''Sideman Serenade'' is an album by the American musician David Bromberg, released in 1989. It was his first studio album in almost 10 years; he would not release another studio album until 2007. Bromberg had spent much of the 1980s working as a violin maker, after legal difficulties with his previous label,

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

Production

The album was primarily recorded in Chicago. It appeared three years after Bromberg signed with

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

, due to illness, the deaths of Bromberg's parents, and the rescheduling of recording sessions. Jorma Kaukonen, the Jessy Dixon Singers, and

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

were among the many guest musicians—and working sidemen—who appeared on the album. A tribute album to backing musicians, ''Sideman Serenade'' is divided into "city songs" and "country songs". "Sideman's Samba" was written during a Brazilian vacation Bromberg took in the late 1960s.

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' wrote that "listeners who can get past Bromberg's less than virtuosic voice will be rewarded with excellent offbeat performances and memorable material." ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' called the album "full of the same kind of spirited, melodic blues, with humor, that made him one of the stalwarts of the '70s folk scene."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that "the only problem with this session was Bromberg, for all his knowledge and zeal, just wasn't that convincing or gripping a vocalist."

Track listing

References

{{reflist David Bromberg albums 1989 albums Rounder Records albums