Marcia Ball, Shine Bright. This woman must have a fountain of youth flowing through her backyard, because after a half-century of ripping and running up and down the highways of America and beyond, Marcia Ball sounds more full of fire than ever. Maybe that’s because she’s discovered such a seemingly endless well of righteous songs...
Author: Bill Bentley
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Bill Bentley
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March 12, 2018March 12, 2018Bentleys Bandstand
Bentley’s Bandstand: March 2018
David Byrne, American Utopia. In rock & roll, David Byrne has long been the King of Quirk. That’s a high compliment, too. Over 40 years since Talking Heads first rolled into CBGB’s to start their run, nobody has outdone Bryne in roping in more influences to fuel his creativity, and trolling world music at the...
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February 8, 2018February 8, 2018Bentleys Bandstand
Bentley’s Bandstand: February 2018
Bing & Ruth, No Home of the Mind. As those moments arrive when the only sure-thing bet for a psychic lift is music that turns sound into prayers, Bing & Ruth hear that call. Led by pianist David Moore, this aggregation reaches the heavens with such artful ease there must be some kind of divine...
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January 10, 2018January 10, 2018Bentleys Bandstand
Bentley’s Bandstand: January 2018
Ella Fitzgerald, Ella at Zardi’s. As part of the centennial celebrating Ella Fitzgerald’s birth, the lady’s record label went all out with reissues of every stripe and selection. Quite possibly they saved the best for last, when this live album (recorded in a Hollywood nightclub in 1956) was released in December. Oddly enough, it has...
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December 6, 2017December 6, 2017Bentleys Bandstand
Bentley’s Bandstand: December 2017
Peter Bernstein, Signs LIVE! At the end of a long and discombobulating year, what could be better than a sheer blowing session by what is surely one of the most knocked-out jazz aggregations on earth. Guitarist Peter Bernstein, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Gregory Hutchinson need no introduction whatsoever. They just happen...
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August 7, 2017August 7, 2017Bentleys Bandstand
Bentley’s Bandstand: August 2017
Lynn Castle, Rose Colored Corner. Talk about a marvel of modern determination: singer-songwriter Lynn Castle walked right up to the precipice of stardom in the ’60s and had to watch it remain just out of her reach. Still, the young Los Angeles lady never blinked. She continued to wish upon a star, talk to the...
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May 5, 2017May 5, 2017Bentleys Bandstand
Bentley’s Bandstand: May 2017
Amy Black, Memphis. The sign on the front door of the African-American motorcycle club in Memphis said “Rattlesnakes do not commit suicide.” Makes sense. Bluff City can be a tough road, but once the deep soul of the place reveals itself to visitors, there is no turning back. Singer Amy Black’s last album was made...
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January 9, 2017January 9, 2017Music
Bentley’s Bandstand: January 2017
Dennis Coffey, Hot Coffey in the D. In 1968 Detroit was still on fire for musicians. Motown Records’ success had lit the city up, and its glow spread far and wide. Guitarist Dennis Coffey had been on a batch of successful records, and he soon found himself a Funk Brother in the hallowed rooms of...
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December 23, 2016December 23, 2016Music
Bentley’s Bandstand: The Best of 2016 (Second-Half)
2016 was rough. Losing friends and artists all through the year just would not stop, and the Presidential election turned the country into a hatful of hate. As always, music provided a way through it all. Favorite albums of the first-half of the year provided solace and inspiration and included Eric Clapton, I Still Do;...
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December 12, 2016December 12, 2016Music
Bentley’s Bandstand: December 2016
The Big T.N.T. Show. During the 1960s when rock and roll was just becoming the currency of the realm for youth in America, there was a simulcast movie called The T.A.M.I. Show, which stood for “Teen-Age Music International,” that set young minds reeling. It has since become a storied exploration of what was popular musically...