Brooklyn-born bluesman releases interconnected album and novel
In an almost unprecedented move, Stockholm-based, Brooklyn-born bluesman Brian Kramer has boldly gone where few have gone before with the simultaneous release of his first novel, “Out Of The Blues,” and a new CD, “Full Circle.” Launched at “Stampen,” a blues/jazz venue in the Swedish capital where the Kramer is often found leading jams and kicking up a blues-inspired shindig, the novel is published by Bullet Point Publishing under the artist’s full name, Brian D. Kramer.
And in Scandinavia, a region now leading the world in crime fiction, “Out Of The Blues” fits nicely into the genre with the added twist of blues music. But to say the book is a crime novel does Brian a disservice: more than that, it’s an intriguing insider view of the world of the pro musician and the daily trials and troubles that can all too easily beset the unwary player.
Anyone who has picked guitar as a jobbing player or sideman will identify with the principal New York-based down-at-the-heel character’s life and problems. Kramer’s album is themed with his book, and lyrics from it crop up repeatedly as prompts in the book’s pages and chapters. The intersection of the album and book is an interesting, complex vision that Kramer carries off with apparent ease. A strong whiff of biographical detail pulses at the heart of the book, including the wistfully titled track, “Going Back To Brooklyn.”