Chris Bergson Band

Comforts of Home

2 Shirts Records

Chris Bergson grew up in a Boston suburb, and began taking guitar lessons at a very young age. Chris developed an appreciation for jazz and blues as he listened to everything from Muddy Waters to Miles Davis. Chris moved to New York City and began to sit in on jam sessions at Small’s Jazz Club. From 1996 until 1999 Chris studied at The Manhattan School of Music with guitarist Rodney Jones. By the time he graduated he had recorded with vocalist Annie Ross. In 1997 Chris released his album debut, the now out of print, “Blues For Some Friends of Mine”.

One day Chris began to sing and in 2003 he released a five song EP called “Blues”. In 2005 Chris released the follow-up recording “Another Day”. These early albums helped establish Chris as a songwriter. His music was not only drawn from blues and jazz but also from country, folk and soul; on these albums he was accompanied by New York City’s keyboard wizard Brian Charette.

In 2007, Chris scored with the highly acclaimed “Fall Changes” recorded at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y. Although the songs were mostly originals chris also covered Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece”, Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced”, and Henry Glover’s “Drown in My Own Tears”. The latter was previously recorded by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Dinah Washington. “Imitate The Sun”, Chris’ 2011 release, contained more originals and covers of songs by Dylan, Elmore James, and Willie Dixon. In 2014 Chris released “Live At The Jazz Standard” which also served as a career retrospective. Chris followed with other albums including 2017’s “Bitter Midnight”, 2019’s “Live in Normandy” with Ellis Hooks, and 2021’s “All I Got Left”.

“Comforts of Home”, was mostly engineered and mixed at Grand Street Recording in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Chris plays all guitars including electric, acoustic and slide. Chris’ emotive vocals highlight the recording as he sings “I’m feelin’ good today at least I’m feelin’ better…deep inside my shelter”. Background vocalists include Diego Voglino and Moses Patrou who also plays percussion.

“Retribution” features vocalist Ellis Hooks with a great horn section including Jay Collins, baritone sax and horn arrangements, Michael Blake tenor sax, and Reggie Pittman trumpet; the backing vocals are by Alexis P. Suter and Vicki Bell. The title track, “Comforts of Home”, includes the lyric “always move forward, never stay still”. “You Lied” features pianist Dave Keyes and Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on drums; “you lied when you said you can count on me…just a memory of who we used to be”, this is another beautiful vocal with a masterful guitar solo. “Delusions of Night”, “lies of omission…and delusion of night, and the booze, make it alright, even if just for a little while”.

“Laid Up With My Bad Leg in Lenox” is a vocal duet featuring Chris and Ellis, reminiscent of a high energy Rolling Stones song possibly “Gimme Shelter”, with the full horn section and some fine piano from Keyes. “Sometimes It’s You” is another intimate vocal “everybody needs somebody to tell their troubles to…sometimes it’s you”. “Think About It Twice” is a third song featuring Ellis and the rhythm section of Matt Clohesy bass, and Diego Voglino, drums. “Uptown Side”, “of a downtown life” is a song about New York City with some great tenor sax from Jay Collins. “Chloe’s Song” is a vocal duet between Chris and Chloe Ross, “I’ve been waiting for you for so long, welcome home. “Moses Supposes” is a superior instrumental with Patrou on organ. The closer “Epilogue (Cycle 3 Descending)” is another short instrumental that serves to close out this fine album”.

Chris’ “chosen” family is his best yet with a new lineup that includes Patrou on keyboards/vocals, bassist Clohesy, drummer Voglino and Collins playing and arranging the horns. Is it possible that The Chris Bergson Band gets better and better with every studio recording; listen to this finely crafted album and decide for yourself.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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