[Harp-L] Please stand....

[Tom Ellis <tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Please stand with me now in honor of Paul Oscher and the remarkable music
and harmonica playing on his new CD, "Alone With The Blues."

True to the name, it's just Paul, with drums and bass on but a few cuts,
and the blues groove is deeper than anything you'll hear from any living
bluesman, for sure.  But the standout for harp players is Paul's incredible
display of the complete blues idiom--his chops are great, his tone, which
varies according to the tune (ala Little Walter) is flat out incomparable,
and his chromatic playing is the best, most unique I've heard.

I've had this thing in my player non-stop for weeks, just trying to soak it
in.  When you his four harmonica, solo title cut, or his downright vengeful
take on "That's Alright", or his rack playing on the voice/guitar/harp
cuts...well...you just have never heard anything like it.  Words just
escape me.

At SPAH 2003 I accompanied Paul, Mike Turk and Robert Bonfiglio to a radio
broardcast we did to promo the event to the Dallas audience.  Paul played
first and it was a heavy "throwdown" performance, showcasing his take on
Ellington, Jacobs, and Muddy.  Mike came on next, and before he even
introduced his first song, he made the unsolicited comment that "I'm a
little intimidated in the presence of Paul."  His playing was that stellar.
 It's moreso on this recording.

A must have.  You can sit now.  Tom Ellis/Tom's Mics