BRUCE KATZ BAND FALL TOUR

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Joseph Timmons in news // 0 Comments

The man is as good as it gets. One of the greatest keyboard artists I’ve ever heard!” – John Hammond

Bruce Katz, renowned Hammond B-3 organist/keyboardist and 2019 Blues Music Awards “Best Acoustic Album” winner, and his Bruce Katz Band, embark on their ‘Solo Ride’ Fall 2019 U.S. Tour, with a local performance atJV’s Restaurant, 6666 Arlington Blvd., Thursday, September 19. Showtime: 8:30pm (2 sets). Tickets are $10. Info: (703) 241-9504 or visithttp://www.jvsrestaurant.com.

Solo Ride (released August this year) is the newest CD on American Showplace Music from the legendary keyboardist, and his tenth album to date. The album was produced by Katz with label owner Ben Elliott, and co-produced by Bruce’s manager and agent, Legare Robertson. Solo Ride marks Katz’s only solo release after thirty years of composing, touring and playing. It captures the emotion and intensity of his music, and contains all instrumentals from start to finish, drawing from his vast background of stylings from jazz to blues to classical, gospel and country. “I’m tellin’ ya, he’s downhome and uptown all at once, and that’s a winning combination.” – Ted Drozdowski, Music Critic

For the first time in his career, he has recorded a solo piano album and the results are stunning and unmistakably original. Bruce’s virtuoso and original playing draws the listener into his musical world where many of the artificial boundaries created in the ‘music business’ fall away and leave the listener with a new appreciation for what Bruce calls “improvisational American Roots and Blues music”.

Known throughout the world as the keyboardist with Gregg Allman, Delbert McClinton, John Hammond, Ronnie Earl & many others, Solo Ride puts Bruce Katz and a grand piano in a world class studio and sounds as rich and dynamic as any of the recordings he has done with full bands.

“On Solo Ride, Bruce Katz becomes the Picasso of the Piano” – Nashville Blues & Roots Alliance

~More About ‘Solo Ride’ And Bruce Katz~

Solo Ride puts Bruce Katz and a grand piano in a world class studio and sounds as rich and dynamic as any of the recordings he has done with full bands.

Eleven of the twelve tracks on the album are original Bruce Katz tunes and exhibit not only his virtuoso playing, but also showcase his eclectic and compelling compositions. These range from barrel-house Boogie-Woogie to classic ‘30s/ ‘40s style jazz to gospel-influenced and New Orleans-influenced tunes and even a “country” waltz, all with the little details and surprising “twists” that set Bruce’s writing and playing apart from the ordinary.

“After years of working with the top names here’s Bruce Katz combining his vast knowledge of the legendary piano blues masters with his unique sensibility and styling. No one else brings this kind of passion to their piano playing. Bruce is so talented he can even play the piano with both hands… and at the same time!” – Ben Elliott, American Showplace Music, Engineer/American Showplace Music Label Owner

Solo Ride has a rolling New Orleans number, aptly titled “Crescent Crawl,” that favors the late Dr. John or Allen Toussaint. Bruce cruises the 88 keys, as he takes you to Street Level, cruising the French Quarter with the locals. The gospel- soaked “Praise House” is filled with fire and brimstone, as if you wandered into a Sunday church service; the notes cascade, telling their story without a word spoken. As Bruce explains, “it was inspired by hearing the Blind Boys of Alabama. The term ‘Praise House’ refers to a hidden shack in the woods that enslaved African Americans would use for their religious worship. Again, mixing tradition and modern leanings; at its core, this is a combination of gospel and blues with some jazz ideas about melody thrown together to bring that feeling to the piano.”

Country music is at the heart of a lot of modern music. “I love country music and decided to write a ‘country waltz’ for this album,” Katz explains. “Of course, the songs about lost dreams and longings are the best ones. That’s what ‘Dreams of Yesterday’ is about.”

Bruce takes a small turn with “Red Sneakers,” something Randy Newman or JellyRoll Morton might’ve written. His slide and glide techniques recall the Scott Joplin rags: “I love 1930’s-style ‘Stride’ piano and this tune is all about that and feeling good. My daughter gave me a pair of red sneakers and I just happily bounced down the street in them. I decided to write an unabashedly ‘retro’ stride tune about that feeling.”

“Solo Ride is unusual and a little unique, I think,” continues Katz. “It is a purely solo acoustic piano album — no vocals and all original tunes of mine except one cover. It has blues elements, to be sure, but also jazz (as in 1930s/40s style stride piano), a country waltz, a modern-day hymn, a Ramsey Lewis-style boogaloo. And yes, Boogie-Woogie/New Orleans and blues as well.”

“Now that’s a piano player.” – Pinetop Perkins (Katz is a five-time (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018) nominee for the Blues Music Award (W.C. Handy Award) for “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year” and a two-time nominee for the Living Blues Outstanding Keyboardist award.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Katz began playing at age five, and after hearing a Bessie Smith album he dedicated himself to his talent and passion for Blues and Jazz. Katz attended Berklee College of Music in the mid-1970s, studying Composition and Performance. After spending years on the road with numerous bands, Bruce entered the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he earned a master’s degree in Jazz Performance. Later he returned to his Alma Mater, Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he spent fourteen years as an Associate Professor, teaching composition, piano, Hammond B-3, and Blues Music History. During his time at Berklee, Katz continued to perform and tour with many well-known artists such as Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard and Gregg Allman. He has resided in the Woodstock, New York area since 2005.

Katz has been an in-demand sideman as well as the leader of The Bruce Katz Band for over twenty years. He has played and recorded with many of the leading names in blues and roots music, appearing on over seventy albums with artists such as Ronnie Earl, John Hammond, Delbert McClinton, Gregg Allman, Duke Robillard, Joe Louis Walker, Little Milton, Maria Muldaur, Jimmy Witherspoon, Paul Rishell, Mighty Sam McClain, Debbie Davies, David “Fathead” Newman and many others. In 1992, he met legendary guitarist Ronnie Earl, and that chance meeting soon turned into an invitation to join his band, The Broadcasters. During his nearly five-year stint with Earl, Katz toured the world and performed on six albums, writing and co- writing many of the tunes, such as “The Colour of Love,” “Ice Cream Man,” and “Hippology.”

Bruce spent six years as a member of Gregg Allman’s band, touring and playing piano. He played with various Allman Brothers over the years and was a member of Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band and two of Butch Trucks’ bands. Both Jaimoe and Butch Trucks were founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. He has been a mainstay in John Hammond’s band over the past ten years. The Bruce Katz Band tours extensively in the United States and Europe.