#613 : Bruce Katz Band - Connections (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

Bruce Katz Band

Connections

2023 – Dancing Rooster Records

By Phillip Smith; May 13, 2023

 

Release Date : April 21, 2023

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

There’s nothing like listening to the lush keyboard jams of Bruce Katz.  He has played with Gregg Allman’s Band, Butch Trucks’ Les Brer, and Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band.  He’s played with so many members of the Allman Brothers, he may as well be an honorary member of the band.  Recorded at the legendary Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia, Connections features Katz on piano, Hammond organ, and organ bass, Aaron Lieberman on guitars and vocals, and Liviu Pop on drums.  Also, Shaun Oakley, the grandson of Allman Brothers’ original bassist Barry Oakley, appears on bass guitar for three tracks.

A wave of nostalgia washes over me when the retro doo-wop vibe of “Nighttime Stroll” hits.  Lieberman’s soulful vocals and toneful guitar performance is wonderfully matched with Katz’s extraordinary talent.  I love the instrumental “Where’s My Wallet” with its’ unpredictable jazz/blues-fusion jams.  Pieces of this one remind me of Zappa.  Organ-laden Seventies prog-rocker “Down Below” takes blues-fueled psychedelic leaps securing its place as an album-favorite.  Peaceful thoughts of seeing Phish at Alpine Valley are brought to the forefront of my mind when “The Dream” struts by.  Like hummingbirds, the delicate notes from Liberman’s guitar seem to hang in mid-air as the swirling sounds of organ surf the currents of the breeze.  The glorious slow blues of “What I Feel” brings this album to a soulful end, leaving me in a mellow mood.  Liviu and Lieberman deliver a tight-as-hell performance on this instrumental for Katz to do what he does best on keys, and they sound magnificent.  

Connections is a splendid listen from beginning to end.  It is records like this which make me a fan of Bruce Katz.         

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                       TRACK LISTINGS

1.         Right Here Right Now            5:20

2.         Nighttime Stroll          4:38

3.         Where's My Wallet?   4:41

4.         Morning On Basin Street        5:42

5.         Down Below   5:07

6.         Sneakin' Around         5:41

7.         The Dream      5:08

8.         All About That            5:04

9.         Gary's Jam       5:11

10.       Tides Are Turning       4:49

11.       What I Feel     4:59

 

For more information about Bruce Katz visit his website at :  https://brucekatzband.com

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Bruce Katz at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Bruce+Katz