Toronto Blues Society | » John’s Blues Picks

John’s Blues Picks is the monthly album review column originally launched by the late Toronto-based blues historian and broadcaster, John Valenteyn. Submission can be sent to the TBS office for consideration and will be circulated to a pool of journalists and others for review in the monthly Maple Blues newsletter and placed at the Spotify playlist.


May 2023 – John Mayall

Marvel not at his age but at his legacy. From his hearty catalogue of 37 studio and 34 live releases (many defining the very heart and soul of British blues), Mayall remains the last of his kind and the great grandfather of this time-honoured genre. Regardless of whether you appreciate his reedy voice, his flash-free harmonica and his endless ability to reinvent himself, his seminal Bluesbreakers birthed some of the greatest guitarists of our time.

May 2023 – Michael Jerome Browne

Michael Jerome Browne is the son of two university professors, so it’s no wonder that his research into the blues is so deep. On this latest release, Gettin’ Together,  he has curated 14 songs from more obscure blues artists of the past century such as William Bunch and Bayless Rose, as well as the more familiar artists like John Hurt and Booker White.

 

April 2023 – The Maple Blues Band

I was wondering what a blues record without vocals would be like. In my mind, the story and the emotions expressed through the lyrics and the singer have always been at the centre of the blues, with the musicians accompanying them with groove, melody, and hopefully some blistering solos.

 

 

March 2023 – Paul DesLauriers & Annika Chambers

There are a lot of artists who claim to put love into everything they do, but this latest release from Paul DesLauriers and Annika Chambers is a true love story. When two people with so much talent and potential get together, sparks fly and one can only imagine what fires can come from it.

 

March 2023 – Justin Saladino Band

Four releases into their musical career, you might expect it would be easy to plot the band’s progress since their ’16, 5-track release, No Worries. You’d be wrong. The Justin Saladino Band revealed a mature grasp of their talents right out of the gates and, while live records can often uncover a band’s greatest strengths or limitations – 2020’s JSB Live quickly registered this ‘young band’ as every bit as musically astute and seasoned as road warriors twice their age.

March 2023 – Denis Parker

You might first be taken aback by anyone releasing a double album in these fractured times. However, after sitting down to listen to one of the best folk-blues releases in a long time, one can only conclude that each record’s approach belongs under one roof. Too few people are aware of Denis Parker and his 60 years of blues.

February 2023 – Joe Louis Walker

Blues Hall of Famer and winner of multiple blues awards, Joe Louis Walker treats us to a new offering in Weight of the World. Sometimes serene, often rambunctious, the album highlights Walker’s mastery and versatility as a singer, guitarist and composer.

 

January 2023 – Chris Antonik

Chris Antonik started his career as a much in demand side player which grew into his own recording and touring projects, the latest of which is Morningstar (His fourth studio album). A riotous and often genre spanning collection of co-writes, Morningstar stretches the boundaries of the blues, exploring the limits of Chris’ style and creating a compelling sonic landscape.

 

 

January 2023 – Steve Hill

After a quarter of a century in the recording industry, there’s very little that Steve Hill hasn’t already done. He started out working the club circuit in his native Montreal, building his brand in a succession of bands, before launching an impressive series of recordings and tours as a one man band that saw him constantly expand his repertoire by adding more and more to the music without expanding the band beyond himself.

 

January 2023 – Michael Kaeshammer

Over the course of a prolific recording career now spanning 26 years and 13 albums, Vancouver Island-based Michael Kaeshammer has blossomed into a truly multi-faceted artist. The Juno Award winner is a talented singer/songwriter, a virtuoso piano player, a bandleader, and an engaging performer who is now in-demand for theatre concerts across the country.

 

 

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The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

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