Blues Mountain Records artist: Big Harp George - Cooking With Gas - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cooking With Gas, by Big Harp George and it's a solid set of original blues tracks. Opening with title track, Cooking With Gas, Big Harp George on lead vocal and chromatic harmonica leads the way on this sassy track with D'Mar Martin on drums, Joe Kyle Jr. on bass and featuring Michael Peloquin contributing a hot sax solo. Latin flavored Doom Loop has a tight drum and horn section with Doug Rowan on bari sax, Ed Morrison on trumpet, Peloquin on tenor sax, Mike Rinta on trombone, Kid Andersen on guitars and great guitar flare from George. Soulful blues, Wine Is My Friend has a firm bass line by Kyle Jr. working with George's great vocals, Andersen on guitar and James Dwayne and Walter Morgan on backing vocals. Funky instrumental, Maceosity really moves with Jerry Jemmott on bass and D'Mar on drums. A lively horn section and Burns on keys fuels the flame and Peloquin on diatonic harmonica works in nicely with excellent bari work by Rowan and great trombone contribution by Rinta. Excellent! Paradise Is Burning has a great bluesy feel and George really works the track on vocal and harmonica. Backing vocals by Swayne and Morgan add substantial warmth and Andersen's contributions on guitar really stand out. Wrapping the release is instrumental, When I First Held Valerie, featuring George on the melody on harmonica and a crisp piano solo by Burns. This is a solid closer for a very enjoyable release. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Blues Mountain Records artist: Big Harp George - Cut My Spirit Loose - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cut My Spirit Loose, by Big Harp George, and it's cooking! Opening with boogie track, It's Tuesday, George is firing on all cylinders. With Kid Andersen laying down signature guitar riffs and backed by Doug Rowan on bari sax, Michael Peloquin on sax and Mike Rinta on trombone the house is rocking. George on harmonica and lead vocals and joined by Chris Burns on keys, June Core on drums, Joe Kyle Jr. on bass and with Lisa Leuschner Andersen, James Dwayne and Walter Morgan on backing vocals, this is a great opener. With a real nice New Orleans beat, Bustin' Out is a strong instrumental led by George on harmonica, Jeff Lewis on trumpet Peloquin on sax, Rowan on bari and Rinta on tuba. This is punchy. Tight drum work by Core and bass by Kyle, and a sassy sax solo by Peloquin and a great trombone solo by Rinta makes this my favorite on the release. Jump Abu Lula! is another great track with George really harping out. D'Mar sets a great drum rhythm and Dwayne and Morgan's backing vocals really add spice. Slow blues, Behind The Eight Ball is another strong track with excellent lead vocals by George. Rhythmic piano by Burns and excellent guitar work by Andersen set the stage for a real healthy harmonica solo by George. Very nice. Take A Knee is another favorite with delta style guitar work by Andersen and rich backing vocals by Dwayne and Morgan behind the featured work of George. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Captain Jack, a warm ballad with George on lead vocal with  mostly piano and bass backing. This is really a strong release and one I recommend for blues lovers. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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For your convenience, you can click the title of this post above to be taken to a site where this cd can be purchased - Happy Listening

Blues Mountain Records artist: Big Harp George - Living In The City - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Living In The City, from Big Harp George, and it's a solid mix or blues and rock. Opening with Build Myself an App, a rock track with a retro beat features Big Harp George on lead vocal and harp, Chris Burns on keys, Doug Rowan on bari sax, Joe Kyle on bass, June Core on drums, Kid Andersen on guitar and the Sons of the Soul Revivers (James Dwayne and Walter Morgan) on backing vocals. Heading Out to Itaipu has a cool, light Latin feel with excellent percussion by D'Mar, Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Carlos Reyes on Paraguayan harp and violin, Kid Andersen on bass, and really nicely crafted harmonica lead by George. Laid back blues, Bayside Bounce, has a cool, shuffle beat with Ben Torres on bari sax, Andersen on bass, and featuring Baty with some really tasty guitar riffs under George's harmonica lead. Blues shuffle, First Class Muck Up is my favorite track on the release with it's boogie beat and heavy sax bottom by Ben Torres. George lays down some really cool, fluid harmonica lead and Baty's guitar work is hot. Very nice. Pusher in a White Purse is another favorite with a slinky feel, some of George's best vocals on the release, warm backing vocals by Sons of Soul Revivers and a soulful guitar solo by Andersen. Wrapping the release is Meet Me at the Fence with an eastern zither intro by Firas Zreik, Loay Dahbour on Arabic percussion, Amal Markus on vocal, Joe Kyle on bass and Loralee Christiansen on backing vocal with George pulling it all together into a blues, rock middle eastern fusion. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Blues Mountain Records artist: Big Harp George - Uptown Cool.- New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (7/16/18), Uptown Cool, from Big Harp George, and it's tight. Opening with loping shuffle, Down To The Rite Aid, Big Harp George has it running from the first note with his great harp sound, singing duet with Loralee Christensen backed by Chris Burns on piano, Alexander Pettersen on drums, Kid Andersen on bass, Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Michael Peloquin on sax and Mike Rinta on trombone. Very nice. Alternative Facts has a laid back, sauntering feel with real cool harp soloing and great guitar backing by Kid Andersen. Latin fused track, I Wanna Know has strong rhythmic Santana like influences with D'mar on percussion and nice backing vocals by Christensen and warm sax tines by Peloquin, strong bass lines by Andersen and trademark harp soloing by George. On bluesy, Nobody's Listening, Little Charlie really lays in a articulate guitar solo and George some of his best vocals on the release.Standing In The Weather really has a saucy rhythm, augmented by sax work by Peloquin and Andersen chicken picks his way to a really tasty solo on guitar. Bulletproof is another track that nicely showcases the hot hand work of Andersen and George works the lead vocal and harp nicely. Another bluesy track, Cold Snap By The Bay, is one of my favorites on the release with wailing sax by Peloquin, a super piano solo by Burns and some of my favorite guitar sounds by Andersen. Standout instrumental, Uptown Cool, has a really jagged percussion rhythm. courtesy D'Mar with alternating solos by Baty, George and Burns. Very nice. Wrapping the release is easy swing track, Lord Make Me Chaste with gospel like backing by Christensen and Derick Hughes. Bringing on the New Orleans horn styling by Rinta and Peloquin and a taste of falling down the step drumming by Pettersen makes this a fine closer for a cool release.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Blues Mountain Records artist: Big Harp George - Wash My Horse In Champagne - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Wash My Horse In Champagne, from Big Harp George and it's a nice dose of  harp. Opening with Home Stretch, George takes the lead on vocal with Little Charlie Baty laying down some real nice guitar along with Kid Andersen on bass and Raja Kawar on drums. Georges vocals are tight and his harp riffs certain and well punctuated. Nice opener. On Road Kill, a bikini beach rocker, George really gets the track swinging and Kid Andersen's guitar work is excellent. Wash My Horse In Champagne is a cool track with stylized Spanish guitar and cool vocal blending with Loralee Christensen, this track sets up nicely for a longer melodic harp lead. Very nice. Swing track, Cool Mistake, has a great beat and George lets his harp do a lot of his talking. With a sweet guitar lead from Baty, this track really hums. Slow blues track, My Bright Future, gives George a really nice opportunity to stretch both vocally and on harp along side the beautiful piano work of Chris Burns. With a nice walking bass line by Andersen, I Ain't The Judge of You, has a real nice boogie beat fostering a super fat sax solo by Michael Peloquin. Burns brings up the heat with his keen organ work and Baty adds his own signature to the guitar line. R&B style blues track, I Wasn't Ready, is one of my favorite tracks on the release with George leading nicely on vocal. Rich sax work from Peloquin, strong lead piano lines by Burns and excellent guitar and harp lines from Baty and George really make this track shine. Excellent! Big band style swinger, If Only, gets a fuller sound with Mike Rinta on trombone and Peloquin on sax. Rolling piano work by Burns really pushes the track and George excels as a lead vocalist with hot solos by Peloquin on sax and Andersen on guitar. Light From Darkness has traces of War (the jazz funk fusion band) with funky wah wah by Andersen and snappy drumming by Kawar. With a natural fit in this style of music of the chromatic harp and a constant interweaving of fluid lines by Andersen and Burns and addition of percussion by J Hansen, this track gives the release even another strong dimension. Mojo Waltz is a really interesting track a jazz oriented feel. George takes the lead on harp on this instrumental with killer solos by Baty on guitar and Rinta on trombone backed by a warm interweaving of horns, bass and drums. Excellent! Big time swinger, Size Matters, is a super opportunity to cut the harp loose and that's exactly what George does. Another of my favorite tracks on the release, This track is a perfect display of just what George can make a 16 hole chromatic harp do. Very cool! Somber blues number, Justice in My Time wraps the track. With clean harp lines and really tight acoustic bass work by Andersen, this is a super track to close a really cool release.



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Blues Mountain Records artist: Big Harp George - Chromaticism - New release Review

I just received the newest release, Chromaticism, from Big Harp George and it's really super. Opening with traditional swing track, Smack Dab In The Middle, Big Harp George Bisharat leads the way with a really solid voice. Chris Burns does a really nice job on keys and Kent Bryson adds a really cool vibes solo adding a different flavor. On Crazy About You Baby, Raja Kawar revs up the drums and Little Charlie Baty joins on guitar. Bisharat is a natural band leader with a spot on vocal delivery and harmonica accompaniment. Original track, Left So Soon, is a real cooker, down deep in the blues and George milks the blues from his harp. Rusty Zinn steps up on guitar on this track really adding a nice shine to an already smokin track. Excellent! My Baby Is Now On My Mind is a cool shuffle again with Zinn on guitar. The chromatic guitar really shines on this track and Zinn kicks off a gallop with his prime solo on this track aided by Kawar. Title track, Chromaticism, is a strong driving instrumental boogie with hot harp riffs. Little Charlie is back on guitar and rides it hard. Another excellent track! Hard Way, given a Latin twist on the blues specifically by the bass lead by Kid Anderson and Kawar on drums. Again George shows just how colorful and diverse a chromatic harp can be. Cellphone Hater takes the pace back down giving Zinn space to grind out some really tasty guitar riffs. Michael Peloquin adds some really nice sax and Chris Burns is tight on keys. Little Charlie leads the way with some really flavorful riffs to open Strolling Down Bliss Street, a swinging boogie. George really gets some cool tone cranked up on this track and Baty takes a really sweet solo to wrap it up. Cocktail Hour is a laid back jazzier blues track with a looseness that gives the harmonica air. Backed along the melody by Bryson on vibes is a really cool effect and Baty lays down some really hot guitar riffs. Very nice! Bryson steps out with a cool vibes solo adding something you don't typically hear on a contemporary blues album. Very cool! Classic blues track Someday is done just beautifully. I have always loved this track and George lays in the groove and lets it happen. Burns alternating back and forth between piano and organ is a cool effect and Georges vocals are heartfelt. On original track, Hey Jaleh! George dabbles into Cajun territory with just a taste of spice on a traditional Chicago sound. Chromatic harp and Zinn on guitar is a really nice match on the break. Smokin! Wrapping the release is Drum Boogie which really cooks! Lead by Peloquin on sax, he really gets this track hopping! This iss a hot band and they don't hold anything back , letting it all out on this track. Baty lays down some really crisp riffs and Kawar is tight on the bottom. Excellent! This will definitely end up on my best of the year....watch for it!

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”