JASON RICCI & NEW BLOOD Source: Blues Source Date: 09/2009 Writer: Dorothy Hill

Stunning is the adjective that best describes the performance of Jason Ricci at his recent show at Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco.  I was impressed by him when I saw him at the Delta Groove Revue in Memphis in May but the full impact of his abilities are better observed in a small club.  Now based in Nashville, this Portland, Maine native immersed himself in blues alongside R. L. Burnside, David Kimbrough and Big Bad Smitty in Mississippi.  Although he displayed a host of influences in the show, his assimilation in blues is unmistakable. 

The trio comprising New Blood is equally gifted--guitarist Shawn Starski  (named as one of the Top Ten Hottest New Guitarists by a reader’s poll in the 2008 June issue of Guitar Player Magazine), bassist Todd "Buck Weed" Edmunds and drummer Ed Michaels (loved his brush work on some tunes) made their own musical statement with an undercurrent of tension that brilliantly showcased Ricci’s adventurous spirit. 

Opening up, Ricci launched into a torrent of blues fury on Willie Dixon’s “Mellow Down Easy” and Starski locked into the shuffle intensity on slide guitar.  Keeping the blues theme going for several more tunes, his vocal delivery was raggedly soaring on “As Long As I Have You” with a harmonica solo that was part Little Walter and a lot Jason Ricci.  Ricci’s composition “Broken Toy” is a heartrending tale about the intricacies of being an outsider and his breathy delivery, stretching the words, was mesmerizing as he bared his soul.  “Marmoset: Baked Potato” was a delightfully swinging jazzy number that exhibited Ricci’s harmonic sophistication.  On “Take A Walk on The Wild Side” Ricci was vocally inventive as he interjected “doo, doo, doo, on Castro Street” closing it out with a sweetly expressive harmonica solo.  He got into “Everything I Play Gonna Be Funky” playfully fooling around with a percussion clacker.  He delivered the last few numbers after taking off his sweat-drenched shirt (which he had earlier announced he just bought at a shop on Castro Street) and closed it out with the avant-garde tune “Enlightment.”

The range of musical genres covered this evening was staggering and Ricci’s ability to remorselessly push himself to the outer limits of endurance on harmonica was brilliant.  His inventive versatility with speed-defying technique was unlike any other harmonica player I have ever seen and I have seen a few of the greats in my time.  The great ones have that unidentifiable ability to convey the story and Ricci is a master with a uniquely inspired technical ability that is absolutely breathtaking.  This was a truly unforgettable show by a great artist.