good measure, makes for compelling listening that continually refreshes itself with track-by-track tweaks. Mr. Siegel’s own play is particularly striking in minor-key mode as evidenced on the leadoff track, “No One’s Got Them Like I Do”. The blues/classical confrontation plays out in a delightful manner with vocalist Marcella Detroit’s treatment of her own “There Goes My Man”. Features on their own compositions by Toronzo Cannon- “Insurance” and Tracy Nelson- “Down So Low” are strong airplay bets. The latter is a don’t-miss performance.
Tuultenpesä Album: Vindstilla Label: Aania Genre(s): World Posted By: Joe Ross
Sep 5, 2022
Review
Formed in 2016, Tuultenpesä is a Finnish/Swedish flute ensemble whose moniker means “Wind’s Nest.” Specializing in folk wind instruments, they got their start from a collaborative effort between Finnish ensemble Wind on Wind and Swedish Zephyr. On Vindstilla, their music features an array of historical and contemporary flutes, recorders and whistles, joined by one member Leena Laitinen’s vocals on four tracks: “Omväg lång” (A Long Detour),” Lumisade” (Snowfall), “Sisot” (Sisters) and “Kråkan” (The Crow).
The group’s other members are Kristiina Ilmonen, Mimmi Laaksonen, Göran Månsson, Kirsi Ojala and Jonas Simonson. Each brings considerable skill with traditional and modern instruments, along with experience as composers, arrangers and teachers. For example,
Dan Chadburn Album: Always Label: Self-Release Genre(s): New Age Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Aug 31, 2022
Review
Over the past 5 years, a pair of recent solo albums from South Florida-based piano wizard Dan Chadburn—Love Themes For Solo Piano (2019) and Held In The Light (2017)—were critically-acclaimed masterpieces of superb, instrumental solo piano. Dan’s long-awaited 2022 return to the recording world, Always, is his ninth solo album and, from start to finish there’s much to discover here. Although Dan’s music is often called introspective, it is, although from a relaxed vantage point that offers listeners feelings of deep reflection and expectation for a brighter future through the magic of music.
Speaking about the inferences behind the music on Always, Dan explains, “In recording Always, I wanted to create a collection of pieces for solo piano that celebrates the unfailing resilience of the human spirit, the steadfast courage of the human heart,
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