CHRIS BERGSON BAND - LIVE AT JAZZ STANDARD #3 ON MOJO's TOP 10 BLUES ALBUMS of 2014 'Four Stars - Another bulletin from the New York street poet with a blues soul...the music is as tight as a hangman's knot.' MOJO, Blues Album of the Month 'If it's possible, guitar ace Chris Bergson just keeps getting better. He had some opportunities to play with and observe Hubert Sumlin before he passed two years ago, and his emulation of the legend's minimalist style has never been more apparent than on his latest record...
The CD also showcases Bergson's vocal power, songwriting skills, and his ability to assemble a world-class band...
If you don't know Bergson's music, you should.' The Blues Music Magazine 'This recording captures the sheer exhilaration of one of the most talented bands playing today...
From blazing rock to funk to soul to Delta blues and all that's in between.' Elmore Magazine 'Over the past decade, Chris Bergson has become one of the most interesting blues-inspired songwriters. He describes the streetscapes and nightscapes of city life, painting small, memorable pictures, a kind of Edward Hopper of the blues. Bergson doesn't do predictable, but there's a visible thread of blues awareness running through the fabric of everything he writes, sings and plays: he is a concise and subtle guitarist and tough, grainy singer.' The Blues Magazine (UK) A fair number of hot shot guitarists can lay down licks with presence and panache, but that number shrinks drastically when you tally the ones who are also sharp-shooting singer/songwriters. That's what makes Chris Bergson an unusual triple threat and this live recording shines a spotlight on the strength of his material as well as the alternately simmering and fiery feel that he and his band serve up in a club setting. New York City native Chris Bergson is a bluesman of a distinctly urban stripe. Instead of swamps and rivers, his songs - many penned in collaboration with lyricist Kate Ross - are full of citified imagery from the midtown Manhattan locale of 61st & 1st to the Brooklyn scenes of Gowanus Heights. The three-man horn section accentuates the soul leanings of tunes like The Only One and brings out the R&B shadings in Bergson's gritty growl. At times, the blend of Bergson's earthy vocals and terse, biting guitar with Craig Dreyer's organ evokes The Band. Yet whether the guitarist and his group are venturing into R&B, roots rock or straight blues, they create an invitingly organic feel on a recording that clearly captures the band in their element. iTunes Editors' Review New Yorker Chris Bergson has a mountain of talent with his tight guitar, a smoky baritone... and reflective songwriting skills. No Depression.com 'This fine writer, singer and guitarist is pretty hard to 'pigeon hole', with his superb music covering blues, jazz, soul and classic rock flavours - the latter maybe from playing with a legend like the late Levon Helm of The Band. Exemplary guitar and vocals... highly recommended...' Blues in the Northwest.com (UK) 'Chris Bergson is a modern-day blues baron.' Rhapsody.com Live at Jazz Standard, the highly anticipated release from the Chris Bergson Band, was recorded live over two nights at NYC's Jazz Standard in June 2013. The fifteen song CD contains eight brand new original songs from New York guitarist/singer Chris Bergson '...one of the most inventive songwriters in modern blues music.' (All Music Guide) as well as new arrangements of five older originals from the band's back catalog. The album captures all the intensity, sweat and soul of a typical club set from the Chris Bergson Band featuring organist Craig Dreyer (Dispatch), first-call NY bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Tony Leone (Phil Lesh and Friends). Special guests include soul singer Ellis Hooks and a three piece horn section featuring baritone saxophonist Ian Hendrickson-Smith (Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings), tenor saxophonist David Luther (Bettye LaVette) and Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Freddie Hendrix performing horn arrangements by Jay Collins (Gregg Allman). Jazz Standard has
