Don't
make the mistake of thinking of Rod
Piazza as one of the "young
turks" of the blues, or part
of the "new generation"
of blues greats. At this point in
his career, Piazza has been recording
longer than his mentor George "Harmonica"
Smith did, or Sonny Boy Williamson
(either of them!), or Big Walter Horton.
He's been making records for more
years than Little Walter was alive.
Piazza is a tried-and-true, dyed-in-the-wool
blues veteran with credentials that
are second to none.
From his first recordings as a leader in
1967 fronting The Dirty Blues Band,
through his multiple W.C. Handy award winning
releases with his current band The
Mighty Flyers, to his countless
appearances both live and on record with
legendary blues figures, Piazza has set
a standard for harmonica virtuosity that
has established him as one of the most influential
living blues harp players. He's consistently
surrounded himself with players who bring
out the best he has to offer, and epitomize
the very best in blues: fresh, swinging,
tasteful, exciting and creative. The core
of his band has been together for over three
decades, and developed the kind of musical
telepathy that simply cannot exist without
years of experience on the bandstand and
in the studio. The Mighty Flyers are a well-oiled
machine, with Piazza in the driver's seat.
Born in 1947, Piazza's infatuation with
blues began at a time when many of the masters
were still in their prime years, and in
the mid 1960s when the first blues revival
was picking up steam, he was in the thick
of it. By the 1970s, he'd already released
five albums, and was one of the leading
lights of the West Coast Blues scene. In
the early '70s he joined forces with Otis
Spann disciple Honey Alexander (now his
wife) on piano, and when they formed the
Mighty Flyers over three decades ago, his
career really hit its stride. Since then
Piazza and the Mighty Flyers have won or
been nominated for just about every award
that can be bestowed upon a blues band,
played literally thousands of gigs around
the world, recorded over a dozen highly
acclaimed releases, and along the way virtually
created a new style of blues - a combination
of low-down Chicago grit, suave West Coast
swing and jazz, and the rhythmic drive of
the best early R&B and rock & roll.
Quite simply, Rod Piazza and The Mighty
Flyers are one of the best, most experienced,
and most distinctive bands in blues today.
