Mark Hummel - Odds and Ends

www.markhummel.com

Odds and Ends is a remarkable look back at Mark Hummel’s considerable back catalogue from 1982, with some cool stuff from as late as 2006. Most of the 19 cuts on this CD are from a number of releases from the 1980’s, including Up & Jumpin, Sunny Day Blues, High-Steppin, and Feel Like Rockin, and to a disc, they are sadly all out of print. Fortunately for fans of harmonica-led blues, Mark’s hand-picked some gems from early Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors’ line-ups that featured Frank Goldwasser (“Paris Slim”) on guitar, Carl Severeid on bass, Kenny Dale Johnson on drums, and Jimmy Pugh on piano.

Carl and Jimmy were in Robert Cray’s band, and the constellation of performers on this CD gave me many “a-ha” moments. Like Mike Judge playing bass behind Charles Brown on an inspired “Summertime.” Yes, you read that right: Mike Judge, as in Beavis and Butt-head, and the offbeat, cult film classics, Office Space and Idiocracy. Of all the 19 cuts on this CD, I keep coming back to the high-energy rockabilly-tinged “Keep A-Knockin’” powered by Jimi Bott on drums and Tim Wager on bass, with Kevin Zuffi’s piano and Pat Chase’s guitar all turning in a first-class romp worthy of comparisons to some of the best sub-three minute rockers ever to grace a long-playing, vinyl record or compact disc. Odds & Ends is definitely worth a spot on blues harmonica fans’ CD shelves, and we owe a debt of gratitude to Mark Hummel for the way Mark’s sampled some exceptional line-ups of the Blues Survivors over the years.

Odds and Ends is more than a collection of blues harmonica history: it complements Mark Hummel’s other recent recordings, most notably his newest Blues Harmonica Blowout compilation on Electro-Fi, Still Here and Gone, and his series of Blues Harp Meltdown CDs on Mountain Top.

Hey Mark: When can we expect the second volume of Odds & Ends?

Reviewer Eric Steiner is the President of the Washington Blues Society, a proud recipient of a Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation. Please contact Eric at president@wablues.org  or visit www.wablues.org for more information on the Washington Blues Society

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Zac Harmon - From the Root

Northern Blues Music

www.zacharmon.com

14 tracks

Zac Harmon’s discography is quite impressive. As an LA studio musician for many years, he recorded with many fine bands and musicians. He was finally "discovered" in 2004 when he was sponsored by the Southern California Blues Society and won the International Blues Challenge as "Best Unsigned Band." Two years later he won the Blues Music Award for "Best New Artist." He originally hails from Jackson, Mississippi, and his bio claims he is disciple of Jackson’s Farish Street blues sound. His musical roots are strong and his talent is exceptional!

"From the Root" is his fourth CD (his first with Northern Blues after a French release and two others available on CD Baby) and showcases Harmon’s songwriting and performing abilities. It is a beautiful blend of blues, soul, and a little reggae. It captured my interest immediately; I was tapping my foot and groovin’ to the beat on the CD’s first track.

About half of the songs are straight up blues. "Hattie Mae," "Keep the Blues Alive" and "Scratch" are great examples of how this artist excels in the Delta tradition. His blues are awesome and the backing sounds from the other band members are equally good. Jimmy Z’s harp work is exceptional throughout.

The other half of the album focused predominantly on Zac’s funky and soulful side. The opening track "Don’t Give Me Another Reason" smartly mixes soul with some blues. Sueann Carwell’s vocals with Harmon on "The Price of Lovin’ You" are sultry and seductive. "Back Bitin’ Back Stabbers" and then Smile on Your Face" and "Want Ads" are at ends of the soul spectrum, from a funked up dance tune to two that are in the style of older Al Green stuff.

It’s a great CD and Harmon shows his talents and versatility. He’s a great musician and performer, and his new CD is worth checking out! !

Reviewer Steve Jones is secretary of the Crossroads Blues Society in Rockford. IL

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Woodbrain - Swimming In Turpentine

Yellow Dog Records

http://woodbrainmusic.com/

"Swimming In Turpentine", the debut release from Portland, Oregon's Woodbrain, is earthy and bluesy yet defiantly intense and diverse. It's coerced along by distorted guitars, a driving rhythm section, and a harmonica presence with a persona of its own. From Chicago electricity to acoustic blues and bluegrass, the originality of the music can be equated to a rollercoaster that slowly makes its way to the summit and boldly plunges forward into sundry territory, twisting and whipping around bends, out of control yet never losing track. It's easy to imagine these guys at many of the various summer music festivals because of their uniqueness, daring musicianship, and ability to blend in just about anywhere.

Woodbrain is made up of Joe McMurrian on guitar, banjo, and lead vocals; David Lipkind on harmonica and background vocals; Jason Honl on bass; and Jimi Bott on drums (originally of The Fabulous Thunderbirds). Songwriter Joe McMurrian says, "Our base is the pre-1940 rural music of the Mississippi Delta and the Appalachian Mountains. It's a sound influenced by Robert Pete Williams, Skip James, Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, and R. L. Burnside, as well as Dock Boggs and Roscoe Holcomb. But we're not ignorant of what happened since, like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and modern jazz. We roll all of that into our chemistry as a band."

The album's opener, "Port Chicago Highway," begins with an interesting upward slide to the desired note before a warmly distorted guitar takes it into a potent blues region. Possessing a Canned Heat resonance, maybe even some Blues Traveler, the song is typical of the potency heard throughout. "Northbound" follows with more of the same. Both McMurrian originals display basically what they are: a band that approaches the blues from both a new and old perspective in a powerfully original way. Sitting alongside the originals is an interesting cover of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down" and an incredible rendition of Bert Jansch's "Black Water Side", where the British folk song is transformed into an acoustic blues number.

People often say that you can't do much more with the blues that hasn't already been done. Woodbrain proves otherwise with Swimming In Turpentine. Not all of it is traditional, but there's tradition in all of it. The band injects tasteful influences and styles throughout their music and comes out with a sound that's diverse and different.

Reviewer Brian Holland is a music journalist who resides in Massachusetts.  www.briandholland.com

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