The subject of our November Monthly Artist Spotlight feature is Al Blake. In 2010 Blake, as the singer, harmonica player, principal songwriter and album producer for the Hollywood Blue Flames, released the album Deep in America on Delta Groove Records. On this album you will find an Al Blake original, Fly Like an Eagle, Cry Like a Lonesome Dove. The song features his distinctive vocals and understated, acoustic harmonica along with the usual stellar support from the band.

Karl Cabbage of the Red Lotus Revue is an exceptional blues harmonica player. He is a student of the old school blues with a great ear for tone and the subtle nuances of his instrument. His band is a bassless quartet that deals in lo-fi, retro cool. I chose the song Just the Feeling from their most recent release the 2011 self titled, self produced, self released CD. I think we will be hearing big things from Karl and the Red Lotus Revue. This San Diego based band gets it. 

The late great William Clarke is the big daddio of west coast cool. His chromatic playing is rivaled only by the great arrangements and jazz-like sensibility he would bring to the bandstand and recording studio. His legacy as the west coast chromatic genius is secure despite his sadly relatively short life and career. If William Clarke made a bad record I am not aware of it. I could go in a lot of directions here but I chose the instrumental tune, Family Jewels from the 1987 album Tip of the Top.

Johnny Dyer is not a Southern Californian native but we are glad to have him as a long time resident. He hails from the Stovall plantation in Mississippi. If that particular location sounds familiar,it may be because a gentleman named McKinley Morganfield is from that same large agricultural enterprise. Johnny Dyer brings the same warmth to his playing as he does to his singing. One of my favorite Johnny Dyer albums is his 1994 album Listen Up which features the guitar of Rick Holmstrom. The title track has always been one of my favorites. It is a Johnny Dyer/Rick Holmstrom original that is quintessential J.D.  

Rick Estrin, long time vocalist, harpist and songwriter, as well as co–founder of the veteran ensemble Little Charlie and the Nightcats made his first post Charlie Batty album in 2009 entitled Twisted.  Stepping in on guitar for Rick Estrin and the Nightcats is long time Northern California resident and native Norwegian, Chris "Kid" Andersen. Anderson co-wrote the chromatic harp instrumental with Estrin heard here. The song Cool Breeze is just that.

James Harman has amassed a discography of original tunes that is unrivaled by any of his fellow front men/singer/harp players. His immense catalogue even has original thematic concept albums. Like Estrin, Harman often mixes humor and sly wit into his blues stew. Blues can be smart and funny at the same time and nothing speaks to that better than when Harman puts his mind to a subject like the lottery, which he does in the song Modern Numbers Game off his 1998 album Taking Chances.      

Veteran L.A. based harp player Michael Fell is now a full time member of the Mighty Mojo Prophets.  The Prophets separate themselves from the pedestrian in several different ways not the least of which is the fact that this band actually has a vocalist in Tommy “Big Son” Eliff who can actually SING.  Additionally, since Tommy isn’t doing double duty on harp, Fell can add an extra textural component to the MMP soundscape. Check out the tune West Coast Blues from their 2011 self titled debut album on Rip Cat Records. This album features a whole host of special guests including Johnny Maestro playing harmonica on this tune. Guest harp player San Pedro Slim can also be heard on one of the album's 13 tracks. Additionally, Alex Woodson on loan from Lil A & the Allnighters can be heard blowing harp throughout this fine album recorded prior to Fell's arrival.

Mitch Kashmar released a wonderful album on Delta Groove Records entitled 100 Miles to Go. The tracks contained within were recorded back in 1988. On the song Horn of Plenty, harp player Kashmar shares the stage with the late great William Clarke. Kashmar and the band do justice to this Clarke original.  This album was originally released on vinyl and has been long out of print. It has never been released on CD in the United States until this year.

Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers made their first record in about twenty years without fellow founding Flyer, bassist Big Bill Stuve. Rod who was born in and still lives in Riverside, CA, released his twenty forth album in 2009 entitled Soul Monster the record treads through familiar territory for Piazza. Hey, Mrs. Jones’ idiosyncratic rhythm gives this track a distinctively different flavor.

Lynwood Slim has made lots of terrific albums but for our west coast jukebox I went with his most recent release Brazilian Kicks. Lynwood Slim has emerged as not only a fine harmonica player and flautist, but is an engaging singer who has a unique vocal delivery that is smooth as silk. In addition to that, he has become an in demand record producer. He puts all these skills to good use as he teams up with some stellar musicians from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Igor Prado Band. This November 2010 Delta Groove Records release is all killer and no filler. I chose the tune Little Girl.  (For information on a benefit for Slim who has been hospitalized recently, see the tab that reads Slim Jam on this site)

George “Harmonica” Smith moved to the west coast in the late 1960’s. It turned out to be a significant event in the development of the region being noted for such an array of harp talent. He was a mentor to many of the next generation of blues musicians. He had a brief stint in the Muddy Waters band in Chicago in the 1950’s and again caught up with Waters in San Francisco on 4-6-66 when the great one played at the Fillmore. A recording of that concert was officially released on CD in 2009. The album is the official authorized bootleg of that performance. From this album I pulled the Waters original, She Moves Me where George “Harmonica” Smith really gets a chance to stretch out.

Mark "Torch" Tortorici and his Hollywood Combo play a fun mix of blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly and swing. Recently, Torch got scorched at the Road to the Battle of the Blues Harps. No surprise there. It wasn’t a contest in the true spirit of competition. The Hollywood Combo has been home to some of the finest L.A. based musicians though the years as evidenced on their 2005 self titled album. Special guests on this record for instance include tenor saxophone legend, Big Jay McNeely and pianist extraordinaire Carl “Sonny” Leland. Here in 2011 the Hollywood Combo has been hosting a blues night at Bigs in Fullerton where they have opened up for and backed some of the biggest names in the blues. We've been grooving to From the Bottom by the Combo here at the JUNCTION.

Billy Watson now has eight albums under his belt, including a fine 2011 release called Secret 8. I however went back to his 2007 release entitled Blowin’ Crow. The song I Found Out is a fascinating instrumental which features the guitar of Junior Watson (no relation) and, like the rest of the tunes on the album, finds the San Diego area resident blowing chromatic harmonica. It is also important to note the über talented Nathan James had a hand in producing, recording and engineering the album. James also plays guitar on seven of the albums nine tracks. Billy Watson’s take on the blues is as refreshingly innovative as anything I have heard in years.

Kim Wilson is what I call a Calitexifornian. He was born in Goleta, California. His travels of course landed him in Austin, Texas, where he established himself as the most widely recognized and respected harp layer of his generation. He has been an Orange County resident for some time now and the O.C. is where he will be with his All-Star Blues Review on December 11, 2011(see World Class Blues in the O.C. on this site for details).I went way back to Kim’s first solo album Tiger Man and selected the instrumental tune, Hunch Rhythm.

Alex Woodson is the talented front man and harp player in the up and coming band Lil A & the Allnighters. Their debut album Special Project includes an updated version of the Little Walter classic, Mellow Down Easy that has become a repeat play on the Jukebox. This Southern California based band hit it out of the park at the recent Road to the Battle of the Blues Harps. Most in attendance on the afternoon of October 15th thought Lil A won the “contest” hands down. For their efforts the band got a free meal and the admiration of the crowd. To find out what this band is up to check out the tab, Straight up Blues on This Site.