[Harp-L] Mark Hummel's Blues Harmonica Blowoff his weekend in SF Bay Area

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Mark Hummelâs Harmonica Blowouts in Oakland This Friday, Saturday and Sunday
 
This weekâs must-see is also a great bargain. Blues veteran Mark Hummel brings 
his Blues Harmonica Blowoff to the San Francisco Bay Area for three evenings at 
the hip-yet-opulent Yoshiâs nightclub at the heart of the exciting Jack London 
Square entertainment district in Oakland.  This is a safe area, central and easy 
to get to, with good offstreet parking.
 
While ticket prices are reasonable, the real bargain is the rich and varied 
blues harmonica talent all gathered in one show. You get to see and hear not 
only Mark, but four other excellent and highly distinctive blues harmonica 
stylists: 

 
Rod Piazza (yes, with Miss Honey at the piano). Rod is one of the great showmen 
of the blues who gets the whole room rocking and keeps it that way.
 
Chicago stalwart Billy Branch, whose traditional values are reflected in his 
past tenure with Willie Dixon and later membership in Sons of Blues. Billy comes 
from inside the tradition, but extends it in exciting ways.
 
The high-octane Sugar Blue, who has recorded with both Willie Dixon and the 
Rolling Stones and is thought to be the model for John Popper (but remains 
firmly rooted in the blues).
 
Carlos del Junco, the  eclectic "mongrel blues" Cuban Canadian, who adds 
overblowing to solid blues chops while adding a little Latin and jazz - and some 
just plain slamminâ R&B - into the mix.
 
Of course Mark Hummel is a master stylist who always brings a fresh approach 
that continues to resonate with the core of electric blues tradition while 
reinventing it from a deep knowledge of the less-explored roots and offshoots, 
always with a strong musicality and crowd-pleasing sense of dynamics and pacing. 
And he's a great producer and host for this great show.
 
Shows are Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, with a Sunday matinee. For more 
info and to order tickets, visit:
 
http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/652 Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com