Craig Handy meets BAM

First Encounter - ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT BAM is the hit, in more ways than one. Even onomatopoeically, the word marks the perfect hit, for example with Bat- or Spiderman. As an abbreviation, it can be used to denote "Black American Music".

In this particular case, the initials of organist Matthias Bublath, tuba and sousaphone player Freddy Andrej and drummer Guido May can be found behind the three letters, which stand here with a mixture of reverence and pride in front of their featured guest Craig Handy. Together with their American friend, known from performances and recordings with legends such as Betty Carter, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, John Scofield or in the all-star band The Cookers, they revive the fine tradition of the organ trio of the 1960s in this "First Encounter" - and renovate it at the same time. Hammond heroes such as Jimmy Smith or Lonnie Smith, with whom Craig Handy also played, used to beat the blues out of their blue collar audience with drums and guitar (plus optional horns or vocals) in the clubs and juke joints of the Chitlin Circuit. Here, the organist's nimble foot bass is joined by the tuba brother Sousaphone, known from Kirk Joseph and his Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Together with Craig Handy, they enter the studio to celebrate the funky side of jazz with their own compositions and classics such as "Chicken Soup" written by their old friend Pee Wee Ellis.

In fact, BAM will be touring extensively with Craig Handy in the fall of 2025 to bring their music to the rhythm-loving jazz audience. Ain't it funky? Bam!

Line-up: Craig Handy (ts); Tony Remy (git); BAM: Bublath/Andrej/May - Matthias Bublath (org); Freddy Andrej (tb/tuba); Guido May (dr)