the hum / By Russ Cole

Harmonic Convergence

Blues harps and other post-turkey events

(Nov. 29, 2007)  It’s the week after Thanksgiving, a quiet time in general, and really quiet on the local music front. One holiday down, and “Christmastime is comin’…,” which means lots of parties and celebrating in the weeks ahead. Since we’re nearing the end of 2007, touring musicians are starting to go into self-imposed hibernation. After all the traveling they do throughout the year, they certainly deserve a break to rest and recharge.

But I’m getting a little ahead of things. There’s still time for a blowout or two, and one is about to hit the sleepy hamlet of Blue Lake. This Friday night the Sapphire Palace will play host to Mark Hummel’s Blues Harmonica Blowout. Hummel, a mainstay of the Bay Area blues scene for over three decades, has been assembling an impressive array of his harp-playing brethren for the past 16 years. Inspired by a series of shows produced by SF Blues festival organizer Tom Mazzolini in the 1980s, Hummel decided to pull together a few of his buddies to do a show at the fabled Ashkenaz in Berkeley back in 1991. It was a success, and he was asked to do it again the following year. It soon became an annual event, later moving to Yoshi’s, the great jazz club in Oakland. Starting as a one-night extravaganza, it later expanded to a three-night run.

GALLERY >

A few years ago, Hummel decided to take the show on the road. He bought a van, customized it for comfort and started making phone calls. The Blowout tours feature a rotating roster of seasoned vets, a mix of old and young musicians.

Hummel figures that just about every pro harp player has been on his stage over the years, and they include Charlie Musselwhite, Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Magic Dick and Lee Oskar. You might call it a hurricane of harmonicas (sorry).

The trio that will be coming here are some of the finest. James Cotton is considered by many to be the last of his generation, a true blues legend. He’s played with everyone from his mentor Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters to Johnny Winter and the Grateful Dead. The man known as “Superharp” played the Palace a couple of years ago, and I’m here to testify that he can still blow with the best of them.

Kim Wilson is the mainstay frontman for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, though he’s also recorded half a dozen solo albums. A genius interpreter of classic blues tunes, and a great songwriter himself, Wilson is a harmonica master.

Thirdly, there’s Curtis Salgado, straight outta Portland. Widely known as the inspiration for Joliet Jake, John Belushi’s character in the Blues Brothers, he was also in the first incarnation of the Robert Cray Band, and singer for Roomful of Blues. He formed his own group in the early ‘90s and has been tearin’ up the circuit ever since. Salgado has had some health problems recently (notably, a liver transplant in 2006), so it’ll be good to see him grace our local stage.

That is one fantastic lineup, backed by Hummel’s longtime band, the Blues Survivors. Guitarist Rusty Zinn is with him now, plus Bob Welch on piano and guitar, making this package a must for blues aficionados.

1 2 3 NEXT PAGE >SHARE