Ed Alstrom – This Idea Of Humanity
Ed Alstrom plays modern organ music that has its own roots, deep in the blues
Ed Alstrom – This Idea Of Humanity
Format: CD – Digital
Label: Independent
Release: 2026
Release date: February 13, 2026
Organ music has its roots in ancient Greece, played at games and events. Ed Alstrom plays modern organ music that has its own roots, deep in the blues
He is something of a newcomer to the ‘blues scene’, but he made a significant impact in 2025 with his self-produced debut album, ‘Flee Though None Pursue,’ placing #15 in the 2025 Roots Music Report Top 200 and #1 in the Jazzy Blues category.
Alstrom started his journey in music when he began playing his family’s Hammond M-3 at the age of five. Later, armed with a degree in Classical Organ Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J., and experience surviving disco lounges while playing in churches, Alstrom worked the stage with performers like Bette Midler, Chuck Berry, Leonard Bernstein, Herbie Hancock, Odetta, Dion — and many others. But Alstrom hasn’t ignored that ancient history of games with organ music – one of his weekend gigs is playing the organ at baseball’s Yankee Stadium, which he has done since 2004.
With all that Hammond mastery, it was only natural, Alstrom says, that he would eventually become – a bluesman. His latest album, ‘This Idea Of Humanity,’ finds him at the top of this blues game, crafting eloquent tales of love and life in fourteen original songs.
Alstrom’s majestic organ work simmers throughout, but his instrumental contributions also include piano, melodica, clavinet, synthesizer, Suzuki Andes, bass, guitar, percussion, and drums. Ed is in fact the sole musician and vocalist on a good portion of the album! His songs are intricately crafted visions of humanity that fascinate him; his gritty vocals enhance lyrical morality tales that spin from the whimsical to the sublime.
Website: https://www.edalstrom.com/
