Rolling On

This is sorta kinda a continuation of my thought threads from yesterday, so I'm just rolling on. I was going to pull up the post and simply edit and add, but I do have enough swirling around the brain to just do the do again today.

I failed to mention that a few friends from my school days in Brazoria came into town expressly to watch our band play at the Brewery last Friday. My brother and his wife played host while we tried our best to entertain them. It made for a very special night for me. Word is that they'll return at some point down the road.

Let me add a link to David Barrett's marvelous website here. Lots of folks just aren't going to fork over the $17 a month for harmonica related stuff and search out similar free online offers. I balked at doing it for a long time until I decided that I wanted to see his reviews of the numerous small amplifiers and stayed a couple of months. And that's the deal. One can pay out for a year or month to month and cancel anytime. As I said in yesterday's post, I'm back to wandering around the site and finding plenty of value as I go, such as the aforementioned tube rolling vids on the Princeton. That in itself was worth a month's fee.

Barrett interviews a slew of harmonica pros and those are super. Since I re-signed up on the site to glean a bit more info to polish my tongue blocking a bit more, I went through the vid interviews just clicking on each player's responses to Barrett's question on tongue blocking and some on their preferred equipment. What I'm saying is that I haven't viewed each interview in their entirety, so I'm looking forward to watching them. At the time, I just wanted to hear what master blasters like Gary Primich, Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza, Gary Smith, etc...had to say about TBing the harmonica.

Now, and I mentioned somewhere in the history of this blog, that I curl my tongue (or UBlock) to get a single hole. Just the way I found it easier. For many years, I really thought I was an odd duck out of water, because I knew of no one else that did such. Everyone puckered or tongue blocked. UNTIL I bought an instructional video from Norton Buffalo who played harp for Steve Miller. Right off the bat he mentioned that he curled his tongue. Anyway, I felt validated. Soon, from online discussion groups such as Harp-L, I found others mentioning they did the same thing. We were rare, but there and maybe even Little Walter did a bit of it.

CUTTING to the chase as to why I'm rehashing all this is the Barrett interviews. One of my favorite present day harmonica players is John Nemeth. Immaculate vocals and his harp tone is wonderful and he said he strictly UBlocks his notes, of course except for playing octaves (which of course, takes tongue blocking to get the split notes). Said it was the way he learned and has never seen a reason to do otherwise and ain't gonna try and change now. Epiphany for me. From there, another one of my favorites, Mark Ford, said he did the same thing and can even manage slapped notes with the embouchure. Steve Guyger even said that he's trying it out, because he was told by a reliable source that Little Walter did employ the method from time to time. SO I was surprised and felt additionally validated and not quite so hell bent to perfect tongue blocking.

BACK to discussing Shoji Naito. I first became aware of Shoji during a trip to Chicago (it's documented in the archives here) and he was playing guitar with harp man Morry Sochat and the Special 20s at the seafood restaurant. They were fabulous, by the way. I later learned that he was also a great harmonica player and I had heard good things about the backing tracks he offered on his website for us harp players. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I did download a few of those and they are wonderful. Anyway, he has been putting out a few videos on youtube during the pandemic stay at home time period and I caught quite  few of those. He plays both tasty guitar and harmonica. His tribute to Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater, who he played with for fourteen or so years until Eddy passed in 2014, caught my eye and then my ears after I downloaded it.

Westmont to Chicago is a solid unadulterated Chi-town blues release with guest performances by several musicians well known on the Chicago blues scene. Not going to get into an extensive review (mentioned that I've moved away from doing so), but this recording is certainly notable for some of Eddy Clearwater's last recordings and reveal a veteran bluesman that hasn't lost a step, vocally or on guitar. Shoji shines on slide guitar on Ogden Avenue and lays down some tuneful harp on a few cuts, his best while conjuring the memory of James Cotton on Like The Creeper. Great release honoring one of Chicago's great bluesmen. If you lack yourself some of The Chief's stuff, go grab something from his catalogue. Anyway--'Nuff For Now.

For Pops

Have to admit that I haven't listened to much of what Muddy Waters' son, Larry "Mud" Morganfield has recorded. I do know that his previous outing on Severn Records, Son of the Seventh Son, garnered nice reviews within the blues community, but I never got around to picking up a copy. I'll also have to admit that I picked this one up because it had Kim Wilson's photo on the cover alongside of Mud's and Wilson's name has equal billing. In the liner notes of For Pops/A Tribute To Muddy Waters, Severn Records' David Earl says that he finally gave into the idea of producing a set of Muddy's music for his son to cover. He ran it by Mud and Wilson and they were off to the races. They chose to lay off a greatest hits program and decided to mix in the lesser known with the better known.

Now, I'm not sure that I would have sprung for another Muddy Waters tribute album, but I felt this one would be of a different color, plus I'm always a sucker for Mr. Wilson's sideman adventures, especially when it comes to Chi-town blues. I'll get this out to the way first: Mud sounds damn close to his old man. He's got the master's vocal nuances and inflections down and if I'd walked into a room while it was playing, he dang sure would have fooled me. Eerily close. Of course, Kim Wilson played Muddy's music with Muddy during the hey days of the legendary Antones blues club. So, to say that he knows his book of Chicago style blues is an vast understatement and I don't think I need to go through a play by play of all the techniques that he employs to get this point across. Little Walter established the harmonica as the lead instrument in Muddy's band and Wilson certainly leads the way throughout the fourteen songs here. Reminds me of the work he did on Jimmy Rogers' Ludella (which, by the way, was on Antone's label) and more lately Barrelhouse Chuck's Got My Eye On You (my favorite latter day recording of Chi-town covers). Some of these songs originally employed the harmonica chops of Junior Wells, Big Walter, and James Cotton as well as Little Walter. A few of the songs have been debated as to who blew the harp or who didn't, because they all could cook in that Little Walter vibe, as does Wilson. No one slips and melts into this genre as well as Kim Wilson.

Speaking of Barrelhouse Chuck, he's along for the ride on piano, as are veterans Billy Flynn (guitar), Rusty Zinn (guitar), Steve Gomes (bass), and Robb Stupka (drums). It didn't take much explaining what was needed in the studio to this crew, and I'd say that's the major reason it only took four days in the studio to crank these tunes out. These guys blend into that classic Chi-town ensemble groove with ease. Barrelhouse Chuck bangs, sprinkles and tinkles the piano notes in and out of the proceedings in the style laid down by Otis Spann and later by Pinetop Perkins. His work highlights every song remarkably well.  I'd say that casual fans of Muddy (although, I don't know how anyone could be a casual fan), "Blow Wind Blow", "She Move Me", and "Still A Fool" would be most recognizable because they come from what I'd considered the pre-1955 classic period, followed by "Nineteen Years Old", "I Want You To Love Me", and "I Live The Life I Love". "My Dog Can't Bark" came along in 1965, which was bit beyond Muddy's commercial peak and a lot of folks may remember "Gone On Main Street" from the Woodstock album with Paul Butterfield on harp and not the version with Junior Wells. "I Don't Know Why" and "She's Got It" are a couple that I never listened to enough to remember that they were in Muddy's catalogue. Of course, there will be plenty of neophytes that'll associate "Trouble No More" with the Allman Brothers without realizing that Muddy recorded it '55. Most every song on the program has been covered by others since Muddy's band hit the big time up through today, but the guys did a great job of limiting the number of over-covered chestnuts. I'll lean towards "She Moves Me" as being a favorite cut, simply because it's one of my favorite Muddy songs. Little Walter's tone and technique moved me then and Wilson's moves me on this release. There's no credit as to which guitarist nails Muddy's one of a kind slide tone, but they wound it up pretty darn good.

Yep. This is one sweet tribute that works. Larry "Mud" Morgenfield honors Pops in mighty fine style. 'Nuff for now.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Back in May 2008 (dang, has it been that long) I posted a gushing review of  the first T-Birds' gig that I witnessed with the newest lineup of Mike Keller and Johnny Moeller slinging guitars, and Jay Moeller and Randy Bermudes driving the rhythm on bass and drums (respectively). Word from Kim Wilson that night was that they would have a release out with these guys in the fall and I couldn't wait to get a copy of what I felt just might be the best band that Wilson had put together since he and Jimmy Vaughn parted ways. I regularly checked my usual online sites for obtaining blues music (even iTunes) and time passed by with no T-Bird fix. Painted On was available everywhere, but no new news.

Long story short, the new CD appears to have been sitting on their website for some time and that's one place that I sort of quit checking after awhile. Like Kim Wilson's My Blues, it seems that website distribution and gig sales was the chosen method to get the CD out there (or in my case, here). So, of course, I grabbed my autographed copy and must say that it'll go into my file as one of my favorite T-Birds albums. It definitely sports some of the funkiest grooves to ever come out of a T-Birds' band. Of course, if you have any of Johnny Moeller's stuff (case in point, Return of the Funky Worm), then you know he can get funky, but this being a Fabulous Thunderbirds' release, then you know that it'll stay true to Kim Wilson's orchestration and his vision on what their sound must be. Which is a jivin' mix of the blues, R&B, soul and a bit of rock 'n roll.

Might as well start with the tracks on which Wilson blesses us with his mouth harp skills, since a few blues harp fans tap into the blog on a frequent basis. True to most of The Fabulous Thunderbird releases, he puts the songs first and sticks his harp to mouth on those that deserve and/or warrant the instrument. So, let's just begin with the last listed track, Doctor Isaiah Ross' Cat Squirrel (if anyone picked up the latest Collard Greens and Gravy, a good comparison could be made between their version and this 'un). Wilson lays down the mic and whomps out and drives the good Doctor's lick ideas acoustically and into the juke joint where it belongs. Wilson doesn't try to fancy it up any, just play it like it's supposed to be played. He also puts a ragged edge on his other wise smooth vocals to keep the tune way down in the alley where it belongs. The band keeps it there also, especially at the sticks of Jay Moeller's insistently crashing cymbals. The duo guitarists simply riff the rhythm to make the ragged feel stick.

Wilson doesn't break out his harp until the fifth track, Pay Back Time, which is one of the seven originals on the twelve tracks. It's just a nasty ol' blues, with Resonator slide rippin' and Wilson singing through his harp mic to put it in a "downhome" mood, until the band kicks into gear and brings it up to date, and Wilson spits out a few note warbles to set the tone. He jumps in and out with the harp, but it's not the song's feature. Jay Moeller and Bermudes bounce the song around significantly and no one uses those cymbals for effect as well as Moeller.

Baby I Love You invokes Wilson to pull out some Jerry McCain style riffs, mashed up with the Louisiana vibe that he's always been so good at. He waits until halfway through the song before laying it down and getting swamp juice all over it. The boys show how well they can drive a shuffle in a way that just smells and drips T-Bird groove. Keller and Moeller's guitars blend together so well, like Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla and chocolate syrup. Just hard to tell who's the ice cream and who's the topping at any given time.

Satisfied is the butt rocker that kicks off the whole proceedings and informs us that these new guys have the goods to be called The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Wilson lets them showcase what we can expect for the entire CD. Drums and bass upfront, loud and yanking the gear shift into "D". Two guitarists swapping rhythm and lead, lead and rhythm, while Wilson sings his tale (and his tail off) of being nothing but satisfied with his love. Keller and Moeller's guitars get that twangy, reverby stuff going that T-Bird legend is made of.

Speaking of butt rockin', they pull out and cover One's Too Many (and A Hundred Ain't Enough) that was covered on the Butt Rockin' album with Jimmy Vaughan's watery reverb highlighting the tune. The band funks it up quite a bit more and the dynamic duo apply their own guitar-a-rama magic to claim the tune as their own. This is a hidden bonus track, following Cat Squirrel.

They also put a funky spin on O.V. Wright's soul number, Love The Way You Love, and T-Birdify it. One of the boys spits out some rapid fired solo licks towards the end of the number that are nothing short of incredible. The band is at their funkiest on Got To Bring It With You. I'm guessing Johnny Moeller is jacking the funk quotient up with the rhythm guitar that hits from the beginning, but could just as well be Keller. The solo breaks these guys break out backs me up when I say that they are the best guitar tandem working the blues today. They had my hair standing on end.

Bermudes' Runnin' From The Blues proves his meddle as a songwriter. It sits solidly in the soul blues stew and our guitarists prove that can twinkle with the strings in the vein of a Curtis Mayfield, but before the song has faded, they're ripping the blues and the band swoops to a crashing, bashing crescendo with Wilson singing his butt off. They apply the same style of rhythmic vibe to Wilson's Hold Me and dash the funk into it liberally. The crescendo builds to a similar climax with the band banging the hell out of the tune and riffs flying around the proceedings and echoing off the walls. Great stuff.

Okay, that's enough. This is hands down, the best band that Kim Wilson has put together and they've put out one of the best albums that bears the name The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Oh, did I mention the chicken pickin' rockabilly style slinging they get going on Take Me As I Am or the topical message about helping our own here in the U.S. on Do You Know Who I Am? No? Well, just go on over to http://www.fabulousthunderbirds.com/ and buy yourself a signed copy and listen for yourself.

What's A Poor Boy To Do?

I've been out of the loop (in way more ways than one) for the past month or more, so I decided to go over to my favorite online record store (yeah, I still like to use the word record)and owner Charlie Lange slaps me in the face all these wonderful new releases for us blues harp enthusiasts. Normally, a must have recording will entice me every month or two and I can slowly part with my cash, but danged it he's highlighting a slew of the good stuff. Anyway--I thought I'd share what made me grab my credit card (not that I bought them all, but maybe I will later...tomorrow...or...dang it!)

Gary Primich
Gary, IndianaCan't pass these
live cuts up, playing
with these Scandinavian
blues cats. Besides, he
left us way too soon, so
I'll take any memories
he left behind. He was
truly one of the most creative
harmonica dudes on the planet.





Mark Hummel
Retro-active
W/Charlie Musselwhite and a
Rusty Zinn
With Charlie Musselwhite and Rusty Zinn on board, this has to be a cooking release. I've got a lot of Hummel's stuff, but I must say that this West Coast icon has become quite the master blaster in recent years.



Johnny Moeller
Bloo Ga Loo!
W/Kim Wilson & Lou Ann Barton

'Nuff said. But really, I know that Johnny's not a harp player, but he is by far one of the best damned guitar players out there or anywhere and I'll buy his stuff forever. Oh...and Kim and Lou Ann...I know they'll do it good!



Rhythm Willie
The Greatest Harp Player
You've Never Heard
I've just heard this guys name mentioned in reverence over the years by fellow harp people. No one has ever been able to point me in the right direction as far as where to find his stuff. Seems that a song here and a song there exited somewhere, but where?... now it seems that we can all judge for ourselves. Cool!

Well, these were just the ones that really tweak my interest. Go over there to bluebeat music and get your credit card out. There's also William Clarke's Tip of the Top if you missed it the first go 'round, a package deal on Paul Butterfield's best blowing, an outstanding price for a 4 cd Howling Wolf package, and the latest Mannish Boys release. Buy now!

Falling Through The Cracks

Doug Deming
and The Jewel Tones
Falling Through The Cracks
Mighty Tiger Records
MTD 601

The title cut of Doug Deming's newest release kind of sums up my relationship with his music--he's basically fallen through the cracks of my listening habits. I've known about him for years, due basically because of his affinity to record with harmonica players on board (surprise!), but I've never bought any of his stuff, even though Fingers Taylor, Kim Wilson, and Dennis Gruenling have all recorded and gigged with him. That in itself lends a bit of legitimacy to his music; in my book, anyway.

But, the closest that I've come to Doug Deming is to sample his samples on-line, and I guess that his vocals are what has kept me from springing for his CDs. Don't get me wrong here, the man can sing and has nice chops. Too nice--for the blues, though, I always felt. What convinced me to finally grab one of his discs in the fact that the words Special Guests Kim Wilson and Dennis Gruenling are printed on the cover (surprise! again), so I just couldn't resist this time. I mean, anyone who has had enough respect for the blues harp guys, to keep including them on his releases,just begs for my support. Glad I made that decision.

On the program of fifteen well composed originals, Gruenling blows his deep toned licks on three of the cuts, beginning with the rockabilly style opener, Tonight Is The Night. I know I use "deep tone" too much, but Gruenling does get the deepest, bassiest, tones this side of Big Walter when he lays it down. He provides some great comping and backing rhythm on this tune, and then Deming just lets him loose to rip into a solo with plenty of innovative ideas. Then he gives Gruenling much more space on East Side Hop , which is the typed of jump blues which Dennis Gruenling excels at blowing on big chromatic harmonica, with horn lines more in line with a tenor sax player than a harmonica dude. Sounds to me as if Deming wrote this instrumental with DG in mind.

Kim Wilson is employed on the more straight forward, down in the alley style of blues, such as on the ChiTown shuffle grooves of Only Time Will Tell. No one nails it down like Wilson does. The addition of Al Hill's Spann type piano runs helps flesh out that feel. Again, Deming lets the harp player run with it, and Wilson does his thing. Nothing inventive or new, just Kim Wilson doing it better than anyone in the business. He and Deming do just a duo with some deep slow blues called Don't Worry Me Pt.2, which is a heck of a showcase for Wilson's harp.

Not one of the advertised features, but no less talented, is Dave Morris. Morris earned his blues harp stripes in Big Dave and the Ultrasonics, a successful regional blue outfit led by guitarist, Dave Steele. He rips a boogie woogie on Don't Worry Me Pt. 1, which of course out tempos Pt.2 by a mile. Morris plays some likety split and go licks that helps propel the rave up. He also proves he knows his way around a chromatic on Put It Down, which Deming starts off with a swampy Creedance Clearwater type of riff.

Okay, okay, what about Doug Deming? The man can throw down on guitar with a variety of styles--he does the rockabilly on the opener, gets a really nice, reverbed Magic Sam vibe going on the title cut, which features the core trio of Jewel Tones of Deming, Bob Conner (bass),and Julian VanSlyke (drums). This cut probably sums up the band the best for me--because it's just them, without the featured guests or in the case of on It Was The Wine, a full blown band with piano, tenor/baritone sax, and trombone added. It's on these sophisticated, jive blues (in a Johnny Guitar Watson picking mode) , or on the smoky, jazzy, ballad mood of Every Night When I Get Home on which his vocals work best, but you know, I found his blues singing has grown on me--his darned musicianship just drew me into what he's doing. Anyone who has listened to the blues long enough, can pick out his stylistic influences, but he uses them as jumping off points for his own original ideas.

So, if you're in it just for the nine cuts with great harp riffs, go pick out cuts 1,2,4,7,8,9,11,12,&13 and download them, but you might as well spring for the entire package and buy Falling Through The Cracks. I'm going to have to back track and see what Fingers Taylor brought to his previous parties now. Just to see what fell through the cracks. 'Nuff for now.

Better Late Than....

Well, well, well. Little Walter has been nominated for a Grammy. Ain't that something? The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) got the nod for Best Historical Album. This is not stuck away in the blues category, but competing across the entire music spectrum. Now if he can beat out Woodstock--40 Years On: Back To Yasgur's Farm, then the greatest blues harmonica player EVER will gain a bit more well deserve mainstream acceptance. Woody Guthrie or Sophie Tucker could slip up on him, but to me NOTHING beats the importance of the Little Walter stuff that I blogged about when it was released.




I've never been a big Grammy fan, but it sure is nice to see the members making some sense in their selections over the last couple of years. Great to see that the Cadillac Records soundtrack with Kim Wilson, Barrelhouse Chuck, Billy Flynn, and Eddie Taylor Jr. received a nomination also, and since one of Beyonce's 10 nominations is on that soundtrack (she played Etta James and torches At Last), then maybe it has a chance to be heard by the multitude's and it's not in the blues category either. Whatever happens, it is nice to see blues music getting a little more recognition. For a complete list just go here.