Mark Hummel show

[Iceman6300@xxxxxxx]

at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, FL last Saturday night.

The Bamboo Room is only 4 years old, but has become one of the circuit's 
premier venues. Artists claim they are treated like royalty. The owner is 
truly a blues lover and supporter. The bar is wonderfully set up for bands 
with a sound man that keeps the overall volume quite manageable.

Mark is one of the nicest personalities on the blues circuit. He is upbeat 
and positive, on and off stage. It is easy to see from his performance that 
he is doing what he loves best. Mark is also one of the most underated of the 
blues diatonic players, a monster chromatic player with a bottomless pit of 
ideas, and one who has studied the "old masters" to the point that he can 
duplicate any of their styles and many of their best solos note for note; 
however, he uses this as his starting point from which to add his own 
traditional voice and ideas. His live version of "Rocket" by Little Walter 
was astounding. There were also nods to "The Creeper" by James Cotton and to 
both Sonny Boys.

His latest CD, "Golden State Blues", captures his brand of excitement better 
than any of his previous releases. 

There was also a Sunday workshop given by Mark and Jason Ricci. 
Unfortunately, only a few attended the seminar. 

While the workshop lacked focus and direction, it is always a pleasure to 
hear Mark talk and give examples of his different techniques and influences. 

Jason is also an interesting new performer on the circuit. His youth and 
enthusiasm are quite evident in his energetic playing. Jason uses overblows 
within the blues/funk context, with main influences including Carlos del 
Junco and Adam Gussow.

The Iceman