Events

[BLUES] As an elder statesman of the blues, David Bromberg is a dying breed. The former Dylan sideman’s tasteful choices as a skilled guitarist reflect more thought than mere jam-motivated noodling, and he manages to breathe new life into some seriously old material without succumbing to the formulaic modern/electric Robert Cray shtick. Along with band members Butch Amiot (bass), Josh Kanusky (drums), Mark Cosgrove (guitar), Nate Grower (fiddle), and Peter Ecklund (cornet), The Blues, The Whole Blues, and Nothing But the Blues (Red House Records, 2016) stays true to the saying it’s title parodies: Bromberg’s blues tells the plain-stated truth without a lot of unnecessary embellishment. Of course, this also means that you’re going to get his raw vocalizing served up as-is, but kudos to Bromberg for taking some recent vocal lessons to try improving that aspect of his sound at this late date (he’s 71). The resulting aged vibrato can carry a tune and still convey sly humor, as is the case on “My Dog Don’t Bark When You Come Around,” which gets a bigger band treatment that includes brass, and John Willey Henry’s “You Been a Good Old Wagon.” It’s also capable of evoking additional layers of emotion, which raises the Ray Charles classic, “A Fool For You” to a new level of feeling (especially from a white boy). His take on opener Robert Johnson’s “Walkin’ Blues” might make you thirsty for Bonnie Raitt’s knee-slapping rendition on her debut, but most of the time Bromberg offers covers that become his own, at least in the moment, as he does when transforming Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Eyesight to the Blind” into something of a Chicago strut. Larry Campbell, known for his work with Levon Helm—sands down some of the jagged edges with his production technique, but leaves enough grit on the floor to make The Whole Blues sound much like a live recording. Hear for yourself when Bromberg’s quintet plays the Tralf Music Hall on Saturday, May 13.