Mike Bourne Band featuring Johnny Burgin
Cruisin’ Kansas City
Blue Heart Records
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Publicity: Blind Raccoon
Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro © June 2023
For the last twenty-five years, Mike Bourne has been playing in many of the best clubs and festivals all over the world and recording with some of the world’s most famous artists. Now that he’s settled in back home in Kansas City, he titled his new album Cruisin’ Kansas City, and it’s a tribute to the players and mentors from his early days playing clubs at the so called “Intersection that will change you” – Kansas City’s famous “18th and Vine District”.
The Mike Bourne Band, a.k.a. Mike Bourne & Kansas City Boogie are: Mike Bourne on guitar and vocals; Patrick Recob on bass; Adam Hagerman on drums; and Sam Treinen on sax. Special guests and friends joining in on this project include: Johnny Burgin on guitar; Dave Creighton organ; John Paul Drum and Big D Ericson (R.I.P.) on harmonica; Timothy Earle Osburn Mickey Munoz, Rob Lorenz on drums; Greg Hopkins on trumpet; Johnny Iguana on piano; and Mike Grinns on bass. Cruisin’ Kansas City contains thirteen tracks that were all composed and arranged by Mike Bourne.
The disc opens with “Cruisin’ Kansas City”, its swingin’ title track. Led by some smokin’ organ runs by Dave Creighton, it’s a rhythm fueled, instrumental dance floor filler, which establishes that it’s going to be a lot of fun listening to Mike and Johnny bouncing off of each other on guitar.
While lamenting over losing all his belongings, on a song titled “Lose Your Rings, Keep Your Fingers”, Mike’s dad did what fathers do and offered some comforting thoughts to his son. The words the elder Bourne used went something like this: “You may have lost all that fancy stuff, but there are ten good reasons to reconsider. Don’t let that materialism linger, you may have lost your rings but you kept your fingers.” He then held up his hands and gave them a shake while saying “If you got these, you can always make.” Well said Mr. Bourne. On top of these well written and very well sung lyrics, the band’s kicking some musical ass. Right from the get go, Sam sets the smokin’ pace with a killer sax intro, and as that flame spreads, the rest of the rhythm section burns up with burning bass lines from Patrick; smoldering drumming from Adam; blazing organ leads from Dave; and all this is sandwiched between alternating scorching guitar runs from Mike and Johnny on guitar. All that’s left for me to say is “WOW”!
If the spiritualism created by Dave’s organ intro on “Help Somebody” spoke words, it would have said ‘this song is going to be quite inspirational”. The full paragraph that includes the title words is:
“You gotta help somebody who can’t help you back,
Mike Bourne
Open your arms with no strings attached.
You gotta help somebody who can’t help you back,
Live in the circle of love.”
As with all the dozen other tracks, the players are all over the music but this one’s pretty much all about the lyrics and Mike’s heartfelt presentation of them. That said, just wait till you hear the song’s last fifty seconds. Whoa!
How old is “Too Young To Be Old”? Well, Mike never does mention a number but he does claim to be “too young to be old and too old to be young”. Hearing that line had me thinking, “yeah, me too” and then he knocked me out of the loop when he continued with “but I like it Right here in the middle”…..nope, 75 is not the middle. Doing all the guitar work himself, the track afforded Mike to get into a lengthy guitar run resulting in it being some of his best work.
On this track Mike tells tales of how he was taken advantage of by a woman, a businessman, a politician and a preacher; all of whom had noses like Pinocchio. Mike’s way of politely calling them lying S.O.B.s was to say that they were “Loose With The Truth”. Musically, on his only appearance, Greg Hopkins absolutely blows the hell out of a trumpet; and on the only tack he has to himself, Johnny Burgin – as he lays down his best guitar work on the disc – makes it very clear why he was brought as second guitar.
Regardless of how many songs are on an album I’m reviewing, or what styles of blues that album is, “The One” type of song I will say something about 100% of the times it appears are these classic old school, slow dancing, R&B songs of the fifties. I was eight years old when I started watching Dick Clark on American Bandstand back in 1956, and although rock ‘n’ roll was king, it’s these old, soulful, rhythm and blues style songs that remind me more of the show than anything else. They immediately paint a picture of those innocent teenagers slowly swayin’ to the smooth rhythm and the sensuous sax leads. Wow, talk about transcendental meditation! Thanks, guys!
With Chicago being one of the other music cities Mike Bourne ran in, “Kansas City Grease” is a recording that was done with some of that cities finest musicians. It’s a very slow, very bluesy number with Mike leading the way with extended scorching blues guitar runs; outstanding high end blues piano leads from Johnny Iguana; a lazy but deep rhythm from Mike Grinns on bass and Rob Lorenz on drums; and moody harmonica blowing from the Big D. Ericson.
Other tracks on this absolutely fabulous album are: “Humpty Dumpty”; “Golden Rule”; “Hollow Man”; “Missouri Boy; “Running Song”; and “Dangerous Game.
Should like to find out more about Mike Bourne & Kansas City Boogie, just go to – www.myppk.com/get/mikebourneband. Remember, wherever you go and whomever you speak with, please tell them their friend the Blewzzman sent you.
“The Blues Is My Passion And Therapy”
Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro
Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
2011 “Keeping The Blues Alive” Award Recipient
