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Toby’s own style. I saw Toby a couple of years ago at the Blues Heaven Festival in

Denmark where he played alongside some of America’s top blues artists and
completely held his own and since then he has got even better with his singing

particularly now matching his excellent guitar playing.

Graham Harrison

The Ron Kramer Trio With The Nashville Cats—
Sarasota Swing—Independent PPP102

Originally from New Jersey, guitarist Ron Kraemer decided
to relocate to south Florida, specifically, Sarasota and here

he formed The Ron Kramer Trio in 2019, which consist of
Ron, on guitar, Gregg Germony on upright bass and
Michael Finley providing percussion. Fortunately for the

band, during the heart of the covid crisis, outdoor venues
were still plentiful in that area and they gave a good deal

of pleasure to many fans. For this album Reggie Murray, from Nashville, provides
tenor saxophone and B3.

All the eleven original numbers here are instrumentals, delivering Sarasota Swing.
The album was recorded at HUH Production Studio, Sarasota Florida, June 2021, due
to covid restrictions, Reggie Murray recorded his contributions in Nashville. On the

face of it, this album would appear to be more Jazz than Swing with the odd nod to
The Blues but, when you delve deeper there is a good deal more, for on the opener

‘Junior Steps’, which has hints of Coltrane and Charlie Parker; a rich steadying mellow
guitar and popping B3, weaves in and out of a leading and effortlessly flowing
saxophone, while percussion and bass deliver a flexible tramping backbone.

‘The Craw’, delivers an enticing slow dreamy blues with a very mellow guitar
reminiscent of ‘T Bone’ Walker. ‘In Walked Wilbo’, is a very pleasant shuffling blues,

the swing of the saxophone combines with a bubbling B3 which is underpinned by
ticking brush work, pumping percussion and solid bass.

‘At The Blasé Café’, is quite simply, a solid swinger with very infectious guitar work
in the style of Charlie Christian. The relaxed shuffle of ‘Gone Gulfing’, has a richly at

ease guitar combined with a gently blowing saxophone to produce a winning toe
tapper. ‘Hampton Roads’, is over six minutes long and gently cruises along. The
mellow, ringing jazz-rich guitar is abetted by a drawling saxophone which is

lusciously underpinned by a slow, burning and popping B3.

Certainly relaxing!

Brian Harman