Omar Coleman & Igor Prado - Old New Funky and Blue
- May 1
- 2 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
Release date: May 15, 2026
Nola Blue Records
By Glenn Noble
The title of this album hints at an intriguing potpourri of musical ingredients -- and equally this collaboration between a dyed-in-the-wool West Side Chicago harmonicist/vocalist in the shape of Omar Coleman, and a Brazilian guitar virtuoso in Igor Prado – which holds out the promise of an exciting meeting of talent from very different heritages.
First impressions are of a fresh, lively sound, and a sense of a group very much at ease playing together and enjoying the music. And what a fine selection of material it is, to be sure, split almost evenly between originals jointly penned by Omar and Igor; and a couple of Bobby Rush and Syl Johnson tunes.
There’s quite a conversational feel to this album, right from the self-penned opening track, “I’m Leaving My No Good Woman,” Omar is clear that he’s got stories to tell and that call and response motif between Omar and Igor carries on throughout, in classic blues style. The subject matter of much of the album also concerns itself with that perennial source of blues inspiration -- trouble with a woman. Whether it's having to break up, cut loose and move on from a bad relationship, or regretting one having ended, Omar’s sensational vocals and lyrics powerfully articulate the emotional impact of these events, sympathetically underscored by Igor’s guitar interventions. The acoustic cover of Syl Johnson’s ballad “I Let a Good Girl Go” is an effective example of Omar’s vocals in that particularly reflective mood.
Not to say that things are all dark, far from it! Their treatment of a brace of Bobby Rush’s typically spicy floor fillers like “I Wanna Do the Do” and “Night Fishin’”, along with Syl Johnson’s advice to beware of “romance without finance” in “Don’t Give It Away,” put the fun in funk and generate a whole lot of danceable energy. Rounding out the collection in another nod to blues tradition is “Blue Line Train in Chicago” a stripped-down front porch-style acoustic number telling a story about that Chicago “L” train, which runs from O’Hare Airport, via the Chicago downtown Loop, through to the West Side, Omar’s’ home turf.
While the performances of the two principals on the album are outstanding, it would be unfair not to recognise the contribution of the rest of the band, consisting of Yuri Prado and Junhino Isidoro on drums and percussion, Ted Furtado on bass, Felipe Magon on Hammond organ, pianist Luciano Leães and the acoustic guitars of Eduardo and Rodrigo Belloni. Of particular note, the horns of Denilson Martins and Bruno Belasco augmented the soulful and funky parts of the arrangements.
The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Igor Prado at his studio in São Paulo, Brazil, apart from two tracks recorded by Eduardo Belloni at Garage 39, also in São Paulo).
If you are in the Chicago area, you’d be well advised to try and get to the official album launch on May 15th at the historic Fitzgerald’s nightclub in Berwyn. And bring your dancing shoes!
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For info or to buy and hear the music:
Nola Blue Records: www.nola-blue.com
Omar Coleman: https://www.omarcolemanmusic.com/
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