Columbus, Ohio native Tony Monaco is a monster B3 player with a penchant for blazing Jimmy Smith-style blues excursions with his right hand. The aptly named The Fiery Blues (Summit) is an exhilarating collection of slow blues (Hank Marr’s “Greasy Spoon,” T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday”), jump blues (Memphis Slim’s “Every Day I Have the Blues”), shuffle blues (Don Patterson’s “Goin’ to a Meetin’,” Leon Spencer’s “The Hooker”) and swinging blues (Patterson’s “Mellow Soul,” Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” Horace Silver’s “The Preacher”) that showcase Monaco’s formidable technique and real-deal feeling. With the exception of Joey DeFrancesco, no one else can burn a blue streak as hot as this monster Monaco.
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