Jim Brown Trading

Brian Lynch’s first big band album connects the trumpeter’s lifelong passion for reading with his expansive vision as a composer/arranger. And while the dedications on The Omni-American Book Club: My Journey Through Literature In Music reveal Lynch’s deep interest in African-American literature and social justice, one need not be familiar with authors W.E.B. DuBois, Albert Murray, Ned Sublette, Naomi Klein, Masha Gessen, Isabel Wilkerson, Ralph Ellison, Chinua Achebe, Amiri Baraka and A.B. Spellman to fully enjoy this Afro-Caribbean-fueled, two-disc collection of strikingly fresh, intricately arranged original compositions.

On his first album in four years and sixth for Alligator, blues guitarist Coco Montoya alters his musical M.O. a bit. Writing on the Wall marks the very first time that Montoya brought his live working quartet into the studio. Tony Braunagel returns as producer and guests on drums on four tracks. Keyboardist Jeff Paris co-produced and recorded at Jeff's Garage. In addition to Paris, the band includes bassist Nathan Brown and drummer Rena Beavers. Guests include guitarists Ronnie Baker Brooks, country star Lee Roy Parnell, and Dave Steen. The 13-track set includes five tunes composed or co-written by Montoya, four from Steen, and one from Paris – they co-wrote the title track with Montoya. The shared songwriting makes this, arguably, the most homegrown affair in Montoya's Alligator catalog. The contents intuitively balance electric blues, blues-rock, roots rock & roll, old-school, and R&B.