Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, True Believer , from Mark Hummel and it's chocked full of smoking blues. Opening with Chicago style blues track, High Time For The Devil , Oscar Wilson on lead vocals leads the way with solid pace and force, and Mark Hummel on harmonica really shines. Bob Welsh on piano adds a perfect glisten to the track, backed by Randy Bermudes on bass, Billy Flynn on guitar, and Wes Starr on drums. Great opener. Otis Rush's slow blues, Double Trouble , is terrific with Junior Watson getting hot and heavy on guitar, and Hummel shining on lead vocal and harmonica. With Kedar Roy on bass, Brett Brandstadt on piano, Jack Sanford on sax, and Starr on drums, this is my favorite track on the release.  Peter Green's Stop Messin' Round is a great shuffle and Hummel really gets in the slot on vocal. Watson has the lead on guitar again and his phrasing is excellent, backed by Roy, Brandstadt, Sanford and Starr. Little Walter...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Porch Sessions Volume 2 , from Tony Holiday and it's a great Chicago style blues party. Opening with She's Tuff , Victor Wainwright and his rhythm section really get things rolling with Wainwright on vocal and piano and Holiday on harmonica. With plenty of attitude in presentation and this dynamic duo, this is a strong opener. Willie Buck has the mic on Honey Bee with Rusty Zinn on slide and Kim Wilson on harmonica. Zinn really conjurs Muddy's tone on guitar and Wilson's sound is fat and rich. Excellent! In more of a Delta styling on Recipe for Love Master , Bobby Rush on vocal and Vasti Jackson on guitar really make a great team serving up a heavy helping of blues. Very nice. Going to Court is a real hot number with James Harman on harmonica and Kid Ramos and Landon Stone laying down pure fire on guitar. Lurrie Bell teams up with harpmaster Mark Hummel on a shortened take on Everyday I Have The Blues bu...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Bash , by Duke Robillard & Friends and it may be his best recent release. Opening with Do You Mean It , Chris Cote is up front on lead vocal with Robillard on guitar, Bruce Bears on piano and Hammond, Mark Teixeira on drums and Jesse Williams on bass. With it's up tempo shuffle feel and super lead work by Robillard, super opener. Piano boogie, What Can I Do showcases strong piano by Bears and super sax by Greg Piccolo, Rich Lataille and Doug James and again. With Cote on lead vocal again and some really hot guitar riffs by Robillard, this track spins. With it's bluesy lope, Rock Alley is a great track to show Robillard at his best. His guitar phrasing is terrific and his feel is soulful. A bluesy sax solo by Lataille really adds great spice on this track. Very nice. Michelle Willson steps up on lead vocal on swing track, You Played On My Piano giving it a great feel and a rich, fat, sax solo by James r...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Wayback Machine , from Mark Hummel and it old school Chicago style blues. Opening with Flim Flam , a cool blues number with a great bass line courtesy of R.W Grigsby, with Mark Hummel on harmonica and lead vocal, backed by Rusty Zinn on guitar, Aaron Hammerman on piano and some great percussion by Dave Eagle. Super opener. A real nice Chicago flavored shuffle, Cut That out really provides a nice platform for Hummel on harmonica and Billy Flynn shows his chops on guitar, also joined by Kid Andersen. Hummel original, Road Dog is a super harmonica piece with eccentric percussion by Eagle giving it a real primitive feel.  One of my favorites on the release is Breathtaking Blues , a cool, harmonica lead instrumental with a nicely executed piano solo by Hammerman and Eagle's zany percussion. Very cool. Another favorite is Gillum's Crazy About You with a really cool pace, with barrelhouse, rat a tat percussion and H...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Harpbreaker , from Mark Hummel and it's one of the best Chicago style blues records that I've heard in a long time. Opening with terrific harp boogie, Harpoventilatin' , Mark Hummel wastse not a second showing why he's one of the top blues harp players in the world today. With strong pace, and great phrasing, Mark Hummel leads the way joined by Charles Wheal on guitar, Steve Wolf on bass, Marty Dodson on drums and Bob Welsh on keys. Jump track, Rotten Kid really is hot with Wheal laying out some terrific guitar riffs working nicely with Hummel's own featured playing. Excellent. With a super strut, Walkin' With Mr. Lee has just the right snap. Featuring Wes Starr on drums, RW Grigsby on bass, Charlie Baty and Anson Funderburgh on guitars, this track is terrific. Slow blues, Cristo Redentor has such a presence with it's soulful melody and smooth guitar phrasing by Kid Anderson. Excellent! Se...

I just received the newest release from the Golden State Lone Star Blues Review , and it's terrific! This all-star band opens with Gatemouth Brown's loping Texas style blues, Midnight Hour , featuring Mark Hummel on lead vocal, Anson Funderburgh and Little Charlie Baty on guitar, RW Grigsby on bass and Wes Starr on drums. This track is a great opener with reinforcements by Eric Spaulding and Jack Sanford on sax. Billy Boy Arnold's, Here's My Picture , is up next and Hummel takes a super sweet harp break during a break in the primarily Latin rhythm track. Prove It To You is a cool swing blues track with Hummel driving the train on vocal, a nice walking bass line by RW Grigsby and tight drums by Wes Starr. Little Charlie hits the strings with a slick guitar solo and Hummel's phrasing is top notch. Slow NO style blues, Cool To Be Your Fool , features beautiful piano interplay by Jim Pugh and a solid bass line by Grigsby. Very nice! Lowell Fulsom's, Check Yourse...

NEW SUGAR RAY NORCIA VIDEO FROM LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE - "UP THE LINE" Last December, five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold , Charlie Musselwhite , Mark Hummel , Sugar Ray Norcia , and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs.  All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter . Blind Pig Records has released another in a series of videos from that memorable evening - Sugar Ray Norcia's performance of Little Walter's "Up The Line," which also features a sterling guitar solo by Little Charlie Baty.   To watch the video, please click HERE . In addition to Little Charlie, Sugar Ray is accompanied by Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. To hear more from the album, or to learn more about it, please click HERE .

NEW JAMES HARMAN VIDEO FROM LIVE LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE Last December five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold , Charlie Musselwhite , Mark Hummel , Sugar Ray Norcia , and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs. All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter performing songs written by or associated with the late blues icon. Blind Pig Records has just released another in a series of videos from that memorable evening - James Harman's performance of  "It's Too Late Brother."   To watch the video, please click HERE . Harman is accompanied in performance by Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. For more info and sound samples from Remembering Little Walter , please click HERE .

On December 6th, five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold , Charlie Musselwhite , Mark Hummel , Sugar Ray Norcia , and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs.  All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter . Blind Pig Records has released the first video from that memorable evening - Mark Hummel's performance of Walter's "I Got To Go."  To watch the video, please click HERE . Mark is accompanied by Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. To hear more from the album, or to learn more about it, please click HERE

I just received a new Blind Pig release, Remembering Little Walter and it's great! Featuring 5 of today's greatest harp players, Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia and James Harman this live recording gives each of the featured artists a chance to perform 2 of their choice little Walter tracks and then of course a collaboration. Opening with Mark Hummel on I Got To Go , the band featuring Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on bass really gets it going. Charlie Musselwhite steps up next with Just A Feeling . James plays some great guitar riffs under the lead and Musselwhite really does a nice job delivering the goods. Billy Boy Arnold has a great sound coming right out of the chute on You're So Fine . James Harman is next in line with It's Too Late Brother. Keeping it tight on his solos and presenting his fine vocals Harmon has the crowd hopping. Sugar Ray Norcia does a terrific version of Mean Old World gettin...

The past two decades have seen the emergence of young harmonica-led blues bands. In California, groups that draw their inspiration from the Chicago school but add elements of jump blues and rock 'n' roll into the mix have come up with an exciting new style of West Coast blues. In Oakland, the northern capital of California blues, resides the incredibly powerful harmonica player and vocalist Mark Hummel, leader of The Blues Survivors, who has been a major force in shaping and defining this musical genre. Mark Hummel is a road warrior - a true Blues Survivor. Along the way, he has crafted his own trademark harmonica sound - a subtle combination of tone, phrasing and attack combined with a strong sense of swing. While Mark is new to Electro Fi Records, his earlier albums, constant touring and appearances at the major blues festivals have firmly established his solid reputation around the US and Europe. Born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in Los Angeles, California, Mark...

"Little Walter Jacobs was one of the best singers of the blues and a blues harp player par excellence" - Keith Richards "Little Walter was a very, very powerful influence on me" - Eric Clapton Blind Pig Records has announced a live recording date for a special tribute to Little Walter Jacobs featuring some of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Mark Hummel, James Harman, and Sugar Ray Norcia. The show will take place on Thursday, December 6th at Anthology in San Diego, California. The virtuosic Little Walter is without doubt one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time. AllMusicGuide said, "The fiery harmonica wizard took the humble mouth organ in dazzling amplified directions that were unimaginable prior to his ascendancy. His daring instrumental innovations were so fresh, startling, and ahead of their time. His influence remains inescapable to this day -- it's unlikely t...

Mark Hummel (born December 15, 1955, New Haven, Connecticut) is an American blues harmonica player, vocalist, songwriter, and long-time bandleader of The Blues Survivors. Since 1991, Hummel has produced the Blues Harmonica Blowout tour, of which he is also a featured performer. The shows have featured blues harmonica players such as James Cotton, Carey Bell, and Charlie Musselwhite. Although he is typically identified as performing West Coast blues, Hummel is also proficient in Delta blues, Chicago blues, swing and jazz styles.

Mark Hummel (born December 15, 1955, New Haven, Connecticut) is an American blues harmonica player, vocalist, songwriter, and long-time bandleader of The Blues Survivors. Since 1991, Hummel has produced the Blues Harmonica Blowout tour, of which he is also a featured performer. The shows have featured blues harmonica players such as James Cotton, Carey Bell, and Charlie Musselwhite. Although he is typically identified as performing West Coast blues, Hummel is also proficient in Delta blues, Chicago blues, swing and jazz styles.