Jon Zeeman

Blue Room

Membrane Records

Jon Zeeman grew up near New York City. As a child he studied classical guitar and piano. He attended Ithaca College and settled in Manhattan where he began to take session work as a jazz fusion guitarist. His first album “Still Life” was released in Europe in 2003 and in the US in 2006. Zeeman followed up with 2007’s “Zeeland”. He now splits his time between Martha’s Vineyard and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Zeeman was also influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Johnny Winter and eventually made the change to blues rock. He has played with Susan Tedeschi and The Allman Brothers. In 2013 he released “Down On My Luck” with all original material.

This is Zeeman’s fourth album overall. “Blue Room” was recorded in Jupiter Florida. Like Zeeman the band consists of musicians who divide their time between Massachusetts and Florida. The band includes Zeeman, guitar and vocals; Tom Regis, keyboards and percussion; Bob Taylor, keyboards and Congas; Phil McArthur, bass; and George Lilly, drums. Zeeman was an original member of The Butch Trucks Freight Train Band and the late Trucks plays drums on several tracks. The album is co-produced by Zeeman and McArthur.

Zeeman opens with the first of eight originals. “All I Want Is You” features Trucks sitting in on drums. Zeeman proves himself a vocalist with great clarity and a great guitar soloist. The band is hot. Trucks’ sits in again on “Next To You”. Zeeman states that half the royalties generated from these two songs will be donated to Trucks’ family and favorite charity.

“Hold On” and the short instrumental title track, “Blue Room”, are two more good compositions from Zeeman. “Nothing in The World” was co-authored by Zeeman and McArthur.

My favorite songs however are the slow blues “If I Could Make You Love Me”, “I’d give up everything I own”; “All Alone”, “you got me where you want me when are you comin’ home”; and “Talkin About My Baby”, “don’t you try to take her”. These arrangements are jazzier with great piano, organ and guitar.

“Love In Vain” is the Robert Johnson classic popularized by The Rolling Stones; the arrangement begins sounding like the one by the Stones before a piano and Zeeman’s slide take over.  “Still Rainin’, Still Dreamin’” was written by Jimi Hendrix.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable album that makes me want to go out and see Zeeman live as soon as possible.

Richard Ludmerer

[amazon_link asins=’B01BSUTIVW,B000LE1DTC,B01N6X0B9D,B0011V9WAG,B00BNWWX68′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’maasc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’2aa8b58e-2da6-11e7-89d3-71d4a3e95460′]