Come And Gone - Music

Chris Bergson Band Chris Bergson - Guitar Vocals
Craig Dreyer – Tenor Sax Organ
Andy Hess – Bass
Tony Leone – Drums Backing Vocals “One Of The Most Inventive Songwriters In Modern Blues Music.” Richard Skelly All Music Guide Hailed By Living Blues As ”A Serious Talent” New York Guitarist Singer And Songwriter Chris Bergson Is That Exceptionally Rare Individual With The Burgeoning Talent And Emotional Reserve To Embrace Fully The Indigenous Music Of The South Along With R&B Rock And Folk. Born In New York City But Raised In Somerville Massachusetts Chris Bergson Returned To Manhattan In 1995. While Backing Jazz Singers Annie Ross Dena DeRose Sasha Dobson And Norah Jones He Released Blues For Some Friends Of Mine And Wait For Spring On Juniper Records In 1997 And 2000 Respectively. In 2002 Bergson Was Appointed A Jazz Ambassador Of The USA By The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts And He Toured Africa With His Trio. Evolving To Further Embrace The Blues While Also Adding Pop Influences He Followed Up With Blues 2003 Another Day 2005 And His Triumphant Artistic Breakthrough The Widely Acclaimed Fall Changes 2007 – MOJO’s #1 Blues Album Of 2008 — That Established Him As An Eloquent Evocative And Lyrical Songwriter With A Sharp Urban Vision. Recorded At Levon Helm’s Woodstock Studio It Led To Bergson Being Personally Invited To Perform At The Famed Drummer’s Midnight Rambles While Opening The Way For More Stateside Festivals And Subsequent Tours Of Europe. Bergson Has Performed And Shared The Stage With Hubert Sumlin Little Sammy Davis Etta James John Hammond Dr. Lonnie Smith And Levon Helm To Name Just A Few. Imitate The Sun Contains Six Strikingly Original Songs And Four Thoughtful Covers That Allow His Fertile Creativity Free Rein. With His Regular Band Of Jay Collins Tenor And Baritone Saxes Backing Vocals Horn Arrangements Matt Clohesy Bass And Tony Leone Drums Percussion Augmented By Bruce Katz Organ Piano Wurlitzer Organ Kenny Rampton Trumpet And Chris Karlic Baritone Sax Bergson Makes Every Track A Complete And Rewarding Musical Statement. “Goin’ Home” Has The Easy Lope Elastic Groove And Pastoral Americana Ambience Reminiscent Of The Band At Which Bergson Excels. Addressing The Classic Theme Of Returning To The Familiarity And Comfort Of The Mythic “home” For Which So Many People Long He Amplifies His Yearning With Twangy Pedal Steel Style “pickin’ ‘n Grinnin’” And Tasty Down Home Embellishments. The Title Track Presents A Dramatic Soul Groove With An Uplifting Chorus A Gleefully Honking Tenor Solo From Collins And The Poignant Lyric Of “…soon I’m Gonna Imitate The Sun After Days Of Having His Rays Obscured By Smog And Storms Breaks Through The Clouds Shines On Down Blinding All Below…” Delivered With His Emotive And Convincing Growl. Again His Guitar Speaks Its Piece As Bergson Squeezes Its Neck Until It Shouts Back In Defiance. “Shattered Avenue” Is An Atmospheric Solo Country Blues Lament Showcasing His Masterful Authentic And Bone Chilling Electric Slide Guitar. In A Measured Voice All The More Powerful For Its Restraint Bergson Adds To The Blues Canon As He Ruefully Charges His Lover With “…spend Half Your Life Tryin’ To Soothe Your Mind Sayin’ Everything’s All Right.” A Dynamic Change Of Pace Follows With The Minor Key Horn-Driven Memphis Soul Of “Hello Bertha.” Paying Homage To A Woman Of Easy Virtue With Sympathy For Her Lot In Life While Simultaneously Acknowledging The Value Of Her Services He Sings “Shakin’ Off The Shackles Of Another Shady Week” And “Hello Bertha It’s Good To See You Again.” With His Rhythm Section Locked-In To A Taut But Limber Pocket He Unfurls An Amazing “vocal” Guitar Solo Shorn Of The Histrionics A Lesser Instrumentalist May Have Been Tempted To Indulge. A Surging Churning Cover Of Howlin’ Wolf’s Classic Delta Blues Romp “Down In The Bottom” Plays To One Of Bergson’s Many Strengths As His Natural Unaffected Bluesy Drawl Is Complimented By His Layered Slide And Lead Guitars. Veteran And Stellar Keyboardist Katz Who Provides Invaluable Backing Throughout Adds Piquant Acoustic Piano That Contrasts Texturally With The Jubilantly Grinding Axes. Dramatically Switching Moods And Modes Bergson Next Features A Poetic Love Song Cast As A Gentle Wistful Blues Ballad. “Laying It Down In White” Brilliantly Employs The Melancholy Imagery Of “taking Out The Christmas Tree And Laying It Down In White…on The Stoop New Year’s Day Snow Driftin’ By…” As The Metaphor For His Insecurity Regarding His Lover’s True Intentions. Turning Down The Volume He Accompanies His Heartfelt Vocal With Subtle Fingerpicked Rhythm And Silky Smooth Lead Guitars. The Metaphors Continue On The Bessie Smith Classic “You’ve Been A Good Old Wagon” “…mama But You Done Broke Down” With Both Bergson And Katz Channeling The 1920s Era Of The Classic Women Blues Singers. Displaying Slide Licks Reminiscent Of Hawaiian Guitar The Leader Is Followed By Tenor Man Collins Who Lists Gregg Allman As One Of His Other Employers. Bergson Creates Another Memorable And Conniving Street Character On “Mr. Jackson” To Go With “The Bungler” From Fall Changes. An Exuberant Chunk Of Funk It Features His Hip Jivey Lyrics And Vocals Along With A Sprightly Guitar Solo Egged On By The Bleating Horn Section And The Dancing Piano Fingers Of Katz. Maintaining The High Spirits Bergson Plays Against Type On The Elmore James Classic “Dust My Broom” By Eschewing The Expected Slide Guitar For A Spiky Solo Intensified By The Muscular Barrelhouse Piano Of Katz. Following The Stomping Blues Shuffle He Ends His Latest Musical Chapter On An Elegiac Note With A Plaintive Reading Of Bob Dylan’s “Standing In The Doorway.” Starting Quietly With Just His Rhythm Guitar For Accompaniment Bergson Builds The Longest Track On The Album To A Musical And Emotional Catharsis. Once Again Proving Himself A Worthy Interpreter Of The “bard ” He Gets Deep Inside The Bittersweet Lyrics Laying Bare His Feeling As Only The Great Artists Have The Courage And Confidence To Do. Chris Bergson Is A Young Man On A Mission With His Blues-Breaking Guitar Passionate Vocals And Literate Lyrics. He Is Out To Leave An Indelible Mark On The World Of Music And Succeeding Spectacularly With Lifeaffirming Art That Both Consoles And Excites. The Sum Total Is An Impressive And Growing Body Of Work That Reaches Across The Ages And Boundaries. Copyright 2011 The Iridium. 1650 Broadway 51st New York NY 10019. For Reservations 212 582-2121. Www.Theiridium.Com read less