BOB CORRITORE "HARMONIICA BLUES" Liner Notes by Dick Shurman

HARMONICA BLUES celebrates forty years since Bob Corritore first picked up a harp. He maximized his early proximity to the 1970s Chicago Blues scene, befriending and learning from masters Louis Myers, Eddie Taylor, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Little Willie Anderson, Big Leon Brooks, Lester Davenport, Big Smokey Smothers, Little Mack Simmons, and others. Bob quickly broadened his circle, developed his musical skills and launched his producing career with albums by Anderson and Brooks. Since relocating to Phoenix, Arizona in 1981 (originally intending to stay for just a year), Bob has been prolific as a player, producer, radio personality since ‘84, and owner of the renowned Rhythm Room, with which he’s been associated for nineteen years. He brought singing drummer Chico Chism from Chicago to Phoenix in 1986, providing a boost to both. In 1999, his debut CD ALL-STAR BLUES SESSIONS (HMG1009) was issued, an impressive selection of his productions and his own playing. Two years later, the anthology RHYTHM ROOM BLUES (HCD8139) confirmed his taste and the quality of his associates. Since the release of ALL-STAR BLUES SESSIONS, Bob has built on that illustrious foundation, contributing his authoritative harp to about forty releases, he has partnered with Mississippi native Dave Riley for two highly praised CDs; TRAVELIN’ THE DIRT ROAD and LUCKY TO BE LIVING, and it is now routine to find him on European stages or profiled in Blues magazines worldwide.

Now the hard work, dedication, love and talent through which Bob has built a remarkable life and career in the Blues are brought to bear on HARMONICA BLUES, fifteen diverse but uniformly rewarding tracks featuring his harp and production and a virtual Who’s Who of traditional Blues recorded between 1989 and 2009. This CD is also a product of two other longstanding associations for Bob: his twenty-five year friendship with Delta Groove mahoff Randy Chortkoff, and Clarke Rigsby of Tempest Recording in Tempe who engineered and mixed every track. All were done in Arizona except for Koko Taylor’s, recorded in Chicago.

His love of tradition comes through in Bob’s own impressive playing; he is a player of sufficient substance to be known and lauded if that was all he did; informed, inventive, and big-toned. But beyond that, he has the ability to convey that love of tradition to the incredible lineup of musicians he has brought to the Rhythm Room (and taken elsewhere) in a way that motivates them. He has also earned their trust so that they have often gone into the studio with him during their visits, at times recording material closer to old school blues than most of their contemporary output. A listen or just a glance at the credits makes it clear how well Bob is able to recruit stellar Blues players, combine them, and accompany them in ways that bring the best out of the featured artist. Chicago credentials are a strong thread. Lockwood’s emphatic and only recording of “That’s All Right,” the Blues classic which he reputedly wrote, is a historic and musical highlight. Koko Taylor, Eddie Shaw, Eddy Clearwater, Henry Gray, Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edwards, and Little Milton (a longtime South Side resident) are other leaders with deep Chicago roots, while Eddie Taylor Jr., Bob Stroger, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Chico Chism, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Bob Riedy, and Jon Hiller contribute as sidemen. But HARMONICA BLUES encompasses far more than Bob’s Chicago background, thanks to the likes of Louisiana Red (who originally followed Bob to Phoenix early on), Dave Riley, Nappy Brown, Big Pete Pearson, Tomcat Courtney, Chief Schiabutte Gilliame, and Carol Fran, as well as accompanists including Bob Margolin, Kid Ramos, Buddy Reed, David Maxwell and others including some Rhythm Room stalwarts omitted here only for space reasons.

Bob’s own playing is powerful yet often understated, and becomes an integral, and appropriate enhancement of every song on the CD. He is a master of the all but lost ensemble style of harmonica playing. Clearwater’s “That’s My Baby” showcases Bob’s chromatic tribute to Carey Bell (a relative of Clearwater). Strong chromatic is also heard behind Pearson on “Tin Pan Alley.” Gray’s “Things Have Changed” features Bob’s Chi-town-styled third position playing, while the higher and lower register aspects of first position harp are on rousing display behind Riley on “Things You Do” and Courtney on “Sundown San Diego.” On the tough instrumentral “1815 West Roosevelt” with Eddie Shaw, Bob gives a worthy salute via general prowess and tone to the club of that Chicago address owned by Shaw when Bob was hanging out there, and where he met Chism. Clearly, HARMONICA BLUES is as much a personal homage as a musical statement, and the love burns as brightly as ever.

Bob Corritore has shown over the past four decades that he is about teamwork and that he is seemingly out to help every Blues artist blessed to know him. His own name and career have not been the priority. But HARMONICA BLUES is one more in a growing list of monuments to a legacy which should bring as much pride to Bob, as it does joy to the listener.

- Dick Shurman

BOB CORRITORE THANKS:
Randy Chortkoff and everyone at Delta Groove Music, VizzTone Records, Betsie Brown, Lynn Orman, Michael Frank & Earwig Music, Dale Baich & Blue Witch Records, Kim Wilson, Amanda Taylor, Paul Oscher, R.J. Mischo, Illinois Slim, Scott Dirks, Steve Guyger, Ron Sunshine, Dennis Gruenling, Joe Filisko, Jim Themelis, Rick Estrin, Jerry Swartz, Bill Tarsha, Johnny Tanner, Little Victor, Mookie Brill, Billy and Mary Flynn, Mark Hummel, John Németh, Sugar Ray Norcia, Jerry Portnoy, Billy Gibson, Mitch Kashmar, Johnny Dyer, Patrick Day, Sam Lay, Dave Waldman, Bharath Rajakumar, Martin Lange, Kim Danielson, Ashley Bertling, Tony Tingle, Anna Roemer, The Fremonts, Tom Leavey, George Vaught, Tracey Thomas, Steve Marriner, Patricia Morgan, Andy Cornett, Eileen Bailey, Jennifer Waters, KJZZ, Kyle Deibler and the Phoenix Blues Society, Mona Watkins and everyone at the Rhythm Room, Martin Elmers and the Rack Shack Barbecue, Bill and Shelia Wax, Bob and Linda Porter, Vicente "Harmonica" Zumel and his wife Roser, Bruce Iglauer, Kara Holt, Melissa Testa, Dora Minter, the Lucerne Blues Festival, Franky Bruneel, Marcel Benedit, Xavier Boulanger, Collectif Des Radios Blues, Jim McGrath, Roy Prescott, Diunna Greenleaf, Bob Kieser and Illinois Blues, Linda Cain and the Chicago Blues Guide, Bob and Susan Koester, Kevin Johnson, the Blues Foundation, Jean Guillermo, Christian and Renee Boncour, Sonny Payne, Terry Buckalew, Art Tipaldi, Jocelyn Richez, Michel Remond, Barbara Lee, Cheryl "Bluebird" Koehne, Santa Barbara Blues Society, Hugh Southard, Spring Blues Festival, Cognac Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, Mud Morganfield, Big Joe Louis, Janiva Magness, Charlie Lange, Mary Lockwood, Bruce Bromberg, Larry Sloven, and all my friends and supporters!