Smokin' Mojo Kings, 2 p.m.
Starting
off Saturday's long day of performances are The Smokin' Mojo
Kings. Hailing from southeast Iowa, near the Missouri line, they won
the Quad Cities round of the Iowa Blues Challenge and placed second
in the final round in Des Moines.
The Mojo Kings are John Wentzien on bass and vocals, Eric Bartholomew on drums, Jim "Frenchie" French on harmonica and vocals, and Dennis "Brillo" Albee on guitar and vocals.
Judging by a set at Blueport Junction, expect a tight sound with lots of sizzling slide guitar where you can't tell the originals from the covers - a sure sign of a good band.
- Karen McFarland
Kelly Richey, 3:30 p.m.
If
you don't know Kelly Richey, she is going to blow you away with her
fast and precise guitar playing that is more attuned to a live
outdoor show than a studio, although she has recorded at least nine
CDs and is not showing any signs of letting up. She has been playing
her guitar since she was a young teenager. Kelly says, "I never set
it down." She took it to school and to the supper table; she says
that "if I took a walk, it was strapped on."
Kelly Richey has been compared to a lot of great guitar players of the past and present. If you need a visual, I will quote one music critic that described her as "Stevie Ray Vaughan trapped in a woman's body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out."
Kelly seems to be one of those artists who is most comfortable being on stage playing her music. She tours with the accomplished and powerful duo of Jimmy Valdez on bass and David Clawson on drums. When she fires up that guitar and voice, watch out, because she holds nothing back. It's like she was put on this earth to play guitar and get all and more out of that instrument.
The real beauty of it is she has a fantastic voice to accompany her guitar sound. Kelly will be on the bandshell, where she will have plenty of room to show us all the power of her performing.
- Michael J. Livermore
For more information, visit (http://www.kellyrichey.com/html/).
Jason Ricci & New Blood, 5 p.m.
If
you asked someone to describe the appearance of a "typical"
bluesman, there was a time when that wouldn't be too difficult. But
as the blues have progressed, evolved, and diversified, that
description has become harder to nail down. Even so, it's doubtful
that Jason Ricci would fit most folks' "typical" model.
Hailing from Portland, Maine, this young harmonica virtuoso combines a flamboyant, electric stage presence with chops that meld the speed of Blues Traveler's John Popper with the precision of harp master Jerry Portnoy, while retaining the soulful feel of the classic blues-harp legends. With the capable backing of his touring band, New Blood, Jason's roots extend deep into the blues, and it's this solid footing that allows the band to expand to encompass rock, jazz, funk, and even elements of world and jam music.
One might wonder how Jason could develop such an extensive repertoire at such a relatively young age. Spending a good deal of time in Holly Springs, Mississippi, didn't hurt. Neither did touring and gigging with Susan Tedeschi, Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and longtime Quad Cities favorites Big Al & the Heavyweights. Add a grueling touring schedule of more than 300 dates a year, and it becomes clear how he's developed his skills.
Jason won a contest held by the Sonny Boy Blues Society in 1995, beat out more than 1,000 other contestants to win the Mars National Harmonica Challenge, and has signed with the Hohner harp company as an endorser. He released his first CD in 1995 and his sixth, Blood on the Road, last year.
Three recent local appearances caught the attention of the MVBS and earned Jason Ricci & New Blood a well-deserved slot at this year's fest.
- Steve Pedigo
For more information, visit (http://www.jasonricci.com).
Big James & the Chicago Playboys, 7 p.m.
"Big
James" Montgomery is a trombonist who has shared the stage with
artists such as Eric Clapton and George Clinton.
James got his first taste of the blues when, as a young teenager, he would stand outside of a club on the South Side of Chicago and listen to B.B. "Big Voice" Odum sing with Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues. Eventually, he was allowed to sit in with the band.
At 19 years old he joined the band of the legendary Little Milton. After playing with Milton for two years, he joined Albert King's band. After playing with Albert, he returned to the local scene in Chicago and began to play with different blues bands in the area.
In 1996, "Big James" joined Buddy Guy's band. James performed all over the world with the master bluesman, with the highlight being the "House of Blues Barnburner Tour" and a performance on the Tonight Show.
Now James is the leader of his own band, the Chicago Playboys, and they play in venues throughout the Chicago area. The Chicago Playboys are Mike Wheeler on lead guitar and vocals, drummer Cleo Cole, keyboardist and vocalist Joseph Sylvester Blocker, bassist Larry Williams, and Charles Kimble on sax and vocals.
- Amanda Coulter
For more information, visit (http://www.bigjames.com).
The Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson Band, 9 p.m.
Jackie
Payne and Steve Edmonson have a history together that goes back
almost 10 years. They first met when they were members of the popular
soul revival group The Dynatones. In addition to being gifted
musicians, Jackie and Steve understand the art of entertaining,
performing with a fire and intensity that matches a gospel revival.
As Steve says, "In Jackie's voice you can hear echoes of O.V. Wright, James Brown, and Wilson Pickett, as well as Muddy Waters, Junior Parker, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, and Little Johnny Taylor, not so much because he has imitated them, but because he is one of them."
In a January 2007 article in Blues Revue, author Thomas Cullen III refers to Jackie and Steve as "one of the tightest soul-blues aggregations of the new millennium." Their debut album for the Delta Groove label, Master of the Game, is a mix of up-tempo foot-stompers, harder-edged blues rockers, mid-tempo shuffles, and sweet ballads, with a title track reminiscent of the 1970s soul of Stax or Al Green. It will quickly work its way into your list of favorites and put down roots.
- Laura Ernzen
For more information, visit (http://home.comcast.net/~edmoblues/).
Mark Hummel's Blues Harmonica Blowout featuring James Harman and Paul Oscher, 11 p.m.
In
Oakland, California, resides vocalist, bandleader, songwriter, and
incredibly powerful blues harmonica player Mark Hummel. "Hummel
whoops up clouds of volcanic ash on one number after another," says
Down
Beat. Living
Blues has written that
"Hummel and his swinging brand of blues are a match made in
heaven."
Early on, Mark absorbed the music of such Chicago-based harp blowers as Little Walter Jacobs, James Cotton, and Sonny Boy Williamson, before settling in Berkeley, California, in 1972, where he played with local bluesmen such as Cool Papa. In 1980, he took the helm to lead the popular Blues Survivors band.
Since 1991, Mark has been both producing and performing at his Blues Harmonica Blowout series. These shows have grown to be much-heralded events and continue to draw sellout crowds wherever they appear. The list of participants is a who's who of blues harp history; James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Kim Wilson, Huey Lewis, Carey Bell, Billy Boy Arnold, Rod Piazza, Rick Estrin, Paul deLay, Snooky Pryor, Gary Primich, and Sam Myers have all been featured Blowout harmonica players in just the past three years of this 16-year-old series.
For this show, Mark will be joined by Paul Oscher (see separate bio) and James Harman for a Blues Harmonica Blowout you won't soon forget.
James Harman is a blues singer, harmonica player, songwriter, and bandleader. His various combinations of the James Harman Band over the years have featured topnotch talent including guitarists Hollywood Fats and Kid Ramos. Harman's deep blues roots lead back to blues harmonica legends such as Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, and Sonny Boy Williamson.
Born in 1946 in Anniston, Alabama, Harman began piano lessons at age four and sang in the church choir. Borrowing his father's Hohner harmonicas in the piano bench, he would play them after his piano lessons. He found the blues early in life, both on black radio and on the street corner; "Radio" Johnson, a local blind street singer who played slide guitar with a knife, was an early influence and collaborator.
James Harman always seems to stretch the boundaries and conceptions of blues and combines rich traditions and craziness for a blues blend that's mighty hard to resist.
- Bob Kieser
For more information, visit (http://www.markhummel.com).
